School Board Action Meeting: October 7, 2025

001Good evening everyone. We're ready to begin this evening's board meeting. Sergeant-at-arms, has the lobby been attended to? Thank you, Chief. We request that all electronic devices be turned off or put in silent mode. Also, please refrain from using flash photography except during the special presentations portion of the meeting. I'm pleased to welcome you to the October 7th, 2025 schoolboard action meeting. The time is 6:01 p.m. and this meeting is hereby called to order. I'd like to remind everyone that we're hosting our gallery walk for the 2025 designs and dreams of young artists show this evening right here in our building. This event will take place in the public education center from now until 700 p.m. The designs and dreams of young artists concept was created by Dr. James A. Adams, former superintendent of the schools

002for Lee County. It was his vision to provide a gallery space where the finest artwork could be publicly displayed. The first exhibit opened in 1992 and was quickly recognized as the largest display of artwork in the state of Florida, a distinction it proudly still holds today. This year's show features over 600 pieces of student art beautifully displayed throughout the hallways in the main lobby area. We invite everyone to join us in celebrating the creativity and the talent of our young artists. I had a chance to walk through a little while ago and it's amazing out there. So, if you haven't, I would recommend to check it out. We would like to take this opportunity to remind the members of the public of the district's mission, which is to ensure that each student achieves his or

003high his or her highest personal potential and the district's vision to be a world-class school system. In addition, and in addition, Dr. Carlin is unavailable. So, a gentleman that continues to step up repeatedly for this district, please welcome Deputy Superintendent Dr. Ken Savage. Thank you, sir. On this evening's agenda, we have the invocation, presentations of colors, and pledge of allegiance, acknowledgements, recognitions, public comment, consent action items, which include one item under board office, two items under executive services, three items under academic and student services, seven items under school choice administration, eight items under business services, eight items under human resources, one item under information systems, one item under legal services, two items under safety, security and fleet operations, 18 items under facility operations, one is which is good cause. Dr. Savage, please provide an explanation

004for this one item, sir. yes, board members, in the August 5th board workshop, I reminded you that we were involved in having a third-party vendor complete the Castali report for Fort Myers Beach Elementary. On Sunday, we received the report that we had been waiting for. I submit this to you as a good cause item so that we can file this report with the state for their review. If this were approved by the state, this would allow us the flexibility to do different things on the site than what we presently have available to us, which we contemplated in that August 5th board workshop and prior workshops. to be very clear what this specifically does. It is a state report that assesses feasibility as well as allows for the state to weigh in on any consideration of

005razing the facility which would be the tear down of those three buildings which is specified in the report. So, if we were to do any new construction, if we were to do any constructions of a of a charter school, of a new traditional school, or any rebuild on that campus to take out that site would require the state to approve. Secondarily to that, it's important to also note this does not then grant that approval to do such a thing. If we were to get the state approval where the state said that was what they wanted to do, we would still have additional procedures that we would have to follow in order to do that. So those two things have to be clearly understood. and but it is a necessary step. We can take no steps

006to consider anything related to that if we do not have this state approval as well. it also would constitute the first actual feasibility study that the school has undergone and that uses a state defined criteria in terms of the stewardship of the of the number of students, the costs, the age of the facility and so forth. Thank you Dr. Savage. As presiding officers of the meeting, I hereby find good cause to add this to the agenda. Following up, we have two items under public hearings and four items under good of the order. Other business board members, is there a motion to adopt tonight's agenda? I'll make the motion. Well, it was down there actually. Miss Langford Fleming. Then I'll make the motion to adopt tonight's agenda. Second, Mr. Ribble. Okay. Moved by Miss Langford Fleming,

007seconded by Mr. Ribble. Please record your vote. motion carry 70. Agenda adopted. Next up, as is the custom of the board, Mr. Ribble will introduce his guest to lead us in invocation, after which I will lead us in the presentation of colors and the pledge of allegiance. Please stand. Good evening. Leading our invocation tonight is Rick Jacobs, executive director at Four Kids of Southwest Florida. Mr. Jacobs, Would you pray with me? God in heaven, as we begin this meeting tonight, let us remember why we are here. To serve the children and the families and the educators of this great community that we have the privilege of living in. May our discussions tonight be thoughtful, our disagreements be respectful, and our decisions be made with integrity and care, and decisions made that align with your will

008and your holy scriptures. May tonight's work strengthen our schools and our families and inspire hope for our future. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Introducing the cadet who's presenting national colors for our pledge of allegiance tonight is Captain Samuel Fletcher, senior army instructor from Island Coast High School. Captain Fletcher served 19 years in the United States Air Force and eight years in the US Army reserves. Throughout his 27 years of active and reserve service, he deployed on numerous assignments. During Operation Enduring Freedom Philippines, Captain Fletcher and two Philippine airmen were officially recognized for heroism after saving two Filipino citizens from drowning. This is Captain Fletcher's third year as instructor in his district. Captain, thank you for your service to our country and this district, sir. Thank you. Presenting the national

009colors tonight is Cadet Charles Peterson, the cadet commander of the Island Coast High School JRTC. Cadet Peterson is a school's first private pilot and quarterback of the Island Coast Gator Raider team. He is actively involved in most JRTC teams and is a team captain of the male varsity Raiders. Ka Peterson plans to enroll into Embry Riddle Aeronautical University to pursue his dream of becoming a commercial pilot. Please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance 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. Please be seated. Next up on the agenda is acknowledgements. The character word for October is respect. Showing regard for the value of persons or things through courteous consideration and

010appreciation. The design displayed on the screen was created by Anna Petraanovic, a 12th grade student in North Fort Myers High School. Great job, Anna. Acknowledgements for the month of October. The school board of Lee County acknowledges the following state recognized event for the month of October 2025. Disability History and Awareness Month. Okay, next up we're going to move on to item C, board members recognitions. So, whenever you're ready to proceed, Mr. Ribble. Good evening. The school district of Lee County is proud to celebrate our seniors who have been named semi-finalists in the prestigious 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program. We ask all recipients of the National Merit Scholarship Program please line up on the ramp on my left side of the boardroom. Dr. Nathan Shaker, our chief our chief academic officer, will be presenting your certificates.

011Once all names have been called, Dr. Shaker will proceed with the distribution of certificates. Thank you. More than 1 million juniors from approximately 20,000 high schools entered the competition by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT National Merit Scholarship qualifying test. Fewer than 1% of the high school seniors nationwide earned this distinction, placing our district semi-finalists amongst the highest achieving students in the state. This year, 11 of our students have earned this honor. the largest number of semi finalists recognized by our district in at least two decades. from Dumbar High School. Nishini Fernando Isabella Flower Flower Diet Gianenni Finland Chaill from Fort Meyers High School. Victoria Bers Sebastian Kenzi from Gateway High School. Maline Spitzer from Lee Virtual School. Eric Boy from North Naples Fort Meyers High School. Sebastian Jeop, Justin Wang, and finally, although not present,

012we'd like to recognize from Cape Coral High School, Joshua Rakudo. The school board and superintendent are proud to recognize these students for their commitment, determination, and hard work to earn this prestigious recognition. Recognized scholars after greeting the board, please proceed to the pit for photos. Okay. Good evening. I'm not sure if you can hear me. The MOU Alpha Theta National Competition is a prestigious annual event sponsored by the nation's largest high school mathematics honor society. It brings together top students from across the country for rigorous individuals and team contests. One of the key events is the chalk talk competition where students deliver a speech on a complex mathematical topic. This year's theme for the alpha pre-calculus division was math in universal Orlando. After the after a competitive online preliminary round, only 10 finalists from across

013the nations were selected to present live at the convention in Orlando. We ask that the recipient of the MOO Alpha Theta National Competition please join Danielle Knap, coordinator of teaching and learning on the left side of the boardroom. Miss Snap will present you with your certificate after your name is called. Tonight, we proudly recognize Isabella Flower. Oh, she's here. She's already here. The school board and superintendent are proud to honor Isabella for her outstanding achievement of placing second in the nation in the Alpha Division Chalk Talk. We recommend your We commend your dedication, your academic excellence, and your exceptional ability to represent our district on a n national stage. Recognize recognized scholars after greeting the board, please proceed to the pit for photos. Thank you. Congratulations. You congratulations. A couple of days ago. Hello. Okay.

014Okay, great job everyone. As I always say, and I know this board believes us, this is what our school district's about. Moving on to the next item on the agenda, item number E, public comment. Whenever you're ready, attorney Bluno, please address the item of public comment. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and good evening. School board policy provides the opportunity at this point in the meeting to address the board concerning any matter on this meeting's agenda or any other matter relevant to the operation of the school district. Please complete a public comment card and put it in the basket provided. If you need a public comment card, they are provided by our staff. The rules concerning public comment are posted in the back and will be made from the podium in the front center aisle.

015Please be advised that the board will not respond during public comment to remarks made by speakers. The purpose of public comment is to provide feedback on district issues such as duties, responsibilities, decisions, and the general operation of the school district. The school board is viewpoint neutral during public comment. We ask that decorum be kept and respect be shown, which is what is expected when a government agency conducts official business. Therefore, abusive language defined as swearing, use of profanity, or name calling is prohibited. In addition, clapping, hissing, booing, or a display of temper during public comment is prohibited. Speakers who fail to follow proper decorum in the chambers will be ruled out of order by the board chair or the board attorney. Any speaker continuing with such remarks will be required to relinquish the microphone per

016board policy 0169.1 and may be removed from the chambers by the sergeant at arms. Per board policy 0169.1. The time per speaker is 3 minutes if there are 20, 2 minutes if there are 30, and 1 minute if there are 31 speakers or more. The maximum time allotted for public comment is 1 hour 60 speakers. You will find a countdown on the big screen in the front of the room. Once your time has elapsed, the microphone will automatically shut off. Please state your name when you approach the microphone. I will call your names five speakers at a time. Please follow staff's direction when lining up. Mr. Chairman, there are 51 speakers that wish to address the board this evening. The time per speaker is 1 minute. Thank you, Madam Attorney. Please ensure you have completed

017a public comment card to provide public comment. The card is a public record identifying those who speak and providing contact information for staff for follow-up. These cards are located with staff in the hallway. Is there anyone in the audience who has not filled out a public comment card that wishes to provide public comment? Please raise your hand. Okay. Then we'll get you over there, ma'am. Before we begin tonight, I want to thank everyone for being here. We have a lot of interest from the community and a lot of sensitive topics. I just want to remind everyone it's a business meeting. We're here and you're all here to support our students. So, let's make sure we show these students what we're about. It's our right to have differences, but let's keep this a business meeting. I

018appreciate everyone out there. Whenever you're ready, attorney Bruno, please begin public comment. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Will the following individuals please line up? Chris Mayo, Christy Divigilly, Amber Leid, Crystal Vervet, Melissa Roof. Good evening board. I'm going to make it brief. I spoke earlier regarding the Joel and Tuahoo School, the NNN project. I just want to say that the building of the Tahoe Joel and Tuco project because of its it's issue with infrastructure it has the appearance of fraud waste and abuse. the building of the school is going to is going to be on a road that's not able to handle the load of of traffic for the next 10 to 15 years. So, please consider building at the Joel and David location in Lehigh Acres where the students will be better served. once the

019FDOT project is complete, then the Joel and Tuo location will be much better suited. And I know that time is short, so I'm just cutting to my basic points. So, that's my point to today is please reconsider on the vote for Ann to build at Joel and David rather than Joel and Tucko right now. Thank you. My name is Melissa Roof and I want to say many educators have been repres Yes. Oh, sorry. Many educators have been represented by TAC teachers association at bargaining table. The district appears to be inadequable inequitable in funding raises from a classroom perspective myself and many colleagues. We have the experienced injuries with no recognition by either compensation or respect. I would request that the board look at the staff and teacher injuries and consider hazard pay and replacing personal

020items that have been unrepable blood on them. Myself and several colleagues are walking into a fe the fear of unsafe and uncertainty if today will be the time that we are injured. Yet monies were given to certain educators because of location, subject, testing, etc. How about those of us who don't fit this mold, who show up to work to educate students who will be not tested but need a foundation to be ready for Thank you for your comments. Your time is up, ma'am. Hello board Christy Daja Jilli. So good evening members of the school board, Dr. Savage, fellow parents. Our children deserve schools that are safe, respectful, and free of voices that glorify violence. That trust was broken when several teachers publicly celebrated or excused the assassination of Charlie Kirk. words that would have brought

021swift discipline if said by students. It is my understanding that the teachers recommended for termination are members of the union, meaning their termination cannot happen tonight. It must go through a negotiation process and follow all legal requirements. But that does not mean that we should stay silent. Superintendent Carlin Carlin has taken the right first step by recommending these individuals for termination and now it is up to the board to follow through even if that process is lengthy. I stand in full support of our superintendent and this board as you navigate the legal and contractual hurdles ahead. Please know that parents in this community will keep speaking out until the process is Thank you for your comments. Your time is up. Thank you very much. Will the following individuals please line up? Avery Porton, Kyle Calbertt,

