001[Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Hello. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Oh yeah. Oh. [Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Hallelujah. [Music] I'd like to call our meeting back to order. Mr. Lynon, would you please read us out of closed? Yes, Madam Chair. I move that the Rono County School Board come out of close session for the following. To discuss the investigation of a student matter pursuant to the Scholastic record exemption at 2.2-3711A2 2-3711A2 of the code of Virginia and to certify that to the e to the best of each member's knowledge only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements under this chapter and only such public business matters as were identified in the motion by which the closed meeting was convened were heard discussed or considered in the meeting by the
002school board second. Madame clerk Mr. Greenway yes ma'am Mr. London yes ma'am Mr. Mr. Hudson. Yes, ma'am. Miss Clemens. Yes, ma'am. Item 2.03, action from close session. Yes, Madam Chair. I move that the school board uphold the recommendation of expulsion of student number 2024 2022 number nine. Second, Madame Clerk. Mr. Greenway. Yes, ma'am. Mr. London. Yes, ma'am. Mr. Hudson. Yes, ma'am. Miss Clemens. Yes, ma'am. Uh, Mr. Chairman, Madame Chair, excuse me. I would like to make a motion to allow students 2024 2025 numbers 25 through 33 to be released from compulsory attendance pursuant to two to 22.1-254 B1 of the Code of Virginia 1950 as amended. Second, Madame Clerk. Mr. Greenway. Yes, ma'am. Mr. Lindon? Yes, ma'am. Mr. Hudson? Yes, ma'am. Miss Clemens? Yes, ma'am. Also, uh, Miss Fashani is in route to Washington DC
003in preparation for a meeting with the US Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, and she has asked that we allow her to participate remotely. So, do we have a motion to allow? So moved. A second. Madame Clerk. Mr. Greenway? Yes, ma'am. Mr. Lindon? Yes, ma'am. Mr. Hudson? Yes, ma'am. Miss Clemens. Yes, ma'am. Welcome everyone. If you would please stand for the pledge of Thank you. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Item 4.01, announcement of changes in the agenda. We do not have any. Item 4.02, approval of agenda. Do we have a motion to approve? I'll make a motion. Second, Madame Clerk. Mr. Greenway? Yes, ma'am. Mr. London? Yes, ma'am. Miss Pani? Yes,
004ma'am. Miss Mr. Hudson? Yes, ma'am. Miss Clemens? Yes, ma'am. Item five, presentations and recognitions. We do not have any tonight. Item 6.01, 01 report by student advisory council representative Mr. Nathan Rogers. Good evening, madam chair, members of the board, and Dr. Nicely. The student advisory council met on April 2nd to finalize planning for the upcoming student leadership conference on April 25th and to share school updates. The student leadership conference planning committee part of our meeting. Um students voted on icebreaker activities for the conference. We have some fun games planned like a hula hoop challenge and even a fashion show. Um, as well as some activities where students get to meet and interact with other students around the district. We have guest speakers from across the district who will be presenting at this year's conference, including
005local business owners, um, athletic coaches, school counseling staff, and leaders from local organizations. For the school updates portion of our meeting, um school shared highlights including band and choir performances, prom events, and community outreach efforts. Some notable activities were a mock DUI crash demonstration and emergency response at Williamird High School and the nights aid arrive alive campaign at Cave High School. Both to raise awareness around prom safety as well as a blood drive at Hidden Valley High School. At our next SACE meeting, members will vote on leadership roles for the 2025 2026 school year and welcome seventh grade members elected to serve on the 2025 2026 school year. We will also be holding our senior recognition at the schoolboard meeting on May 22nd. Thank you for your continued support of student leadership across our district.
006Thank you. Item 7.01, 01 hearing of citizens for agenda items. Our first speaker is Ryan White. During this portion of the meeting, citizens are invited to address the board on topics listed on the agenda for this meeting. In the interest of time, speakers must either be parents, employees, students, or citizens of Reno County. We ask speakers to be respectful and civil in their comments, observing due respect of the dignity and privacy of others who may be affected by public comments. Speakers should be aware that they may be held legally responsible if they make statements that violate the legal rights of others. For example, if statements are made that are defamatory or threatening. Comments likely to disrupt the board's work or prompt a breach of the piece are prohibited and the speaker will be called out
007of order by the board chair. Speakers must address the board chair rather than individual board members. Speakers have three minutes to make their comments and will be signaled by the yellow light and an audible tone on the podium. When the light turns yellow and you hear the first tone, please wrap up your comments and finish before the right the light turns red and the second tone. Please be aware that board members listen to comments but do not respond. Welcome. Thank you. Uh members of the board, my name is Dr. Ryan White and as a physician specializing in children's mental health, I felt obligated to speak tonight about the policy on bullying. I realize that voting tonight on the consent agenda is to vote to keep the current measures in place, which is frankly not working
008for us. Bullying is a public health concern that affects nearly 20% of all students in any given year. And as many as 50% of our students have experienced bullying within their lifetime. In our schools and online, children are experiencing repeated targeted behaviors meant to hurt, humiliate, and isolate them. These acts of aggression, whether physical, verbal, or social, can have devastating consequences if not addressed. And unfortunately, right now, Rono County is grieving the tragic loss of a 10-year-old Anna Bushman. My heart goes out to her friends and family. There's sadly not a day that goes by in my office where I don't hear stories about bullying here in Ron Oak. In fact, the very same tragic week that we lost Autumn, I had another very kind, empathetic nine-year-old in my office, sharing a nearly identical struggles.
