001e e e good evening everybody we're going to call uh this board meeting to order right please everybody will stand for the pledge I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America the for it stands Nation God indivisible Face Forward March do I have a motion to approve tonight's agenda I make a motion that we approve tonight's agenda I second that motion all in favor before we begin special presentations I just want to call the names of our jrc students and those are Cadet second Lieutenant Lieutenant Ford Perry Cadet second Lieutenant Lieutenant apparently I can't speak this evening Cadet second Lieutenant Victoria Moore Cadet second Lieutenant Camden Davis Cadet private saurin buros and Cadet Battalion S4 officer Evan McFalls thank you good evening everyone thank you for attending the JCPS February board
002meeting at Fairview school we are driven by a Clear Vision preparing students to be a positive part of their communities by doing their best this vision is at the heart of everything we do challenging students to grow academically socially and emotionally so they can thrive in their Futures recently the Asheville citizen times published an article highlighting the rankings of Western North Carolina schools based on US News and World Report we are proud to recognize Fairview school which was listed at 377 in these rankings this achievement is a reflection of the hard work of our students the dedication of our teachers and the unwavering support of our families and Community while rankings are just one measure of success they remind us of the progress we are making and the opportunities ahead we recognize that student attendance
003plays a crucial role in academic success which is why we have created an attendance incentive plan to encourage students to be at school this plan includes weekly rewards for individual students and monthly grade level rewards making attendance a fun and engaging priority for everyone and our second graders have won two months in a row to further excite students about coming to school each day we have implemented morning meetings in all classes from 8:00 to 8:20 during this time teachers plan fun activities to build community within their classrooms and grade levels some of these activities include team building exercises problem solving challenges and creative discussions that help students start their day feeling connected and engaged another exciting initiative we've introduced is Club day Fridays for our seventh and eighth graders providing students with enriching extracurricular opportunities
004and Leadership experiences some of our clubs include student council yearbook weights books and board games and musical production we are thankful for the JCPS foundation for the grants we receive to support these clubs which have already had a tremendous impact by allowing students to step into leadership roles collaborate with their peers and explore their passions we know that a strong sense of community starts with a motivated and engaged staff to build camaraderie among our Educators we have introduced monthly morale boosters which have brought fun and excitement to our school some activities have included a pumpkin decorating contest where students voted on the winner an underground Spirit Week where teachers secretly dressed up each day and surprise students with different themes and a dayong rock paper scissors game bringing laughter and friendly competition throughout the school
005in addition to these efforts we Contin continue to prioritize family and Community engagement through special events we have successfully hosted science night and math night bringing families together to explore Hands-On learning this year our seventh and eighth graders are planning our upcoming literacy night further demonstrating the leadership opportunities we are creating for our families to stay updated on all the exciting things happening at Fairview school we encourage everyone to follow us on Facebook now we have a performance from our chorus and our second graders so Mr Jonathan Libby is our Music Teacher here at Fairview school this is his third year he moved here from California with his family he has four children under the age of four and he has a daughter who is three weeks old today so we are really glad that
006he is here to lead this performance and our um students will be singing One Small Voice B been [Music] ch s [Music] with St this with the world of start with W you that was beautiful thank you for that that was very good and Mr Libby is also a bus driver hooray he's a bus driver go right there and wait h right so next on the agenda is people are filing out of here we have Dr SS with some special recognition yes but I have to say there's a message in that song so I hope you listen to it one voice so first of all we're going to recognize a few students from coloy Valley so if you recall um those of you who were in attendance when we had a meeting at col Valley
007these students presented so I wanted to give uh the official word about their Grant opportunity that they were awarded so um it is Mickey O'Brien and Thomas wallender Co Valley students so if Mickey and Thomas would come on up and if their teacher Chris and Men is here I don't see Miss minelly is Miss minelly here she is not here so you got it you got this so I want to read a little bit about these two folks for over 50 years keep North Carolina beautiful has provided financial support to K12 educational institutions empowering students to engage in Outdoor Learning environments as a woo Grant recipient woo means window of opportunity so w as a woo Grant recipient you two are part of a long-standing tradition of making a meaningful difference in schools and communities
008across all 100 counties in the state of North Carolina thank you for your engagement in the woo grant program and in advance for all the work that you're going to be doing once you got this grant so congratulations to sixth grade students Mickey O'Brien and Thomas wallender for taking the lead to design student team projects for environmental stewardship their project will contribute to the mission of educating students on the importance of sustainability biodiversity beautification replenishment and recycling which helps to preserve and enhance en North Carolina's natural environment thanks to the efforts of Mickey and Thomas KY Valley was awarded this grant their commitment to campus Improvement environmental sustainability and Hands-On education will make a lasting impact these two along with their teacher Miss Chris and minelly will enhance the school's campus and Outdoor Learning space
009at Cola Valley school so Nikki and Thomas thank you very much I'm give it like you know Miss's got to come over we'll move away from the P another round of applause our next opportunity to honor some folks are two teachers here from Fairview so if I could please have Alicia Brown and April ma to come forward WooHoo for the last few months I've been celebrating teachers across Jackson County Public Schools who exceeded growth status and for those of you who don't know what that means I'm going to always tell you it means means that North Carolina provides this information about student performance and teacher growth over time tonight we recognize these Fairview teachers evos or the evos exceeded growth score means education value added assessment there are three designations that teachers can receive did
010not meet met or exceeded growth exceeded is the highest category these are just two of 17 teachers in our district who exceeded growth for the past school year years so congratulations alici that really is not an easy task when there's only 17 teachers in the entire District so this is a really big deal and lastly I'm going to ask a group of of students to come forward so I'm going to call them first so the whole time I'm reading you can stare at them and cheer for them um so I need the following students to come forward I need Isabelle Brun Clara bogas Olivia Fagan Julia Hogan and tella wasl did I pronounce that right so I believe what you see behind our board is the work of um some of the students that are
011standing here and then this is your future city project right so future city is a worldwide engineering competition that starts with a question how can we make the world a better place take answer this question students imagine research design and build cities that exist a hundred years into the future and that showcase their solution to a city-wide sustainability issue each year there is a new theme for students to tackle this year's theme above the current challenge students to design a floating city providing Innovative examples of how their floating city works and keeping its citizens healthy and safe teams must compose a 1500w research essay that's a lot right there 1500 words around the year's theme construct a 3D scale model which you see on display from recycled materials with a total cost under $100 and
