001I'm putting some turkey wings in the oven. See, I thought it was the dog. I thought that That was All right, good evening everyone. Tonight is the annual meeting of the Wake County Board of Education. It is Tuesday, December 2nd at 5:00. We do have a quorum with all of our current board members here and present. And so, with quorum present, I'd like to invite everyone who's able to stand as we recite the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And at this point in the annual meeting, it is the outgoing chair's duty to turn the gavel over to the superintendent, Dr. Robert Taylor. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
002And don't get too happy with this gavel. That's right. Okay, in making nominations for the chair and the vice chair, a second is required. Uh, once all nominations have been made, a motion is made to close the nominations, and the motion is seconded. Uh, ballots will be handed out to each board member to vote and sign and pass to council, uh, who will tabulate those. Uh, lacking a majority, a second vote and subsequent votes, uh, they could be necessary. Uh, the ballots are a matter of public record. Uh, and having said that, uh, are there nominations for the position of chair for the Wake County Board of Education? Uh, Mr. Haggerty. Thank you. I am both proud and honored at this time to put forth the name of Tyler Swanson as a nominee for chair
003of the Wake County Board of Education. All right. Tyler Swanson. Second. Moved and seconded. Uh, are there any other nominations? With that, uh, is there a motion to close nominations? So moved. Okay, is there a second? Second. Okay, it's moved and seconded. Uh, if we could pass out the ballots. Make sure there's an app on it. I have a ballot here. That's right. I'm going to put my vote in. I'm just trying not to be wrong with one of these. Um One second. There are six votes for Tyler Swanson. There are two abstentions. So, Mr. Swanson would be elected chair by vote of by unanimous vote, actually. Okay. ALL RIGHT. [Applause] ALL RIGHT, I WILL SAVE MY COMMENTS TO the ends. Um Thank you. All right. [Applause] S- um Are there any nominations for the
004vice chair of the Wake County Board of Education? Mr. Chair. Yes. I would like to nominate Sam Hershey for vice chair. Is there a second? Second. All right. Uh, is there any name any other names to be put forward for vice chair? Hearing none, I'll entertain a motion to close the nominations. So moved. We have a second a motion from I almost said Chair Haggerty. Uh, Mr. Haggerty, is there a second? Second. Seconded from Mr. Hershey. Um Do I need to do a I'd like to close Okay, is there a vote to close? No. I Y'all are confusing me. I got confused. All in favor of the motion, there we are. Please say aye. Aye. Opposed, same sign. All right, the ayes have it. We'll pass the ballots. I was used to Chair Haggerty making
005all of these motions and coach me through the way, so. There are six votes for Sam Hershey as vice chair. There are two abstentions. So, uh, Mr. Hershey would be voted vice chair by unanimous vote. CONGRATULATIONS. [Applause] ALL RIGHT, CONGRATULATIONS, UH, Vice Chair Hershey. Uh, Chair Haggerty, I have your plaque here, so I would love if you would meet me in the front. I'll share a couple of comments, and then we will swear in our new board member. So, I'll say a couple of quick words to make him breathe, but I just want to say it's been an honor to serve as your vice chair. Chair Haggerty, I think we make a great balance. We were great thought partners, and I appreciate all your leadership, steadfastness, and talking me off some cliffs at times. So,
006we balanced each other out. It was always good cop, bad cop, and nine times out of 10 I was often the bad cop. Um, so, with that, I just want to thank you for that, and I will open up the floor if you have any comments, Chair. I really appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you. [Applause] >> Great. All right. They aren't sure. Well, you didn't come here to hear from the ghost of Christmas past. You heard wanted to hear from the ghosts of Christmas present, the ghosts of Christmas future. So, today is about new starts, new beginnings. We have a new chair, we have a new vice chair, and we will be welcoming very shortly a new member to our board. So, I'll simply leave it at that. Thank you all so much for this
007opportunity. Um I've worked hard. I hope that I've done right by y'all. Um it's hard with as many individuals with as many different opinions and different visions maybe for the district to get everyone pulling in the same direction, but I hope we have made progress towards some goals that we all share. So, thank you very much. Thank you. [Applause] And we will go into a brief recess so we can get the Mr. Hershey's name tag and switch name tags really quickly and then get ready for the moment that everyone's waiting for. So, we'll take a quick recess and get ready to swear in our new board member. That was a quick recess. Um I'd like to welcome everyone to the swearing in of Dr. Jennifer Job, the newly appointed board member to fill the vacancy
008for District 8. Um also like to welcome Senator Lisa Grafstein of representing the 13th District. Um and also welcome our elected officials that are here. I see a couple. Uh Commissioner Cheryl Stallings, Commissioner and former board member Tara Waters, uh former Wake County Commissioner Dr. Yvonne Brandon, and our former District 8 board member Ms. Mahaffey. Um so, Senator, I will read your bio. So, Senator Grafs Yes. Well, Senator Grafstein has been a champion for civil rights, human rights, disability rights as a disability attorney. Um she has served in North Carolina State Senate since 2023. Um she earned a BA in English from Northwestern University, completed her JD from the University of North Carolina Law School, um and has ran for the State Senate in 2022. Uh Senator Grafstein has lived in Wake County since 1990.