009Their parent, too, had gone to the school looking for help. But because they already had a no contract, no contact contract in place, they were told there was nothing else that could be done and that they were just being kids. Different schools, different districts of the county, same situation. This clearly is a systemwide problem and we need to solve it. The current policy as written highlights the definition of conflict following it as if to excuse peer-to-peer behaviors. While conflict is a normal part of human interactions, especially with our young people, bullying is not. And victims of bullying often react to aggressors out of a sense of self-preservation. That's how our brain works, especially during child development. This does not erase the fact that they are being bullied. The way it's written now, I fear that
010the policy encourages us to classify views or classify events as conflicts rather than bullying. And if we reframe it as conflict, we minimize the harm done to the victims. We silence their experience. And I often hear from students whose goal in bullying is actually to provoke a reaction so that their victim gets suspended along with them. Seems to me that our students understand the flaws in our policies better than we do as adults. As a community committed to well-being of our students, we cannot afford to blur these lines. And that's why I'm urging this board tonight to vote against the current policy update and instead call together a work group for a comprehensive review and make meaningful changes to our anti-bullying policies. We need definitions that reflect the lived experience of our students. And we
011need to invest in staff training. We need to also make sure there is transparent reporting and consistency with follow-through to parents. We also need to create a culture shift that holds space for both accountability and healing at all levels. Bullying starts with our policies at the top and trickles down to our students. Let's choose to lead by courage and let's ensure our schools are places where kindness is expected, safety is non-negotiable, and bullying in any form in any name is never tolerated. Thank you. [Applause] Our next speaker is Samantha Zambrrello. Good evening. My name is Samantha Zambrrello and I am a parent of two children that are in the Renault County School System. I know much of tonight's focus will revolve around bullying policies, consequences, and the need for change to protect our students. I
012want to share how my students experiences pertain to bullying and the current state of our schools. I would like to start by sharing my kindergartner's experiences this year. She started off school this year not learning academics because other students behaviors made learning take a backseat to their behaviors. On at least 10 occasions, she came home with marker on her clothes because a peer couldn't use class materials properly. At the start of the second semester, she finally got a new teacher who makes sure that learning takes place. But now she sits in the dark. And last time I checked, sitting in a dark classroom, it can lead to um eye strain, disturbance, and sleep cycles and can cause mood changes as well as contribute to anxiety and social isolation. She comes home every day and tells
013me about new cuss words that she's heard or the same ones being repeated. Tells me about middle fingers being thrown. and she even tells me about students kicking, hitting, spitting on teachers. So, it sounds like even teachers are getting bullied. My second grader has anxiety and sensory issues, which makes her an easy target. But it wasn't until the last couple of months that she started begging me not to send her to school. She even altered where she eats her lunch because two students found out that making gagging noises around her can upset her and make her physically ill and not want to eat. Now she sits behind the cafeteria door or she can choose to sit in an office to avoid these students. It is my opinion that these behaviors my children witness will only
014continue to get worse if we remain not checking the problems and giving the proper consequences. and it can lead to bullying if we continue to let these behavior problems escalate and dictate the classroom environment and the li learning that takes place. Thank you. Thank you. [Applause] Our next speaker is Allison Phillips. Good evening. The death of Autumn Bushman wasn't an accident or some unforeseen event. You were warned. At some point, many points could this tragedy have been prevented. This 10-year-old girl could still be alive today if not for the school's negligence. I was bullied and tried to kill myself at the same age and time of year as Autumn did. I suffered from depression and was bullied not only by peers but also by a staff member. What most refuse to acknowledge is how the
015smallest microaggressions changed the way you see yourself. Even if the school tried, it did virtually nothing. It is so much more than just giving kids one or two examples of bullying and saying, "Don't do that." Kids don't want to stop if there isn't punishment. The kids don't want to stop if there isn't punishment. The schools need to listen to what's going on and stop the micro and macroaggressions before the student starts to believe it. If you go to try and talk to other kids and they look at you like you're gum on their shoe, it starts to impact how you view yourself and your importance. When I was told by another student when we were both in the fifth grade that if I didn't shut up, he would shove his middle finger at my vagina,
016he only lost part of his recess. A teacher who told me that I'm a bad student got nothing. The kids who told me that I didn't deserve to be alive didn't even get looked at by administration. Luckily, my mother pulled me out of Renault County Public Schools for three years. And I am forever grateful for that because if she didn't, I wouldn't be here today. Teachers need to be taught not to say he is being mean to you because he likes you. The schools need to take more than just recess when a fifth grader threatens to sexually assault another student. Need to acknowledge that what is seemingly insignificant and minor to an adult can mean the world to a kid. What I learned from my time at Bonsack is that I shouldn't take up space.
017I shouldn't be. I learned that something something that I couldn't fix is deeply wrong with me. And I learned that no one could help me because if teachers are to help you, then why haven't they? Why wouldn't they? I tried to kill myself and all I learned was that I couldn't be fixed, that I was made from a broken mold. We, my parents and I, tried so hard to get the issue resolved, but the school only took half measures and band-aid fixes. The schools need to take more accountability and address bullying as it is, not a clear teasing gone too far, but as a complex string of actions designed to chip away at a student's self-worth and identity, piece by piece. Thank you. Thank [Applause] you. [Applause] Our next speaker is Reagan Costello Wit. A
018long name. I get it. Um, so thank you guys for letting me have the opportunity to speak to you. Um, my name is Reagan Costello White. I am speaking to you guys today as a mom, parent of a teenage daughter. Um, and first of all, I'd just like to say that I think this is a really important opportunity for us to be heard as a community to have this chance to come together and express our concerns and share ideas about possible ways forward. I just want to share a short story about bullying, an incident that um affected my daughter recently. Um, so a little while ago I got a phone call from her. She was in the bathroom sobbing. Uh, and it took me a while. I don't know if you've ever tried to get
019information from a sobbing teenage girl, but I kind of made out through the sobs like they're calling me these terrible names. Um, and I won't repeat what they were because they were truly horrific and sexual harassment. And this is uh this was the first time I'd heard about this bullying happening to my daughter. So I told her, "Go to your counselor. Go to your school counselor. I am coming there immediately." And I got in my car and I drove to that school. And let me tell you, I was hot. I was coming in hot. And I said, "I need to meet with the principal now." And to Mr. Whitlo's incredible credit. He met me immediately with kindness and compassion along with our daughter's amazing guidance counselor who had been there for her for years providing
