001All right, welcome everybody. Um, it is Wednesday, February 25th. Uh, we have rescheduled our We'll do a quick mute on the TV. We've rescheduled this uh board meeting due to weather, so we're glad to be here tonight. Um, we will start by stating the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right. I'm Rachel Gyos. the president of the school board and we are going to kick things off um with a procedural announcement which is that we met in exec session um to talk about legal and personnel matters and then we are moving on to section two of our agenda which is our recognition and I'll turn it over to
002Dr. Gfredo. Yep. Terrific. I I'm happy we every year the district does a holiday card and I know uh I believe Mrs. Dale and Mr. McCluskey from the high school are here and they're going to present the designers of this year's card. So, please take the podium. Can Emma and Freda? Rita, come up to the front, please. I know it's embarrassing. We're gonna talk about you for a second. Okay. Good evening, Dr. Gfredo, Great Valley School Board members, and the Great Valley community. For those who don't know me, I'm Henry McCluskey, assistant principal from Great Valley High School. Thank you for allowing me to speak on behalf of the students and staff at the high school. We are proud to recognize Emma Holt, whose poem was selected for this year's holiday card. Emma is an
003exceptional student in AP literature and creative writing. Consistently demonstrating strong reading, writing, critical thinking skills. She is creative and intentional with every word she writes, qualities that are clearly reflected in her poem. After review by the whole English department, Emma's poem was unanimously picked for this year's card. We are thrilled she shared her writing with the whole community and we are grateful for how talented you are. Thank you, Emma. Congratulations. Now, let me introduce Andale, art teacher. Good evening. My name is Ann Dale and I'm proud to introduce Fera Ismila, a 10th grade student at Great Valley High School whose design was selected to be featured on this year's Great Valley Holiday Card. In addition to this great honor, Freda's artwork and her newly founded nonprofit organization, Paintful of Promise, has received notable recognition. Her
004work has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer on 6ABC News and she was recently invited to appear on the Tamron Hall show um to discuss her design work and her inspiring nonprofit initiative. Congratulations, Freda. This is important. Congratulations. All right. Um, moving on to our student council reports. We have Sugartown, the sweetest place on earth here tonight. And the middle school, also, I'm sure, very sweet. Um, but we're going to kick it off with Sugar Town. Very excited to hear from you guys. Thank you for being here. Hi. Good evening, members of the school board. My name is Emma and I'm the president of the student council. Thank you so much for giving us a chance to speak with you tonight. Are you ready to hear what we've been up to since the last time
005we were in here in November? Well, bec Well, get ready because we're so excited to share what we've been up to for our plans for the rest of the year. Hi, my name is Nolan Nolan and I'm the vice president of student council. Before winter break, we begin our new student council program called Bobcat Buddies. This program lets student council members visit kindergarten, first and second grade classrooms. We have really enjoyed getting to help the younger students with activities, read with them, and bring school spirit. In December, we visited our buddy class and read a winter read aloud. Also, throughout this week, we will visit our buddy class to help them do a growing kindness craft. Once we finish the craft, the craft will be delivered to a local nursing home to brighten their days.
006Hi, my name is Chase Buchanan and I am the secretary. I am excited to share with you that after winter break, student council helped Dr. Forest and Miss Gautier with a reset assembly. Student council members performed skits that helped remind all students at Sugartown how how to make good choices every day at school and what it looks like to show respect, responsibility, and kindness. Whether it is in the gym, cafeteria, or classroom, Sugartown kids know what to do. We love being good role models. Hi, my name is is Lily and I and I am treasurer. As we get closer to PSSA test testing, student council plans to make uh inspirational posters for the third and fourth grade hallways to encourage everyone to do their best and not stress on the test. We are also excited
007to help plan our walk-athon in June with our amazing BTO to help um to help raise funds and give back to the students at Sugartown. Wouldn't it be so cool, so cool if student council could help get new and cool things for recess? Thank you again for listening to us and supporting our student council. You are your support is one of the reasons Sugartown continues to be the sweetest place on earth. Lastly, we want to remind you that at Sugartown, together we are Bobcat strong. Have a great rest of your night. Well done, friends. Um, thank you so much to Miss Hornberger and Miss Walters also for leading this charge and spending your time um to work with these students. We're so grateful. All right, middle school, come on down. Good evening to the board,
008Dr. Gfredo, parents, teachers, and great valley community members. I am Grant Janowski, the eighth grade student council president. I am Samantha Wazi, the seventh grade vice president. I am Prenathy Pradep, the seventh grade secretary. I'm Luchia Miona, the seventh grade student council treasurer. Student council just hosted our second and last dance February Friday the 20th and it was a lot of fun. The theme for our dance was glow-in-the-dark and lots of people attended and enjoyed it. We made about $700 and had about 200 students attend. The money that we make goes to the four diamonds foundation packs for packs and other student council sponsored events. We also have lots of reps come to help set up for the dance and cleanup as well. Overall, it was a fun event and we are excited to keep
009hosting activities just like this. Student council is running a coat drive from the 9th to the 20th. Students can donate lightly used coats, hats, and gloves and scarfves. We already have lots of donations from people in total. We have been donated about 100 items. The clothing the clothes that we get will go to people in need. Next Wednesday, student council will be hosting a pickle ball tournament. Teams of two can enter for $10 and have fun playing in a king of the court styled game. The tournament will last about two hours, and the winner of the game will win a prize. This is our first time hosting a pickle ball tournament, so we hope it'll be a lot of fun. Our student council continues to hold monthly general council meetings. These meetings inform our reps
010of future activities and volunteer opportunities and events. During our January meeting, the seventh grade officers got a chance to introduce themselves and to get some speaking time in at the meeting. During each meeting, we have around 1:20 to 1:30 attending representatives. After our meetings, the representatives will inform their advocacies as to what happened during the meeting. We also have provided a team's chat to let them suggest ideas for different activities outside of our meetings. Rep are an important part of our council. Their ideas and suggestions are always valuable. In closing, this school year has been really fun and an amazing experience so far. We appreciate all the board members and how you make sure that every student has a chance to do their best. In doing so, you allow Great Valley students to succeed. Thank