022Brenda Clark, Tara Jenner, Denise Everly. Hello, I'm Crystal Vervate. I'm here today in support of parental rights and the removal of vaccine mandates for students in Florida because I believe the decision about our children's health should rest in the hands of the parents and not the government. During COVID, many adults were forced to choose between their livelihoods and the vaccine that at the time was presented as the only way forward. Now, just a few years later, we know much more about the risks and the limitations of that shot. Not long ago, I stood here urging the previous board to drop the mask mandates. Since then, the data has shown that many of us what many of us have suspected that those mandates had minimal impact on transmission. Once again, the science involved. What we were

023told has settled one year may look very different a few few years later. That's why families shouldn't have to rely solely on religious exemptions to make choices for their children. Parental rights are fundamental. They include the right to weigh evolving scientific information, personal health histories and values, and to decide what's best for their children. The lessons of the past few years should move us forward for more transparency, more Thank you for your comments. Your time is up, ma'am. Good evening. My name is Amber Leid. I would like to speak tonight about the district employees who publicly celebrated the murder of Charlie Kirk. As a mother, I am heartbroken and disturbed, not because of politics, because of what it says about the safety and values in our schools. I understand some are claiming this is a

024matter of free speech. I respect the First Amendment. However, freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from accountability, especially when that speech comes from those entrusted with our children. If I were to post online about setting a building on fire, even without the intent to do so, I'd face consequences. Because words have power. They re reveal what is in our hearts and they shape our actions. When a teacher celebrates someone's death because of their beliefs, that sends a clear message. People like you don't deserve to live. And when I hear that, I think of my own children who share the same moral values as Charlie Kirk spoke about. I think of them walking into the classroom. Thank you for your comments. Your time is up. Your time is up, ma'am. Thank you. And can we make

025sure we have all devices turned to silent, please? Thank you. Hi, my name's Avery Porter. I had children that grew up in this school district. got an excellent education. I'm not entirely sure why the actions being taken against these individuals. If they espoused violence in their actions, their thoughts and written comments, the actions are of course appropo appropriate. If what they espouseed were opinions that were taken out of the schoolroom and in their own private or on social media, this does not seem appropriate. We teach our children about democracy. They should be learned that people can have opinions on both sides of the matter. They should be able to learn that those things can be discussed in a public forum. They should not be people should not be punished for their own opinions. Again, if

026they espouse violence, this is not acceptable. They should be taken care of. If this is an opinion, these opinions should be heard and discussed. Kids need to know that we can have different opinions about things. They should know how democracy works. I don't think firing somebody Thank you for your comments. Your time is up, sir. Hello, my name is Brenda Clark. last time I was here, I was fighting mask mandates for my children and it seems like we have a much more understanding board this time around. I am here in support of a resolution that'll be put forth today. following the governor's orders for removing vaccine mandates for school children. a lot of people don't know that you can attend school without vaccines, but you have to have a religious exemption. But by providing this

027resolution, it makes it much easier for children to not feel so pressured to have to have a religion behind choosing not to the parents choosing not to vaccinate. so I'm I'm fully supporting that parents right to choose. Thank you. Tara Jenner. Not all speech is protected. When words cross the line of decency and morality, especially when they wish harm or celebrate violence, the response can and should include termination. Individuals employed by our school district who engage in such hateful speech, even in their private lives, must still uphold the standards expected of those shaping young minds. Speaking your mind, even if others disagree, never ever justifies violence. Charlie Kirk spoke his mind and he didn't deserve to be targeted for assassination. But there can be consequences and there should be consequences, including being fired from your

028position for celebrating or justifying an assassination. That's not free speech. It's moral decay and it has no place in our school and in our community. On a lighter note, don't forget Veterans Day breakfast, November 15th, sponsoring our lead GOP Thank you for your comments. Your time is up. Well, the following indiv. So, please, as I said, you want to get through this as a business meeting. I appreciate it. No clapping, please. Thank you. Will the following individuals please line up? Sean Clawson, Leu Qua, Denise Kio, Winnie Harrison, Danielle Becker. pertaining to the high school inn being built in Alva. Even though it obviously should be built in Lehi due to it being a far less cost to be built in Lehi, the infrastructure is already there. And most importantly, the community wants and needs the

029school in Lehi, not Alva. Alva would be a burden. So voting against putting this school, if you vote to put this school in Alva, obviously you're not acting in the community's best interest. So you must be acting in your own best interest. The question is, who's paying you? What's the bribe? Did a developer decide to give you a house? Is that what's going on? You will be found out for this. This has fraud and money bribes written all over it. You will be found out. It will come to the light. Do not do this. Do what is right for the community, please. I'll lay it out for you because I got more time. So, this is this is simple, folks. This is not complicated at all. The structure is already set up for Lehi. The

030students are in Lehi. The families are in Lehi. That's where it is needed. You've had a very vocal opposition to put this. Thank you for your comments, sir. Your time is up. Thank you for listening. Could you please What was his name, please? You didn't say his name. Oh, can you please state your name, sir? What was your name? Just for the record, sir. My name is Kyle Calbert, and I speak for many people in the community of Alva and Lehi. Thank you. Thank you. Phoenix back again. Hello. stop hiding behind the east zone. Excuse. The growth is in Lehi Acres. The need is in Lehi Acres. You are forcing students to travel farther while taxpayer dollars are used for developers, not education. FGUA confirmed to me directly that this infrastructure is for developers and

031FGUA's expansion into Lee County and Alba. This is not speculation. It is confirmed via Will Fontaine, FGUA director of utilities. Lee County School District already owns land in Lehi for high school, middle school, and elementary schools. Those projects are being delayed 10 years or more while this harmful project moves forward. To build this infrastructure at a cost of $30 million taxpayer dollars to subsidize the developers is irresponsible and deceitful. We are passionate about project protecting Alba, but we also want what's right for Lehi. Build in Lehi where it's needed. Pull this preferably vote no. Thank you. Okay. My name is Winnie Harrison and I'm here to ask you to support the resolution on eliminating school vaccine mandates. This would honor the parental right to choose and the Nuremberg code which prohibits forced medical treatments. Vaccines

032are safe and effective is a marketing slogan. In fact, each one can cause serious side effects including death for which manufacturers are not held liable. They're not guaranteed to work and before they were introduced, disease deaths had already plummeted due to better sanitation, nutrition, and hygiene. They've never been properly tested singly or in combination and the CDC is presently being sued over that and they'll lose. Lastly, because vaccines can cause many health problems, chronic ones, autoimmune, cancer, and autism, the parental right to consider these risks is paramount. Thank you. And fire those teachers. No clapping, please. My name is Le Lopez. Good evening board members and district letters. I'm here tonight not just as a parent but also the voice of as a voice of the entire community, students and family of Kotal staff who

033are asking with the return of coach Murphy to the field with our Seahawks. Our children are giving everything in that field. They deserve a leader who not only push them to succeed but also protects them and care for their future. We respectfully ask you not allow adults personal matters to interfere with the life of more than 2,000 students a school and a community that is waiting for answer. If there is been no illegality, no abuse of minors and no harmful actions, then what could be stronger than the United Voice or nearly 100 student at least. They are families, they are in school and they are staff. In a previous visit to the district, we were told by Rob Spikler that while the district reserve the right to end any probationary contract if the school accept

034him, Coach Murphy can continue just coaching in the field. Our school don't just accept him. Our school want him back in the field. The public petition for his return came back to more than a thousand signature in less than 24 hours and we have no answer yet. Thank you for your comments. Your time is up, ma'am. Your time is up. Thank you. Okay, we appreciate the comments. It's a business meeting, but no clapping. Okay, we clap again. I'm going to go to recess. Thank you. Hello, I'm Sean. I'm here to talk about against the school at Alpha at Techo and Joel. I've still yet to hear any of y'all address what y'all are going to do about the gun ranges in the area, with the school being put on lockdown potentially. also, last time I

035was here, I believe Miss Giovanelli said something about, the kids in Trop Portico deserve a new school. Y'all just budgeted $50 million to renovate Riverdale and ended up spend over a hundred million. those kids can't go there to a school they can literally walk to. Maybe if you're going to say that a school doesn't have room, maybe we could stop busing them from Lehi. Maybe we could build a school in Lehi so then we cut back on the busing. We won't have so many late buses. Just a thought. Will the following individuals please line up? Anthony Milan, Kyle Jakamoitz, Joyce Campana, Maria Martinez, Ariel Martinez. Good evening, board members. My name is Denise Kirk. No relation. I see you have a we're hiring sign out front and I looked on the website and it says

036you have 30 vacancies. I'm a substitute teacher for Lee schools. If you want my badge when I'm done here, I'll be happy to hand it over. I do not agree with dismissing teachers, especially when we need them so badly, for exercising their free speech. If Charlie Kirk can exercise his free speech, which was filled with a lot of hate, then your teachers should be able to do for their free speech after school hours when they are not on the job. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Daniel Becker. I'm here today to address the issue of removing teachers for their social media comments. The situation you find yourselves in reminds me of when a city council asked a city attorney, "Can we violate someone's rights?" The attorney thought for a minute and then said, "Well,

037I guess so." However, he left out one point. Yes, you can violate someone's rights, but there will be consequences and legal ramifications like the outcome of this example. The money that will be spent defending your ideologicaldriven decisions will not come out of your pockets. It will come out of the pockets of the citizens of Lee County. Citizens, once again, get your checkbooks out because the only people to win here will be the attorneys. Thank you. Joyce Campana, I'm here to state my support for schoolmandated vaccines. I do not want to go back to the 1900s when there were no requirements and regulations. I noticed on tonight's agenda there's much about parents rights versus compelling state interest. I believe there is enough compelling state interest to require vaccinations to keep young and old people alike healthy.

038Are you willing to accept the accountability for deaths and school absences caused by the narrow-minded policy of not requiring vaccines? I think there also are legal consequences or potential legal consequences involved for the school board. If the state is already protecting parental rights, then isn't this resolution just another layer of bureaucracy? The school board should be spending more time on improving the quality of education instead of furthering ways. Thank you for your comments, ma'am. Your time is up. Anthony Million, Lee County resident, father of five, grandfather of four. When teachers celebrate Charlie Kirk's death on social media, it's not just wrong, it's immoral. Educators are meant to be model citizens of empathy and integrity, not cruelty. Publicly rejoicing in someone's death sends students the message that hate is acceptable when aimed at those we disagree

039with. No matter how divisive a person's views may or may not have been, death is never something to celebrate. It's a time to reflect our shared humanity. Teachers shape the moral tone of society. When they choose compassion over mockery, they remind us what true education stands for. Respect, decency, and a heart. On that, I'm also antivax. I fully support the bringing back of this coach after I heard the story and I support not putting the school in Alba and putting it in common sense place like Lehi and saving us the money. Thank you. Hi, my name is Kyle Jakamoitz. I just wanted to come here and kind of get to the bottom of it. it looks like it's a trust issue as teachers, we don't really trust that the parents are doing the right thing

040at home with their kids and parents at home don't feel like the teachers are doing the right thing in the school. And I think that's kind of we kind of lost our baseline which is biblical Christian principles that founded this country. so I would just urge us to get back to trust. we do better at home. If there isn't a home that can do that, partner with Christian programs like we saw earlier and it's just it's sad, you know, a man died and it was over him telling the gospel to to students and for teachers to come out and say that they're against that, it just shows the state of the union and this is a republic, not a democracy. Thank you. Will the following individuals please line up? Gloria Weber, Dr. Paula Porter, Edward

041Drath, Jennifer Alvinz Walter, Ray Classen, and it's Dr. Edward Draas. Maria Martinez, the Bible says that we will give an account for every word that we say and for every one of our actions. I believe that it is our responsibility to teach our children a better way, a civil way to navigate our differences and to do what is good. Taking a human life because of political ideology or religious belief should never be an option. Charlie Kirk was murdered for doing both. Today, let us do what is right. Let's teach our children that murder is never the answer and that celebrating the assassination of a human being is just as wrong as committing the act itself. Those who glorify and celebrate such evil should be held accountable just as those who commit the murder. So I

042say you fire every single one. Ariel Martinez. We live in a time where unfortunately our private comments are made public and they're public for the entire world to see. And these teachers while while they had the right to fully exercise everything they thought by saying it on social media. no one stopped them from doing so. But it's also a reality that in this world today, unfortunately, every child carries a phone with them. And so they have access to the comments that these teachers are saying. These are young, impressionable, malleable minds. And those teachers comments go a long way to forging how they think in the future and how they see how they see it acceptable to take a life because there's political disagreement. And I'm sure we all agree that is wrong. It also sends