020support and unconditional acceptance from day one when they met. And I got to tell you, they offered so much love and support for her. And they did their best, but it wasn't enough, right? Like it wasn't enough. Bullying is a complex issue. And what happened after that meeting was the bullying didn't stop. It just kind of evolved. It like went to social media and it became something that was harder to put your finger on, harder to name. It wasn't just name calling in a hallway. It was more than that. And so what I'm saying to you guys today is that this is a big issue. It's not something that we can solve today in this meeting. It's going to take all of us putting our heads together and I know that this is just one
021small story, but I'm really hoping that we can keep this conversation going and that this is something we can address as a team. Thank you. Thank [Applause] you. Our next speaker is Emma Wrench. Hi. Um, I think I'm a little too short for that. Um, my name is Emma and thank you for the opportunity to come here and speak to you. Um, I am a junior at North Side High School. Uh, I've been attending there since my 9th grade year. And I would like to ask why more is done about students being tardy and compulsory educa or attendance sorry than bullying and assault. I mean I off not off topic but another factor is the fact that nothing has been done about a 10-year-old girl who felt pressured enough by people in fourth grade to
022kill herself. And it's not just it's not a statistic like the 4,400 deaths at least a year from suicide of adolescence just in the US. She's a she was a person and she was beautiful and her parents Mark and Summer are back here hoping that something will be done for her for her. As a student I have been bullied. I have been physically assaulted by students at school and I'm sure many other people have. I've heard their stories. And even with video evidence, nothing was done to that student. She was talked to, but I wasn't allowed to know any details. I wasn't given any confirmation that nothing would happen. um because there was no audio on her threatening to assault me, calling me slurs. Nothing was done about that. And I realize that you guys
023aren't at North Side, but it is your job to be aware of that. And I I I think it's horrific that this is just left when everyone goes home. They don't think about this afterward. We need to go home and think about the fact that there's a 10-year-old girl in the ground and something should have been done. People know about what was done done at the school. These bullies were spoken to. But were they were were they spoken to? Were they were they told that this is unacceptable? I mean, what was done? Because when we're made to go to school, when we don't want to go to school for reasons just like this, I mean, we get we get punished for missing 10 days. And it's like, why would why would I want to go
024to any days if I I'm going to be treated like this at school and nothing's done. Bullies are enabled and victims are not protected. And that's that's horrific and [Applause] horrendous. Our next speaker is Patrick Ryder. Say that right. Not a lot of people pronounced my last name correctly. Thank you. So, my name is Patrick Ryder. I'm also a junior at Northside High School. Um, I want to thank you all for the time and the opportunity to speak to you tonight. Um, I also felt it necessary to speak on what happened to Autumn cuz it's truly awful that um, you know, a fourth grader felt so bullied and so pressured at school that she needed to commit suicide. That's awful. And, you know, a lot of people may be wondering, well, what can be done
025about this now? Um, you know, it's it's already happened. What can be done now? Uh there's a there's been a petition that's been going around about three to 3,000 signatures um from members of of the Renault County community. Uh it's calling for a very simple uh change to the bullying procedure in all county schools. Um and it reads as follows. When a child is reported for bullying, the parents/guardians of both children will be made aware of the situation and it will be clearly explained that no further chances will be given to the bully. If a child is reported for bullying a second time, the child will be expelled from the school and will not be allowed to enroll at another school in the district. It will be the responsibility of that child's parent/guardian to find
026an alternative education solution. So, as for what can be done, not don't don't vote on keeping the current measures in place because they're not as effective as they're made out to be. Often times I find that students are too afraid to report bullying when they see it or because you know we're told growing up don't be a tattletail. So no one wants to report on bullying unless they're the victim and even then like Emma just said bullies are enabled and victims aren't protected as often as they should be. So a very simple thing can be done to change this make sure something like this doesn't happen again. not to vote on keeping the current measures in place and put our heads together, find a solution that works to prevent future situations like what happened to
027autumn from happening. Thank you for your time. Thank you. [Applause] Our next speaker is Laura Bowman. Good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board. Dr. Nicely, uh, Laura Bowman, past president, Ronut County Council of PTAs, past chair, prevention council of Rono County, founding chair, RCPS parent advisory council. Um, I'm sharing some recent survey results concerning bullying and LGBTQ youth in the county. one from Rono County Schools United, the other from the Rono Valley Citizens Advisory Board for Equity and Education. Both surveys were very limited in scope and both survey respondents included county students, parents, and educators. In the latter survey focused on LGBTQ youth, 62% said there's nowhere in school they feel they truly belong. 62% said there aren't enough resources to help students feel supported at school. 50% said they don't feel safe going
028to administrators or staff for help. The majority felt students at their school have been treated badly because of who they are. 75% said they've noticed changes in how students, teachers, and staff treat each other since the board's model policies were adopted in August 2023. In the RCSU survey focused on all youth, 74% reported cyber bullying of students. 18% reported student suicidal ideiation. 77% reported poor mental and emotional health among students. 80% said RCPS's bullying policies aren't consistently applied. I appreciate these individuals for sharing their concerns via these surveys. While I found our local U uh YRBS data on bullying um richer and more comprehensive data on LGBTQ youth could and should be gathered through your youth risk behavior survey. The national YRBS survey results do include LGBTQ youth data. In that survey, 39% seriously considered
029suicide in the past year and 12% attempted suicide. 49% of LGBTQ youth ages 13 to 17 experienced bullying in the past year. 90% said their well-being was negatively impacted due to recent politics. 23% said they've been physically threatened or harmed in the past year due to being LGBTQ. As chair for the prevention council, I was involved in the YBS questions process. I learned about cross tabs, how one data set impacts others. Looking at the data, there's no denying the disparities and challenges LB LGBTQ youth experience. The local YRBS data helps the guidance department with targeted interventions at individual schools and grade levels. Including LGBTQ students in the YBS would help the education department do just that for this population of students who are struggling. The board implemented policies that impact LGBTQ students. And since then,
030it's been quiet in your meetings. That's convenient for all of you and it may make you think those kids are all right. But being quiet often means kids have retreated into themselves and don't feel safe being themselves. That's a scary place for kids who need love, acceptance, and support as all kids do. I urge the board to consider the survey results I've shared tonight. Revisit your policies and revise the next YBS. Thank you for your time and a little shout out to all the educators and staff in the school systems whose hearts are hurting and who show up for their students and love them like their own. I see you and I appreciate you. Thank you. [Applause] Our next speaker is Winnie [Music] Vickers. So, just as a caveat, my daughter did not feel too
031comfortable trying to write a speech. So, I came up with questions for her. I've already spoke with the assistant uh superintendent um because we want to make it like an interview. Um, Winnie, what's something we do every single day after school? You asked me, "What are three good things about my day?" Three good things about our day. Can you tell us about um some of your answers and how they changed? Normally they were what? Uh, normally they were good. And when like I started to get bullied, answers are a little bit different. Yeah. Um, can you tell us about sometimes you were bullied and how like maybe what was said or time like verbal? Yeah. But I remember this one specific time where um where my bully did a bet that that my bully could