011you again for all the opportunities you provide for the students at Great Valley Middle School and Great Valley as a whole. We value all the work you do for the Great Valley community. Thank you for your time and have a great night. Thank you guys and thank you to Mr. Brown for coordinating this effort as well. We appreciate your time. Um, moving on to our high school student reps. Justin, come on down. Hi everyone. I apologize on Anna's behalf. She couldn't be here tonight. she had an extracurricular activity, so I'll be filling in for her. But these are her slides, so I just want to recognize that she put the work into them. Oh, yeah. So up first I wanted to highlight winter sports where the track 4x400 relay team qualified for the state championships
012and they are ranked ninth in the state. And then in swim and dive the two school records were broken by Patrick Hines the 500 free and the 50 free. And then in wrestling, the district 1 tournament was held and wrestlers from Great Valley placed first and third and five are going to regionals. So a very good ac or a very good athletic season in the winter sports as they're wrapping up and there's now a few regional competitions for the oldest winter sports. Next, I wanted to highlight the teacher leadership academy at TCHS. And that's offered, as I said, in collaboration with the technical college high school. And it's for seniors and it gives them an experience in classrooms in the high school, in middle school, and in elementary school to teach. And it's a direct
013path to future education for them and a chance to earn college credits. So similar to dual enrollment and AP classes, they can use these the credits they earn at this class and for any PA college, they can apply them there and hopefully save money in the long run. And then also it they give the they have the opportunity to do interviews and with teachers and admin administration and with that it's a very realistic experience for these students who want to become teachers. So, there's a few students doing it at Great Valley this year. And overall, it's a great program that exists for them to foster the next generation of teachers. And Justin, I might just interject to that. Um, we've had a lot of Great Valley students go through the program who we have then
014hired back as teachers. So, it really is a pipeline into the teaching profession. And so, you may or may not know that, but I know even in recent years, we've hired three to five people I can think of distinctly that went through this very program. Yes. I I talked with uh one student who went through it and they are looking forward to the opportunities that it opens up with just get showing that on their resume that they went through this even in high school. So it's a great experience. And then on the music side of things, the great valley choir, many students sang in the PMEA District 12 choir. And with that, three are moving on to the region 6 competition in March. And then on the orchestra th side of things, three students played
015in the district 12 orchestra and one chist is advancing to that same festival in March. So great work for Great Valley students on both the athletic and music side of things. I also wanted to highlight the art contract 3D class which is an advanced art elective and it gives students experience with a bunch of different art mediums. So that's the 3D mediums of metal, pottery, jewelry, sculptures, stone, so many different mediums that you don't have the opportunity to do in many of the other art classes. So that's what's unique about this one. And they explore these mediums through different projects and experimentation. So they have the opportunity to with this class go and play around with these materials, see which ones they like best and see which ones respond well to them and learn and
016shape their skills in each one. And then with that, they have the opportunity to showcase their artwork at local art shows and compete in competitions. And that's where college recruiters can talk to them and see their work and hopefully give them scholarships for that. And then a lot of these students have their work exhibited at the GV art fair which is in the spring. Finally, I wanted to highlight the Crochet for Kids Club. And it's a studentled club where they make handmade items for local causes. And they recently held a workshop at Charletown Elementary School where they taught the Girl Scouts there the basics of crocheting. And it was a creative environment and one where the high schoolers got to teach and mentor the younger elementary students. And it was great on both ends because
017they got to make all these goods to donate to charity and they also got to work together. The elementary schoolers learning what it's like to be a leader and hopefully one day they might join this club if they see their interest in it. And then it's the giving back to the elementary schools aspect for the high schoolers. So then some upcoming events, the cultural celebration is tomorrow at the high school. And with that, there's a speaker that comes in and talks to one grade at a time about different topics like inclusivity. And then the second part is the cultural fair where students go around to visit different clubs that showcase the diversity we have at the high school. And each club puts on a show, maybe a dance, they have food, they have posters, and
018it's a great way to learn about what the high school, what students at the high school, where they come from, and what they have to offer. And then also, there's the Desmond 3B3 basketball tournament, which is on Sunday, and that's an opportunity to raise money for the Desmond Project, which as I talked about last time I was here, they're fundraising for the student achiever banquet. And it's a fun time for students who want to play basketball with two of their friends. As always, thank you. And Anna's very sorry she couldn't be here tonight. So, uh, she'll probably be here when we meet again in 3 weeks, but have a great night. All right. Um, yes. So, we're moving on to um section five. If any of our student presenters would like to leave with their
019parents now, we get it. We understand. We can take a minute. Thank you again for all of you being here. Parents, thank you for coming out tonight. Good job, everyone. Thank you. Good job. Well done. [clears throat] the I see just what they're highlighting. It's exact. I think it's exactly what you guys want. Much better. Yeah. All right. Moving on to section five. We did meet in exact session as I stated at the beginning of the meeting. Um 502 is our secretar's correspondence. There's no correspondence this evening. Okay. And Chester County IU report. I always forget that's Dr. Rizzo, correct? who is not here tonight. Um, so we do not have a report there. Legislative report. Yes. Okay. All right. It's a little long, so I'm going to try to go fast. Um, but there's