043a clear message to them and to the rest of us. If I can say this in public and everybody lets me get away with it, what can I not do when the cameras are off and I'm in the in the classroom alone with your kids? Good evening, Dr. Edward Grass. I stand before you to support your decision to sanction Dr. Grass. Oh, okay. Time. Got to get it in in a minute. We're having problems. Okay. So, we'll move I'll I'll do it the other the other way with the phone. All right. So, give me one second. Does this mean I can take the full three minutes? I still have to follow board policy. One minute. Okay, Dr. D, go ahead. I stand before you this evening to support your decision to sanction employees who use

044hate speech on social media. I condemn hate speech and public posts of personal opinions that are conducive to hate and division. Principles of professional conduct for the education profession require that educators maintain the respect and confidence of colleagues, students, parents, and the community. Fact, we do not need teachers or administrators who lack constraint and character. Inculcating students with ideas contrary to the public good and civil discourse. Teachers serve as moral examples to their students. Students read their teachers social media post. Dissonant views only harm those trying to do the righteous job of educating students. If you have hate in your heart, keep it to yourself. End of story. Conclusion. US public school districts can legally sanction employee. Your time is up, Dr. Dass. Thank you for your comments. Thank you. Is the timer is the

045timer working? Okay. Good to go with the regular timer. Yes. Okay. Dr. Paula Porter, Lehi Acres. Educators already in managing immense classroom pressures are now forced to navigate an oppressive political minefield. Fearful that a comment, a reaction, or even a like on a private account could lead to investigation and intermination. This chilling effect prevents teachers from engaging honestly with current events, part of their job both online and in the classroom, thereby undermining the critical civil civic discourse necessary for student development. When teachers cannot be honest citizens, they cannot effectively teach citizenship. Ultimately, the policing of personal political views accelerates teacher attrition. The teaching profession is already struggling with historically high turnover and acute shortages. By adding the threat of job le loss over protected offduty speech, the state's making profession untenable for thought. Your time

046is up. Thank you for your comments. My name is Ray Clayson and I live in North Fort Myers. I'm I'm really disturbed by some of the comments I've been hearing. These are teachers we're talking about. These are not haters. These are not people advocating violence. These are not people who celebrated Charlie Kirk's death. I get the I get the feeling that most people are unfamiliar with what was actually posted and are just listening to secondhand secondhand accounts. I would urge I understand the superintendent is not here. I would urge her not to insult our intelligence by suggesting that these firings are not politically motivated. Nothing could be further from the truth. These firings are actually have nothing to do with Charlie Kirk. These firings are about creating a climate of fear, not only for teachers,

047but for administrators and even for schoolboard members. Your time is up. Thank you for your comments, sir. Whoa, this thing is like Okay, Jennifer Elvarez Wada. Okay, I'm speaking loud because I am loud and proud. Okay, I'm once a proud of the school board and what they have done with these three teachers. I am here to support that. Okay, the other night I received a copy of the messages. One of them, he got what he deserved. Smiley faces, emojis. Okay, the second one, he spreaded hate so he deserved to be killed. Another ones with happy emojis. I couldn't read anymore. because I felt like our kids look up to these teachers and I know we're short staffed as blah blah blah and the same old same old for years. Okay. But they have they're probably

048some of their students are even friends with them on Facebook which I'm not even sure that could be allowed but I'm sure somehow they do it. they see these text messages from the teachers and freedom of speech. I am for freedom of speech but however there is a place and a time for it and as a branch manager I would have got fired for less than that. So yes I support time is up. Thank you for your comments. Will the following individuals please line up? Jamie Dallas, John CS, Holly Schwarz, Naka Terveri, and Alex Alexis Cooper. Can I submit some documents to the public record? a petition document showing that they're being politically targeted. My name is Jamie Dallas and I'm here to help try and prevent the fall of democracy. Go ahead. The My

049name is Jamie Dallas and I'm here to try and help prevent the fall of democracy. This is about fascism nationwide, about free speech. And Charlie Kirk was an ardent defendant, an adamant advocate of free speech. He would say that these teachers have the right to post whatever they want. He used his free speech for racism, bigotry, fear-mongering, and hatemongering. when we silence teachers, we're silencing a generation. protecting teachers means protecting the First Amendment, which protects freedom itself. If you silence a teacher, you silence a generation. And we refuse to be silenced. Let freedom speak. Hi, my name is John C. I'm a parent Fort Myers Beach Elementary. I'm here to talk to you guys about messaging. It's good that Dr. Savage is here. I was on the ad hoc committee and we went through years

050of numbers being put out that just weren't correct. the day before the briefing in which a contractor, the sham contractor, you know, we went through that iteration, your staff actually put numbers together for us. I'm sure you haven't seen them. but the number showed that our cost per student in 2025, if we used the our operational cost with the amount of kids that we had would have been down at $15,000. That's 23,000 we started out. the messaging is totally horrible on this. Dr. Savage. I'm sorry, but it's just hard for me to believe when we put out there that we put this packet in and it's all for good reasons. Nothing has been for good reasons. We are not communicated with. We are lied to. The messaging is all to shut our school down. And

051it's it's absolutely ludicrous. I board members, please understand the numbers. Your time is up. Thank you for your comments, sir. Good evening. My name is Holly Schwarz. I'm a resident of Alba. After seeing the six figure change order for Riverdale on your workshop agenda today, I have to ask when do the cost overruns end and when do the fis and when does fiscal responsibility start? In addition to the safety and environmental concerns the community has about NNN, we're also concerned about the cost and the very real alternative site that's being completely ignored. When the residents asked you to do a feasibility analysis the cost between NN and Tahoe and NN, some of you said you didn't care where it went just as long as the Ezone got a high school and got one quickly. Would

052you still be interested if you could have the new high school in the E zone, but for $22 million less? We'll never know because these alternative sites were not evaluated. It's never too late to ask for an NN site comparison and take a good look at the numbers. Thank you. Will the following individuals please line up? John Klene, Lzette Davis, David Carter, Madison Cawthorne, Mike Slinska, Slinska, and Gloria Weber. My name is Alexis Cooper. And dear members of the board, first and foremost, I don't know what land developers are paying you all big money for our school, but how dare you? Have you no shame? Is London Bay really paying you all that much for our school property? If the superintendent was here, I would tell that to her face, but I'll save it for

053an email. I am speaking before you all once again because it looks like our voices and our children's are being unheard. As a parent, I am both heartbroken and outraged by the actions of our school board. You are legally and ethically obligated to uphold the ILA. That is not optional, not debatable, and certainly not something that should be twisted to suit a crooked agenda. The fact that families have spent almost a year pleading for compliance with a binding agreement is unacceptable. If you have done what you legally and morally should have done, we would have been back at our school already with an increasing enrollment. But you don't want that, do you? Since you're trying to prevent it from the kids going back since all you care about is money. None of you care about

054our children. None of you care about our schools. You all are crooked and you all don't deserve your jobs. Mike Slanska, REC committing man from precinct 402. I agree that teachers have first amendment rights, but they have no more rights or no less rights than anybody else. But they are also subject to the law Florida laws and a code of ethics which require the highest ethical, moral and professional standards, maintenance of respect and confidence of the community. you can have opinions you should not have opinions that celebrate someone's assassination. Corporations have terminated employees for same reasons. Why should it not apply to a school district? Post the post are im immoral, unethical, and violate all professional standards. They are disrespectful, reprehensible, and to quote a woman that most of us know, Hillary Clinton, they are

055deplorable. Okay? In the Bible, Micah 6:8 says, "What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" These teachers are not doing that. Your time is up. Thank you for your comments. Good evening. I'm David Carter. I lived on the corner of Tuck Ho and Joel. Trying to make this quick in your one minute. Y'all are wanting to put the high school over the infrastructure there. I've been there for 20 years living. There is no roads. It cannot handle the traffic y'all wanting to put. We have no city water and sewer. When y'all have a site 10 mi up the road what would hold the school busing is going to fall way behind out there. You're hauling 90% of the kids from the other

056side of Lehi and everywhere else. 15% of the kids will ever come from Alva. And y'all are already, to my understanding, asking for $160 million just for the high school that y'all don't have. And the ground ain't even broke out there yet. When are how much is this school actually going to cost by the time y'all put in the two to three schools y'all wanting to put in? How much is taxpayers going to pay for this? Y'all have yet to answer any questions on any of it. Thank y'all. Bless you. Should I say my name? Hello, my name is Lette Davis. Everyone knows me as Liz. I would like to address the school board in regards to coach Tyler Murphy. And to for him to be able to come back to our football team. We

057love and adore him. He is a wonderful human being. What has been done to him, no coach should have. This is an embarrassment to our children, to the school, to Lee County, to our staff and everyone included. He should deserve to come back to our football team. I have nothing else to say. Reese says, "Yes, Mr. Mr. Chairman has made multiple comments about clapping, etc. He's given one warning. If there are any other reactions that are not appropriate, that person's going to be asked to leave from the sergeant-at-arms. Mr. Chairman, recess. Yes, we're entering a recess. Thank you. Thank you everyone. We're going to resume the action meeting at 7:08 p.m. coming out of recess. As I said before, it's a business meeting. We get there's a lot of people here with a lot of

058subjects going on a and a lot of things all over the place. We get that. But please be respectful cuz when you're clapping, we can't hear everyone else then speaking. So please proceed with public comment whenever you're ready. Attorney Bruno. Thank you. Gloria Weber, Naka Tervari, John King, Madison Cawthorne, and will the following individuals please line up? India Palencia, Janette Tardiff, Paradikico, Dan Allers, Keith Campbell, Amanda Cochran. Good evening, board. My name is Madison Cawthorne. Free exchange and debate of ideas is crucial to an informed populace. Charlie truly embodied fair and well-intended debate. The assassination of Charlie Kirk was not just the killing of a man and a friend, but a direct assault on the First Amendment. To have educators celebrating such evil is not only disgusting, but I would say unpatriotic and demonic. I

059support the superintendent's decision to relieve teachers who said such things and urge the pursuit of firing those shielded by unions. There are consequences for your actions. You celebrated murder. Firing you should not even be a debate. Thank you. Hello, my name is John King and free speech is a fundamental right. Nobody's negating that. However, when that when that speech includes murder or the celebration of a murder or threat or condoning bodily harm, it's unacceptable. Period. It's gotten out of control and our kids deserve better. Let me see a show of hands that parents that want their kids. Direct your comments to the board. Okay. As adults, we should be examples, Christlike. to care about our fellow Americans. Moreover, as teachers, when our kids leave our homes, you know, you're the next one in line, you

060know, for after our parents. So, we deserve better. Your actions matter, good or bad. With that being said, if you show hate, talk hate, or celebrate hate, you're teaching our kids the same. So, we should we should do better. I think those teachers should be fired. 10 seconds. Okay. They even showing hate now towards our officers. the ones that serve and protect us. And we don't need that. We don't we need to say that is not acceptable. This is really bad and it's getting worse. So we need to show forth. Thank you for your comments. Your time is up, sir. So let me ask you, is the timer is the timer working? I'll do a backup. You'll do the backup. You have backup. Yep. Thank you, Mr. Dodie. My name is India Palencia. Look around

061this room and see what community looks like. You have parents, teachers, and neighbors here and people who care enough to show up and speak up when even it's hard. But it's also what happens when trust breaks down. When politics replaces principal. When decisions are made for personal gain instead of the public good. We've seen policies ignored and power abused. Sexual offenders are allowed to stay in schools. Lobbyists are heard before parents. taxpayer dollars used to reward friends instead of serve students. ESC students completely forgotten and campaign promises not kept. Those choices have consequences and they ripple through classrooms, families, and our entire community. So, I'll ask all of you, are you sitting in your seat for power or for purpose? Because our children need leaders who see this work for what it truly is, sacred.

062It's not too late to change course, to choose integrity over influence, to serve people over politics. Do that and you'll find the community ready to stand beside you and not against you. Because we're all here for the same reason. Thank you for your comments. Your time is up. Thank you. Good evening. Mayor Dan Allers, town of Fort Myers Beach. here representing a community that has lost a lot of its history and I find it unimaginable that you're willing to sit up there and do it willingly. You willing to take away potentially a school building that has been there for 80 years. Dr. Savage, I don't know what your what your background is or what your degree is in, but based on your comments at the beginning of this meeting, it's clearly not land planning or

063development. You most definitely can build another school on that property without touching that historical building. Please do not mistake kindness for weakness. We are small, but we are mighty. We will be at every door that you go through to try to take that building down. You can do the right thing, member Brible. You could stand up for your constituents and be our voice. I ask you to do that. I apologize for my presence. This meeting was not on my bingo card an hour and a half ago. But I will be at every door smiling at you, so you're going to get used to seeing this ugly mug. Have a good night. My name is Janette Tardiff Paradiso. I've been here many, many, many times. Fort Mary's Beach Elementary is everything that you say you want

064in a school. We're an A-rated school of excellence time and time again. Marzano, high reliability school, level one and two, check, check. parents and teachers who care, advocate, and show up for our kids. Community entities that help support the school so that kids get to have great opportunities that don't come out of your school tax dollars. We've always had businesses supporting our school. And since the ILA that we agreed to, they're now advertising the enrollment like we said we would. They're even accommodating the employees with new drop off times so that the kids can get to school. We have Bay Oaks, which is an amazing facility, which takes care of our kids. And for the last three years, they've been doing a far better job than you have, emotionally and physically. Hurricane Ian hit in

06522, and we had lots of meetings, town halls, one-on- ones, group meetings. Bernier came down, Patria came down, and it took until the following May to get an answer because we worked so hard at this agreement. Let's talk about fiscal response. Your time is up, ma'am. Will the following individuals please line up? Gloria Weber, Naka Tervari, Darius Cochran, Lou Navara, Renee Cespin, Jeff Miller, Griselle Meduca. My name is Amanda Cochran. Lee County School Board members have publicly acknowledged that Lehigh Acres has been neglected for decades. The district has advertised their commitment to the quote student proximity and neighborhood school model. Yet, they plan to build school NN&N away from the shovel ready site that sits directly among the most racially and economically diverse student population where it is needed the most, raising serious equity concerns.

