001Uh, I'd like to bring to order the July 23, 2025 board meeting. Um, we have seven board members present. I would entertain a motion to adopt the agenda. >> So moved. >> Second. >> It's been moved and seconded. Please cast your vote. motion passes 70. >> Uh, next item is 3A, public comments. Casey, do we have any public comments? >> We do not tonight. >> Okay. As a reminder, uh those who would like to speak in person need to sign sign up at by 1 p.m. the day of the board meeting. And that brings us to item uh for the consent agenda. I click it. Uh items on the consent agenda are considered to be routine business items by the board of education and they may be approved with a single motion and a second.
002What are the wishes of the board? >> I move to approve the consent agenda as submitted. >> Second. >> It's been moved and seconded. Please cast your vote. Motion passes 70. Okay, that brings us to 6A. Licensed staff handbooks for preschool, elementary and Poria Middle School and Poria High School, Flint Hills Learning Center 2025 2026 second reading. >> We'll have our director of human resources, Dr. Erica Mickelson is back for the second reading this month. We brought it for the first read. So um on the most of them it is it was all about uh making sure that we are current with board policy. So all of the updates there um a few language uh pieces and then uh mainly date changes as well. And that is for all prek, elementary, um middle school and
003high school. Any questions? I move to approve the license staff handbooks for preschool preschool through elementary Emporia Middle School and Emporia High School/Flint Hills Learning Center 20252026 as submitted. >> I second. >> It's been moved and seconded. Please cast your vote. Motion passes 70. >> Okay. >> Item 6B, athletic and activities handbook updates for 2526. Second reading. >> Yeah. We're going to have uh Mr. Bo Welch, Emporia High School athletic director and assistant principal, come up and uh answer any questions you might have on this one. Hello everybody. So our our change was to the uh dual sport participation. Um and it's basically I I think dual sport any any anything is u you know encouraged. I think what makes that one hard and it's kind of hard to understand. But when you talk about
004dual sporting and a team sport, playing time is a big issue coaches have to deal with daily for players, athletes who come every day. And when you start talking about a dual sport of uh you know an athlete maybe you know just just picking one at random let's say baseball let's say they want to do baseball and track you know if you are missing baseball practice three or four days a week that's putting the coach in a really tough spot to have to play you over kids who are there every day. So that's really what the the kind of the insert was there for the dual sport getting everybody on the same page. Um, that's not to say that the coach still, you know, couldn't approve that, you know, but every all parties have to
005be comfortable with kind of the process. It's also a lot of work. I mean, we've had students that do it. Um, they work their tails off, you know, on getting to whatever the team practices and then, you know, if they're in track, they run in the mornings or they run after practice of their team sport, you know. So, it's a lot of work. I think kind of involves two coaches. The athlete also involves the parents. you know, are they willing for their child to be gone that long? It's taken them away from school, you know. So, there's a lot of things that go into that, but the main one was making those coaches, I think, comfortable with um, you know, being gone and still being able to play. That's why we kind of encouraged to
006be honest that if you are a dual sport, one of those is a team sport that the team sport is your main sport. Uh so you are going to those practices regularly and then maybe trying to do the individual sport as the secondary sport. It just makes more sense. It's easier to do and uh like I said it kind of puts the coaches at a much better position to the just kind of continue playing. >> What questions do we have? I think there was a question about a situation where you would say no or you would deny one of these >> and that would be it. um is you know like the team sport coach uh probably you know I if I like I said my situation if you're a baseball player and you're going
007to miss three or four practices a week but then you're going to show up on game day as a coach how can I play you over these kids who've been to practice all week. So that would be the main reason a coach would say no. So if someone like played tennis as a singles player and they threw javelin, which is an individual sport, that's a lot easier to >> much easier. Yeah. Much easier. And and to be honest, they're right there, you know, side by side to to kind of go back and forth, you know. So I I it's a case by case scenario. Uh, but I think that's why it's good to get both coaches involved and and even parents if they want to be involved where we sit down and we get it