020a lot of stuff um going on. Uh, so in terms of what is passed, the Crown Act, um, formerly, uh, House Bill 439 was signed into law. And basically what that does, it amends the Pennsylvania Human Relations Acts Act to clarify that race-based discrimination um includes discrimination based on traits historically associated with race, including like hair texture and protective hairstyles. Um so what that requires of us is just a review of our district policies, dress codes and stuff, um to make sure that we're in compliance, although I'm sure we are. Um and then there's two bills that have passed through the house. House Bill um 1825, which is workplace non-discrimination policy requirements. Um that's not necessarily specific to schools, but it requires employers, including public entities like districts to adopt written policies and procedures um
021regarding harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. I think we have a lot of those. Um so I don't know if it will require us to review them or amend them but um it's a new it's a new requirement. And then the other one um that has been passed by the house is the statewide ch statewide children's literacy program which is the imagination library and that establishes an ear um a statewide early childhood lit lit literacy initiative supporting book distribution um and a a state account specific to um funding literacy programming. Um then moving on u from the state education committee the student mobile device use restrictions which we've had some discussions about in the past. Um actually I think since our last the last legislative meeting there's been some movement on this. I think it's actually been
022passed into the house now. Um it's out of committee and that will require um every school to district to adopt a policy specifically prohibiting um the use of of cell phones by by students during the day while they're on school property. Um there's some uh wiggle room in there for students with IEPs or different kind of medical needs. Um but if it passes, which I think it looks like it will, um because a lot of groups are really kind of gunning for it, um it will be required, uh implementation will be required starting in 2026 2027 school year. Um uh Senate Bill 116's credit for employment in congregate care facilities. And this this would allow students um in grade 11 and grades 11 and 12 to um volunteer or work in congregate care facilities and
023use that time for um elective graduation credits. Um and the goal is that they're hoping well two things. Um it will um kind of mitigate some uh work shortages in long-term care facilities um and then give students kind of some more hands-on opportunities. Um, and then the last one, um, in the Senate now is a dual credit innovation grant expansion, um, with the goal of expanding eligibility for dual credit programs, um, beyond just public universities. Um, and it's just going to give give our students some more opportunities to get college credits um, prior to high school graduation. Um, another one which has kind of been in the news that you may have heard about, um, and is in the Senate Appropriations Committee right now is, um, required cursive, bringing back cursive, um, which has been
024a a debate for, I don't know, a couple decades, I [laughter] think. Um, and it would require elementary schools to um, require instruction in in both print um, jointed italics and cursive handwriting. So that's going to um uh require I guess some some new curriculum and potential potentially have some staffing implications. Um almost done. Uh the in the House Judiciary Committee um House Bill 1935 is terroristic threats and retaliation or restitution for emergency response co costs. and it's just a different way of uh collecting um restitution for the the actual true costs of emergency responses. Um and the idea is that it may give the district kind of more um uh strength behind any of the deterrence programs. Um and then a new federal law um which you also may have heard of is Whole
025Milk for Healthy Kids Act. Um and that requires schools now to offer instead of just the reduced fat milk or the um to offer whole milk in addition to the reduced fat milk. And then just quickly, three that are currently um uh upcoming committee actions um are uh public notice requirements um which will eliminate the requirement for um printing changes to meetings uh meeting times and locations in a print um newspaper. Um right now I think I can't remember the last time I touched a print newspaper. Um so that's just I think the goal of that is to just bring it up to um kind of more common usage. Um and then similarly restriction on adding agenda items that we will disallow the addition of agenda items within 24 hours of meeting of a meeting
026even with the majority vote. Um and the idea is that it's just going to give the school boards a little bit more flexibility. Thank you. Questions. All right. Um, board committee reports, teaching. I'm gonna say it wrong because we changed the name. Learning and innovation committee. Dr. Oul, are you going to speak to that? Uh, with Dr. Roso not here. No, not okay. I was putting you on the spot. I didn't ask anyone. No, it's totally fine. We'll get the report the next time. um finance committee. That's me. Uh so we met on February 25th, sorry, February 18th. Um we discussed the act one index for the 2627 school year which is 3.50%. And then we had our 26 27 budget discussion and that included um real estate tax assessments in history, local tax revenue
027based on the act one index, uh the 2627 preliminary budget first look, fund balances and fund balance designations, and then the capital budget. A deeper dive of expenditures will be reviewed at the next meeting that will be held on March 23rd. That's right. Right. 23rd. Great. All right. I'm going to give the facilities report as um Becky's not here this evening. So, the facilities committee met on February 25th. Um February 9th. Sorry. The 25th is sticking balance. Listen. Same thing. Ra. Yeah, it's been a day. I should listen. All right, we met on February 19th. Um, there is going to be a middle school high school paving project that's going to happen over the summer that apparently is long overdue. Once that happens, I'm told with good maintenance, which we intend to provide, we're good
028for another 15, hopefully 20 years there. So, that's great news. General Wayne um is going to have a roofing project done over the summer. And then we also talked about future roofing projects um in following years with Sugartown and the high school. Um again, these are huge projects with big outlay, but give us a lot more time after that before we have to worry about replacement. And we're looking at grant funding to aid in the um cost of these things. We reviewed the field study plan which was really exciting um that we heard about a couple of meetings ago about what we need to do to maintain, update, repair our middle school and high school fields. We talked about a timeline for that and getting it all done um and how it fits into the
029larger five-year plan, which there is one. It does fit. We can get the work done um you know over time, right? So it's not everything all at once, but we get there and the the playgrounds are included in these future plans which we're really excited about. Also, we've been talking about that for a long time. Um, building and grounds updates. Uh, snow removal of district grounds. We talked a little bit about that. There's a lot of work that goes into that, especially with the amount of snow we've had this season and the terrible ice that we had in that first snowstorm. So, big thanks to our staff who was working around the clock to make sure we were safe to come back when we were able to come back. Um, there were some staffing updates.