032make anyone cry. And since I was like a past person that got picked on, she the bully chose to me and um she did something like an arm wrestle but and also verb words. So, and um I'm more on the smarts side of the story. So, I did asked if instead we could do a thumb wrestle because they want to arm wrestle, right? And you know how people dig their nails into your into your hand when you do it? And it physically like to teared my skin a little. So, who are some people that you feel safe that you could talk to about hard things? Only my mom because teachers are like too busy. Doesn't understand the true meaning of bullying that much. And why are teachers why why are they Oh, you um if
033you could say something to these people today about how is it how it feels for you to be bullied, what would you want to say to them? It just hurts. And a lot of people understand how much it can be affected by it. And were there times you didn't want to go to school? Yeah. It's hard, huh? Especially like if the bully or was in your class for like two years and two years we've been dealing with this. What would you want to say to other kids who are being bullied today? Breathe. Relax. Just breathe, take a breath, and tell someone right away. Maybe tell your parents and ask if they could tell the teacher. You say thanks to school for listening. Thank you for listening. Thank you. [Applause] Okay. Okay. You're our last speaker
034for this. My name is Misty Vickers. I'm a parent, former employee of the county, parental coach, and social worker of 20 years. Um, I have thought of many things. I've been thinking about this for a few days now. As you've just heard my daughter's story, I've been dealing with bullying in the county for two years. I myself was bullied. I myself contemplated suicide. When I heard my daughter getting bullied, I did what most parents would. I freaked out. I cried. I worried. And I proceverated on it day and night. Affected my sleeping, affected my ability to function because my daughter was hurting and I couldn't do anything about it. I felt powerless. And then I thought on it. I thought on it that I survived my bullying. So how can I help her survive hers?
035My job as her parent is to help guide her through this world. In our lives, we are going to experience bullying. Whether it's in school, whether it's with administration, whether it is with our community, we're going to deal with it. There are unkind people everywhere we go. Disregulated people. And I want to talk about this thing. You know, while there are some great policies that are happening about banning cell phone usage, um, schools are still using screen time. Those are dopamine dumps. That's still a drug. And the reality of it is that this thing right here is like a chainsaw. This thing is like a gun itself. This is like a pack of cigarettes. And, you know, I'm a single mom, so I know what it's like to have to survive on some hard times.
036And sometimes you have to have your kid use a iPad so you can do something or function or breathe. I get it. But the apps that we put our kids to, they're like the bullets. They're the gasoline. They're the matches. And I I really am asking that you all vote no tonight and that you consider professionals in this field, stakeholders such as the children, such as me as a parent, such as other professionals in creating a better policy. I want you to do restorative justice. So when my daughter got bullied, I decided to approach the school. I called Mrs. Gravely right away, Dr. Gravey right away. And I went to the school and I said, "Hey, I have some ideas. I want the child who is bullying her, my daughter, to be in a social
037group together." So they have to learn how to socialize appropriately in safe places where an adult is supervising. I then also went home with my daughter and role modeled being a bully with each other with a safe adult so that she could build the muscle of resilience on how to address it, how to react to it, how to understand that hurt people hurt people. The little girl that hurt her has some really bad issues going on in her home. And helping my daughter understand what that was is teaching empathy. What we have a problem with is a lack of empathy and knowing how to build those muscles in our children, staff, and administration. The way that you connect to each other is the way that you connect to our children. You model these behaviors. The
038policies that were enacted a year ago, they kind of helped set a wildfire. Children are suffering. I filled out those forms. I answer those questions. I asked my daughter those questions of that questionnaire that was done. I'm an a vested parent. And at the end of the day, I'm asking that you vote no. I'm asking that you include stakeholders. And I'm asking that you do what's right by our children. Blood will be on your hands if you don't incon consider incorporating everybody in this. These policies have to be updated and restorative justice. If you don't know what it is, please look it up. It is the new wave of healing in our communities and in our nation. And it's time for us to do what's right for our families and our children. Thank you very
039much. [Applause] Agenda item eight, consent agenda. Do we have a motion to approve the consent agenda? So move. Second. Madame clerk. Mr. Greenway. Yes, ma'am. Mr. London. Yes, ma'am. Mr. Johnny. Yes, ma'am. Mr. Hudson. Yes, ma'am. Miss Clemens. Yes, ma'am. Item 9.01, approval for Dr. Jessica McClung or Dr. James Sulttus to sign in the event of Dr. Nicely's absence. Dr. Ken Nicely. Thank you, Madam Chair. Members of the board, um, in the absence of the superintendent, when it comes to signing legal documents, um, somebody has to be designated to be able to sign in superintendent's absence. And so, my recommendation is that both, uh, Dr. Jamie Sulttus and Dr. Jess McClung be so designated. Do we have a motion to approve? I'll make the motion to approve. A second. Do you have any discussion, Madame
040Clerk? Mr. Greenway? Yes, ma'am. Mr. London. Yes, ma'am. Miss Fani. Yes, ma'am. Mr. Hudson. Yes, ma'am. Miss Clemens. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Item 10.01, bullying policy, bullying administrative regulation and process. Dr. Jamie Sulttus and Dr. Sha Hughes. Madam Chair, members of the board, Dr. Nicely, thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. We appreciate the chance to present the the current policies and practices that Ronup County Public Schools have in place to address and investigate bullying and uh harassment allegations. So, we first want to start off by just kind of reviewing what our current policy is. Uh we've had a lot of of questions about whether we have a policy, whether we uh follow the policy, etc. So, I kind of want to go through it. Ron Oak County Public Schools is committed
041to fostering a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all students and staff. Understanding that bullying and harassment can have a profound impact on the entire school community, RCPS takes all reports seriously and strictly pro prohibits any form of bullying or harassment whether it's on school grounds or at any school sponsored event. So it is also a violation of RCPS bullying and harassment policy for any stakeholder including parents, students or employees to engage in bullying or harassing behavior towards another individual. Additionally, it's a violation of the policy for bystandards to tolerate, condone, or participate in such behavior. And you're going to see that that bystanders can also receive consequences uh if they don't intervene. So the Dr. Sultan, can you hold on a second? Listen, it was very important for us to sit and listen to
042everybody that spoke tonight and we take that to heart, but we also need to listen to our staff explain to us this policy. So I would respectfully ask everyone to be quiet and give us some respect and give Dr. Sultter some respect as he gives us this policy. If not, then we'll have to pause our meeting and ask the law enforcement officers to restore order before we can get back to our meeting. continue please. Thank you sir. So within our policy we actually do define what harassment and bull uh bullying is. So it means any aggressive and unwanted behavior that is intended to harm, intimidate or humiliate the target. It involves a real or perceived imbalance of power between the aggressors and the target. And it may or may not be repeated over time or