012prepare and perform a seven-minute presentation with question and answer sessions from real Engineers this semester long project not only touches on every element of stem and all core subject areas but also on larger ideas such as critical thinking project management teamwork and conflict resolution Isabelle Clara Olivia Julia and Natalia competed at the first annual Jackson County competition at Southwestern Community College where they won first place wooo and the honor of moving on to the state competition in Raleigh at North Carolina State University at the state competition they placed fourth among 36 teams from across the entire state of North Carolina the model of their city galaria is that right okay yes galaria is here for you to see so you might not be able to take a look during the meeting but I want you
013to make sure that you take a look after our meeting so congratulations to these ladies thank you wonderful job Dr s what about the Scholastic Arden writing did that I think I'm already off now I'm back home those students one was out of the country and one was not able to be here tonight so we're going to hold toor okay thank you that's okay at this time we're going to move on to the consent action agenda do I have a motion to approve the Open Session minutes of our regular meeting on January 21st 2025 I make a motion that we approve the minutes from our regular meeting on January 21st second all in favor and then uh do I have a motion to approve the Open Session minutes of special called Joint meeting with County
014Commissioners on February 6 2025 make a motion that we approve the Open Session minutes of the specially called meeting joint with the County Commissioners from February 6th I second that motion all in favor I now on to information superintendent report Dr good evening chair and board members we conclude February with a month of intensely inconsistent weather again and we really need some continuity I'm thankful for a new month and spring-like weather as we saw today it's hard to believe that there are only 3 months of the 242 school year remaining I'm really looking forward to the days and weeks to come the spring athletic seasons are underway with bball soccer softball track and tennis and golf however I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge two Smoky Mountain High School winter athletes wrestlers who
015placed just yesterday in the state competition I'll be honoring them next month at the board meeting but their accomplishments are too huge not to shout out today Gabby Roman Bruno plays fourth in the state of North Carolina while Caven Wilson plays second in wrestling competition and that deserves a round of applause I'm so proud of their work dedication and determination and that they represented us at Smoky Mountain High School as well as Jackson County Public Schools also in athletics I hope you noticed when you drove by the baseball field that the lighting for the Smoky M baseball field and the softball field at Webster is being installed as we speak and I can't wait to see the completion of this project on February 11th our board held the joint meeting with the Jackson Community excuse
016me on February 11th our board held a listening session at Jackson Community School to hear thoughts from students staff and the community this evening the board will make a decision about the location of Jackson Community School for the upcoming year also earlier this month we held a joint meeting with the Board of Commissioners and the Board of Education the discussion was a time for us to share the needs of our school system and the manner in which our commissioners can support the cafeteria kitchen and classroom space here at Fairview is the very first priority there will be a community input session next Monday March the 3rd from 5:30 to 7: to solicit ideas from stakeholders about what this will look like we'll also be having a session during the the regular school day for students
017and sta staff to give input so I encourage folks to come and share their ideas the second priority is the new traditional middle school and as of now there is a search underway for the land the need is for 30 plus acres and ideally the location will be between Silva and Dillsboro the draft plan is for for the school to serve a thousand students and have athletic fields for softball baseball soccer and a track there will be a community input session on March 24th at sec barell building to gather input the next project is Smoky Mountain High School Athletic Complex while the lights are being installed there is still a dire need to construct a track and address Ada needs at the football field the needs include restrooms and a concession stand on the visitor
018side as well as upgrades to the Press Box concessions and restrooms on the home side there will be a community input session on March 19th from 5:30 to 7: to also solicit ideas a project at Blue Ridge school and early college is also being planned as of now the plan includes a new gym and classrooms along with addressing the need for kitchen space a community input session will be held on March 10th from 5:30 to 7 at the school for that the only other item on the JCPS priority list is a bus garage remodel Andor expansion Pinnacle is currently working on an estimate for that final needed building project I have great appreciation for our commissioners who acknowledge the great needs of Jackson County Public Schools finally at the end of January we had yet
019another audit it seems like it's our year for audits in Jackson County Public Schools and this time it was for federal programs Laura deal successfully completed all the preparation work and coordinated with Title One principles to plan for the on-site visit I'm extremely proud of the work to prepare which is a lot of work to prepare in the day of visits our final audit report reads Jackson County public schools has successfully met all statutory compliance requirements in the review conducted by North Carolina Department of Public Instruction thank you to the staff within your PSU for working closely with our program administrator to meet all applicable applicable federal program requirements so congratulations Laura deals was the brains behind getting all that together and our elementary principls for making it a successful visit it's nice for people
020to come from the state and brag on what we have going on here in Jackson County Public Schools so that concludes my report as always thanks to our community for supporting Public Schools thank you Dr SS up next we've got chrisy with the second quarter audits I don't know what boa stands for so that would be Bank of America that is our procurement card sorry about that I'm I'm an in se you first we love our acronyms good evening Mr chair Dr SS and members of the board the first information item I have is the successful completion of the second quarter Audits and the Bank of America audit that covers October through December for all of our nine schools and select purchase cards you'll you will find a copy of both these reports in your
021packet and both reports show no negligence fraud or findings in either audit any comments or concerns were discussed in ired during the audit and shared with the appropriate staff is there any questions I would just like to say thank you to you for that hard work to keep all that money in the right column it can be a challenge but I have a great staff and lots of director support so that's I appreciate that yes no more questions we'll move on to Christie again with the UN audited Financial State so again this report is included in packet and the information shows we are within our approved budget resolution and then there is the standard comparison data for last year anybody have any question all right for we have anybody signed up for public comment Mr
022chair we have several um I did receive numerous written comments which I will read um and the first one was received February 24th 6:49 a.m. this one is longer than 3 minutes but by uh blessing of the board we will go ahead and read the entire statement members of the Jackson County School Board I am a father of two children at col Valley school I am writing to express concerns about the school board's recent policy as given in guidance to all staff regarding ice enforcement actions in school first I would like to thank the board for your quick response when I and others wrote you to expressed concerns over this issue a few weeks ago getting personal responses from board members goes a long way towards maintaining trust between you and the community I also