008all lined up so all coaches know the schedule of what the athletes going to do. In that case, you know, they would write up a schedule of we're going to go to tennis practice for the first hour and then we're going to go to javelin practice for the last hour, 30 minutes, whatever that would be. Uh, and then everybody agrees to that, we sign it and we move forward. So we don't have like a lot of this situations occurring right now. >> This is this is very rare. We have probably um this past year I think we had two I think total whole year and uh I would say we have two or less usually each year. >> Big commitment. Really big commitment. >> Thank you for bringing that clarification tonight. Uh, I move to
009approve the athletic and activities handbook updates for 2025 2026 as submitted. >> Second. >> It's been moved and seconded. Please cast your vote. >> Motion passes 70. >> Okay. 6C classified substitute and admin handbooks for the 2526 school year. Second reading. >> Go ahead, Erica. >> Yeah. Again, no changes from our first read. So, same information that was presented before. Uh the main again pieces that were were done was slightly different hours for Jones um due to the calendar changes and and some of those pieces for uh the current school year and uh language especially when it looks at uh board policy. >> If there's no questions I would entertain a motion. I move to approve the classified substitute and administrator handbooks for the 2025 2026 school year as submitted. A second. >> It's been
010moved and seconded. Please cast your vote. >> Motion passes 70. >> Okay. Uh item 60, emergency operations plan updates, 2025 2026, second reading. >> Okay. Again, no changes from that first reading. Uh many of these changes are due to calendar year and again the the updates from board policy and the changes or updates that we've had from KST in regards to emergency preparedness. Unless there is any objections, I will move to approve the emergency operations plan updates 2025 2026 as submitted. >> I second. >> It's been moved and seconded. Please cast your vote. motion passes 70. >> I did want to thank our administrators who were here for backup for me. So, uh, Mr. Ays, Mr. Balmore, Miss Waddle, and Mr. Welch were here just in case. So, appreciate them being here tonight. >> Yes.
011Thank you. Uh that brings us to item 6E, student handbook changes for 2025 2026 first read. >> So with the changes for the AI policy, uh we wanted to make sure again that our handbooks reflected those changes. So you can see on the one for EHS uh page 14, we added the misuse of AI tools uh to the student behavior section. So the the matrix is there and that was approved during the handbook uh portion of of the the changes that occurred over the summer. Uh page 16, we added the AI section from board policy. So we we we took that whole board policy and put it right in the handbook. So there's no question about what the board policy is and what it states. Uh also pages uh 16 and 17 um we get
012into some dress code pieces. We're going to talk about the dress code piece um a little bit later too when we talk about board policy. Um we wanted to make sure that the dress code matched our behavior discipline situations as well. And then we took out the wording for gang related dress code violations because we had taken that piece out of the board policy because it matches the wording already in board policy. So it was redundant. So that's why we took that portion out. >> Okay. Any questions? >> Okay. This is a first read. So we can bring it back for a second read or we can approve it now. What are the wishes of the board? >> I don't think we can approve it because we haven't we have to approve one of the
013board policies that would go in there on hairstyles. >> All right. Thank you for the information then. Uh item 7A, board reports. And up first is the Point Hills Technical College Board of Trustees. >> On the 14th, we had um we called ours our board summit this year and not a retreat because, you know, it's not like it's at a spa or anything. Um so we did that. It was a good um session. We were able to have well we had six of our board members there. Uh one was on vacation but our newest board member Adrien Burus from um Michelin was able to join us. So that was really great and we um approved our strategic plan. got a really great presentation on the financial aid department at the tech college and all the
014efforts they make um to help kids uh and students non-tradition or uh yeah non-traditional learners also get financial aid so that they can meet their educational goals. It was a nice nice meeting. >> Right. Thank you. And next is the Emporia Rec Commission. >> Yeah, the Emporia Rec Commission met um this past Monday. Um we voted and approved our budget. Um a while back we had voted to uh give notice that we were going to exceed the revenue neutral rate and that's set for a future meeting. Um then we did some of the normal year stuff where you appoint your you know your capers officer and um who's doing what and you know I was nominated to be chair of the rec commission again. Hooray Jeremy. Um so get to do it for some more