030Um and then summer planning um was talked about as we start to prepare for maintenance, cleaning, building rentals for the summer period, how that is affected by the paving project. Building rentals will still um happen, but the groups that are renting need to be in in contact, which they are with the district about what does that mean for pickup, drop off for summer activities. Um 41 Moors Road, um we're still doing ongoing walkthroughs there. that purchase is done, which is really exciting. We're still hoping hoping to open up for student parking once the weather changes. Um, we want to make sure there are cameras there. Um, now that we own it and we if we are going to have students parking there, we need to make sure we ensure safety. Kids can get where they
031need to go without issue. Um, and we need a walking path. We can't have them, you know, climbing through the woods to get to the high school every morning and afternoon. So, I know everyone's anxious for that piece and we are too. Um, so it was a good meeting. All right. Um, back to Wendy for communications. We met uh the communications committee on January 29th. The first thing we talked about was uh the annual report. There was a postcard that was mailed out to community members with a QR code so you could get to the annual report and there were almost 3,000 clicks to that. So, uh, that was great. We also talked about some website changes. we have been given information um just about some changes to be made to the website to help
032streamline and make information easier to find. So uh we talked about those things. We also talked about the partnership with Right at School. Um they're the new provider for before and after care and summer camps for the 2627 um school year. and there is a communications plan in place so that uh the information about their programs um gets out to families. And then lastly, we went over the draft of the district's three-year strategic communication plan and gave our input and feedback. Um the next meeting is set for March 12th and I will be traveling. So, if we can um move that uh that would be great. Thank you. Awesome. Thanks, Wendy. All right. Moving on to superintendent report section six. Thank you. I'm happy to share some of the highlights as you know and you
033saw some of our students. We have some some wonderful students and some highly talented staff and so I get to showcase some of uh their work here for you. So, um, here is, uh, Katie Deizio, who's one of our high school music teachers. She won the Franklin Mint Fred Federal Credit Union, uh, Excellence in Teaching Award. So, only 20 from the region. This isn't just Chester County. This is the entire Philadelphia and surrounding counties. So, she was one of just 20 educators is being highlighted. And there she is with her beautiful family and Dr. Cap. So congratulations to Katie uh in winning that very prestigious award. Um very proud of her. Our middle school robotics team uh we have a wellestablished and enrolled robotics team. I want to thank Mr. Ruckle House for all his
034ongoing support over the years of the program. Uh you can see we're hosting competitions at this point where people are coming to us. Uh and there you can see where we have first place out of 44 teams. So, uh, high interest and, uh, Mr. Ruckle House keeps, uh, just a wonderful job and the numbers go up each and every year and I know I've had to come back to the board a few points and say, can we add additional EDR contracts to support the growing need? And, um, it's good to see it's just a great experience for the kids. And again, I can't thank Mr. Ruckle House enough. Um, here's a familiar face. Neva was our board rep. She filled in Justin's position last school year. Neva is uh going to be on her way
035to the University of Pennsylvania and but she was also named as a finalist in the Coca-Cola scholars program. So um first of all you can see you have 107,000 people applying uh and she is one of just a really small number. So she's in that final phase. I'll keep you updated. But even to get to the part where she is is just an an amazing accomplishment. and you know, she's just talented and lovely and uh well-rounded. So, uh very proud of Neva and hopefully I'll I'll update um more on her progress. We have an artificial intelligence think tank. This is related to one of our district goals. We're uh here's a picture. We were working uh last week and so we have a team of middle school and high school teachers coming together working with
036an outside facilitator. We're exploring AI tools, how they help us with um designing new lessons, helping to make teaching and learning more efficient and effective. Um, and as you know, the students are always a little up on us with with some of this. We know at the next phase when students leave our high school and they go into college or the workforce, AI is going to be something you're going to need have to leverage. So, we have to be thoughtful stewards as we get rules and procedures in place. And so as this think tank continues to convene during the year at the end they'll come up with recommendations that we'll use on our secondary campus for when AI can be used when it can't but we understand that we need to be able to do
037it but there are certainly concerns with safety academic integrity and so I want to thank these are all teacher volunteers and anytime they come out of the classroom and give up a day with us their work doesn't go away they have to go back and make that work up and I I really appreciate uh all the middle school and high school teachers and coaches and administrators uh who who have been contributing. So very very proud of the work of the AI think tank. You saw Mr. McCcluskey. He's still here. I see him sitting in the back. Uh our high school during one of its recent inservice days, Mr. McCcluskey, you may or may not know, is a CPR certified trainer. And so uh we've been building and and building out capacity, uh with our students
038and our staff. And so um I want to thank you very much, uh Mr. McCcluskey for expanding that CPR training and and our our high school is just more and more students continue to get trained. So, and these aren't the standard things that you hear that we're just doing and uh it's all part of well-rounded and and working on the the whole child. Um so, congratulations there. And annually we always have four heart award winners and I I won't read the same but I'll give you a moment to take this in. I want to congratulate Mrs. Ays, Mr. Ellis, Miss Vancot, and Miss Towi, our bus driver. Uh, you can see the recommendations from an instructional coach to a teacher at the high school, Sugar Town, and to one of our bus drivers. Our bus
039drivers get a great deal of respect and love, and we get a lot of recommendations for them. So, uh, we always get far more recommendations each month than what we can really honor. So, it's it's a bit of a challenge. Uh, but these were four that were chosen. They were presented with their heart of warning, uh, heart of learning award. and um we're just very very proud of all they do. And again, it's just signifies that you need a whole team, right? Our instructional coaches, our teachers, our bus drivers. Um so, congratulations to all of of this year's or this month's award winners. So, just a brief snippet of some highlights and I thank you for your time. Dan, can you remind us how someone gets nominated for that award and and how that works?