066Instead, taxpayers will be paying for infrastructure at a location that has none to include not one but two 500,000galon water tanks and a lift station clearly to service area developers saving them millions. Who is this school really for? The students and families of Lehigh Acres deserve way better. Good evening. My name is Keith Campbell. I'm here for a totally different subject, but I can't get it in one minute because I've been trying to call you guys for the last month about the safety of our children, not just in Buckingham, but also Lee County. You guys are not following any of the standards of the safety at the bus stops. The first week of school, a young lady in Buckingham got hit by a car. She was blamed for the accident. Today you guys have construction

067going in on Orange River Road. Not one bus stop was altered before the kids to be picked up and kept safe. We offered to help. Now we're being told we want we're going to foot the bill. You guys don't want to do anything about it. So that's why I'm here today to put it on your agenda. Get it on your minds. And remember the space cuz for the next couple of months I will be at your offices. I will be calling and you will be getting emails. Our kids safety comes first. I don't think any of you guys are even considering that because you don't even return the phone calls. Have a good day. Next speaker, please. Next speaker, please. Good evening, board superintendent Lunhara, 38-year teacher. I came tonight to ask the board to

068sponsor a resolution to send to Mike G. Lombardo, District 79, the House bill he's going to bring before the Florida legislature in January. The bill is being written. It will make Veterans Day, November 11th, a holiday for all school districts. No more hurricane makeup days, etc. to insult veterans living and dead. Now, I was happy with Miss Langford. I know she spearheaded you are not having school November 11th and I thank you again but I want you to contact Priscilla Debbie if you don't believe me. I wasn't happy with the school board and the contract. It's still poultry folks and you're making them work 45 15 minutes more and I'm not going to say anything else about anything except Thank you for your comments Mr. Navaro. Mr. Navaro, your time is up. Mr. Navaro, your

069time is up, sir. Mr. Navaro, please. Okay. Quiet, please. Hi. Good evening. My name is Griselle Madran. from Lehi Acres and I'm here just because of the school issue of moving the high school to Alpha and Tahoe. Being that I live in East Lehi, I would much rather have something closer to our area of Joel and David where the other siblings and there's other schools, elementary schools, and middle schools and siblings can be together. And the I live right now where I live on Joel off the 6th to go to work in Alva. It used to take me about five miles. It used to take me about 10 minutes to get there. Right now with all the dump trucks and because of the infrastructure and the road it takes me now about a half an

070hour. So I think you should take that in consideration because our students will have to be getting up really early to get on the bus to go out there. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Jeff Miller. I'm a proud father of a Cape Coral High football player. What's being done to our coach is ridiculous. This man is a mentor to these boys. I mean, look how many kids are following him right now. They're on here in their game day shirts. Just honor this man. And what you guys are doing is ridiculous. He has taught these kids how to be young men. I've known some of these boys since they played youth football and the men that they have turned into is because of this coach. It it's just it baffles me how this man

071is being treated. May did he make a mistake? Probably he did, but it not towards these kids. These kids love this man. They adore this man. And I just asked you guys to reinstate him immediately so he can join these seniors to continue on what they are doing this year. I mean, this school football program has went from nothing than they won the district title last year. They won it again this year. Let the coach be part of this. That's all I'm asking. Thank you. Will the following individuals please line up? Justin Ward, Tiffany Al, Meard Phillip, Maline Stewart, John Kuff, Darius Cochran Darus Cochran speaking tonight on a bridge and road issue. I went by the no meeting this afternoon and I found something that maybe I think you guys should read before you

072make a decision on the infrastructure and Lee County. The Albadraw bridge will be renewed by the end of 2040. The Wilson Pigot Bridge, according to FDOT, a written email, they say for sure by 2035, you're going to bus thousands of children, get them up at 4:30 in the morning to get to a school. We have more cows than we have students in Alba. You have five more seconds. I was giving you five more seconds, sir. For note, I provided five more seconds as the clock was delayed and somebody interrupted. Good evening, members of the school board and superintendent. My name is Justin, an educator at Lehigh Senior High School, and I'm here to address the recent dismissal of three teachers fired for comments online. I'm not here on behalf of on condoning violence, but to

073stand for free speech. We are a nation found on the First Amendment. For a public employee to terminate a teacher for their offduty speech, the legal standard must be extremely high. A clear demonstration under disruption to the educational environment, not just a mere disagreement with a political or personal viewpoint. The law applies a pickering test. The teachers speak as a private citizen on a matter of public concern. In the absence of clear evidence that their actions substantially disrupt the school day or impair their teaching, their right to speak must prevail. Soundless and dissenting voices chills academic freedom, encourages intellectual conformity. Free speech is not selective. We must protect the right to express the free speech we disagree with. If the bond terminates educates based on the expression occurs outside the classroom, you are sending a

074message that job security depends on silence and political alignment. The decision for contradicts the very expression that many on the political side including Charlie Kirk himself had expressed. So I urge you to stop stop that and I leave you political will. I disagree with what you say. Thank you for your comments. Your time is up sir. Hi, my name Hi, my name is Philip Maya. I am from the Buckingham community and as we have here before we have a couple near miss on the last couple months we have meeting with with your director of transportation service of Buckingham compound Ronald Bo and we have talk about all the stop who need some some improvement but nothing happening. So this is what I coming here for talk about it. We like to see what what we

075going to be able to get. our kids are in a rural area in the dark and we have a lot of near miss and we need to do something for their safety. Thank you. Gloria Weber, Nancy Terrari, Renee Cespen, please line up. John, I'm sorry. Sasha Shern, Lauren McIntyre, and Rich Joll. Please line up. Good evening everyone. I'm Meline Stewart. I'm here because I wanted to ask for transparency, which I know you all espouse, and I wanted to ask for information and for calm. We hear lots of different information from different sides of the issue of teacher civil rights. I personally and I talked to many of the people who were at the rally outside on the opposite side from my side who didn't even know what the teachers had actually posted. Yet they are

076making these horrible descriptions of what the teachers are and how hateful they are. So I don't know exactly what they posted, but I think we need transparency. We need calm and we need to know what is the actual process that goes on with teachers being Thank you for your comments. Your time is up. Good evening board members. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you. My name is John Kiff. I am here in support of the disciplinary measures that are being taken against teachers who have apparently posted on social media comments that excused, supported, or even found amusing the cold-blooded murder of Charlie Kirk on a college campus, a school shooting. I'd also like to address the issue that seems to be coming up repeatedly and that is the first amendment. The first amendment

077is not limitless. We all know the classic example. The first amendment does not give you the right to scream fire in a crowded movie theater. It doesn't give you the right to liel. Similarly, things like the code of conduct, which has apparently been violated, can be enforcable under the first amendment. So, thank you very much. Nancy Terrari. I came here with a few questions for the board and the administration. I'm wondering if any of you have read 1984. I read it in school. I think it's time for a refresher. I wonder if it's taught in the schools at all. It really warns us about authoritarianism and thought control. In the book, it even talks about thought police. And I'm afraid our Lee County schools have moved into thought police. Considering this new policy or or

078implementation, new implementation of a policy that may even be in place, it seems to me that you're calling upon all of us to start reviewing social media, private social media, of all of our teachers, our administrators, and our board members. We should look back at what everybody said about our former president, all the comments people have made in the past, and people should start lining up to resign. Thank you for your comments. Your time is up, ma'am. My name is Sasha Shim. I am the parent of a freshman at Riverdale High School. I'm here to express the serious concerns about the inefficiency of the Lee County Transportation Department, especially in the East District. Right now, students are waking up as early as 3:00 a.m. for a 7 a.m. start time. My son's bus arrives nearly

0793 hours before the first bell, leaving children outside in the dock, often without sidewalks. Bus drivers are being assigned routes that cover more than 50 miles and should be split among two or three drivers. The result is enduring commutes that are longer than most working adults with little time left at night for homework, dinner, or rest. Many are even relying on energy drinks just to stay awake, which puts their health at risk. This is not a fair or just education. It is a safety hazard and a barrier to learning. I respectfully ask that the board prioritize this issue, review the zoning and routting inefficiencies, and allocate more funding to transportation. Our children deserve better. They deserve safety, balance, and an opportunity to succeed, not danger. My name is Lauren McIntyre. I'm a former highly effective

080educator in Collier County. I left on my own accord. I also have a first grader here in the Lee County schools. I'm going to do a bullet pointed list like that other guy did. I do support reinstating this coach. the people want it. Give it to them. I support statemandated vaccines. You have a duty to protect the public. the new Fort Myers Beach School. As much as I love Fort Myers Beach and am heartbroken over what has happened to that community, we just can't make it work. It is a lot of money for a handful of kids. The new school in Alva also against it. It does not meet the needs of our county. What are we doing about our bus system? There is no communication, a sorry excuse for an app, and no safety

081or accountability at stops. We deserve to know where our kids are and that they are safe. And whoever on this body here told my community board member that our stops were going to be taken away because a bus driver hit our gate. Thank you for your comments. Your time is up. I appreciate that you started this meeting by saying to remember it's about the students because that's what this is truly about. Taking Coach Murphy away from teaching and coaching is doing a real injustice to our students. He's impacted hundreds of kids already and would have reached thousands more. He's more than a coach. He's a mentor, a role model, and someone who brings out the best in our kids. If this situation were truly about protecting a child, no parent would run to the media

082and risk their child's own well-being and reputation. That decision alone shows you that this was never about her kid. It was about something else entirely. Even the woman's student involved would tell you he looks up to Coach Murphy and would want him back as well. This shouldn't be about one person's bitterness. It should be about what's best for all of our students. And what's best for them is having Coach Murphy back where he belongs. Thank you. Can you please I believe Rich Javel is Yeah, Rich Javo. Okay. Thank you, sir. Mr. Chairman, last call for Gloria Weber, Renee Sispen, Tiffany Al. Mr. Chairman, it appears that public comment there's one more person. Is there was she signed up? Was it? Yes. Okay, please proceed. Thank you. My name is Tiffany Miranda. I'm a proud parent

083and supporter of Cape High School football program. I'm so I support the reinstatement of Tyler Murphy. Coach Murphy transformed this football program from the moment he arrived. He brought energy, accountability, and belief back in back into our locker room. He built character and gave these young men something bigger than the game to believe in. He changed the culture. He changed the environment built on respect, hard work, and commitment. Values that extend far beyond the field. These players responded to him because he cared about them first as people and seconded as athletes. His leadership inspired them to show up and work hard on and off the field. We witnessed this transformation under his guidance and the program once struggled became united, focused, and full of heart. Reinstating Coach Murphy isn't about football. It's about preserving the

084positive culture he built and giving these young men leadership that they deserve. Our kids believe in him. Our community stands behind him. And tonight, I ask that you do the same when you reinstate when you vote for his reinstatement. Now, that appears to be the conclusion of public comment. Mr. Chairman, if I may, as legal counsel and for the record, please proceed. The school board will not prejudge any case that may come before them in their quasi judicial capacity and the board will follow and allow the legal process to move forward to make sure that we preserve due process and ensure that we abide by all laws and regulations. Thus, the board cannot and will not act upon any of the comments related to any case or take into consideration any comments related to any

085case that may come before them. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Madam Attorney. Thank you, everyone. This board and this administration truly appreciates your comments. I also want to say outside of the clapping, I commend everyone in this room for civility. These were not easy subjects and I just want to say thank you to everyone. We're going to move on to the next item on the agenda, which is approval of consent action items. Anyone that wishes to clear the room will give you a moment. Thank you. If you're not going to stay, please clear the room. If you're not going to remain part of this meeting, please clear the room so we can resume the meeting. Thank you. Okay, thank you everyone. We're going to resume the meeting. Next up is items F through Q

086following under item R, approval of consent action items. The documentation for action items listed in our consent is made available to board members seven business days prior to the board meeting. We're expected to review all the material and we have an opportunity to speak with the superintendent with any questions we may have regarding the recommendations. Some of these items have also been briefed or workshop with the board in advance of appearing on the action agenda. Board members, are there un are there any agenda items you wish to pull for further discussion under unfinished business? Mrs. Juvenelli, I have none. Thank you. Mr. Ribble, I have none. Thank you. Miss Jordan, I have one Q15. Thank you. Mr. persons. I have none. Mrs. Langford Fleming, I have none. Mrs. Chaviano, I have none. And I have

087none. Is there a motion to approve tonight's tonight's consent action items with the exception of pulled item Q15? A motion to approve tonight's action items. Do we have a second? I'll second. Thank you. Okay. Moved by Mrs. Chaviano, second by Miss Juvenelli. Please record your vote. Motion carries 70. Before we go any further, Dr. Savage, please introduce any new administrators in the audience. thank you, Chairman. I'd like to recognize first Mr. Douglas Po, who's now the principal of both Heights Elementary and Fort Myers Beach Elementary. I'd also like to recognize Miss Lindseay Thorstead who is now also the principal at both assistant principal at Fort Myers Beach Elementary and Heights Elementary. I'd also like to recognize Kimberly Edges Baxa who is now the principal at Bonita Springs Middle Center for the Arts. That's all chairman.