015uh time and then Dayton it was his first meeting there. Um so it was good. It was productive. Um that was the rec commission. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh, that brings us to item 7B, board policy update, June 2025, KSB updates, first reading. >> Yep. This will be Dr. Mickelson again. >> Okay, we have quite a few to to look over. Many of these uh were recommendations or our recommend recommendations from KASB. Uh, you can see it was in your your packet. Uh some of them are minor changes and then some of them are are um have bigger things in them. Uh the one that uh we really wanted to um make sure you uh looked at was the addition we did have a a hair addition to the policy. Um and uh and we
016we'll talk about that one a little bit more. But from any of those, any questions for the ones that were recommended from KSB, >> I do have a question or >> Yeah, I'm sorry. >> Do you want to go through them or >> do you want to That's up to you. >> Um, if this is just kind of a first reading, then we can just >> do specific questions. >> Yeah, be specific. >> Yeah. Um, first I want to like thank you for working on the hair policy. I think it's really important that we respect and affirm students and our employees natural hairstyles. Um, the question that I have is about visitors to the district and I think I'm just a little bit confused because I think the wording in that is really vague and
017I I worry that it could compromise safety. Um, let me find it. Thank you. you thought think that I would have had it ready to go. Um, so I like understand and value the role that offduty law enforcement has in providing safety and in our communities, but I'm wondering if this sort of goes up against our own policies with visitors to the building because as I read this, in accordance with Kansas law, offduty law enforcement officers identifying themselves as such upon entry into a district building cannot be requested or required to provide or record personal information, but I'm just wondering like can we look for for a badge? I mean, how like I I'm really struggling with like how we get them to identify themselves if we're not allowed to ask for information and then
018would they not even have to sign in where we require every visitor to sign into our buildings. >> That's where we are unclear. So from KSB there's these are suggestions and it's per so house bill 2052 is the house bill they're referring to and it's talking about concealed carry of handguns and other firearms. Uh and so KASB is saying so to make sure that we are in compliance with the Kansas law and statute that we have this in place, but we we agree the policy committee talked in length and Lillian can can support this and so can Casey. We ask for all visitors to sign in and to state why they're visiting the building. So we would ask anyone that who comes in. Grandma, grandpa, you know, mom, dad, somebody coming to eat lunch with
019their student, um, somebody coming in to speak to a teacher, we would ask anybody that. So according to this policy, uh, we wouldn't be able to ask everyone. Um, but again, it contradicts itself because as a district, we do want to know why everyone is coming to our building as a visitor. So, I don't have a great answer for you with that and I understand your confusion um as to why this is a recommendation. >> So, this might be a good question um to ask our attorney about because I actually pulled up the the bill Jamie and I were looking at it um and it was amending a prior um statute um Kansas statute 757C22. Um, and so before the part that says, "No person of authority for a building shall require, request, or record
020personal information of any offduty law enforcement officer entering that building in accordance with this section, including but not limited to email address, home address, name, stuff like that. Um, and they're not to be required to wear anything if to identify them as being armed. But when you read subsection B above it, it says officers who are off duty can enter a building where firearms are normally prohibited." um if that officer possesses identification required by the officer's law enforcement agency and presents that identification when requested by another LEO law enforcement officer or by a person of authority for the building. So the way I read that is if they come in they don't have to announce themselves and they only have to show their identification to you if you request it. And so if they're concealing
021a weapon, not not nefariously, they're just concealed carry. Right. Right. >> You wouldn't technically know. many of them might actually come in and and sign everything anyway. But when you read the second section that says you can't ask for or record anything, it's kind of murky. And I would call this an example of poorly written law because technically if you read subsection B2 literally, it kind of neuters and renders meaningless subsection B. And we don't normally do that in the law because we don't read the meaning of the law out of the text, right? So, um, I'm a lawyer. I'm not our lawyer. But the way I read this, if you knew someone was an offduty officer and you asked them to present identification, you could do that, but you can't actually record any of