023greatly appreciate that your policy statement affirms that you remain committed to preventing discrimination and dedicated to providing a safe and inclusive environment at Jackson County Public Schools thank you for reaffirming these values in your statement and I hope you will continue to voice those values in future statements and decisions though your policy does articulate protocol for staff it leaves clear the rights and protocols as relevant to others who would be direct affected in particular the roles of sro's are unclear given the special roles of sro's they and the public they serve should know exactly how SRO are to respond in this type of situation which would decrease the potential for confusion and harm it is my hope that the school board will craft clear policy that preserves the sro's primary responsibility to protection of our
024children ambigu ambiguity and regarding sro's only undermines the Public's trust and preserves space for federal ice agents to apply pressure in the event that they enter our schools the public needs to see clear and proactive coordination between JCPS and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office so that we all better understand how everyone will respond in such an event the board's policy also leaves open the issue of training and education around this policy while I'm aware that all policy writing is intentionally vague in order to preserve room for sit situational decisionmaking it is also the case that good policy articulates clear process and course of action helps all participants retain more agency and leads to less confusion and harm in the event that ice agents press staff to Grant access to students how are they to respond
025whose responsibility is it to articulate JCPS policy on how to interact with federal agents in the school setting who do you who do staff turn to if they feel ice agents overreach and how can they better understand their own rights and legal obligations prior to the interaction which administrators are staffed to contact and what happens if ice chooses to rate a school on a day when they know School administration is away at a training or conference any situation in which someone has to interact with federal agents is likely to be tense and has the potential for confusion the potential for harm to staff and our children is increased if everyone does not understand their rights and legal obligations articulating process for Action is one of the best ways to protect staff in a tense situation
026I am also unclear as to my rights as a parent if my child's teacher wants to show a movie that is anything above a g rating they inform us and allow parents to opt out in some cases we have to content permission it is absurd that so much care is given to fairly innocuous things like a cartoon but I do not know what my child May witness if federal agents rate our school and detain their classmates what protections my children and their peers have in that situation and how exactly the school will ensure that all students present do not have adverse experiences with the potential for long-term emotional consequences I have heard of cases where JCPS administrators allow children to be pulled from the classroom and questioned by police officers without parental consent or a
027warrant I would be livid with the school and lose trust in your commitment to my children if that were to happen without my knowledge understanding that practice happen happens with local law enforcement makes me very uncertain that there will be anyone to guide or protect my children in the event that federal agents raid their school I am left feeling that I have no consent or rights in protecting e either of my children should a federal agent decide to question them in such a case what is my child obligated to say or not say who is present to make sure my child's rights are observed and pressure is not applied by federal agents if a federal agent enters our schools while my child is at an after school program who is there to interact with agents
028so that they do not have to do not have unrestricted access to questioning or detaining children will I be allowed to be there to help my child make decisions or will I hear about it over dinner will my child see friends and their families hauled away a school board ought to take into account that leaving ambiguity about process will lead to nothing but confusion public resentment and long-term harm harm for all involved federal agents rating JCPS is not a thing to take lightly in such an event the potential for confusion is increased if everyone affected does not understand their rights obligations and clear processes for action potential for harm is increased as well it is my hope that the Jackson County School Board will create clearer policy that addresses all involved in the event that
029federal agents raid our schools the public also needs more transparent articulation of process in this event if federal agents rate our schools learning will be disrupted for a long time and the experience of seeing one's peers detained or the experience of being detained by federal agents will be an adverse childhood experience which is known to leave deep scars moreover trust between the school in the public will be lost I hope that the board will drive draw tighter constraints around our schools and value protection of our children over unquestion compliance this will send a clear signal that our schools support all of our children and the public that trusts you with our children every day thank you for your time and consideration Jonathan Bradshaw Cy the second um the second public comment has signed up so
030I will not read the written comment the third comment comes from um Lindsay Drake received Monday February 24th at 10:44 a.m. dear members of the Jackson County Board of Education I am writing as a concerned Community member of the Jackson County of Jackson County recent policy changes at the federal level have prompted me to reach out regarding the safety and well-being of all the students in our schools as a longtime educator I've become a to the phrase student safety is our top priority it was a common reply from administrators when asked why things were done a certain way or when told things were unable to be changed this is often thought as of as a physical safety keeping students out of Harm's Way by implementing policies and procedures that prevent injury however I think for
031a long time we have failed to focus on mental safety or mental health as we usually call it it's not that schools are not participating in training or teachers aren't connecting with students in fact much of the research about trauma informed teaching are things I learned while working in the public school system my concern is despite knowing there is research showing that experiencing trauma significantly impacts an individual's ability to learn the grown-ups in charge are not creating policies that are strong that are strong enough to prevent children from being traumatized at school I urge you to update the policy you have created which leaves too much ambiguity ambiguity about around protocols it is imperative that you have training for all all staff in all buildings about who can enter your school buildings and what legal
032documentation they must have to do so for families to feel safe sending their students to school you must create safeguards around student records and personal information and communicate out about how you are protecting this information considering off consider offering counseling and support as families navigate potentially life-changing circumstances please use your resources to help families through this terrifying time in addition School res ource officers SRO are a vital component of safety plans in our schools these recent policy changes and potential policies within the Jackson County Sheriff's Department may have unsettling consequences for our schools and Community I personally am unclear and uncomfortable with how SRO might be involved in Immigration enforcement actions how will you not only clarify the role of your sro's but also reassure students and families that these officers are safe people to