088Thank you, Dr. Savage. congratulations to everyone and I will echo yet again what Mr. Person said. Please enjoy tonight and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Okay, moving on. Dr. superintendent, that's sorry. We have one pulled item to address. Whenever you're ready, Dr. Savage, please address pulled item Q15. yes, Chairman. this recommendation is for the approval of the phase 2 total project cost estimate in the amount of $162 million, $225,000 for the triple N high school new construction, Joel and Tuahoo. the approval authorizes the superintendent to execute all necessary documents. Thank you, Dr. Savage. Is there a motion to approve the recommended item? Mr. persons. I make a motion we approve Q15 total project cost estimate phase 2 for NNN. Do we have a second? We have a second. Second. Okay. Moved by Mr.

089Pson. Second, Miss Javiano. Board member discussion. Well, I pulled this item and I spoke a little bit about it this afternoon during which I could have Mr. Rickenbach had shared some information, but I still have some since the very beginning I've had a little bit of issues with this school being there. one people speak about it all the time about the guns and I just can't get that out of my mind. what and I still don't know what the answer is either. What happens when people are shooting and our children are being put on a lockdown. I hear that would not happen. They can't shoot here. They can't do this or whatever. But in my mind, I still see that taking place. And then also with the conversation that I had earlier which I stressed

090or expressed to all of you regarding Mr. Guzman and his reporting telling me that they were still waiting for this biological opinion and we don't know. They're checking the panthers to see where their dens are at, how they're how they're, you know, going to navigate through all of this that's going to be taking place and just all the other potential impact for the wildlife. So without all of that and we have no and I don't know when that would come before us again or when they're going to be able to get this information for us to move forward with it. I hear everybody says about the you know the cost and I do understand that the more we wait the more it costs but when I do look at Lehi which we've talked about for

091many years that property and I know we just inherited or just purchased the rest of that property that would make it large enough I just think that we I just I cannot vote on this Dr. Savage. obviously, you know, board members is entitled to however you feel to vote on any particular issue. What I want to make sure that we don't do is that we don't not give you the information that you would feel that you would need. And so, a couple things just to address. First comment you made was about the gun range piece, the outdoor gun range, which actually happened in one of the comments as well. We've we've attempted to answer that information on our public website related to that piece. the specific claim that was that was listed on the website

092is a school need to regularly lock down because of gunfire at nearby outdoor gun ranges. The information provided essentially says that outdoor and indoor gun ranges have specific statutory requirements to be in compliance and outdoor gun range must have at least one acre along with other requirements such as a back stop and is not and is limited to not shoot recklessly or negligently. Any outdoor ranges would be identified in the area as indoor and outdoor gun ranges are common in Florida. normal procedures if gunshots are fired of course would relate to the secure the type of security practices we have and these things are put in there just so that at least the public who might have a similar concern to what you're ver verbalizing has that access to that information in addition when we

093talked about the earlier permitting for those who weren't able to see the workshop we did have Mr. Rickenbacher addressed during his changeover report. Wanted to also make it available that we did ask for one of the civil engineers who again is not an not one of our employees but a civil engineering firm with a very reputable firm who was present today. There's anything substantive that you or other board members had specifically related to the permitting particularly the wildlife permitting and any of those aspects. And so Mr. Ball I believe is here was available to answer those questions substantively as Mr. Rickenbacher attempted to do that for the good of the entire board. If you feel that would be helpful, certainly we have that availability here so that you all feel that you have the information

094you need to feel clear about that vote and what that would mean related to the permitting concern that was brought up. So happy to make that available to you all if that would be helpful to you. Otherwise, if it's simply a matter of conscience, then that's a different story. Well, I believe that we all heard what he had to say, but and not only that is it is to me it is about infrastructure as well because I have driven down their streets multiple times. So trying to go down the street and just even trying to cross over myself personally in a car and I'm pretty quick when I'm driving multiple times I've almost got clipped. So that does worry me because when will that take place? When will those roads be widened enough for that

095traffic to because when I looked at the county what they have it's it's not for a while. So there's it was just a multiple multiple issues as far as I'm concerned. Mr. Person, as far as the road, it's no different than what's in front of Riverdale. There's a long turn lane going into it, a long turn lane turning left into it. We're adding that. That's on the plans. So I'm not worried about that. the traffic dropping off the kids. There's on the plans it shows a huge s snaking to keep the cars off of Joel. So they'll be really no different than when it's for I mean then it at Riverdale. You know, if you don't think it's we should build it there, then you're it's almost like saying we should close down Riverdale because

096it's exactly the same situation. or I think South Fort Myers High has a two-lane road with just a turn lane into it in there, too. And they're all busy roads. so I'm sure we will, you know, we've had traffic studies and they've told us what we needed to do. It's not like we decided to do that. I mean, that's part of our phase one. As far as the permitting, I mean, we asked in the workshop if it would really be a problem. They said, "No, we're just waiting for really one email from one agency that's reviewing things." But with the lockdown, it's it could take a little while. I mean, it could be 30 days because of the lockdown, but when it does come, then they'll submit it. And there, the only reason they paused

097it was so they don't have to start totally over again. It could be tomorrow we get the email, but moving to the Joel and David where we are going to build a school in the future. moving it now, we were told today it would probably be north of $200 million to build the school. Plus, as we already were been informed, we're over 500 students over capacity in the east zone. So now by the time that was built in 2030, we'd probably be over a thousand, you know, and we're already having problems. So it's just or more. So to me, it's it's a time issue and it's a it's a money issue. I mean, if we had had David and Joel ready for us three years ago, I probably would have said, why don't we look

098at that as an equal site, but we did not at that time. you just in was it in June or July or somewhere end of July we got finally everything squared away so we'd be starting at zero from there so for that reason I'm for going ahead okay Miss Juvenalei I was here when Riverdale was built I went to Riverdale about it was I think a year old when I went when I started there and it was a two-lane road and now they're trying to widen it even more because of the traffic. I understand that. But it was a two-lane road then and now it's not. it will inevitably roads will have to be you know things will have to be been you know added and so forth if that's just the but the end

099of the day I have to remember that I was here for children and we have children in portables in the e zone and they need to be in a classroom and I support this tonight because this is our option for the soonest to get students in the classroom nn is in the east zone Alba is the east zone. Lehi is the east zone. That is an east zone school. Joel and David is also an east zone school. So, I just think that we need this school and we need the other school and we're moving forward. We can't delay this. It's been delayed a little bit already and I just don't think we should delay it any longer and keep those students in portables. Thank you, Mr. Ribble. Fab by Miss Jordan. Yeah, I want to

100make a comment. I mean, you know, property owners have rights. We go through this all the time in the different municipalities, not only here in Lee County, but the other counties. You know, if if folks are against someone building on that 100 acres, they should have bought the 100 acres. And to come here and make threats about a gun range, what would happen if a developer came in there and put a thousand homes in there? you couldn't be firing gun range and put the residents at risk. So, I'm not I'm not I'm not buying that act about the gun range. The other problem you have in the state of Florida, and you got to remember I moved all over the country. Florida, for some reason, we do things backwards. We never build the like if

101you go to Kansas, they build all the all the road systems. You go out in the boondocks in Kansas and you'll see, you know, six lane highways, you think, what the heck is going on here? And then two years later, you see developments pop all up. We don't do it that way down here. Go down to Bonita Springs, go out Ponita Beach Road, and it'll go out Corkscrew Road in Eterero. It's the same. It's the same thing. It's kind of if you build it, the roads will come. And that's kind of where we are now. We're going to build the school and I guarantee you the roads will come. That's how it always works. It shouldn't work that way, but unfortunately that's how we do operate here in the state of Florida. So, I am

102going to support this tonight. I looked long and hard at it. I was out. I visited the site and we're going to be a good neighbor to those folks out there once we put the structure up. That's all I have. Miss Jordan, Miss Langford Fleming. So this you all know just by previous meetings that this has been heavy on my heart for sure. you know I'm from the neighboring county and it will directly affect the borderline of Henry and Lee County. and growth is inevitable. our superintendent adopted this issue. this isn't something that she was here for when it when it first passed. So, when this site was first presented to the board, I voted no, and that vote was not taken lightly. My concerns were rooted in fiscal responsibility and the well-being of our

103students and our families. Transporting students to a school located so far from their home presents a multitude of challenges and challenges we've researched and that we have already documented. One of my core values is family engagement and involvement in our schools. And when families live that far from a school, that involvement is difficult and probably won't happen. it's not just about the distance, though. It's about connections of families and the communities. Transportation costs will continue to strain our budget until more homes and families move into that area, and that is not going to happen tomorrow. we find but here we are we find ourselves in a position due to the bond that we had to vote on a couple of months ago and we're already a million dollars invested into the preconstruction preconstruction and permitting

104of the property. So now it's a fiscal irresponsibility not to proceed. So I find myself between a rock and hard place. I accept that the reality is that you're right, Mr. Ribble. The roads are not there and Corkscrew is a great actually a great example. I never even thought of that. That road has been two-lane since I was a little girl connecting us to Emocoli and there are many developments off that road. and they're going to have to do something. The problem is that we're going to need this school sooner or later regardless. We are 7,000 students over capacity in Eastley in East Lee County. And those students deserve to sit in a nice classroom in a chair with a certified teacher in a nice building. This has been going on for years. so I

105guess what I will end with is as we look into the future of school sites, we have got to do a better job. you know 2030 is a very long time and I can't imagine the growth in East Lee in five more years as the exponential growth we've seen in the last five. So, we as a board and the future boards need to practice best practices and we need to listen to community input before we get to the point of having to get to where we're at now because now we are in so deep and those students needed a classroom yesterday. and I and I'll end with that. I our students deserve a classroom. Our students deserve a school. I truly believe we went about this the wrong way and we need to as a

106board and as a district learn from these mistakes. That's all. Mr. Personson's father, Miss Jordan. The Alva school is majority Lehigh kids. They're K8. That is the most community-minded school or one of the most. I shouldn't say they are the most, but they I've been to that school. They have a house sorting and everything else. and the parents are all involved in their fall festival days and everything else. just not the Alva parents. So, I think it will be embraced by the community. I'm not worried about that part. Also, the infrastructure I forgot to say earlier and I apologize. You know, eventually there's supposed to be two schools there, a middle school also. And running that water and sewer there, that's for two schools. And if we waited and you know later it would be

107even more. I mean so I just I again like I said before I we just need the seats right now and so I'm I'm still supporting it. Just want to make those two statements. Jordan, I do remember what I was going to say is that and thank you, Miss Langford Fleming, the community is also a part of that because I see that happen at South where the families really can't get to South. They're they're just not there because their homes are not there. The school is there, but they're they're not there. So, you have football, they come. Baseball, not so much. But the kids do want their families to be there, but how do they get there? because there's not the transportation. A lot of them don't have the transportation to get there. And then

108also we do have seats that would at Dumb High School actually. So we have he's got plenty of openings at this time. And that would be the same distance that we would be busing kids to the location as we would bus them from. Actually, it's probably closer from Lehigh to to Dumbar if you go straight down. But we do have open seats for them and every child does need a seat. Persons, I have had several parents call me who are we have to send them to Riverdale and they live off Joel. So they're going not just to where we're building a school, but all the way on to 80 and then all the way down to Riverdale. So, it's for all those in Lehi that are going to Riverdale, that's the route they take. There

109isn't another route unless you go all the way up to Buckingham or something like that. So, everybody out in that eastern part, they have to go down Joel and they're doing that now. So, it actually is going to be less busing for them. Now, again, if it was David and Joel, it would be a little bit less, but that's just not practical at this time. So, we're not adding any longer busing for those kids. We're actually helping them out. Okay. Any other comments before we go to vote? Anything else, Dr. Savage? no. Chairman, I not the board has any more questions or information we can provide. Anyone else before we go to vote? Okay, seeing none warning, no interrupting the meeting. We're going to go to vote at this point. It'll be a roll call