040Yes. So the the heart award we it's available on our website. So please I encourage internal external if if you're a staff member and you want to recommend someone who went above and beyond or really shine. Uh we get a lot from families and parents and we're actually getting quite a few from students. We're suiting students at a variety of levels from elementary, middle, and high, submitting recommendations on how staff have really helped them and affected them. And some of them are really touching and so we'll be sure to layer some of those in in subsequent months. But please go to our website and file those nominations. Um, it's a small token, but it goes a long way with our staff, and we just have so many good things going on. I I wish I
041had more time, but that's just a snippet. Great. All right, we are in our first section of public participation. So, we welcome public comment here on voting agenda items only. There's a second public comment at the end of the meeting that can encompass anything you want to talk about. Um, both sections are limited to three minutes per speaker. You just get up here, tell us your name, um that you do reside in the district, and um we set a timer. So, I'll open it up to the first section of public comment on voting items only. Come on down. Yes. Come up to the podium and I'll explain. So, as you're coming up, we'll put a timer up there. You're going to hear a very loud beep, but that means you have 30 seconds. So, it's
042a little obnoxious, we know, but I have a statement, so I think I'm supposed to be Oh, you don't have to. You can just read it. Yep, that's totally fine. All right. Thank you. Good. Good evening. Uh, my name is Jane Castelluchcci and I live at 30 New White Hurst Way in Melvin. I'm here to speak um in support of Club America. I come here today to speak to you as a naturalized American citizen. That means I was not born here but gained citizenship through an official legal process. My family fled the brutal dictatorship of the Cam Rouge regime in Cambodia. My family experienced firsthand what it means to live under a dictator. It starts with empty promises, then the seizure of private property, the abolishment of all civil and human rights, resulting in many
043human atrocities, the breakup of the family unit, and in this case, placement into separate forced labor camps, the death of roughly two to three million people for mass starvation and targeted executions, and eventually the destruction of a once beautiful country. It was a miracle that my family reunited when the Vietnamese invaded. We escaped to a refu refugee camp near the Thai border and we eventually obtained a sponsor to come to America in 1981. I applied for citizenship when I turned 18 and my naturalization ceremony was one of the proudest moments in my life. So ask me why I support Club America at Great Valley High School. Because I love this country. We are truly blessed to be here. The freedoms that we have in this country are worth fighting for. But these days, the children
044and even many adults in America don't truly appreciate the freedoms this country affords them. When my son told me he wanted to start Club America at Great Valley High School, I was in full support. Club America is not meant to be a political or divisive club. It's simply meant for its members to express the importance of and show appreciation for for those freedoms, promote patriotism, and build their understanding of American civics. Also, we are at a time where we need open dialogue more than ever before, learning how to differ in opinion with compassion and respect. The reality is that our beliefs are shaped by our own unique life stories. I shared with you just a small sliver of my life experience. I'm sure many of your experiences are vastly different than mine. And those experiences
045may sometimes mean that I may not agree with your beliefs and you mine, but that doesn't mean we are mortal enemies. As parents, let's work hard to help foster an open dialogue between our children. They are at a critical age where learning to do that will help them in their adult life. I am confident that the members of Club America will make every effort to have discussions respectfully, but respect and tolerance needs to go both ways, and we as parents need to be examples of that as well. So, let's try to give these kids some grace and give them a chance to prove that Club America can enhance the students experience here at Great Valley High School. Thank [bell] you. Thank you. Hi, my name is Grace Lawrence. I'm a junior at Great Valley High
046School. I'm a member of three different national honor societies, student council, and the superintendent forum. I'm here to ask you to vote against sanctioning Turning Point Turning Point USA's Club America at Great Valley High School High School work. The high school works hard to be an inclusive environment. But even though this club is being promoted as being inclusive, the binary way club America presents its message doesn't seem to do that. On Club America's website, they offer presentations for the clubs to use during meetings. In the always love America presentation on slide 11, it asked the question, why are those on the left not proud to be Americans? This question posed by TB USA's club America is an ad hominum fallacy. On Club America's website under America under the resource America's roots, there is a video
047resource with the title of leftist students called calls the constitution racist. Anything that goes against Turning Point USA's black and white way of thinking is considered woke, leftist, and using left as a form of bullying uh towards differing viewpoints. Club America's usage of these labels creates a stereotype. This type of rage baiting found in Club America's material goes against how they advertise themselves as opening as promoting open conversation with different viewpoints and open to civil debate. In my English and history classes at the high school, my teachers have it as part of the curriculum for research projects and assignments to use non-biased sources. The sources Club America are citing for information and statistics in the presentations are from right-wing bias sources such as PragerU and KO Institute. Although this is protected by the first amendment
048and is required by law to have school sanctioned student initiated clubs with different viewpoints, this club is not a student initiated club. Under the chapter charter agreement, Turning Point USA's official chapters are required to sign an agreement at the start of each school year. A school year is defined as June 1st through May 31st. Under the chapter code of conduct, Turning Point USA dictates what a Club America chapter may or may not do. Chapters may never design, offer, or sell apparel that is not designed or approved by TBUSA's national headquarters. Chapters may never host a speaker on campus without the approval from TBUSA's national headquarters. In addition, chapters are not allowed to make their own logo, stating it is that it is important that chapters only use the logo provided by TPUSA and to not
049attempt to create their own. These rules make this not a student initiated club, rather turning point USA and its affiliates are controlling the students ability to initiate and run the club. These chapter obligations go against the federal equal access act as Turning Point USA is a non-school entity. Please vote against the sanctioning. Thank you for your time. [bell] Good evening members of the board, administrators, and parents and students. Thank you for allowing me to speak. My name is Jedlu. I live at 511 Cliff Lane in Malvin over by Atwater. I'm the acting president of what we hope to be the Club America chapter at the Great Valley High School. I'm here today speaking on behalf of my fellow founding club members Shay Sea Jacob Castelluchcci and Logan Mcclead who unfortunately could not join us today.
050We started this club because we as a group believe that America is the greatest country in the world. We believe the principles of freedom and liberty that it was built on hold immense value today. We believe that civic engagement is necessary for a healthy school environment and the open discussion is key to understanding different viewpoints in a world of diversity. We believe being part of an engaged American is learning how to discuss issues respectfully, even when we disagree. Our goal is to create a place where any student can explore different ideas and challenge different viewpoints freely. We plan to host open discussions, educational presentations on US history and government, community service projects, and collaborate with other clubs, all in accordance with school policies. I also want to clarify something important. This club was initiated by
051the four of us. We were not reached out to by turning point. We were not reached out to by any adviser. Our adviser agreed to supervise the club in accordance with school requirements. But the ideas, organization, and leadership belongs to us as students. I understand that there have been concerns raised about our club. Many are worried that we are extremists, that were racists, that were hostile towards certain groups. I want to address that clearly and respectfully. First and foremost, we are nonpartisan. While we do hold a conservative viewpoint, Club America is open to everyone and holds no allegiance to any political party. We encourage those who disagree with us to come and discuss our differences freely and respectfully. We are not an extremist group. We do not promote or tolerate racism, hatred, or discrimination. We
052simply have a different perspective. Our purpose is civic engagement and civil discussion, not division. Furthermore, one of our club's core motivations is the Christian value of love and compassion, which we've made for foundation of our leadership and interactions. As [bell] such, we aim to demonstrate this by helping the school through our activities, including aiding in the registration of new voters regardless of political affiliation, hosting fundraising events for those in need, renewing the Veterans Memorial in honor of those who've served us, and bringing a thoughtprovoking engagement to interested students. Together, we hope to be an engaging, educational, and impactful addition to Great Valley High School. Thank you for your time and consideration. God bless you all, and God bless America. All right. I always say this after we hear from students. We like hearing from students.