022the information on the ID, but you wouldn't know to ask them unless you had some reason to ask them. Right. >> Right. And Jeremy, the other thing, the sentence below this in our policy that we're considering says that they don't have to have anything identifying them as a law enforcement officer. And that's a bit where my concern is that I had shared with the policy committee previously is that so anyone can do anything and aren't required to have identification. Um and so I think that the the way that this is worded I know it's KSB's recommendation in accordance with the law, but it seems to to be a security issue um as you kind of play out hypothetical scenarios. >> Yeah. The um so that that sentence in our policy is pretty much verbatim from
023the statute. nor shall such officer be required to wear any item identifying them as an officer or as being armed. And so I just don't feel like it's a big ass to say if you're coming in with a concealed weapon like maybe we should know about it, right? I don't know what the balance is, but the way they wrote the law is not the way I would have done it and that's why I'm not in the legislature. >> Yeah. I I think like for me this is for me this isn't about even law enforcement officers but this is about someone who's coming in saying oh I'm an offduty law enforcement and and feel like they have free reign over our buildings because as the statute is written if someone identifies they could have free reign
024of our building >> right because they could say that and then we wouldn't know and they are not required to share to confirm that >> but if they did the way the way the law reads if they come in and they say I can do that I can say Okay, I need you to show me your identification. Subsection B allows that. But if you read subsection B2, it kind of makes it look like you can't. But I mean, you could, the way I read that, you could say, I need to see your ID. Okay, you are officer so and so. Go about your day. >> I think we have additional questions for the attorney. >> We do have this policy in to to our attorney and they've got it in Q to review. Um, but
025I think I think the discussion sounds on track from my perspective and that you you you you're still going to be allowed to require all the other things that you would require for someone to get in the building. You can ask them why they're there. Um, you know, and they they may not be wearing their badge, but you can ask them to show it. But, uh, definitely want to get clarification on this from our attorney. Any other questions? >> I I'll say the thing that throws me off the most is that I feel like then I could walk in and just say I'm an offduty police officer >> and and I Okay. >> And that's really which like then I could get in trouble for impersonating an officer of the law, right? But that just
026feels really weird. And on behalf of, and I'm just going to say this because you guys all know this, but on behalf of all concealed carry people everywhere, you know, that's why it's called concealed carry. >> I take advantage of my Second Amendment rights 247 365. No one knows it and they're not allowed to ask me about it. They're not If they have metal detectors, then it becomes an issue. I don't carry when I go in the courthouse. >> That's about it because, you know, or if I go through an airport or something like that. Otherwise, that's why it's concealed. whether you're a good guy or or a threat. And again, you can ask questions and if they want to answer it, you can't. But I go there all the time. I'm not law enforcement,
027but >> I have it with me all the time. So, it's just something to consider that we can word it however we want it. The law says that unless you're going to put in metal detectors and and actually set a a policy that you can't do it. They can't follow through on anything. So, >> my issue is not about guns. Thank you for It's not about consenting Carrie at all. It's about someone walking into a building and saying, "I'm an offduty law enforcement officer." And misrepresenting themselves and then we just >> they don't even have to do >> they don't have to do that. >> Yeah. And I think the reason the legislature put in the, you know, don't record their email address, home phone number, home address is just that confidentiality law enforcement wants
028when people don't when you're a cop, you don't necessarily want everyone to know where you live. In fact, a couple years ago, we had a a person who spoke public comment and declined to identify his address. No one called him out on it and said, "You're against school policy, right? He's a police officer. It makes sense that you're not going to share that." I just don't like the way it's written. Not that I don't like the spirit of it. I don't like the way B2 kind of makes subsection B look confusing. >> It's contradictory of itself each each section. >> Okay. Well, it sounds like we're going to have some further discussion at another time on this one. So, all right. Thank you very much. That brings us to item 7C, strategic plan measures, second