033interact with training for SRO needs to be provided by the schools not just the sheriff's department we live in a small town where relationships are important and often of benefit unfortunately relationships can can affect our decision-making such as allowing a friend or colleague to enter the building despite not having proper legal documentation our students need assurances that school is a safe place to be the impact of immigration enforcement actions are already starting to be seen around the country and in our own communities citizenship status is not a requirement for enrollment in public education it is our responsibility as adults to protect children we must protect them from physical danger as well as ensure they feel safe at school to allow for learning our teachers are the best at this but they need your backing training
034and clarification of policies to allow them to continue continue teaching all Learners thank you for your time and attention to this matter Lindsey Drake the next comment received via email on 224 2025 at 257 pm. M dear school board members I would like to start by acknowledging that as a community I believe we all have similar goals as a former JCPS employee PTA president at K Valley school and parent of two children I have spent ample time in our schools I always describe schools as little communities communities where love learning and growth happen every day School Employees all employees are in trusted with our children and their well-being they teach feed and care for our children this is a big task that does not go unnoticed I grew up in a bigger place where no
035one but my teachers knew my name and even they knew very little about me Appalachia operates differently we know and love our people here I love that my kids get a different experience as a former employee at JCPS I know that School employee roles do not fit into tidy boxes there are high expectations and high demands managing behaviors learning needs whatever hard thing is happening at home conducting lockdown drills and practicing what to do do if a shooter enters the building can and do way on staff I was more than sad to hear our federal government announce that schools and churches would no longer be considered safe places or sanctuaries from Ice officials I am sad for our Hispanic Community for our community what hurts a few hurts us all I would like to ask
036that JCPS expand their ice policies to be more clear to state that ice will not be allowed in our schools and that sros will not play any role in ice enforcement even if asked to do so by the sheriff's department I know that police officers from I know that police officers from both the Sheriff's Office and Silva PD are allowed into JCPS schools to speak with and question students I know that this often happens without parents first being contacted this makes me uncomfortable as a parent and Community member sadly I was sent Kim Moore's Facebook post regarding deportation a few weeks ago while I was in church it was quite the jua position I cannot begin to understand how loving one group of people or acknowledging their struggle means that we should minimize the struggle
037and inherit worth of others while she noted that her damaging comments were her personal opinions she is an elected official whose personal opinions undoubtedly impact the decision she makes regarding the safety and well-being of our children I believe that her statement directly goes against her ability to serve our community with integrity and care I would like to thank the school board members that have taken the time to respond to concerned parents in a thoughtful and caring manner I am so grateful for all that you do signed Casey wnder the next one is received February 24th 2025 at 3:28 p.m. Jackson County School Board subject protecting student and parental rights under new Dei orders dear Jackson County School Board as a career educator with over 25 years in the classroom including five years as a secondary
038English teacher I'm writing to express my deep cons deep concern regarding the push to eliminate diversity equity and inclusion initiatives in our Public Schools while these effort are often framed as protecting parental rights they in fact contradict key principles that parents rights Advocates have long supported as an educator Community member and parent of two children in Jackson County Schools I urge the school board to reject these measures and uphold the rights to of all parents to direct their children's education North Carolina's parents Bill of Rights asserts that parents have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing Education and Care of their children however policies that restrict Dei efforts contradict this principle in several ways one one parental choice in education parents rights Advocates argue that par parents should have more influence over their children's education
039yet anti- Dei policies limit the ability of families to ensure their children receive an education that reflects their values parents who want their children to learn about diverse P perspectives and histories are effectively being overruled by government imposed restrictions two transparency and access to information the parents bill of right affirms that parents have the right to to review and access their child's educational material materials however bans on Dei initiatives often result in the removal of resources books and curriculum materials without parental input denying families the ability to choose what is appropriate for their own children this contradicts the principle and of transparency with parents rights Advocates Champion three student well-being and individualized support parents rights include ensuring that schools provide a safe and supportive environment for all students Dei programs often provide resources for students
040from different backgrounds including those who may be facing poverty discrimination or marginalization and eliminating these initiatives disregards the needs of many of our students and by extension undermines the rights of Jackson County parents who depend on these programs for their children's success four government overreach and local education many parents rights Advocates argue against excessive government control in education yet broad anti- Dei mandates imposed by state regulation um state legislators or external political groups amount to exactly that top down restrictions that limit limit local decision making parents and educations at Educators at the local level should be the ones to determine the best approach for their communities not distant politicians or ideological movements by dismantling Dei initiatives our schools are not only ignoring the needs of many students and families but also infringing upon the very
041parental right that Advocates claim they protect I urge you to consider the pro the broader implications of these policies and ensure that all parents not just a politically motivated few retain their right to help shape their children's education thank you for your time and consideration I look forward to your response sincerely Brad Risinger associate instructor Department of English English studies wcu PS one way the school board could show their commitment to our students and the values of JCPS would be to publicly denounce one of our school board members alarmingly hateful January 28th Facebook post while members are entitled to Free PE free speech and their own freedom of conscious when they express vital towards our entire Latino Latina and lgbtq Community essentially suggesting at least we weren't holoc costing them or hanging them at picnics
042the public deserves to know where JCPS stands we received two additional um document or two additional public comments that were included in your packets we have three we have six U public speakers signed up the first one is Aaron Callahan she would like to speak about JCPS ice in schools Miss Callahan please come up to the microphone you have three minutes the timer will go off at 30 seconds to give you a warning and then it'll go off at three minutes thank you very much you I'm Dr Aaron Callahan associate professor of t Linguistics but today I speak to you as a private citizen not as a representative of my employer I am a former North Carolina Public Schools ESL teacher who has served migrant student populations lived and worked in Mexico and taught ESL
043from the prek to the postgraduate level over the last 20 years I'm here today as a part as part of a group of stakeholders who have come together out of deep care for the Spanish-speaking and Latin population in our County to request your continued support of this population many of us are parents of children currently in JC JCPS schools with deep ties to our community the resending of the federal policy that treats schools Child Care Centers churches and hospitals as sensitive or protected locations has created a new reality for our schools in communities including fear and instability for the families and children affected we hope and expect that the common sense approach to ice deportations that has been advised will prevail in a tight-knit small community like ours where we see overwhelming deep care for