043it could or it could be the result in severe emotional trauma. Harassment and bullying does include cyber bullying. We do include cyber bullying in our policy. Harassment and bullying does not include ordinary teasing, horseplay, argument or peer conflict. So uh our policy does define what conflict is. Conflict is a disagreement between two people or two or more people, I'm sorry, where each person involved is participating. It may involve repeated discussion and actions by all parties and it may go on for a period of time before the resolution occurs. Research does indicate that conflict mediation is recommended to end conflict. Uh conflict is not harassment or bullying. However, we do take conflict seriously because conflict can evolve into bullying behavior. So, and then uh there is a legal requirement that the principal or designate notify the
044parent of any student invading [Music] That was the policy. And um for for just to educate the audience, there is a superintendent rag or an admin rag depending on what school division you're in. And in Ron County, we have admin rags. And the purpose of the administr uh administrative regulation is to outline the procedures aimed at preventing bullying and harassment as well as to provide clear steps for intervention and the response when such incidents occur. So we kind of wanted to go through that the AR as well. And in the AR, do this. I'm sorry. In the AR, there are some additional definitions. We define what a bystander is. It's a person who encourages the perpetrator. Uh it shall be a violation of of the policy for any school personnel or third parties. Bystandards to
045tolerate or participate in harassment and bullying. Uh bystanders who fail to report u incidences of bullying may be subject to disciplinary action. And it's an and that's really the point I want to point out is if if you're a bystander and you're not intervening by policy, you may be subject to disciplinary actions as well. The the admin rag also um defines the four types of bullying. So we have relational bullying, verbal bullying, physical bullying, and cyber bullying. So cyber bullying is is in my opinion one of the ones that is the fastest growing. It's harassing, humiliating, intimidating, and or threatening others on the internet or through any technological device. For example, phones. Uh the one lady spoke about the phones. Um it can also be sexual in nature. It can involve someone a student knows
046or a complete stranger. Cyber bullying can include cruel jokes, malicious gossip, cruel and harmful messages, embarrassing information or photographs, and or websites designed to target a specific child or teacher. and it could involve racial or religious or cultural uh slurs. I want to emphasize at this point that with cyber bullying when it's reported to the school and or we find out about it and it disrupts the school environment, we do uh intervene even if it's outside of school hours. All right. So, prevention procedures. This is also in the AR because our goal is to try to prevent any bullying from happening u before it does. Each school's required to have both a designated bullying contact and a bullying prevention committee. The purpose of the committee is to develop, implement, and maintain procedures for the education,
047prevention, and invent uh intervention of bullying and harassment as well as to regularly monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of this of these efforts. The committee is also responsible for reviewing uh any bullying allegation that is made and determining whether it is founded as bullying or if it falls to conflict. So at this point I want to show everybody where you would actually um find the bullying report. So if you go to any school's web page and you click on parents and students it'll bring up this this next box and you would uh click on bullying prevention. So that'll bring you to this link that takes you to the bullying prevention and it also where I have step number three. Click on the link to find your school's contact. Anybody who knows of any alleged bullying
048incident can get to this point and reach the bullying contact at the school. All right. So I just want to make sure everybody was aware of that. So then at at the next stage when we do get one there's there's complaint procedures, right? So bas basically it's essential that any student or school personnel who witness or have knowledge of a behavior that may constitute bullying report that to either the building administrator or like I just said the bullying contact at the school. Bystandards play a critical role in ensuring a a safe school environment. A common question we receive is how school administration responds to incidents of bullying that occur outside of school. If an act of bullying or harassment takes place off-campus, but it's reported to school staff and or it causes disruption to the
049school environment, it it becomes the responsibility of the school administration to address the manner in accordance with this the policy and this admin rig. So after we get the complaint, that's when the investigation begins. So after the alleged complaint, the counselor, the administrator, or the design begins to investigate the allegation. This could include interviews with the victim, with the perpetrators, or any other pertinent bystanders. And at this point, I will turn it over to Dr. Hughes, who will walk you through those interview processes. All right, so let's talk a little bit about the interview with the alleged recipient. So, this is the student that's being targeted. Um, we'll begin with some interview questions that we typically ask them. For example, tell me what you know about what happened. Include where and when and who was
050involved? What was your reaction to the behavior? How has this incident affected you and others? What was the hardest thing for you? Who else observed or witnessed this behavior? Who else knows about this behavior? And what will you do when you see this person again? Here are some additional questions that are asked. Has this happened before? Has this person bothered you in some other way before? Please share what happened. What do you think needs to happen in order to make things right? These interview questions are designed to elicit the experiences of the targeted student, the potential impacts, and the specifics of what occurred from the students perspective. Here are the interview questions for the student with the sorry alleged bullying behaviors. Tell me what you know about what happened. Include the where and when and
051who was involved. How did the other student react? How do you think that they felt? How do you think the other students have been affected by your actions? What were your thoughts when this happened? What have you been thinking about since this incident? How have you been feeling? What will your family think or say when they find out about your actions? Here are some additional questions that we ask. Are you aware of the Reno County Public Schools bullying policies? Are you aware that there are significant consequences for bullying another student? How could you improve the situation and the behavior you have done towards the other student? What do you think that you need to do in order to make things right? What could you do differently in the future? All of these interview questions are
052for the student with the alleged bullying behaviors. The questions help to determine what happened and also how to help. We ask the student to consider how the other student may have felt and how they were affected. We also clarify what their awareness is of the bullying policies, but we also want them to understand the potential ways to problem solve. Questions are adapted based off of the age of the student and the developmental level of the student. We also have additional questions for the witnesses. Tell me what you know about what happened and how you learned about this incident. How did the student respond? How do you think they felt? Was the behavior unwelcome? Did the student ask them to stop? Did the alleged bully stop? How has this incident affected you? How do you feel
053about what happened? To your knowledge, has this happened before? Has this person bothered you or someone else in another way before? This is our bullying checklist. This is a tool that is made available to our administrators and our counselors as a resource to assist them. It's not something that's required. The bullying checklist can assist the team in the evaluation and investigation of an act or an incident. It can provide the team feedback to assist assist with the determination of whether or not it's bullying or conflict. Then we have our bullying report that Dr. Sulttus referred to earlier. Part one includes demographic information, history of bullying or discipline along with specific information about the alleged bullying. Part two of this report includes the analysis of findings. This is where the bullying committee convenes. They review all