029reading. Yes. Um in your packet you'll have a copy of the strategic plan presentation that was presented I believe back in June. Um in preparation for this I went back and reviewed that June board meeting and u just made some notations uh to be sure that we addressed all the questions and and discussions that came up during that time. And so there's a second document in there that basically um references those notations. For example, we updated the baseline data on slide seven to include all of the 242 school year since we're we have all of that data at this point. Um there was a question about parent square utilization as a tool. Um in 2526 um we updated that information to say that it would be used um we're not able to track those power
030school app loginins. So, kind of verified that because that was something that came up last time. Wanted to re revisit that. Um, our current fill rate, I I provided our current fill rate status on slide 15. Um, since that's one of our measures. That's not that's not the actual measure that we will use for for whether we're meeting that goal or not because we'll wait until the first day and and see where we're at at that point, but that's where we were as of last week. uh noted the full uh turnover rate for the past school year and added that in. Uh there was some discussion last time about the 65% use of resources. Was that you know don't we want it to be used you know most of the time? Um, so we just
031put a comment in there about that being a snapshot and considered as a minimum. You know, it's just a moment in time when we're observing that classroom and uh added a note that with, you know, additional times consisting of appropriate supplemental resources. Um, there was some missing in and out of school suspension data on the uh dashboard when it was presented last time. We we have that in there now. And then we added those next steps in the process and the quarterly reporting timeline. But the substantial there isn't anything substantial that we actually changed about the uh strategic plan. >> Are there any questions, comments? I mean, I know you're not going to like change the strategic plan. So, if you can get on board with this, right, as our new superintendent and our all
032of our new administrators, I don't see any reason why we can't also back that as a as a team. So, I'm I'm good. I don't know about anybody else. >> And I just had a quick question about um I believe we did the strategic plan. We adopted it in 2022. And so we do a strategic plan every five years. Okay. So we would do our next one in like next fall into Okay. Okay. Yeah. I was just I Aren't we required to do a one every five years? I think by K >> I mean can we ever move it up if we wanted to? I think I've I've I've actually been in situations where um we I was in a district where we implemented professional learning communities that that shifted our culture so much during
033that during our five-year plan that we came back and worked on it a year ahead of time because our our strategic plan didn't really match our culture anymore and some of the priorities that we created coming out of that work. So, you can definitely revisit it at any time, make adjustments, um, start from scratch. I think we've got good mission, vision, goals, but yeah, definitely could dig into it at any point. >> Thanks. That's good to know. I just think with with new administrators um knowing that FastBridge and our state assessments data will look different. I mean that that'll make it trickier to even know if the goals that we set in 2022 are even realistic when so much of the way the data is collected and reported is going to change. >> I I
034would just say I'm glad to to see the updated fill rate. So I feel good going into the school year that we have majority of our positions filled. So, thanks for all the work that's gone into that. >> Okay. Well, thanks for those all the effort we put into this and uh updating and for you looking back at all of it so you were on board and knew what was going on. Uh I move to approve the updated strategic plan measures as submitted. >> Second. Okay, >> it's been moved and seconded. Please cast your vote. Motion passes 70. >> Okay, that brings us to item 8A, superintendent report. >> Yeah, not a lot on the report this week. Uh just wanted to uh make a notation. All of our district admin administrators went through some
035capturing kids hearts administrative training this week a couple of days while it was tough timing for us because we we really need to start jumping in and diving into uh to all the day-to-day work but it was uh it was beneficial for everyone. Uh we spent some time reviewing our leadership blueprint 360 reports which basically you know you kind of evaluating yourself and then having someone evaluate you with regard to personality and behavior characteristic traits and it was interesting for everyone to dig in and see um how their uh their colleagues and peers rate them versus the way they rate themselves. It caused a lot of good discussion and thought. Um, we welcomed our new, uh, licensed staff this morning with a breakfast and then some followup activities to help them get to know know