009She has a son who attends Wake Tech, and she's completed the City of Oaks marathon twice. So, Senator Grafstein, welcome and thank you. [Music] All right. I don't know. Um so, am I on this side or that side? Yes. Yes. All right. Great. Yeah, I I'll be brief cuz uh you've got a lot of distinguished folks here. I'm one of the least distinguished people here. Um it's been my honor to be here before and to join you all for different uh events including being sworn in or had folks being sworn in on this board. Uh it was my pleasure to swear swear in the new vice chair um Mr. Hershey back when he had hair. So, it's been a rough ride for him, I think. Um It's good to get that one in. Um but
010it's just such an honor to be here um to swear in Jennifer Job who's just a delightful human being in every possible way. Um I I see her folks are here who are you can tell how some that somebody was raised right. Uh but you but now that I know Ronda and Bob, I know uh that she comes from a family that really values education, that she will do everything she can to make sure that the school system in Wake County is the best in the country for not only her daughter but for all of our children. So, it's an honor to be here and uh Dr. Job, are you ready to take your oath? Well, your daughter holds them both. Yes, yes, yes. It's all the way. Great. Yes, raise your right hand. It's
011okay. We can swear you in next time. If you would please repeat after me. I, Jennifer Job, I, Jennifer Job, do solemnly affirm do solemnly affirm that I will support and maintain that I will support and maintain the Constitution and laws of the United States, the Constitution and laws of the United States, and the Constitution and laws of the state of North Carolina, and the Constitution and laws of state of the state of North Carolina, not inconsistent therewith, not inconsistent therewith, and that I will faithfully discharge that I will faithfully dis- discharge my duties as a member of the Wake County Board of Education. >> my duties as a member of the Wake County Board of Education. Congratulations. Thank you. [Applause] UM OKAY, THIS IS GOING TO BE VERY BRIEF CUZ I didn't know I
012was supposed to speak until about 10 minutes before the work session. Um I want to thank my family and my friends for being here and especially my daughter who inspires me all the time. Um but and I just want to repeat something I said during my interview that I very much believe that public education is one of the greatest public goods that we provide as a government and that it is a huge responsibility to introduce children to the world basically and and to give them a chance to have a um to have you know, a diverse background and and exposure to all sorts of new ideas and things and I take this responsibility extremely seriously and I'm very honored to be here and I really look forward to being a part of all of this.