053We know it's not easy to get up here, share your viewpoints, and speak in front of a crowd. So, we appreciate you, and we're glad you're all here. Come on down. Good evening. My name is Sheri Lawrence and I live in Charlestown Township. I come to you before I come to you tonight as a proud American and as a person of the evangelical faith who believes in Jesus's teachings in the Bible. In the book of Matthew, we are called by Jesus to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and with all your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus also says in the book of John that we are to love one another sacrificially, unconditionally, and in action. It is out of this love that I ask you
054to oppose these sanctioning of Turning Point USA's Club America at Great Valley High School. As this group wants to reestablish and give representation to conservative and Christian values and voices in a respectful and responsible way, I'm reminded that Jesus also says in Matthew to beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You'll know them by their fruits. The materials that anyone can find online for TPUSA's Club America do not appear to share in that same love of neighbor commandment Jesus instructed his followers to abide by. On the contrary, throughout the materials, anyone who does not conform to this group's philosophy, messaging, or political views is deemed leftist, disrespectful, or worse, unpatriotic and disrespectful. While TPUSA's materials make it a point to state this organization is nonpartisan,
055its fruits say otherwise. The fruits show a divisive rhetoric that aim to separate us. It's not about loving your neighbor. It's about dividing them into who agrees with you and those who don't. Jesus taught a message of inclusivity and not division. Any biblical context about American political freedom that TPUSA and its affiliates use to restore America is an unsound reimagining of what the scripture says. The values of our nation were founded on varied religions because different faiths represented uh were represented at the time of our founding. The fruits found in their material show a message of not loving God but of loving your country. Prioritizing love of country over the love of God is considered a form of idolatry where national loyalty replaces ultimate devotion to the divine. Given that TPUSA's focus and purpose appear
056to be pushing a nationalistic agenda to restore America with a distorted and interpretation of Christianity, the fruits show that this organization is promoting a philosophy akin to American Christian nationalism. They're handing out constitutions, not Bibles. Beware of false prophets indeed. While the First Amendment allows for freedom of religion and freedom of speech, those freedoms are not absolute. [bell] Defamatory speech that can create disruption in schools is not protected. The school board is also being asked to give representation to a Christian voice in the school. As a follower of Jesus, I do not believe that this group does that. In conclusion, I stand in solidarity with everyone here who opposes the sanctioning of TPUSA's Club America at Great Valley High School. Please vote against the student activity. Thank you. Hi, my name is Janelle and I
057live in East Whitland. Um, so I'm going to start off by saying thank you for allowing all of us the opportunity to speak today. Um, as a community dedicated to fostering education growth and understanding, we all share a common goal in that. We want to prepare our students for a world that is diverse, complex, and full of differing viewpoints. So I stand before you today as an advocate for the formation of this club, not as a partisan plea, but as a call to uphold the principles that we espouse of inclusivity, free expression, and intellectual diversity that define a truly progressive education. So I'm going to start by acknowledging the values that guide our district, which are a commitment to equity, tolerance, and creating safe spaces for all students. These are noble ideals rooted in the
058belief that every voice deserves to be heard, especially those from marginalized or underrepresented groups. True inclusivity is not selective. It must extend to ideological vers diversity as well. In a nation as polarized as ours, where political discourse often divides rather than unites, our schools have a unique responsibility to bridge those gaps. By allowing this student club, we aren't endorsing any specific ideology. We are affirming our educational environment is strong enough to embrace all perspectives. So the educational benefits. Our students are future leaders, voters, and citizens who will navigate a world where many different ideas will shape our policies on everything from environmental regulations to economic strategies. And denying them a space to explore these views responsibly is a disservice. That isn't causing conflict. It's creating critical thinking and action. So by approving this club, we
059are equipping our students with the tools to engage thoughtfully with each side, turning potential adversaries into informed interlocutors. So one thing I do want to address, I understand there are concerns that some people may have in an era of heightened sensitivity to hate speech, division, exclusionary rhetoric. It's natural to worry that a club like this could veer into problematic territory. But let's be very clear, every student organization in the district is going to be bound by the same code of conduct, which means rules against discrimination and harassment um or incitement will apply universally to every club that is formed. So to deny this club would send a very troubling message that only certain viewpoints are welcome here. It would undermine the liberal ethos of openness and pluralism that this district champions. Instead, we should model
060the tolerance that we're teaching. Let's demonstrate confidence in our students abilities to discern, debate, and grow. Thank you. All right. Thank you everybody. U moving on to our voting agenda items. Um consent agenda item section 8. Is there a motion to approve 801 through 819? Start there. Motion to approve 801 through 8/19. Okay. Is there a second? Second. All right. Any updates? Um since our last meeting where we first discussed these things, the only update is um there was the removal of the General Wayne roof restoration project. Um that was pulled. We're wait awaiting the final report uh due to weather. Um so we will have that back on the agenda for March. All right. Um board comments, questions on section 8. All right. Is there a motion? No, I did this out of order
061perhaps. Is there just going to start over. Is there a motion to approve uh 801 to 809? All in favor? We vote no 19 801 to 81 to 8.19. Sorry. Yep. 8/19. We are voting. The motion has been put before I'm sorry, I got this wrong. Um but now we're voting. So all in favor. All right. Motion passes. Seven to nothing. Again, um we have two members who are absent, which is why we're at seven tonight. Miss Skyus, if I could just uh on the personnel agenda, couple of pieces. One, um I just want to highlight there are three retirements there, people who have really done a lot of service to Great Valley. Um Mrs. Anne Search, one of our middle school math teachers. Um Mrs. Ellie Ellen Doyle who's an elementary teacher at Charlestown
062and Christa Russell who's been a social worker. I mean, probably if I add up the years of service, we probably have a you know, better part of a century expertise. I I just want to uh thank them for their service and wish them a happy retirement. Also, on the flip side, with people leaving, we do have a new administrator on the agenda and I know uh Dr. Alcaro is here with us. Joe Alcaro is going to be joining our teaching and learning team as our new curriculum supervisor and congratulations on your approval. Um happy that you're joining Great Valley, Joe. Thanks for being here tonight. Thank you. I just wanted to highlight those uh those items. Thank you. Um, but we're going to circle back to section 901 for the amplify my class math quote