044all children from their teachers principes School staff sro's and law enforcement it is also our responsibility to be comprehensively prepared and to address the very real fear in the Immigrant Community by creating and disseminating clear plans and targeted resources in compliance with existing local state and federal laws this information which is critical for any K12 education institution receiving state and federal funding includes but is not limited to fura perpa compliance the security special education IEPs and ESL service plans title three regulations on English Learners and both Title One and mcken vento homelessness assistance act on the rights of Migrant students we deeply appreciated your attentiveness and responsiveness to our letter writing campaign asking that JCPS share its policy on is actions in schools and we recognize it as an important first step today we are
045asking that you respond more comprehensively and publicly by developing and disseminating a policy that upholds this blanket of existing regulations we are asking JCPS to consider adopting the Nea best practices which have been implemented in leas across our state okay if you would like to provide your written comments to the board please do so okay thank you our next speaker is Mr Ricardo Bellow and he would like to speak about immigrant support again you have three minutes and the timer we show you at 30 seconds thank you uh thank you um for giving me the opportunity my name is Ricardo beob I am I am the executive director of unidex a nonprofit organization serving the seven most rural counties in Western North Carolina today I'm not speaking as a um executive director I'm speaking of
046uh part of the community I never have the opportunity to attend the school here in the United States I know the importance the of the education until today I'm struggled to learn every day I know the importance of this for the kidos to learn in in in all the uh struggles they live every day the new the new laws the new Administration the new um changes is making these skidos more B vulnerable than ever they have been through a lot since they left their homes and in their own countries and it's important to support them um and it's important too to keep um um teaching everyone about the important that about diversity because if we keeping uh teaching the community they will know the difference about the um know every Latino is a Mexican they
047will be learned about no everyone speak Mexican is no Mexican world no no nobody speak Mexican they speak Spanish and it's important for them to know also the difference of the diversity of all the countries in Latin America Colombia is in South America Colombia Colombia is in South Carolina so that is the most important about education um I want to remark one philosopher Pythagoras he said one time educate the children and it will be not necessary to punish the men thank you Mr chair our next speaker is Emily Nasser Hall and she would like to speak about immigration law no she also submitted a written comment would you like me to go ahead and read that yeah okay okay um this public comment was received February 24th at 7:51 a.m. I speak in my personal
048and professional capacity and from a nonpartisan stance in the interest in the interest of protecting students and ensuring that Jackson County Public Schools remains committed to upholding their obligations under numerous state and federal education regulations in particular I would like to stress the importance of providing comprehensive training for JCPS staff on their rights and responsibilities in the event that Agents from Ice visit JCPS schools for the purposes of seeking information about students or their families while an intentionally vague policy statement regarding how JCPS staff will respond in these circumstances allows for some flexibility in the moment this policy must clearly State how School Personnel will be educated and about how they should respond in a way that complies with existing legal obligations to protect student privacy safety and rights whether you are undocumented a lawful
049permanent resident or a citizen you have no legal obligation to share information with ice in fact directing staff to do so may put schools at risk of violating their obligations to protect student privacy and safety under furpa Copa eeoa and other state and federal laws furthermore JCPS has no obligation to allow ice to enter any schools unless the agent can produce a signed judicial warrant an administrative warrant does not Grant a lawful right of access training for JCPS Personnel on how they should interact with ice in such a way that they maintain their and students individual rights and remain in compliance with existing legal obligations would ensure that teachers administrators and other staff are well informed of their rights and responsibilities as well as the tactics that ice uses to avisc and individual civil liberties
050many resources exist from non nonprofit agencies including the immigration defense project the ACLU and the North Carolina Justice Center have made their training materials available for all kinds of training sessions furthermore local organizations such as Cima and the network of immigrant Advocates offer to provide these trainings for communities and organizations in the western North Carolina area Not only would such a training ensure that parents of JCPS students are better informed about the school board's specific action items with respect to ice requests but such basic education about how to ensure that JCPS is response to ice complies with its existing legal obligations would protect individual staff from inadvertently violating the laws with which JCPS must comply a well-informed staff is necessary for protecting our kids and keeping JCPS a safe place for all children regardless of
051immigration status comment by Dr Emily Nasser Hall uh Mr chair our next speaker is Becky pekman Petman she'd like to speak um subject JCPS LM LM hello and thank you for taking the time to listen this evening my name is Becky pesman I am a former Jackson County Public School student and a proud member of the Jackson County Community I am here tonight to talk about Jackson County Public Schools policies regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ice and our Public Schools I strongly believe that every child living in the United States no matter their citizenship status deserves the right to an education here I am thankful that it is a federal law that all children in this country can in fact receive an education here I'm also thankful that from what I understand this law
052has been communicated to the employees of Jackson County Public Schools I am however requesting that you as the school board take additional action to ensure the rights and safeties of the students in our school system I am requesting that you make it the official policy of Jackson County public schools that ice is not permitted to enter schools under any circumstances and similarly that you make it the official policy of Jackson County public schools that school resource officers and others who work within our school system will not collaborate with ice our students deserve this safety my time as a student in Jackson County Public School helped me realize the importance of standing up for justice and I'm sure you all are serving on the school board because you share similar values and truly care about the
053education and well-being of children with that in mind please exercise your power and protect our students thank you again for your attention this evening and thank you for your service on the school board Mr chairman our next speaker is David Johns and he would like to speak on a student letter hi I'm David Johns I'm a father of jcbs students and I've been asked to read a letter written originally in Spanish by a smokey my house Smoky Mountain High School student when I arrived in the United States everything was new and overwhelming one of the biggest challenges was communication since the English language was the first major barrier I understood some words but I didn't speak it fluently so it was hard for me to express myself many times I felt like my voice didn't