110vote. Signify by saying I or nay. We will start off. Member Juvenelli I. Mr. Ribble. I. Miss. Jordan. Nay. What was that? Nay. Okay. No. Mr. Persons. I. Mrs. Langford Fleming. I, Mrs. Javiano. I, and I'm an I. Motion carries 61. Okay. Next on the agenda, we're going to head to item number V, public hearings. Whenever you're ready, Dr. Savage, please present public hearings and your recommendations. yes, Chairman. I recommend the approval to adopt new and revise board policies in compliance with changes and related rules, regulations, and statutes to adopt best practices and promote transparency and accountability. The effective date of this adoption shall be October 8th, 2025. the second recommendation is the approval to adopt the 2025 2026 student progression plan, including the secondary course catalog. Thank you, Dr. Savage. At this time, we're

111going to reassess the regular school board meeting and open the public hearing. The said time is 8:02 p.m. As indicated, this the public hearing this evening is considered Dr. Savage's recommendations previously stated. At this time, the public will be invited to speak on these two items. The time allotted for public comment is three minutes. Is there anyone in the audience who would like to address the board regarding the approval to adopt new and revised policies in compliance with changes in related rules, regulations, and statutes to adopt best practices and promote transparency and accountability? The effective date of this adoption shall be October 8th, 2025. I will go by subject chapter on this. So, chapter bylaws. Do we have anyone wishing to make public comment? Seeing none, chapter 1000 administration. Anyone wishing to make public comment

112on administrative policies? Seeing none, chapter 2000 program. Is anyone wishing to make public comment on said chapter? Seeing none, chapter 3000 instructional staff. Anyone wishing to make public comment on said chapter. Seeing none, chapter 4000 support staff policies. Anyone wishing to make public comment on support staff policies. Seeing none, chapter 5,000 students. Anyone wishing to make public comment on chapter 5000 covering students. Seeing none, chapter 6000 finances. Anyone wishing to make said comment on finances chapter 6000. Seeing none. Chapter 7000 property. Anyone wishing to make property on the 7000 series policies. Seeing none. Chapter 8000 operations. Anyone wishing to make public comment on said chapter. Seeing none. Chapter 9000 community relations. Anyone wishing to make comment on community relations policies. Seeing none, new policy canine crisis response. Anyone wishing to make public comment on said

113item? Seeing none, number two. Is there anyone in the audience who'd like to address the board regarding the approval to adopt the 2025 2026 student progression plan including secondary course catalog? Do we have any public comment for set item number two? Seeing none, I will now close public hearing and reconvene the regular school board meeting of October 7th, 2025. The time is 8:05 p.m. Dr. Savage, please restate your recommendation for the record. Yes, Chairman. the approval is to adopt a new and revised board policies in compliance with changes and related rules, regulations, and statutes to adopt best practices and promote transparency and accountability. The effective date of this adoption shall be October 8th, 2025. You've heard the deputy superintendent's recommendation that the board approve to adopt the new and revised board policies in compliance with

114changes and related rules, regulations, and statutes to adopt best practices and promote transparency and accountability. The effective date of this adoption shall be October 8th, 2025. Board members, is there a motion to approve? Make the motion. Okay. Moved by Miss Ribble, second by Miss Juvenelli. That's okay. Any discussion on this? Okay. Whenever you're ready, please record your vote. Motion carries 70. Dr. Savage, please read them. Read item number two. Yes, chairman. This recommendation of the board is the approval to adopt the 2025 2026 student progression plan, including the secondary course catalog. Okay. Thank you. You've heard the superintendent's recommendation that the board approve to adopt the 2025 2026 progression student progression plan, including the secondary course catalog. Board, do we have a motion to approve? Mr. Ribble, seconded by Mrs. Chaviano. No. Okay. Any discussion,

115board? Seeing none, when you're ready, please record your vote. Motion carries 70. Moving on to item W, good of the order, other board member business. So I will start with member Duvenelli. I don't have any business, but do you want me just do my good of the orders? My good of the order. Okay. Because I know there's there's some good of the order stuff that No, I didn't. Okay, we'll get to it. All right. So just I got a couple things real and I'll be real quick. I just want to we passed tonight Q13 which is approval of the land lease with Diamond Communications for six placement cellular towers at six school sites. I thought that was really cool because that's like 2,000 a month per school. I was just curious this was going to

116be a question I was going to ask and through the superintendent or through the chair through the superintendent. The 2,000 a month does that go to the school or does that go to the district? do you can answer get me that answer later. I just thought it was a nice way to have some additional income. and number 14 also was the approval of a amendment to impact grant agreement with Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation. I just want to give a big shout out to the Lisa Roy and the Healthy Living Collaboration. she got us and I'm going to say she, but they got us $276,000. and that's for our farms in our schools. And I would like to see that even not just and also just in light of this month, October is National Farm to

117School Month. and I would just like to see yes, farm to school then to table as well. And it is in the schools, but I just think that we have to have more fresh foods in our schools. And so I'm going to be really advocating about having the ability for our students to have fresh foods in our schools instead of processed food. And before I just I know that this the government is going to be doing that from coming from DC. So I think we need to get ahead of the game and start looking into opportunities for fresh food in our classrooms or classrooms. Listen to me in our schools. that's what I had there. I also want to acknowledge and congratulate Jennifer Fuller tonight. she has earned the distinction of association of workplace investigators

118certificate holder which is recognized as a gold standard in that this field. This is such an accomplishment and I don't even believe that we have anyone certified at the district. So I think she might be the first holder of that and I'm excited for the district to have someone like that handling investigations. And then I'm just going to end with, as a schoolboard member, I am committed to always following the law and upholding the principles that protect the rights of our teachers, staff, and especially our students and their families. While individuals may have differing opinions on political or social issues, it is essential that we do not diminish or undermine teachers rights to free expression, provided it aligns with their professional standards and the policies of our district. Our teachers should be supported in their

119efforts to educate, inspire, and model integrity without fear of censorship or reprisal for exercising their First Amendment rights. At the same time, teachers have a professional obligation to foster a safe, respectful, and nonpartisan classroom environment that prioritizes student learning and well-being. Balancing these responsibilities, protecting free speech while maintaining professional standard is fundamental to our mission as a school district. And as a board member, I pledge to uphold this balance, ensuring that our policies reflect both the rights of our educators and the needs of our students. In conclusion, I reaffirm my commitment to obeying the law, protecting the rights of teachers and staff, and creating a school environment where open, respectful, and meaningful dialogue can thrive. Together, let's work towards a future that honors liberty, responsibility, educational excellence for all, and all means all. Thank you.

120Thank you, Mrs. Juvenelli, and Mr. Rible. I gave my comments earlier this afternoon. Thank you, Miss Jordan. Thank you. I just I had DACA this past week and I did not get my report this afternoon, so I'm going to just do it really quick tonight. so, during deck, we reviewed the Sunshine Sunshine and Robert's rules of order. Mr. Dodic was u kind enough to be there with us and guide everybody through that. They elected a chair and a vice chair and solicited volunteers for the transportation review committee. We they did we did not get volunteers for the site committee as the board. So we're revising the board policy right now for the site committee. So at a later time as soon as that is revised then we will go back and get volunteers to to

121sit on that the site committee. But at this moment we have not. We just did transportation. some of the members had some following asks u they wanted to know can the membership recommend topics that are of interest to the members like they did previously instead of DAC only responding to the topics from the board. So that was a question and they wanted that me to bring that back to the board to express that some members do not believe it is sunshine it is sunshine violation to have breakout rooms as the rooms are publicly noticed and everyone could pop in and out of rooms of their choice. They asked us to be oh to be able to resume breakout sessions as they did not feel that the voices can be heard in a large session. So

122everybody is all on one big giant screen now and before they were able to do that which of course our attorney Mr. Pri Bruno Bruno shared that we could not do that and that's when that stopped. So everybody is now on per law we're following the law. parent engagement was a topic is the topic for October and a request was made to switch it with teacher retention. it was perceived to be timely. However, since the meeting, TAC has reached a tenative agreement. So, the topic so far is October will be parent engagement and empowerment, November is teacher retention, and January is student code of conduct. And Miss Dr. Cuba McCoy is our is our person that runs the our meetings. She is our cheerleader and we love having her there. And that's all that's the

123only thing I have for tonight. And I think I said enough for the entire day today. So I still have what's more to come. Sorry. Thank you, Miss Jordan. So I didn't think you had anything right, Mr. Persons. Yeah, I hear you. Okay. I'm just going to say one little thing and then I'm going to take a little bit longer on something else. Well, I was really excited that Beayshore had groundbreaking for their K8 expansion. So, all the new buildings and everything. It was a really exciting day and the community there was super excited. Tonight I'm going to make a motion which I informed the board and actually informed the public I was going to do this a month ago and it's I move the board adopt the resolution in support of parental rights as

124it relates to medical decisions to include vaccinations. The resolution reads, "Whereas parents are the primary decision makers regarding health, well-being, and upbringing of their children. Whereas the Florida legislature enacted the parents bill of rights codified in Florida's statute chapter 1014 which provides that the liberty of parents to direct the upbringing, education, health care and mental health of their minor children is a fundamental right. Whereas the parents bill of rights further requires that government entities may not infringe on the fundamental rights of a parent without demonstrating that such action is reasonably and necessary to achieve a compelling state interest and that such action is narrowly tailored and not otherwise served by a less restrictive means. Florida statute 1014.03 03. Whereas sudden certain immun immunization requirements of school entry are currently contained in Florida statute 10003.22 and

125related Department of Health rules creating a potential conflict between statutory vaccine mandates and the parental rights guaranteed in chapter 1014. Whereas aligning Florida's education and health statutes with the parents bill of rights would reaffirm the legislaturator's intent that parents retain the primary decision-making authority for their children's health care in consultation with licensed medical providers. Now therefore, it be resolved that we affirm the rights of parents consistent with Florida Statute Chapter 1014 to determine in consultation with healthcare providers the course of action they believe is best for their children relating to medical care to include vaccinations. Thank you, Mr. Persons. There's a motion on the table. Is there a second? Going to pass my gavl down to member Juvenelli. I'm going to second the motion. Please read who made the initial motion and second. Okay, Mr.

126Person and myself. You made a second. Okay. Sorry. So, Mr. Personson's made the original motion is and Mr. Fischer second it. So, now is there any discussion? pass back again. Thank you. Okay, you threw me on. Okay. The rationale behind this in 2022, as I said in the resolution, the legislature passed a parents rights, a parental rights bill, affirming that parents have the right to make healthc care decisions for their children. While there is a religious exemption currently exist, parents should not be forced into claiming one just to exercise their right. Many developed countries including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece, Sweden, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, and Israel do not require mandatory vaccinations for children, yet continue to maintain high vaccination rates without an

127increase in childhood infectious disease. Parents know their children best. This is a decision that belongs with families, not the state. Board member comment discussion or Yeah. Sorry about that. We're going to have public input on this item. It'll be limited to three minutes per comment. Whoever wants to make public comment, please get in line and we'll address you individually. So, Chief, if you can help line them up. Please proceed. First member for item public comment. When you speak, please identify yourself. You'll have three minutes. It will only be public comment on the resolution. Nothing else. This will be very quick. One second. We had a timer on this. Sorry. this will be be very quick. My name is Heidi Fosle and my question is if we make mandatory vaccinations, we delete them. Should we also

128abandon seat belt for children's and make that a liberty? It's all I have. That's all I have to say. Your name? Heidi Fosel. Thank you. Good evening again. Denise Kirk again, no relation. I, like I said, am a substitute teacher. I'm older as you can probably tell and if there's a measles or mumps or one of these diseases, childhood diseases that we have eradicated with vaccines comes back into these schools and I come down sick, am I likely to survive? Just think about it. Thank you. Dr. Edward Dass, MD, I support this resolution that Mr. Persence has brought before the board lifting the Lee County School District vaccine requirements. As a 45-year practicing physician, I've reached this conclusion after much research, thought, and practical observation of patient outcomes. I also concluded after the debacle, which

129was the coid9 pandemic, that civil authorities are not adept at instructing the public in safe preventative measures or in advocating for vaccines. There is currently much skepticism regarding vaccine effectiveness and safety. Parents now have many questions regarding the effect of vaccines on their children's long-term health. Burgeoning conditions such as autism and childhood cancer have been indirectly linked to vaccines. HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. feels that 72 vaccines for children by the age of 18 is excessive and it damages the immune system. I tend to agree. Research has must be done before vaccine safety can be assured. It seems reasonable to allow parent optin for vaccines meaning that parents should make the decision not the district. This should be done after careful inquiry by parents with treating physicians but should both experts both parents and pediatricians