063and then we'll go back to personnel and vote on that. But let's go to 901. Is there a motion to approve 901? Motion to approve 901. Is there a second? Second. All right, Miss McGibney. Thank you. So item number 9.01, amplify class math quote. This will allow a pilot program in the fifth grade math class uh for one class, one per one class per house and it will assist with the map math growth data at a cost of 670 $670.50. Um if this pilot is successful, they are looking to roll it out completely to um the full fifth and sixth graders in the 2627 school year. Any board questions or comments on that? All right. All in favor of approving 901. I was the motion when you second. All right. Motion passes. 720. Okay. Back
064to personnel. Um section 1001 and 102. Is there a motion to approve um Oh, do we Is there a motion to approve 101 and 102? Motion to approve 10.01 and 10.0 I know. Um, is there a second? Second. All right. Discussion, questions. We talked about the personnel. All right. Um, let's vote. All in favor of 101 and 102. Great. Motion passes. 7 to nothing. Congratulations to all our retirees and to our new hires as well. Yep. And also with Dr. Urul, congratulations uh as assistant superintendent continuing that role responsibility. uh you've been a wonderful asset to the district and thank you to the board for for that. Yes, we're extremely excited to be renewing this contract. You do incredible work with that team. Um what you do with curriculum with your team is just really
065second to none and we're so grateful for your time. All right, moving on to 11:01. Is there a motion to approve the second reading and adoption of the policies listed in 1101? Motion to approve 1101. Is there a second? Second. All right, Niha, anything else to add or any board questions? No changes. Okay. All right. All in favor? Good. Motion passes 720. All right. Nothing under section 12. Um uh facilities, transportation, food services, technology. Is there a motion to approve the renewal of the Raptor emergency management and visitor management for all buildings from March 26 to June 30th 26 at a cost of approximately 7600. Motion to approve 1301. Is there a second? Second. Right. Anything to discuss? Questions from the board? Mrs. McGibney? Uh the only thing that I will add is this is
066being brought now because it expires on uh February 28th, starts March 1st to put it in alignment with all of the other contracts. It'll go from March 1st through June 30th. Great. And then we'll renew it officially July 1 for for a full school year. Okay. Wonderful. Um all right, let's vote. All in favor? Good. Motion passes seven to nothing. All right. Um, second public comment on anything anybody wants. Again, three minutes. The 30 second buzzer. Keep talking. Okay. Thank you. Um, Kevin Delaria, 303 Weatherstone Drive in Willistown. and I uh bear with me a letter that has been joined by various members of the clergy throughout the school district and Chester County. Dear members of the Great Valley School Board, as leaders of faith communities representing a variety of religious traditions with members in
067the Great Valley School District and across Chester County, we write in support of Great Valley School District policy 103.3 regarding transgender and gender expansive students. and we affirm the district's current position supporting the rights, privacy, and protection of these students from harassment and discrimination. While our faith communities may differ in religious ideology, worship, and practice, we are unified in our belief that every student in the Great Valley School District is beloved. Members of the transgender and gender expansive community within the Great Valley School District are part of us. They are our children, friends, and neighbors. They are fellow pilgrims and seekers beside us on this complex human journey. And it is through the guidance and practice of our respective faith expressions that we come together to speak on their behalf and offer our loving support
068through all manner of doctrines and beliefs, customs and cultures, language and sacred texts. Our spiritual traditions teach us to respect the dignity of every human being. It is with this teaching in mind that we express our appreciation for the care the directors, administrators, teachers, support staff, and fellow students of Great Valley School District have demonstrated toward the members of our local transgender community who are also students in Great Valley Schools. We believe a safe, supportive school system that recognizes and celebrates the vast diversity of our community is a school system that will thrive. Educating students for a world in which their gifts, talents, and uniqueness will benefit everyone of all faiths, nationalities, ethnicities, genders, and gender expressions. As religious leaders, we commend the work you have done to foster this larger vision of the human
069family. And we encourage your continued efforts to promote compassion, tolerance, and inclusion as fundamental building blocks for a healthy and vibrant future. Thank you. I'm still Sheri Lawrence. I'm still from Charlestown Township. Uh I'd like to speak with you about the parking uh that's now over at 41 Morris Road that is slated to open once the snow melts and we're back from spring break. Um, we were a little surprised by the $50 uh fee that was being uh attached to the privilege of parking where students had been parking for free uh under the uh uh kindness uh of the folks over at Tea. It wasn't explained why there was a $50 fee. Um it would be nice to have an explanation if it's going to the uh uh security and the pathway and all that
070stuff. that would have been helpful to have included in communications. Um, it's also, you know, if you're looking at the school year, uh, uh, based on what the seniors pay for their parking, it seems like it's a little inflated. The $50 is a is a price that's a little inflated, and the kids have to walk further, but, you know, they're young. They don't have arthritis yet, so I get it. Um uh but in the uh comments about the paving of the middle school and the high school, um is it possible to also do better signage uh as far as the one way goes in front of the high school? uh the uh afternoon drop offs or the afternoon pickups get a little dicey with people coming the opposite way or people who aren't familiar with
071the campus are coming opposite uh in front of the high school and that gets uh kind of tricky. Um and finally, if you're going to be repaving, is it possible to rethink uh the traffic flow around the high school? um at least my daughter's going to be a senior. Last year, rather next year will be my last year of complaining about the traffic getting onto campus. But again, these are uh inexperienced drivers having to face uh very challenging uh uh traffic right at the start of their school day. So, if they are showing up a little frazzled, it's because we're all frazzled trying to get into the high school. Thanks so much for your time. Hi, I'm Jerry Moore uh from Charlestown. I just want to remind everyone about um what uh the speaker just
072spoke about. Basically, our our fertility rate is in freef fall. We have a 1.61 fertility rate across the country. Pennsylvania is lower than that and Chester County even lower and Great Valley I can posit I almost 100% sure great valley is even lower probably about 1.2 too. That is not sustainable. If you value our civiliz civilization, if you value children, if you value life, you will support again families and and and and honestly, Republicans are not getting hurt as much as Democrats on this. You are losing your your ability uh to to give to the next generation. So I really believe that I'm helping you when I speak because your folks are not having children and that is what there was n there was no such thing as transgenderism 10 years ago 15 years ago.