054matter the culture was also different the Customs the food the way people treated each other all of it made me feel like a stranger At first I felt alone I missed my home my friends my family and my school another great challenge was adapting to school because this teacher spoke quickly and I struggled to understand the lessons I remember that some classmates made fun of my accent While others assumed that because I was an immigrant I couldn't do things well however I am grateful for the classmates who were kind and showed empathy for my situation because they helped me adapt and with that things started to change being 17 years old and an immigrant in the United States has not been easy there are good days and bad days moments when I feel proud of
055what I've achieved and others when Nostalgia hits me hard but in the end I know that my story is the story of many and that every sacrifice is worth it for a better future and today I've gotten used to fitting in and feeling good I'm a student and I consider myself a good soccer player I play for Smoky Mountain High School after school which helps me improve my health now after getting used to things I feel very confident in myself in what I do and in what I think I have more clarity about what I will do in the future it's not easy to decide what I want to be when I grow up but I know I enjoy helping new students at school because they remind me of myself and they also need help
056I'm doing well and I'm very grateful for the people who have helped me and I believe that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us thank you thank you Mr chairman our final speaker is Enrique Gomez and he would like to speak about the JCPS ice policy Mr chairman members of the board my name is Enrique Gomez I'm an immigrant Spanish is my first language I am also a member of the Jackson County NAACP where I'm a Treasurer uh I want to Echo many of the things that have been heard said by the previous speaker and also I see myself in the letter of the student that was just read just a moment ago uh my concern has to do very specifically with uh the policy that was memo that was shared particularly
057that line that referred uh Jack JCPS uh faculty and staff with um directing whenever they encounter an ice officer that they direct them to their supervisor and I think there needs to be some clarification for this for the following reason people impersonate I officers it is not a hypothetical it has happened it has happened in our community in 2018 I I remember there was a person that I drove around the area of Franklin with a van that was made to look like an ice van right causing a great deal of distress in the community that I belong to so I believe very strongly that in terms of clarification no um employee of the school district should be in a position to verify the credentials of an officer that they do not recognize nor should they
058be in a position to verify a warrant by a judge that would allow that agent to enter a school and potentially detain a minor or a person in that school I think it should be clear that a sworn officer should actually um recognize and be able to ascertain whether those credentials are valid as well as the warrant that this person may actually present next thing uh what I want to say too is that I have a child that goes to to the school in the scenario that many of the uh commenters have already mentioned where for instance an nice agent and maybe an RSO and maybe a social worker come in and take a child from my daughter's classroom and this child is never seen again whether in fact it is legal for that to
059happen and whether or not it is possible for you or for school leaders to do anything about that event event however you respond whether the teachers the principles um the school leadership how they respond or choose not to respond could potentially be a tremendous Community breaking event so now is the time to start thinking and articulating for yourself what will you do in that scenario and train your staff and school leaders likewise this concludes my comments thank you so much for your leadership and for your service to account thank you thank Mr chairman that concludes the public comments thank you cor thank you for everyone who commented tonight um then up next is the open sorry action agenda and first topic of discussion is the uh Jackson Community school did you want anything here just
060sharing a couple things um I don't have a presentation tonight we've seen the same presentation for the last 3 months um but I've been collecting and sharing the uh information and data that you all as a board have asked me to um about the future location of Jackson Community School um and so we're at that point now that we had our meeting a couple weeks ago that I thought was very informative um where students and staff in the community had opportunity to share those thoughts so I will turn it over to to you as a board to continue discussion and then this is an action item um at that meeting at Jackson Community School a former student brought up something that I felt was really I haven't been able to get out of my mind
061that really made me make a decision about how I feel but what she said was if the school was moved to Smokey Mountain High there isn't really room for growth and the goal is for growth and for that reason I just want to pres just present that to the rest of the board here remind you of what she said because um it made me say whoa we need to step back and maybe table this um and just work on the school and the growth and if it gets further down then maybe moving the Smokey is the best thing but but if it's going to grow it doesn't I don't really think it has room for growth at Smoky Mountain High I would say overwhelmingly the responses that I read and heard were to not move
062the community school to the high school campus the one suggestion I did he at the community school that I thought was worth looking into in the future was possibly relocating to a separate building on C's campus where some of those course offerings could be taken advantage of but obviously that's not something that would take place immediately something have to be looked into but I think overwhelmingly what I heard was keep it in the same location um give Miss wisnet some opportunity to beef up the enrollment there and look at some ways to uh change some course offerings and and some of the methods that were being used I definitely agree with Wes um we appreciate all the feedback that we did receive we talked to lots of people met with lots of people um lots
063of community members staff and students spoke to us um on the 11th um and I I'm with Wes overwhelmingly everyone wants the school to be in a separate location um and after hearing from students I feel like that's what's best um you know the opportunity or the what was presented to us of another District that has their alternative school on their local community college campus was very interesting it was not something I had heard of before um but definitely something to consider um but I do think since this was brought to our attention we need to give that school opportunity to grow um there were lots of things that were presented to us as ways that they plan on trying to recruit students um you know and I think a lot of it is just
064surrounding ing Community perception of that school um and who goes there and it is a School of Choice um and we heard from several students that went there because Smoky Mountain High School was overwhelming so we can't put those kids back on that campus I I agree with um what my fellow board members are saying and I do want to say to um the community the overwhelming response has been very gratifying I take very seriously as an elected official input from the community I represent you all I don't have I didn't come on this board with an agenda and hearing from you has allowed us to look at some of these things that we hadn't thought about or heard about and and I want to give a lot of credit to our chair Wes Jameson
065for facilitating these hearings and making sure um that we got to hear the input from you all and we we're responding to that I think that um there's a real commitment from our staff to help with Recruitment and I think that that idea of growing that school and some opportunities and and possibly involving our community in ways that when it initially started there was more Community involvement and um that's going to take some commitment from our community to step up and offer some of the things like a cooking class or some of these other things that we cannot because of the enrollment justify hiring a a faculty member but allowing some of those things to take place and um I think also with that space um there are some other opportunities that um probably right