036the district and each other. Uh, that was in the high school library this morning. I want to thank Leslie for filling in art who had a conflict this morning to welcome the folks on behalf of the board. Um, it's just one component of quite a bit of orientation that we do with all of our new staff as they uh, return. And then our teachers will actually um all come back the week of August 11th for uh and they'll start off with several days of professional learning before we get started with school that next week which then is kindergarten, sixth grade, and 9th grade. And all new students will attend our jump start for a half a day on the August 19th. And then the first day of school, another half day, if I'm looking at
037my calendars right, I'm still getting used to the way we we're doing things here. But yeah, another half day for the first day of school for everyone on August 20th. So, it's right on right around the corner. >> Thank you for that update. Uh, now we have 9A executive session consultant attorney. I move to enter into executive session for 20 minutes for the exception for matters which would be deemed privileged in the attorney client relationship under the Kansas Open Meeting Act and that we return to open session in this room at 6:53. Uh, Superintendent Dr. David McGee, Attorney Tammy Simoji, and attorney Mike Norris are invited to join the board for this session. No action is anticipated. >> Second. Okay, >> it's been moved and seconded. Please cast your vote. Motion passes 7 0 I
038move to return to regular session. >> Second. >> It's been moved and seconded. Please cast your vote. Jamie, is yours popping up? You want a hand vote? Motion passes. 70. >> Okay, that brings us to item 9C, executive session, consultant attorney. >> Many more, right, Jeremy? I move to enter into executive session for 10 minutes for the exception for matters which would be deemed privileged in the attorney client relationship under the Kansas Open Meeting Act and that we return to open session in this room at 7:05 p.m. Superintendent Dr. David McGee and Attorney Tammy Samoji are invited to join the board for this session. Action is anticipated. >> Second. >> It's been moved and seconded. Please cast your vote. Motion passes. Seven. to return to regular session. >> Second. >> It's been moved and seconded.
039Please cast your vote. Motion passes 70. Yes, we can do an action as a result of um and then it will be added on later. >> Yeah. >> So, u per our last executive session, we identified that as an action item. So, I'll turn it over to David to speak to that. >> Yeah. So, um obviously you're you're returning at this time to u act upon what we you discussed in close as you are allowed to do. Um just want to be sure that that we're all clear on on what it is that the board's approving um with this vote and to be sure that those those that are uh watching or in the in the public will will understand as well. So, your action tonight that you'll take is pertaining to an agreement with
040the Boys and Girls Club of South Central Kansas. Uh, it will release the Boys and Girls Club from the remaining obligations of the previously enacted 10-year for afterchool care in exchange for financial considerations in the amount of $375,000. $125,000 of that will um come to us as soon as possible um after the agreement is signed by all parties. And again, we do have signatures from the other side on this agreement. And then there will be a $125,000 payment again um the next July one and the July one after that um that we would intend to then utilize to uh help provide after school care services through uh uh an arrangement that we've been discussing with the Emporia Rec Center and uh we'll continue to work toward an agreement with them. But again, this action will
041u assure our community, our families, our kids that there will be an afterchool program. We appreciate um the rec center working with us on this. >> I move to approve everything you just said. >> Second. >> It's been doomed and seconded. Please cast your vote. >> Do you mind if we do the official motion that's in um Sorry, it's kind of buried for you. So, just I move the board approve the settlement agreement with Boys and Girls Club of South Central Kansas is submitted. >> Second. >> Okay, please cast your vote >> and we'll do a hand vote since it's not on. Motion passes 70. >> Okay, thank you very much. Um, our next item is 10A, future board calendar dates. On Tuesday, August 12th, we will have convocation at 7:30 a.m. at Por State
042University Plum Hall. Uh, then our next two meetings in August are August 13th and August 27th here at M Herbert Education Center. And I would entertain a motion to adjurnn. >> So moved. been moved and seconded. Please cast your vote. Motion passes. 70