054of the information from the interviews and then they determine the behavior. Is it physical? Is it mental? Is it emotional? Or is it cyber bullying and then the team decides whether or not the incident is bullying or conflict. Part three of the report provides a possible list of interventions that the team may choose to implement, such as a referral to the counselor for individual counseling or perhaps even a schedule change. Part four of the report consists of consequences, which may include a verbal discussion or redirection, loss of school privileges, or removal from class. This is not an exhaustive list. The other box at the bottom allows for options for the team to be creative with resolutions that are specific to the bullying situation and/or based on the students need. Followup should occur with a student
055identified with the bullying behaviors and the recipient within one week of the incident to verify that the bullying has stopped. The final report is then completed with resolution, consequences, and interventions. So, we just want to point out that in addition to the consequences and support that Dr. Hughes mentioned, these additional supports and consequences may also be determined appropriate by the team. Sometimes it's appropriate depending on on the situation uh to give the student a chance the students involved a chance to meet together and try to work it out uh with counseling support. Uh counseling sessions with a school counselor and this could be for both individuals uh a life counselor or a psychologist conferencing with the parent the parents or a bullying contract. Additionally, some more punitive consequences may may occur that weren't up on
056the or were up on the slide when when Dr. Hughes wrote could be referral to the SRO because if it's deemed a crime, in school detention, after school detention or out of school detention, exclusion from special privileges or extracurricular activities, this would be more for the high school level, but loss of parking privileges all the way up to the recommendation for expulsion. So there is a wide array of options that are available for the team to determine uh is appropriate as far as a consequence goes. We also have a bullying contract. This is another tool that's at the disposal of the bullying team to help solidify the parent and students understanding of the bullying behavior and also address expectations of behavior moving forward. This form may be adapted by the team to meet the specifics
057of the bullying situation. Annual education is provided to students, staff, and parents. This includes students receiving PBIS expect Respect. Students are explicitly taught and retaught self- advocacy skills. We do teach them stop. I don't like what you're saying or doing when they hear or see disrespectful behavior. We also teach our children to be upstanders. This is peers sticking up for other peers or others who are being treated with disrespect. Upstanders can also help them walk away when needed and seek help from trusted adults. Each year after student education, our counselors provide reinforcement of strategies through bullying prevention month activities. For example, this year our elementary students worked on bingo boards and at the secondary level this year it was a creative contest for the Expect Respect logo. Staff receive expect Respect training this year through
058laserfish and face-to-face training during teacher work week last year. Parents also receive a ROOC call about bullying prevention month and resources and access to a trifold brochure like above with the strategies that are being taught to their students so that they can reinforce the learning at home. Education also includes our anonymous SpeakUp app which pops up each time a student logs into their laptop. Speakup is available to our students, staff, and families to report any concern about school safety. Again, this can be bullying, violence, or student mental health concerns. We also have light, speed, and gaggle. These are additional protective measures that are installed on our students laptops to monitor email and also web traffic. We are all in this together. We cannot end bullying alone. It takes a community effort. And we need your
059support. Please go through your child's phone and check their social media. Be a good adult role model. Reach out to your child's school. Report any potential bullying. We do want all of our students to be safe and respectful and responsible. Partnering with educators is essential for creating a strong support system for children's learning and development. When parents and educators work together, they can provide consistent and nurturing environment that helps our students succeed both academically and socially. One important area where parents can have a significant impact is promoting cell phone and social media safety. Some things to consider include setting clear guidelines for screen time, ensuring children understand the potential risk of sharing personal information online, and setting parental controls on devices that children have access to. By using parental control apps and monitoring social media
060usage, parents can help protect their children from cyber bullying, but also inappropriate content. Furthermore, keeping the lines of communication open between students and parents is essential. Engaging with educators to stay informed about digital safety programs and resources at school also ensures a unified approach in guiding children through the challenges as they navigate this digital world. the safety and protection of our students as well as character building are priorities of Reno County Public Schools because together we can all make a difference. So the last thing I would like to point out for everybody in the audience for the board, we are going to post this with a link to the policy, a link to the admin rag, and also a link to a survey for you guys to provide feedback to us on any suggestions to
061improve our policies andor our procedures. So we are open to listening and at the end of the day, just because we're adopting a policy, we can revise a policy at any time. That's all we have. Thank you. Are you asking us? Yes. [Music] I think we would direct everyone to the the survey link at this time. Yes. Thank you. Can somebody just just answer if this is the current Reno County policy that you're saying that we're adopting? This has not changed from what's implemented today. None of us have experienced bullying have ever seen any of this literature or information even employees. So what do we do about that? We want to know really what we want transparency. Correct. Correct. Are these bullying reports part of requests? Come on. All right, we're going to move on
062to item 11.01. This is hearing of citizens for non-aggenda topics. And our speaker is Eleanor Winter Shashberger. Hope I said that correctly. Good evening. My name's Winter Shawberger. I live in the Hollands District. That's how long I've been coming to meetings. Uh I'm no stranger to talking to this board. I've been doing it for years. And I'm here tonight to talk about the change that it is so desperately needed in our schools. My two children are students in the school system, one now at Northside Middle School and one still at Mountain View Elementary. I served on the PTA board at the elementary school for five years. I've volunteered anytime there was an opportunity to do so. and I have partnered with and will continue to partner with my children's teachers so they can become the
063best learners and humans that they can be. I believe that being involved and supporting their school is part of my job as their mom. Being involved has also meant that I'm acutely aware of what's going on in their school buildings. They talked to me, their friends talked to me, parents talked to me, and I in turn began talking to you about those concerning behaviors in our schools in 2022. In 2023, I was assured that things were would change. And I was actually told in a meeting that um when my current second grader got to fourth grade, it would be a whole different ballgame than the fourth grade that my current fourth grader was experiencing. And now here we are in 2025 and he's in fourth grade. And it is clear that our school community is
064continuing to experience the same issues. I won't recap those issues tonight as I'm sure that you have been hearing and will continue to hear from parents about what their children have observed and experienced in our schools. I would like to take a moment just to acknowledge the teachers and staff in our buildings and on in our buses who are observing and experiencing these behavioral issues as well and are doing their absolute best to provide our students with a safe environment and sound education despite the challenges. Educating children is a nonpartisan endeavor. Decisions affecting public education should be centered in supporting students and their teachers and take into account expert guidance, lived experience, and common sense. Having young students who will be affected by the daily condition of our school system for many years to come.