066now is not a good time to bring up but um chairman Jameson and I have talked a little bit about some opportunities for doing some other things in that location as well that would serve our whole Jackson County Public Schools so I agree that we we need to keep it it it is going to be an investment of some money to repair that facility bring it up to code with the heating and air but I think that and you have there's been a lot of talk about per student expenditure anytime you have a smaller School your student expenditure goes up because every school has a principal every school has SRO and and you start adding those things up and dividing it by the number of students here at Fairview there's lots of students but there's
067one principal and one assistant principal well one halftime as well now and um but I think you get my gist some of those costs um we can't divide one principle by students it and so I think we have to be realistic and and when we when we're going to really meet the needs of those students who need that separate environment it will cost more but the cost will be worth it I think okay I am probably the only person on this board who was around uh for the initiation of the alternative school in fact I wrote a grant for the school and we wanted it to be totally different we didn't want it to smell like taste like a school dress like a school we wanted it to be a loving culture with a very
068supportive staff and maybe not to use textbooks all the time but to do outside experiences get them out of the school um and I was very proud when I left of the progress that we made on that and we had a lot of students and then all of a sudden when I got on the school board I heard we had all this expense and we only had like 35 students and da da da and that that concerned me and so I'm almost sorry I brought it up because I did bring it up um but after what I saw uh the other night at the community school I'm so so impressed with those students and with the leadership in that school because it is today although we lost it for a few years today is exactly
069the culture that we wanted to instill in in an alternative school it's not about discipline it's about supporting kids who may have a terrible home background or may have an inferiority complex of some kind or may have some kind of of issue maybe it's uh sleep disorder or maybe it's um not wanting to sit in a desk for 90 minutes at a time four times a day it could be any number of things and it's not limited to kids who can't pass the test there are a lot of gifted kids who are having a real hard time in school so with the conversation that we had the other night I think the kids are going to help us the faculty will help us to recruit other students I asked the students how many of you
070have friends who would like to come to the alternative school and almost 75% of them raised their hands and so we're looking forward to they helping us to recruit students to grow the school but maintain that same culture I can't tell you how proud I was the other night um after having something to do with the initiation of that school um to see the culture that's still there and the leadership so i' say stay in the same place okay do somebody want to put that in a motion I make a motion that Jackson Community School remain in its current location and we look at ways to recruit and revamp the school second that motion all in favor I next item on the action agenda are yes I was waiting for that Applause um so I
071do want to give a shout out to miss wisnet and Mr Robinson who've had lots of really fruitful productive conversations over the last few weeks about ways to allow transition for students to go back and forth um who need that extra time and space and care so thank you to miss Wina and Mr Robinson she's the principal no where oh she's right there I do want to also say I appreciate um Gail giving me credit for those Community input sessions but that was not my idea oh I'm sorry Abigail and Abigail I thought it was a great idea as well thank you both of you Abigail and Dr s you know it was a great idea so and then next on the action agenda is budget amendments good evening again excuse me I'm seeking approval
072for amendment number six to our 2025 budget resolution there is a copy of this amendment in your board packets it includes um amendments to the school public school fund or excuse me the state public school fund Federal grant funds and capital outlay funds what questions do you have regarding this amendment like none I make a motion that we approve budget amendment number six I second that motion all in favor Christie you're up again with the 2526 audit engagement and contract correct so I'm asking your approval to renew our auditing contract with Anderson Smith and W for our 20125 audit we're very pleased with the work that they have done and would like to continue this relationship for the upcoming audit make a motion that we approve the 2025 2026 audit engagement letter and contract I
073second that motion I say by thank you up next have got Greg on agenda text right skip I checked AR ear you're right it is La sorry I just wanted to make you get up sit back down get back do a little dance um good evening Mr chairman members of the board and Dr SS in your packet this evening you have the 2425 uh school year summer testing program plan each year Adam Hol our director of testing and accountability works on this form and usually brings it to your for your approval but he happens to be in Raleigh at a conference this week so I'm presenting on his behalf the form you're reviewing for approval states that we would like to participate in summer administrations of the eoc's and eogs the end of grade and
074end of course test for our third through 12th grade students um if you approve this allows students who are not proficient on their eogs and eoc's to have the opportunity to repeat that test in summer uh during a special JCPS summer testing program the purpose is to provide those students with remediation and that second testing opportunity these summer assessments are included in the calculation for the school performance grade for our schools but they do not count for Evas growth uh there's one exciting difference this year so previously the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has only allowed this testing in the summer to occur after student days have ended and after our teacher work days have ended they've made a change this year that allows for students to take advantage of the opportunity to repeat
075this test during teacher work days so they're still not allowed during our student days but they are allowed in those teacher work days that immediately follow the last student day um so we are looking to provide the summer reteaching and testing opportunities for our students who might need an additional opportunity May 27th through 30th from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in addition to the summer testing program um that I'm seeking your approval for this evening just for your information I also wanted to share that we will be offering the state required read to achieve summer reading camp for second and third graders that we provide each year and we are also currently in the planning stages for summer program opportunities for students in our exceptional children's programs do you have any questions about the summer
076testing program or summer reading camp so they actually get three instructional days yes ma'am uh no they do not because that Monday is the holiday so they get tomorrow day yeah so they do they don't have that day but they get Tuesday Wednesday Thursday so yes ma'am they get three instructional days okay and then the fourth day that Friday allows them to retake whatever they worked on in remediation with those and we think that we'll have better participation we're not allowed to require it but we do think we'll have better participation because students and families will still be in the mode of school because it will immediately follow their last day of school instead of having you know a week-long break or getting off on family and vacations and things like that so with just