130and treating physicians should be expert in vaccines their effectiveness and their serious side effects currently. I don't think that is the case until more safety research is done. Removing the mandate is a sensible measure. I do not acquies to fearmongers since most childhood diseases are treatable without the risk of death or disability. Thank you. Christy Digelli board member person said it perfectly. I'm not going to reiterate. Every word that he said was spoton. I fully support this resolution and I implore you all to do the same. Thank you. Is there anyone else for public comment? Seeing none, closing public comment. Board member discussion. Mr. Parsons. Yeah. Again, the thing to remember is this resolution is really all about parental rights. whether you're for vaccines or against vaccines, it will have no effect. That should be

131up to the parent to decide. And that's I ran on that when when I was a candidate and I've made most my decisions on that as a elected official. So I just believe the state should not be the one telling a parent what to do. We cannot even give an aspirin to a child without parents permission. But yet we can mandate they take all these vaccines in order to get into school. That makes no sense to me at all. Do I think most parents will get the vaccines? Yes. Do I think they'll do exactly the same schedule? I don't know. Probably not. so that but that'll be up to them as with you know talking to their physician and what they can find and make that decision. That's all. Okay. Miss Mr. Ribble, then Miss

132Langford Fleming, then I think Miss Javiano, and then Miss Jordan. I got a lot of calls about this about this document and what we're going to decide tonight from a whole lot of people, including my daughter who lives in Texas. But I think the thing that really shored me up to support Armor's resolution was 60 Minutes. And I don't often like their politics and their stories, but they had an outstanding 25minut segment Sunday evening on vaccines. And do you know that there's a federal court set up in Washington DC that you can go down if you have a child or there is even adults that were vaccinated and had had major reactions that really made them handicapped. And the federal government on most of these cases when presented reimbures these people these these mothers, dads

133and adults millions of dollars depending on their handicap. So the data that they put forward and the numbers of cases that they have is alarming. So I have paused to really take a hard look at this thing. I know the comment from several people that called me was about a measles outbreak, but I think if you weigh all our options, I'm Armor, I'm going to support your motion here tonight. That's all I have. Is that all, Mr. Ripple? That's it. This is Langford Fleming. So, thank you, Mr. Persons, for bringing this up. I knew that it was coming, so I prepared something myself to have discussion this evening. I apologize or I knew I needed to write this down. so I first got involved in the school district issues and ran for school board after

134being a teacher of 20 years because I saw a troubling lack of parental control and a par and a pattern of misdirection from the previous board, steering away from the district and away from the values that this community continued to talk about. many people don't know, but I left a lucrative career because employees were forced to receive the COVID vaccine. So, I was forced to make a decision and I believe that should have been a personal decision. that experience only strengthened my conviction that this should be a parent idea, not an institutional idea. and a parent has the final say in their children's health. So, I will be voting to support this resolution tonight. That said, I think it's important for our community to understand that this is just like Mr. Person says, a non-binding

135resolution. It's essentially just a letter, a formal letter of support to the legislature and the governor expressing our support for parental rights and our position on lifting vaccine mandates. the ultimate decision will rest on the state and the legislature. I will always follow the law, but I do believe that parents have the final say and they do know what's best for their child. So, thank you for bringing this to our attention, Jabiana. Yeah. So, I didn't get a lot of phone calls, but I had a lot of different conversations with my parents and I have parents on on kind of both sides of the aisle. I have those that don't vaccine at all, those that do a stretch schedule and those that are fully vaccinated. So, I kind of got the full spectrum in these

136conversations. and to the point, yes, there is an exemption. You have your religious exemption, your medical exemption. Medical being probably the most difficult. and religious, obviously, no one's going to hold your religious virtue, so you can pretty much fib and say yes, it's a requirement. and that's kind of the moral piece on that side. again, I too when I campaigned as a parent and being in the schools, it was for parental involvement and and getting our parents back into the classroom in the everyday. And I fully believe it is a parent and a family's decision and what they're doing with their kids' health. And to the point of what this resolution is, yes, it is a stance. And I and I want to be clear because I had these conversations with these parents. It is

137our signal and our message to the state of where we stand, but nothing changes tomorrow. If you're new to this district and you come into this district, you still have to comply with the current law. So, I just want that to be clear and have that kind of out there because I think there was a little bit of misunderstanding with our families of what this meant with this position. At the end of the day, we are responsible to follow the law that is at hand and the law still states that there are these mandates. This is a position should the board come to this conclusion and agree that this is where we stand. Again, this is why we have lobbyists. this is what we pay them to do when they go to the state and

138take these positions you know to to our reps and to the floor and legislation. of course I will be supporting this but I just want it to be clear of what this means tomorrow. This is just a signal of where we are but the law is still the law. So just so there's an understanding of that there's nothing changes tomorrow unless legislation changes. Thank you. Thank you Javiano Miss Jordan. And then I would presume Miss Juvenelli. Thank you. while I while I appreciate what you have written here, Mr. Armor, I have received many many calls, not just from the United States, Italy, you name it. Family has called regarding this whole resolution. It is already. I don't know when people believe that we've ever lost parental rights. As a parent and now a grandparent, I've

139never lost a right as a parent. I've never lost a right as even a grandparent. And that's the way it has been my whole entire adult life. And I've always advocated for my children and I've always had the say in their whatever that looked like for them. So when we say about parental rights like we want to make sure that you know we're not losing it you we have it there is a law even so we have law that dictates that we understand and we were always speaking about how we follow the law so we followed the law with parental rights which we know we all have but I just my concern is speaking to the medical field and thank you I know Dr. address is an MD as well and I appreciate what he

140does but speaking to you know different doctors from Lee Health and getting because they actually even put a public statement out regarding this issue and you know regarding vaccines and childhood disease and how it has been proven you know to be safe and effective. So these are a lot of doctors who have come together submitted a paper a statement on this entire issue of vaccines. Then you look at you know the legality of god forbid and I think somebody spoke about that if the ram the ramifications if for some reason you know we were to pass this resolution. Now we are saying that yep no we don't care if you have this so nobody just say just for whatever say that nobody decided to get it now somebody breaks out they're coming back after us

141as far as the logistics are concerned and the legality it's it's on us now because we have just told everybody that you don't need this it's the state has already made you know made it known what parental rights are I have a And I thank you Mr. Armor persons regarding the vaccination policies but when I re was do my research the countries just about every single country has a mandate childhood vaccination policy but what that policy is it differs from country to country. It may not be for measles. It may not be for like COVID word or whatever that looks like, but they have something in place, not necessarily the same. So in saying that I have to believe that our doctors and that they understand what is happening and the need to have that

142we already have the state that's stating what we that all parents have parental rights and that and parents do have the right not to have their child vaccinated if they choose not to do that. Right now it's it's based on several just maybe two things but trust me we un we've seen what happened even with the co people were left and right we're getting signatures from doctors saying that they didn't have to wear masks or they didn't have to do this or that. So there are means of making sure that you are protecting your child as a as a parent grandparent guardian whatever that looks like. So I could not in my heart I could not do this. Thank you, Mr. Juvenelli. Well, first of all, I'd just like to say that for I totally

143support parental rights and have and always will. I am a little concerned because Lee County is 100% free lunch and we have a huge high poverty level. So, who's going to be the voice if the parents don't those parents don't parent? Who's going to be the voice for those students that doesn't have that guidance? I have a question for the superintendent or deputy superintendent. have we ever denied denied a stu a parent or a student regarding the being unvaccinated for with the religious or medical exemptions? I mean, do we deny what's that? How common is that? exception. Make sure I understand the question. Essentially, if if they were to not qualify for a medical exemption or a religious exemption and we then deny them, you know, essentially following the law to say they're not they're

144denied the ability to attend school then, right? I mean, we've had it's again I'd have to research numbers. I don't even know if we collect the that information, but I would say like just in general, I mean, we've had situations where students who haven't met their vaccination requirements are not able to attend. They're in different areas. They're, you know, there's there's certainly been many situations where we've had a lot of times it's because parents are unaware. they didn't they miss those opportunities. They then have to schedule appointments their doctors. there are certain particular year thresholds where it becomes pretty obvious when you know these things occur. And so I think that's something we could get you more information on kind of the evidence. I think what I'm gathering from your comment is more or less

145what's the evidence that families aren't always aware and on top of these things and responding to that. I think that's what your the tenor kind of your question was. We could certainly put together some aneal information but but I wouldn't have it ready for you to today tonight. Okay. So, and so and so that would be my concern. How who's going to protect those that don't have that parental guidance because I mean we just know that exists. Like I said, we're 100% free lunch in Lee County. So, my concern is for those students that don't have an advocate. I know parents are going to anyone that knows their parent parental rights, they're going to exercise them. And I'm not and I certainly wouldn't want to deny that. my other concern would I would love to

146have had an opportunity to had like professional health care workers here. No no offense to you with all due respect. but like a pediatrician to explain some things to me because I certainly am not an a healthc care expert at all. I knew I know what I would do for my child, but that's my child and I want to have the say for my child and would and would speak up and do what's best for my child. I don't expect the school board to determine that. I just don't I don't know that's our role. That's my concern. Is it our role? That's my question. my other concern would be also what's going to happen. We do this. What does this mean? If DC decides to start making some decisions for us, that changes that changes

147may might change what we do. I just we know the state's doing some things. So I just am a little concerned about it being at this level. I would love to have more, like I said, more more pediatrician information and to make that decision. I don't feel like I'm educated enough to make it. that's kind of where I'm at. Would anybody be open to tableabling it until we had more a little more information? Armor saying no. Okay. It's still busy. Yeah. Mr. Persons. Yeah. I mean, you sort of said both things there. Well, you have parental right decisions, but I don't trust certain parents to make the right decisions. So, we're going to make it for them. I mean, that makes no sense at all. And if you're for the state making decisions for the

148kids, are you for them making decisions for you? Making you take every COVID everything because same thing, there's parents out there, adults, I mean, that may not make the right decision either. I mean I got one of the first polio vaccines. It was not mandatory. The parents helped line us up and we got those vaccines because it was very obvious that there was polio and the parents wanted to do what was right. And I think that would be throughout measles. I had the measles. I had the mumps. I had all those things that now all of a sudden, oh, you got to get it or you're going to die. You know, are there some people that die from measles or or something like that? The answer is yes or chickenpox. I had chickenpox, too. but

149there's also people that have severe reactions to these vaccines. I mean, that's a medical fact. So, I just think it's again comes all the way down to parental rights, you know, and if we can't make it for if you think they're not educated enough to make it the parents to make it on the healthc care decisions, what about all the other decisions that we're letting parents make? Should we tell them what books these kids should should read? Should we tell them and all these other things? I mean that now parents have the right to to you know make that decision themselves. Miss Juvenelli, Miss Jordan, Mrs. Javian, but the book form that we did sign opt you have to opt in to read something. So we if they don't do it, they don't get to

150get the books. So we didn't make that decision for them. But but what if the state said, "Oh, that's not right." Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not all right. One one board member at a time, please. Sorry, but but that's my point. We did make that decision for students that have they don't have the parents that are guiding them. You know, there's a lot of children that are parentless. Let's I mean, I'm just it's a fact. So that what happens to them? Who's that advocate? Who's that voice? That's my only concern. It's for those that don't have an advocate. and does it take him to get the the measel shot or the polio shot or whatever it is that's needed at the time? I that's my that is my only concern. I and I don't just

151because the school district doesn't require it doesn't mean it needs to happen. That's I think that's where they're going to be the misconception that oh well I don't need to do that because it does it's not required. There's just those parents. I'm sorry but there are there are Thank you, Miss Jordan and Mrs. Chaviano. Okay. Thank you. I guess my biggest thing is it's I don't believe this is something that we should be doing as a school board. And where does that end? None of us are doctors up here. I don't think that we are. Maybe I missed something, but I Where does it end? Are we going to tell our kids that you can don't have to have a physical now for sports because that's medical. So unless you if you decide that you

152want to have to go play football or get a x-ray or have your head checked, whatever, we you don't have to have that now. But so we have to really to me I think it's something we are really we're opening the door for what is what is next. That's all that's it. Let me go back to Miss J. Thanks. again, I think it's fair to say everyone supports parental rights. Yes. but to be clear in the understanding, it's an alignment, right? We're saying we support parental rights, but you still have to do these things, right? So then I think that's kind of the argument of then where is the right if there's still a requirement to do the things. that's kind of my thought. Again, I have and I know of plenty of students and

153parents that have the exemption or homeschool and do all of the things within their right. But then there are those that do the exemption because of religious whatever moral compass so they can go to school and still do what they feel right for the family for not to be vaccinated. Right? So this leaves it open and more alignment with the parental right saying the parents have the right not the state is doing this thing. Again, it is a position. The law is the law. Nothing changes tomorrow. again, I think every every family in every instance is different and what can happen and why. but that's on the family and that is a whole different thing. I had to do our vaccines earlier cuz my brother had cancer and we had chemo. the every family has

154a different issue on why they have to do what they do, but it's the whole point is it's on that parent and that family to make that decision for their kids. It's not their requirement for the district to make that decision. So again, to each their own, I support it. But again, knowing nothing changes tomorrow. This is just a position. Miss Juvenelli, this would be a question through the chair to the board attorney. Would is there any liability risk if we just decide to do this that would be on the board at all if someone were to I don't know get sick or something. So first and foremost we can receive a lawsuit no matter what based on anything right. So people will sue. However whether or not the liability is significant is the question.