013So, thank you very much. >> Great. Thank you, Dr. Job. And board members, we will take gather in the front to take a group photo and then followed by our group photo, there will be a recess. Um the reception, you can exit through this door Sorry, this door here to to enter to the board conference room for the reception for Dr. Job. And then we'll be in recess until about 5:45, 6-ish. All right. Board members, we can join up front and um board members after that, please gather your things because these seats are going to be shifting during the recess. >> Test, test. Test, test. Test. >> Mhm. >> All right. Good. All right. Good afternoon. Good evening. It is Tuesday, December the 2nd at 6:00 p.m. and we're calling the regular Wake County Board
014of Education meet meeting to order. I want to welcome those who are watching at home and those of of you all who are here in the audience. The Wake County Board of Education meetings are conducted for the purpose of carrying out the official business of the school system. The public is cordially invited to attend the meetings to observe the board as it conducts its official business. Persons who willfully interrupt, disrupt, or cause any disturbance at disturbances at an official board meeting may be directed to leave by the presiding officer. Members of the audience should show respect for those speakers by refraining from loud comments or other disruptions. Disruptions by any persons or persons of the public will be subject to action in court in our ordinance with general statute 143-318-17. We already have a quorum
015and there is already we've already done the pledge. At this point, I will entertain any motions regarding tonight's agenda. Mr. Chairman. Yes, sir. Sorry, it's a little louder than I expected. Uh I would like to amend the agenda to move the current item uh that is under item 12, actions after closed session, the human resources recommendations for employment. I would like to move that to the top of the agenda to follow the adoption of our agenda. All right. So, there is a motion to move the HR recommendations to the top of the agenda after the approval of the agenda. Is there a second? Second. There is a second by uh Ms. Edmonds. All those Any discussion? Sorry. Um I have another amendment to the agenda, if I may. Sure. Can I vote on doing one
016at a time or do you want to just do them as is? Let's just go ahead and do that. Okay. Sure. So, we'll have two amendments. Right. Okay. Um I would like to move policy 4318 from consent to to action. Okay. So, Ms. Edmonds' motion is to move board policy 4318, which is the student use of wireless communication device on second reading from consent to action. And I'll second And there is that motion has been properly seconded. Any discussion? Chair, do we need to Since we already had a motion and a second, do we not need to vote on the initial chick Chris's first and then we have to redo Lynn's? >> Yes. Ms. Edmonds, I got it. I got ahead of myself. So, we'll take a vote on Mr. Hurt Mr. Haggerty's motion, which
017is to move the HR recommendations approval of the HR recommendations to after the consent. Everyone clear on that? All right. Um I'll call the question. All in favor say I. I. Opposed? The eyes have it. The motion passes. So, we have moved the HR. Now, we'll circle back to Ms. Edmonds' motion, which is to move policy uh board board policy 4318, the student use of wireless devices, on second reading from action from consent to action. Is there a second? I'll second. Seconded by Mr. Hershey. Any discussion? All right. Not hearing any, I'll call the question. All those in favor of the motion to let it be known by the sign of I. I. Opposed? Same signs. The eyes have it and now we have amended our agenda. So, now I will entertain a motion to
018adopt tonight's agenda. Mr. Chair. Yes, sir. I move that we adopt the amended agenda. There's been a motion by Mr. Haggerty to adopt the amended agenda. Is there a second? Second. Seconded by Vice Chair Hershey. Any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor of the motion let it be known by the sign of I. I. Opposed? Same sign. The eyes have it. The motion passes. So, now we will start with our recognition item. The academically uh intellectually gifted AIG certification recognition. I think that will be presented by uh Ms. Sproul Roberts. [Applause] Good evening. Greetings, Chair Swanson, board members, and Superintendent Taylor. I am LaKisha Roberts. I'm the director of the advanced learning services and with me is Chelsea Williams, our coordinating teacher for advanced learning services. We are incredibly proud of our inaugural cohort
019of six WC PSS teachers who have earned their AIG certification through our partnership with the local university, Meredith College. Last year, these educators dedicated their time to deepening their understanding of AIG practices, participating in graduate level coursework aligned with both North Carolina AIG standards and WC PSS instructional strategies. This program was intentionally designed to support our teachers and strengthen advanced learning opportunities for students across the district. In addition to building expertise, it also created professional network of educators committed to meeting the unique needs of our advanced learners. Building on this success, our second cohort is now in their third month of study through our new partnership with Campbell University. So, on behalf of the advanced learning services team, today we are honored to recognize their commitment, leadership, and achievement as we present their certificates of
020completion to the WC PSS AIG certification program. So, when you hear your name, please come up and grab your certificate. From Holly Springs Elementary School and Fuquay Varina Elementary School, Jessica Allen. [Applause] From Farmington Woods Elementary, Cara Little. [Applause] From Baucom Elementary School, Nathan Stack. [Applause] From Oak Grove Elementary School, Callie Garcia. [Applause] From Roseville Middle School, Kim Bowling. [Applause] >> And from Baileywick Elementary School, Shelly Mahozic. [Applause] Thank you for giving us this time. We are incredibly proud of our WCPSS educators. Thank you. And thank you to our educators for going above and beyond. Um we know it's not easy to juggle your everyday task on top of furthering your credentials, so we want to thank you for the work that you all do everyday to support our students. Um thank you so much.