077having that one little holiday for Memorial Day we hope we'll have better participation which benefits the Student Success and the school performance grade now I obviously the those instructional dates those three sessions do those just help the student with the test taking process obviously in 3 days you can't build their capacity so is this maybe a child that was fearful of a test or maybe circled the wrong thing or would you explain exactly it could be a variety of students so it could be students who were just a few points away from being successful that you know refining their knowledge or skill might be that or a student who's traditionally very high performing in the classroom and we're very surprised by the score you know maybe they did have um anxiety that day they weren't
078feeling well it really impacts a variety of students um and we really hope that parents and family members will help partner with us to get that because it boosts their confidence for the next year if the student is able to get that proficient score we also get their individual student summary report so we know areas of weakness so those three days will allow us to Target specific core content that they may have been really close when it came to you yes that whatever it is whatever skill that they and it's usually smaller groups so it can be a little more personalized but yes we're not going to reteach the whole content but hit the areas that will get the most growth because we want the students to enjoy understand yes thank you ma' I appreciate
079that any additional questions if not I do seek your approval for this so we can get this form submitted to DPI I make a motion that we approve the summer testing program plan a second that motion all in favor I I thank you very much now we have Greg spending money as [Laughter] you good evening board um tonight before you to seek uh approval to purchase an Vigilant Security camera server um if you remember prior meetings we've uh been purchasing cameras and then um you later approved the installation of those cameras This Server will help us take advantage of those uh cameras so we need added storage capacity to um to be able to effectively use these new cameras so um we'll be purchasing it from MSS Fire and Security who's doing the installs for
080the camera so that works out very well and they've been doing a good job um they've already started at several of our schools we've got cable and in the gem right here that's signs of their progress where um some cameras are going and uh it's going to be at a cost of [Music] $3,226 with 25,000 of that um being taken care of by the county with our annual um security um budget that they give us for cameras for Replacements additions and maintenance for our security camera system do you have any questions about it M I make a motion that we approve the purchase of the security camera server motion all in FA thank you thank you Dr SS with field trips all right the last Open Session action items so I'm seeking your approval for
081the following field trips for fair viiew grades seven and eight to Carowinds U free you're free for that um Smoky Mountain High School jrc which I'm so proud of tonight that they were able to present um they are traveling um for an overnight on March 7th and 8th in reron uh number three Smoky Mountain High School 11th grade students Juniors to NC State and then grade 12 to Dollywood and Smoky Mountain High School exceptional children's classes to the Young Harris planetarium on March 2 so I seek your approval for all five field trips now here it's number three it says NC State in Charlotte Charlotte I think it might be the wrong City uhuh they're making a stop off in Charlotte so they're going to ring oh okay but they are stopping in Charlotte it's
082in the description in the packet oh okay however I would like to thank um I think it's Sergeant trento for inviting me on the field trip trip to our Central you have to climb the wall together she's been she's been um recruiting trips so if anybody does want toite make a motion that we approve field trips one through five I second that motion all in favor okay at this time we will be going into Clos session pursuant to General statute 143 31811 for the following purposes under subsection A1 to prevent the disclosure of privileged or confidential Personnel information pursuant to General statute 115 C- 319-321 and A3 to discuss matters protected by the attorney client privilege you I have a motion to go into closed session I make a motion that we go into close
083session second motion all in favor I and we're going back to the media center for close session than e e e we on here yes sir start so there was action taken during closed session we have motion and then present Personnel y um so I would like your approval for the Personnel action agenda as presented I make a motion that we approve the Personnel action agenda as presented I second that motion all in favor I um I also would like to make a motion to amend the agenda um to add on there the resolution to for the Board of Education to remain nonpartisan I'll second that motion all in favor I then need to are you G to read that resolution um I make a motion that we approve the resolution to remain for the
084Board of Education to remain nonpartisan say second all in favor thank you by that's what so the next regularly scheduled business meeting for the board of education is March 25th 2025 at 6m the Jackson Community School do I have a motion to adjourn I make a motion that we adjourn tonight need that resolution do you want to read the resolution I think we should read the resolution read part of it yeah okay talks about when school board shouldn't be part that's right do you have that the resolution you like me hear yes please thank you our our attorney crafted an excellent resolution so it's a resolution regarding partisan Board of Education elections whereas a recent motion among the Jackson County Board of Commissioners held without notice to or input from the Jackson County Board of
085Education or the general public has included the question of whether the county should petition the local delegation to the North Carolina general assembly for a local act enabling or requiring the Jackson County Board of Education to be elected on a partisan basis and whereas no reason was given for supporting such a change to a partisan election for the school board and recent years demonstrate a widespread political effort with the number of school boards elected in a partisan manner growing from just 17 of 115 school boards in 2015 to more than 53 after the most recent General Assembly session and whereas members of the Jackson County Board of Education have been elected on a nonpartisan basis since at least 1961 and whereas if the board were elected on a partisan basis Jackson County Citizens who are
086registered independent or unaffiliated would be required to petition for inclusion on ballots and pursuant to the Hatch Act those who are federal employees would be forced to choose between their employment and holding office or even participating in a partisan election for the Board of Education and whereas school board members unlike other elected officials must bear sole allegiance to the students and parents they serve and not leaders or platforms of specific political parties and where as school boards have the primary responsibility for setting school policy and hiring School teachers and administrators and neither of these responsibilities should be influenced by political party affiliation and whereas educational issues decided by school boards are nonpartisan issues and the board's judicial and Personnel functions must be nonpartisan and whereas the undersigned members believe that our board has functioned well
087over the past 64 years with nonpartisan elections affording respectful interaction and appropriate focus on a Schoolboard singular Mission the education of the students of our County and whereas injecting Party politics into Schoolboard elections would shift the focus away from candidates who are singularly committed to the education of Jackson County students and whereas the focus civil discourse and Cooperative Spirit exercised by all Schoolboard members for the greater good of our community would be harmed by partisan Schoolboard elections now therefore be it resolved that in order to best serve the citizens and students of Jackson County the undersigned members of the Jackson County Board of Education hereby respectfully and adamantly requests that consideration of any measure to make Schoolboard elections partisan in Jackson County cease and that the general assembly refused to take up any such measure
088and will be signed by all board members thank you Ashley and when this is signed it will be provided to our Representatives in the general assembly I'm assuming at the time sure okay thank you thank you thank Youk you okay motion forance I make a motion that we adjourn tonight's meeting I second that motion all in favor I 84 848