073It was it's a brand new thing. So this whole thing is made up by you and I want to just say that if you value children you'll get off this course that you're on because you're going into oblivion. Thank you. Thank you. Well, um, kind of worries me. It sounds like maybe I'm part of the problem as a childless Democrat, but anyway, um, that that wasn't really why I came to to share with you. Um, I just wanted to say I I read your transgender policy and I thought it was I thought it was good. I thought, you know, it was very sensitive to kids who are just trying to figure out, you know, who they are and and and what they are. Um, as I said, I I don't have any children of my
074own, but I do have a transgender nephew. Um, he was he was born Lindsay and um somewhere in early high school um started to feel very uncomfortable as as Lindsay and was trying to figure out who he was and um first, you know, asked his friends to call him Finn and and, you know, I think it was sort of exploring his identity and and figuring out and and it took him a while. Um it was kind of a process and and then at some point he was ready to to tell his parents and and the parents were very supportive. My brother and sister-in-law were great and it's like you you know you want to be Finn, we're good with that, you know, whatever. Um so uh so that went, you know, went well. But for
075some of his friends, um they had a very different experience. You know, they they didn't want to tell their parents. They were afraid of their parents' reactions. And so they wanted to keep it quiet and they I guess my nephew really appreciates your policy where you don't tell teachers or you tell teachers don't tell the parents if the kids don't want you to because you know the kids are still trying to figure it out. Maybe maybe they decide they're transgender, maybe they decide they're not. Maybe they just want a different nickname. I don't know. But I think I think you should give them the time to figure it out. So, I think your policy does that and and it's great and I really really appreciate that. And I think my nephew uh did not go
076to school here. He lives in Maryland, but I think he would have been very appreciative of your policy also. So, anyway, that that that was it. Can you tell us your name and your uh township? No, I I didn't want to interrupt. Uh I'm Brea Van Rosson. I live at 1011 King Road, East Whitland Township. Thank you. Welcome. Thank you. All right. Um, oh, no, no, no, no. I apologize. I looked down too soon. My fault. Good evening. My name is Janine Paul and I reside in Willistown Township. Um, I had nothing prepared because I didn't know that I was going to say anything. Um, I too just want to say thank you for supporting LGBTQ, transgender, um, everybody on the freaking rainbow, if you will. Um, this is not something I'm sorry, but if
077you do your research, sir, um, that came out in the last 10 years, people have had this for since the beginning of time. Um, I have many people on my family that are part of the rainbow community and they're human beings just like all of us. Um, and studies do show, actual studies show that they are amongst I'm sorry, I'm going to get emotional. They are um they have a higher suicide rate than um the average Joe, if you will. Um, and uh, I'm just I'm just taken aback at some of the things that were said. First of all, thank you very much for speaking the way you did. It was lovely and I truly appreciate that because we all do come from different backgrounds and different religious beliefs, but it's has nothing to do
078with religion. This has something to do with somebody's identity and and who they are. Um, and I think it's a wonderful thing to give them that passage to be able to walk freely and be able to do that without bullying. Um, my own child has experienced bullying um, because of her sexuality and uh, I don't think it is anybody's business. So, but when it is made our business in the school districts, I thank you for anything that you can do to back them with that and to make them strong individual human beings who can thrive in their community. And I apologize. I didn't have anything ready because I wasn't planning on it. So, I'm kind of just speaking off the cuff, but thank you for everything that you do. So, and thank you, sir, very
079much for getting up here and speaking like that. I appreciate it. Thanks. John Woodcock. I'm a resident at 403 Rainree Lane in Melbourne, which I think is the middle district if I understand the board structure. Um, I was one of the early co-signers of Father Kevin's letter. Um, I'm always amazed at uh how we can miss things um what is recognized and what is not recognized. So we're in a period now where um much of our history is being um eliminated um from science documents etc. But uh I pastored for 40 years with an associate who was gay and I watched how he suffered because he wondered how that would be accepted. not so much in our congregation but in the community at large. Um I mentored an individual who is now a hospice chaplain
080who is transgendered. Uh I watched her for 20 years as she wrestled with was she her or him and finally u after her ordination made the switch. So, um, you know, as someone just said, this has been with us for a long time, and, uh, I appreciate the commitment of the board to respecting each person and their situation. Thank you. All right. Okay. Well, thank you everybody for taking the time to be here tonight to share your comments. Um, we always appreciate hearing from everybody and we know these can be late nights, so thank you for staying the course. Um, other board comments 1501. Just quickly, I've decided we're turning this into the good news portion of the board meeting. So, Tom last time talked about uh bringing your uh dogs to an elementary school.
081I was at KDM this week. I was invited by a third grade classroom to talk about what it is to be on the school board. Um, so I am very honored always to do that. The kids were great. They had lots of good questions about what we do. So it was a highlight of the week. Um, and I know some of us are going to be reading to um classrooms uh throughout the week as part of uh ReadAcross America week. So those are good opportunities. Always nice to be in a classroom to see what the kids are doing and what they're up to. Um, so we're glad for it. And with that, is there a motion to adjurnn? Motion to adjurnn. Is there a second? Second. All in favor? All right. Thank you. Thanks,