155And when you're looking at this particular resolution, it really is based on the law. It talks about the parents bill of rights and then after that it talks just one paragraph I think talks about 103.22 which is the mandated vaccine statute. And what the resolution actually is saying is that the school board affirms the rights of parents pursuant to the parents rights law to determine in consultation with their health care provider what is in the best interest of their child. Doesn't necessarily go as far as saying we don't want any vaccines. It just basically says that we affirm parents rights and we want them to consult with their medical provider in terms of what is right for them because that is something that could be used in for an exemption in addition to religious. And

156then of course the school board really has no standing to be able to dictate law cuz law is currently there although we know that the legislature is going to be reviewing it and we also know that the Florida Department of Health has issued some statements and is about to change some regulations as well. So, school board will always be in compliance with law, but this is basically saying that we affirm parents rights and that we affirm the parents right to be able to consult with their medical provider in terms of what is in the best interest of their child. Thank you for that very much. Thank you. I'm good. Anyone else before I give my comments? No, no, no. I didn't mean that. I just want to make sure anyone else. Okay, this is a

157fun one, isn't it? So, let me be clear. I'm not anti-vaccine at all. but I don't sit in this seat as a parent. I sit in this as elected official just as we all do representative of our community. So, and parents rights are fundamental under the Florida Constitution, and I wholly believe in that just as we do with our, US Constitution. So, I do want to mention something. I support this and I think very highly of you, Mr. Persons, but I would like to see this not happen again this way. I don't think it is in our purview to be dictating to the state and telling them what to do. The board prior to pre2022 was having this issue. So, I agree with you that is obsolete ambiguity. Ambiguity and sorry, trying to say that

158five times fast, Mr. Person. So, and that we're looking at it for the right reasons. I agree with that. I just don't think this is the way to go about it. but as I said, I truly believe in parental rights. I do, as I said, as a board member, we're sitting a seat. I'll be supporting this. I just would ask that this board we don't do this way. Again, I don't think this is the right way to dictate to the state. So, in this instance, I get it and I appreciate your passion, your insight, and your research onto it. I really do. You know that. So, I just would not like to see us do this way because it can get slippery soaked down this. Again, as we all mentioned, it's a non-binding resolution and

159I hope it does give the chance for the state to look into some of these ambiguities and address it. So, that's my thoughts on the an on this matter. I will be supporting it and, you know, as I said, Mr. Persons, thank you for bringing up. I just would like to see it in a different method next time. So, any other comments before we go to a roll call vote. Okay. This will be a roll call vote signify by saying I or nay. Mrs. Juvenile, I'm a yes. Mr. Ribble, I. Miss Jordan, nay. Mr. Persons, I miss Langford Fleming. I miss Chaviano. I and I am and I motion carry 61. Mr. Persons, do you have anything else for good to order, sir? Nope, that's all. Thank you, Mrs. Light for Fleving. Thank you, Chair

160Fischer. I just wanted to applaud this board for having reasonable conversations. I know we say that a couple of times throughout the year, but when I first decided to jump into running for this seat, our board was the board was somewhat chaotic and they weren't able to have these kinds of conversations. And I just want to say to all of my peers up here that I truly respect your opinions. I listen to them. I let them resonate before I make conver before I make my own comments. So, I just want to applaud this board for for their actions throughout the workshop and this a and all the way into this evening. I also want to I c I sort of apologize to the athletes that showed up tonight to represent a coach that clearly they

161think highly of. and I'm unable to make any comments at this time other than thank you to students who are bold enough to take time out of their day for something that they believe in. because when you do that as a child, you grow up into an adult that also stands firm in your beliefs. And I will and I truly respect that. I had some comments about our athletics and I'm going to hold that for another time. due to that situation, I have seen so many great things though in the first quarter. I cannot believe we're almost through first quarter of this year and I've seen some amazing schools. I was able to trans to attend transformation day at Tanglewood Elementary and if those teachers didn't work till midnight then I don't know how in

162the world the magic in their rooms happened because they were outstanding learning about ecosystems. So I applaud Miss Buckley for her and her staff and according to her the parents were highly involved. So I, you know, I'm always about par parent and family involvement. So PTAs, get loud and get proud and dive into your school and see where you can help because you're not just helping your child, you're helping your child's friends and their friends and their friends and their friends. So thank you for that. And then I was able to spend time with some some very sweet young ladies at Success Academy and we had a Chick-fil-A lunch. they like all of the sauces and a lot of Polynesian sauce I learned is the most popular. But they have very bright futures ahead and

163I applaud the administration there for taking time to show those children that someone believes in them and that we're not giving up on them. So I would encourage every teacher to go to school every day with that in their mind. That's all I have. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Langford Fleming, Mrs. Chaviano. So, I wanted to say thank you to all of our support staff and everyone kind of behind the scenes. I joke I coach with a lot of district professionals, but it's those paras, the drivers, the custodians, the ones behind the scenes that do all the work. I like to call them like behind the scene ninjas. Like they just get it done. and it could it couldn't get done without you. so, greatly appreciated. I just wanted to to say thank you. Thank

164you for everything you do. it does not go unnoticed and if if no one is recognizing that I'm sure they're just forgetting to tell you thank you. So thank you. and thank you to our parent too for the patients especially with the safe start initiative. I was getting lots of conversations and learning about the you know start of a school year and all the things that happen and I was constantly checking in on those buses because I coach during the week and I have kids that are running behind because of transportation. And so I'm always checking to see like what's school and what's going on. so I'm glad to see that it's improving and there are still things to improve on, but those are future conversations. also I wanted to recognize there's a lot of

165student volunteering happening right now because there's a lot of clubs and organizations kicking off. they're looking for those volunteer opportunities because they have to hit their hours for National Junior Honor Society and all the different club activities. So, if you're a business or an organization, especially the nonprofits, those are the ones that they're looking for. If you have opportunities for our kids, to help you, whatever that may be, please give it to them because they need it, but it gives them an opportunity to see what our community is all about. and that just builds good stewards. and so just think about that and as we go into the year, where where they can fit into into what you do so they can support that. And my final one is I want to give a good

166look. There's a Pop Warner Association is going to be cheering. I coach there. So that's what we're doing. We have our competition at Herz on Sunday. so lots of good luck and kudos to all of the students and our parents and our coaches that have spent months and hours coaching these kids to get there. So, lots of good luck. and that's all I got. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Javiano. going to kind of echo Mrs. Langford Fleming said very blessed, very lucky to be up here with this group of individuals. So, I appreciate you all. We've have definitely had a interesting meeting and really been able to discuss things. I appreciate you all. Couple business items. I did mention during good of the order. I was potentially going to bring up a motion in regards

167to discussion with potential waste fraud and abuse. I will not be bringing that up tonight. I heard the board before and especially with Superintendent Carlin out, I think it's best to reconvene on that and I don't want to make any kind of rash action tonight. I heard you board. So, another item, so I want to address, we have a conflict assessment meeting with the town of Fort Myers Beach that was scheduled November 5th at 1 p.m. From my understanding, the mayor of Fort Myers Beach, the vice mayor, the town manager. So, Dr. Carlin will be obviously selecting her staff. I would suggest we send a representative from the board. My suggestion would be perhaps Mr. Ribble, who has had previous conversations to represent that district. Let me get some board feedback on that. So, what's

168board think? I think that's great. I mean, obviously, anyone is welcome from the board to go, but I think Mr. Rubble is a great representative for that district for c for certain. Well, we need to assign somebody to be part of that. Mr. Ribble, would you be willing to Yes. Is your calendar available? Yes, absolutely. So, do we have any objection on Mr. Ribble besides the normal objections but Mr. Ribble thank you for stepping up the Okay, next a couple housekeeping items. So Bayshore groundbreaking was fantastic. I had an opportunity to speak at BUPAC. A couple of fellow board members are there. So we had some great discussion as part of it. bunch of us I'm on the FSBA board of directors so I'll be attending a meeting up in Orlando. I know two of

169my colleagues, Miss Jordan and Mr. Persons will be there as well in support. We'll bring you back a report from anything that happens up there. There's definitely a lot of interesting news. additionally was able to attend some football games. So congratulations one of them the black and blue game. Congratulations to Cape Coral High School on their win over Mariners. So had some amazing games, amazing teams. I love getting out there. So didn't have a chance to catch up before I attended the Horizon Council and it was a really interesting discussion because it talked about the impact economic development the impact of sports in our community. So for example we had representatives from the twins and the Red Sox that you know I don't know if you guys know they do so much not only for

170the community but for the schools. So and they actually talked about education some interesting opportunities there in the future for some collaboration with them. So I want to shout out to them. So, it's a really good Horizon Council meeting. So, last thing on the agenda for me is, with tonight's vote, we passed a contract for support personnel. Congratulations to them. I'm so thankful for all they do. You know, everyone from, you know, bus drivers to cafeteria workers. You're amazing. Thank you what you do for a district. I'll say as a dad of three kids in the district, thank you for what you do for my kids. So, and I'm sure the rest of the board would agree with that as well. So, outside of that, I think it's done. I do, as I said, I

171want to thank Deputy Superintendent Savage, for stepping up again to, sit in the seat for tonight. you always, as I said, you always put the district and the students first, and I appreciate you, sir. So, next up, will be attorney Bri Bruno. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So, for Miss Jordan to go back to DAC, just want to answer those questions. board policy 9140 is the one that establishes the work of DAC and it specifically comes from the superintendent making a recommendation to the board. So that's the way we want to do that and of course you already know the answer to the breakout rooms. and I actually want to also join in with Miss Langford Fleming and Mr. Fischer with regards to the board and the reasonleness and the discussions that they've had. I've had

172an opportunity to work with various boards and various board members and I will say that this board has elevated that discourse and that professionalism so that we can actually make some differences in the district and it all starts with the board and how you comport yourself and how you reason and the challenging nobody really understands the challenging work and the challenging issues that the district faces every day. So, I do want to thank the board for for elevating those discussions. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Attorney. Mr. Deputy Superintendent. yes. yes, chairman. I have one item of business that was asked specific question was raised around the cell towers. Just wanted to make sure we answer that question. The basically the revenue that comes from those actually shows up in the general fund. however, some of

173that money is able to be put towards our promotions, public relations budget as that's dollars that is set aside because it has to be non- taxpayer dollars essentially for purposes of things that we would not otherwise be able to spend money on. So, it goes into that particular piece. and then also the the nature of balancing that it doesn't go to the schools directly in terms of those proceeds because there are other things they do like for example when it's their facility where people are actually utilizing their facility. That's difference because that's that's split because that's physically in their space whereas these cellars simply reside on their property which is really district property at the end of the day. However, most of everything we do is done for some benefit of the schools or so

174forth. So, just wanted to close that loop. The other thing I wasn't going to say this just because but but I just have to reiterate what attorney Bruno said and what several board members have have mentioned. You know, it's a lot of times in this role we give a lot of thanks to the different employee groups and so forth and their tremendous service and you all are out and about in the community. you visit our schools. So, you always shine a light on those things. And I know our superintendent, Dr. Carlin, if she were here, would certainly recognize that. But I think it does bear mention, you have to also recognize the work of the governance team, particularly the board. I've also had the opportunity to work with a number of different boards. and so

175I just think the thoughtfulness that I was able to sit because I don't I'm not up here with you very often. And so when I was, it was just the thoughtfulness as you engage in some very challenging material this evening. whether it was resolutions, whether it was, you know, very tough decisions that are very impactful for the community with lots of divergent viewpoints. folks never fully appreciate the difference of what it is to actually be a decision maker. And I think you all demonstrated and gave verbalization to a lot of the different thinking you bring into this, the different roles as a parent, as a community member, as a professional. and it just is a real privilege to sit and listen to the level of professionalism in business. So I just want to give some

176kudos to this board. in the most sincere way I possibly can that really I appreciate as a parent and just as a member of this community, not just as a professional person, the thoughtfulness you put into this work. it's a privilege. So, thank you for having me up here on behalf of Dr. Carlton today to support you in your work. That's it. Chairman, thank you Dr. Savage. Next scheduled meetings of the board on Tuesday, November 4th, there will be a schoolboard workshop at 1 PM followed by a schoolboard action meeting at 6 PM. At this point, having no other business to come before this body and see no objection, this meeting is adjourned. The time is 9:02 p.m. Have a great evening and a happy Halloween.