065I am particularly invested in seeing our school system return to a place where educators want to teach and every student has the opportunity to thrive and basically just that everyone would be safe at school. It is with this in mind I have decided to announce my intention to run for the Holland seat of the Renault County School Board. Thank you. [Applause] Item 12.01, report by Rono County School Superintendent, Dr. Ken Nicely. Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the board. The VSBA uh Blue Ridge Region Art Show was held last week at the um regional meeting and Mr. Lynon attended that. We had student winners in all three um school uh level categories and very proud of these students. Also, last Saturday, the Skills USA state competition was held in Rono. Um and this was this
066past weekend. And we had winners, I think our cosmetology students swept the prizes. And uh we also had um Jaden Northside High School student give a shout out to him and his the great work he did with the masonry as well as our welding students. Glen Clove Elementary School uh had their second annual egg drop last Friday. This was at the school and this is a a wonderful learning experience in which um students design containers holding eggs and they're they're uh drop from a helicopter and they have classroom competitions to see which ones break and which ones don't. And so uh just it was a great learning experience. The wonderful thing about that is they follow up to see how could they improve their design uh for next year. Our Golden Apple teacher of the
067year reception will be held uh next Wednesday. That's April 16th to 6. And we look forward to joining with the Reno County Public Schools Education Foundations to recognize all the finalists as well as the Green Apple, Red Apple, and Golden Apple Teacher of the Year winners. This is a great way to elevate and celebrate the great work of public school educators in Renup County Schools. And as a reminder, last year's Golden Apple Teacher of the Year recipient is Dr. Matt Neil and he was named the region teacher of the year and he'll be recognized in Richmond on May 7th and will be running for the state teacher of the year recognition. We wish him the best. Our annual little feet meet is coming up on Wednesday, April 23rd. That's going to be at Reno College
068again. Little feet meet is part of Special Olympics and it's always a great way to and an opportunity to celebrate and cheer on our students with disabilities. We are entering into uh SOT testing season uh coming up and so we just want to thank all of our uh students for their hard work as well as our educators to prepare them for those assessments. And finally, as the board is aware, one of our schools did experience the tragic loss of one of our young students just before spring break. On behalf of the administration and staff, we want to express our heartfelt condolences to Autumn's family and ask for continued thoughts and prayers for them as well as the school staff. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Nicely. Item 13.01, reports and inquiries of board members. Mr. Greenway,
069would you like to go first? U Madam Chair, did you have a statement that we were going to read or is I will when I get to Wait until the end for my Yeah. Okay. Um I don't have a whole lot. Um I do have some questions that I'll forward to uh Dr. Solstus. Um, I I think one of the things I would like to see us engage is uh the prevention council. Somebody mentioned that. I don't know if it was Miss Bowman. Uh that I think that would be a a wonderful idea to uh to bring that back up into the uh elementary schools, uh middle schools and high schools. Again, u you know, we had we had some of those meetings last year that weren't very well attended, but I think uh It
070never hurts to, you know, to put uh Nancy Hans back in front of our our parents. Uh one really uh big piece that we've talked about, we've kind of worked around again, Miss Bowman actually uh started uh as our chair, I think it was for the PAC. And I think this is an opportunity for us to uh the parent advisory committee that we started I four or five years ago. Four or five years ago. So um I think that's an opportunity for us uh just like we do our student advisory committee. When we brought this up to form this my idea was that we uh kind of have that parent here like the student advisory committee to have an opportunity to speak to us. um at our board meetings to bring up concerns or things
071that that come before the the committee. And so I would like to propose that uh we establish that parent advisory committee with board members uh appointing uh parents to that committee. Um I think is is it also with the uh I know it's with the uh uh I guess the presidents of the PTAs and PTO's circle. Yeah, you're right. No, no, no. Thank you. I appreciate it. But yeah, but I think we need to to engage it just a little further. um and and maybe have uh whoever the chair, the president of the the group to come forward and um you know maybe be able to speak a few minutes like our student advisory council. Um, so, uh, I I think and then then you have the opportunity to put policies or or different, uh,
072questions or or, uh, opportunities to to improve uh, some of our policies in front of those folks to uh, have an opportunity to talk about them, speak about them, and uh, engage in in that conversation. So, I think it brings our parents uh a little closer to us. So, uh, with with those items in mind, and I will get with Dr. Soldus with, uh, a few questions that I want us to go over. Uh, I thank you, and that's all I have. Thank you, Mr. London. Thank you, Madam Chair. um truly appreciate the passion that uh that the speakers had tonight and and understand the pain that not only people in North County but not only Rona County throughout the nation are going through with this. So um do want to thank everybody that came
073out and spoke tonight. Um as Miss Castella White said, we've got to work together. I mean we're going to have to find some common ground. We're going to have to find a way to maybe try to make a positive out of this situation. And as Miss Vickers had said, I am a firm believer that that these items right here are a big cause of that. But um it's easier to find common ground if people are willing to work together and show a level of respect to each other. And um and if we're going to do that, hopefully um the survey and the input that we'll get from the community will help uh us to better understand as Dr. Sultz pointed out, we can change that policy at any time. When we have a better policy
074and we're ready to do that, I'm confident that this board, we're not tonedeaf up here. We'll if there's a better policy, we'll find a way to to put it in place. But I do want to thank our staff. They've worked hard uh on that bullying policy. Is it perfect? No. Nobody's perfect. But they they have worked very hard. Our teachers work hard. Our IAS work hard. Our bus drivers work hard to try to eliminate that as much as possible. But um it's it's not a perfect world that we live in, unfortunately. So, as Dr. Nicely mentioned, had an opportunity to go to the Skills USA competition Saturday morning over at the Civic Center. Wow. So many so many talented children in our in our high schools over there in that skills competition and glad to
075hear that a couple of them won. And then also just looking forward to the student uh leadership conference here at the end of the month. That's always one of the highlights to see those youth and in middle school and and high school who will be the future leaders um of of businesses and things like that. It's you guys do a a great job with that conference and I'm looking forward to attending at the end of the month. That's all I have. Thank you, Miss Pashani. Yes, I'm here. Thank you. Can you hear me? We can. Okay, great. Thank you. So, um, first I just I'll I'll keep my comments brief and, um, I want to say thank you, um, to the school board for approving my request to attend a school board meeting remotely tonight.
076Um, as as Miss uh, Clemens stated, I have a scheduling conflict due to a meeting with the United States Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, in Washington DC at the Department of Education. At this meeting, I'll have um direct connection to federal education leadership and an incredible chance to hear how new initiatives in Washington will directly affect Rono County Public Schools and our students. And I am really looking forward to meeting um Linda McMahon and I'm I'm grateful and and excited for this uh incredible opportunity. Um I know there was a lot of passion tonight in the room. I could sense that it was palpable. Um I I'm I'm it's unfortunate that I can't be there, but I I just want to express uh truly from my heart that I appreciate all the stakeholders who came
077out tonight. Thank you for your bravery. That is not easy. Uh your your comments and your concern do not go unheard. Um, I I agree with um I'm sure many of my schoolboard members that this is a great opportunity as suggested to to continue to engage with our community and and I welcome these opportunities to engage with our community and use the resources that we have available in Rono County with you various folks and relationships that we have built through the years um with regards to the dangers of bullying and and finding solutions as well as um you know to continue to educate our parents on the dangers of cell phones, which one parent said it, and I concur. They they're bullets. They're weapons in our children's hands. And I do not believe personally as
078a parent in my view that there are any parental controls that you can put on these cell phones that protect your children. I think that's a myth because our kids we know are smarter than us and they find ways around it. So, let's continue this conversation. Let's come together and work together to make our schools even better. As Mr. Lynon said, are we perfect? No. Um, can we do better? Yes. I always believe that Ronup County Public Schools can and will continue to do better. So, thank you everyone and um I appreciate your support. Thank you, Mr. Hudson. Thank you. You know, as a parent, I can't imagine the pain that those parents are going through. Um, you know, I believe like everyone has stated, you know, we have to come together as a as
079a community and we need to work together to figure out solutions. There's always room for improvements. Like has been stated by Mr. Lynon. Um, no policyy's ever perfect. You know, none of us are perfect. So, I believe that open dialogue is great. I think transparency is is what we were elected to be. And, you know, unfortunately, meetings like this are not the greatest venue for those kinds of things. So, I agree with Mr. Greenway that, you know, some of these community meetings might be great. Um, and I would also encourage everyone to please take part in these surveys. Um, and let us know from your perspective what we can do better. Um, you know, I don't think anything positive comes out of when people are angry and people are yelling and those kinds of things.
080Um, it's important for us to be able to communicate with one another and work together to make sure that these children are safe. Um, I believe that our counselors are some of the best folks I've ever met. Uh, matter of fact, I'll just go ahead and extend that to all of our educators. Um, you know, I've worked personally with them in the past. Uh, still work with them, obviously, but in a different capacity. And, um, I think that we can all agree that most people get into education because they have a heart for children and they want what's best. Um, are they perfect? No. Just like I'm not perfect. But I support our counselors. I support our staff. And we have to remember too that there's a teacher that lost a student. There's a guy
081or a school counselor that lost a student. There's a principal that lost a student. So, we all are hurting just like you guys. I mean, obviously, I never got to meet Autumn, but I saw the pictures and a very sweet, beautiful young girl. And I hate this tragedy occurred, but we want to work together with the community to make sure that we're providing the best uh school system in the valley and making sure that everybody is safe. So, um, I thank everyone for coming out tonight and expressing their views and expressing some recommendations and I think that we need to further this. It's just a different venue I think we need to do it in. So, um, I think we'll we'll look into that and please take part in these surveys so we can hear
082feedback. Also, we all have emails. We all have ways of being contacted. U, I know that I personally am very accessible. If you email or call me, you will get a response. Um there's people out in the crowd right now that can attest to that. So uh I appreciate everyone coming out tonight. Thank you. Thank you. I would just also reiterate um what's been said that we do appreciate hearing from you. Um I know this is difficult. Um I would also agree with um although we passed a policy today, that doesn't mean that that's the end. that's why this survey is out there um is to hear from people and we are always making changes and we can make adjustments to that. So I would just say that um I'm just going to end with
083um a statement from us as as the board. So as a school board we are heartbroken over the death of one of our students. Losing a student with their whole life in front of them is gut-wrenching and the tragic circumstances of Autumn's death make it even more difficult. We cannot imagine the pain and loss of her family, but we stand in support of them and ask that everyone keep them in your thoughts and prayers. We also want to voice our support of the school staff and the fellow students who have also experienced a terrible loss and ask that you keep them in your prayers as well. While we are bound by federal law to not publicly discuss the specifics of a student situation, as we heard earlier in the presentation by staff, the school board
084takes matters of student contact and bullying seriously, and we have robust policies and procedures in place that our schools follow. We, as a school board, have every confidence in our administration and staff who are dedicated to caring for and supporting our students. We are always open to suggestions and input. And again, we do invite parents and families to provide your suggestions through the survey link mentioned earlier about any additions or improvements that could be made to our policies and practices. We also ask parents, families, and our community to help our schools in monitoring and curbing negative and destructive online behavior and ask adults to model responsible behavior in their online interactions as well. We applaud and support the various calls for kindness and hope that we can all come together to honor this young life.
085And if there's nothing else, meeting adjourned. [Music]