021And board members, I realized that I forgot to request a motion to approve the HR recommendation. So, thank you, Attorney Malone. So, before we go to public comments, um do I just need to make them Do we need another motion? Yes. Is there a motion to uh approve the HR recommendations? So, Chair Swanson, I would like to move that we approve the HR HR recommendations and any administrative appointments that were adopted in closed session. Thank you. The motion has been to adopt the HR recommendations uh from Chair Haggerty. Is there a second from Vice Chair Hershey? Uh all those in favor, let it be known by the sign of I. I. Opposed, the same signs. The eyes have it and the recommendations have been adopted. >> Thank you. Rookie mistake. Um All right. So, now
022we will turn to the public comment portion. Uh we will now Students will be heard first, but there is no students tonight, uh followed by speakers commenting on tonight's agenda and speakers commenting on other agendas. Only the person speaking at the podium will be able to stand. Again, all attendees are not all attendees that are not speaking must remain seated. Concerns related to personnel issues or student matters may be addressed through the applicable WCPSS personnel, the grievance policies, or any other applicable policies. The board welcomes all viewpoints, including criticisms directed at substantive ideas, actions, or procedures. However, the board's comment However, the board's public comment policy also requires uh requires that order and decorum must be maintained. In the interest of maintaining decorum and order, speakers are encouraged to address their concerns and comments to
023the Board of Education and must refrain from personal attacks and insults directed at the board, individual board members, staff, or members of the general public. All comments All commenters are asked to remember that children are often attending these meetings and to keep their comments substantive and civil. Please remain at the podium during your time and any materials that you wish to share should be handed to our attorney, Mr. Malone, before or after your comments. During the public speak During the public comment, you may speak for up to 3 minutes. Please note that the microphones are adjustable. When you begin, the green light on the podium will illuminate, showing that there that your 3 minutes have begun. A yellow light with an audible tone when there's 30 seconds left in your time. When speaking When your
024speaking time is up, you will see a red light or hear another audible tone. When your time is up, the next speaker will be called to the podium. Speakers are asked to respect the time limit and speak no more than 3 minutes. Our first speaker for tonight will be Jennifer Derman, followed by Amy Bryant. Jennifer Derman. Thank you, board members and Superintendent Taylor. My name is Jennifer Derman. One week ago today, 14 citizens were in this room interviewing for the vacant district eight board seat, and I was proud to be one of them. Each of us invested significant time preparing and believing our experiences and commitment to public education would be thoughtfully considered. What became clear after the fact was that this decision had been made long before the interviews took place. While the process
025followed the letter of procedure, what happened last week was well-orchestrated theater and did not reflect the spirit of open deliberation or genuine consideration that our community deserves. I want to be very clear. I'm not here because I wasn't selected. I came into this process fully aware of this board's voting habits and patterns. I knew that the R on my voter registration card, which is a strange application requirement for a non-partisan board seat, would rule me out as a viable candidate. Still, I chose to participate because I believe students deserve leaders willing to place outcomes above politics and self-preservation. Diversity of experience, professional background, and original thought are requirements for solving complex challenges. Yet, there's no willingness to invite new perspectives to this board. If you don't believe in diversity and inclusion on this governing body,
026why should anyone believe you stand up for it in classrooms? Continuing to propagate the echo chamber of this board is failing our students and the and the proof is in your report card. Academic proficiency has remained flat for 3 years with only 64% of students meeting grade level expectations and significantly lower results for our most vulnerable students. Less than half of our schools are meeting expected academic growth. Early literacy performance continues to de- to decline with only 43% of third graders reading on grade level. And chronic absenteeism is rising, affecting nearly one in four students, which undermines every academic and social-emotional effort we make. These are core priorities in the strategic plan this board approved. And we're halfway through that plan, and progress remains very limited. Acknowledging this isn't an indictment of educators or students.
027It's a call to action for this board to reflect on whether your party-line choices are producing the results our community expects and deserves. I remain deeply committed to Wake County Public Schools. My children and I are product products of this district. And my professional life is dedicated to helping public school districts improve literacy. Legendary basketball coach John Wooden said, "Failure is not fatal, but failu- failure to change might be." This board may not have chosen change last week, but the need for it remains. I look forward to continuing this conversation with educators, parents, and voters, and to offering my service again in the future. Thank you. Our next speaker is Amy Bryant. Bryant. Okay. We'll now be heard Mr. Deaton. Mr. Joseph Deaton is our next speaker, followed by Dan Holt. The question I have
028been raising at board meetings is whether current policies and training are adequate to prevent sexual abuse by school employees. Last time I began to go through actions by school administrators and teachers that led to a lawsuit that was settled in 2023. It began in Durham, where none of the teachers reported any of the obvious grooming behavior by another teacher. When one girl told the vice principal he grabbed her, the vice principal didn't do anything. When the girl's mother called the principal, he also failed to call law enforcement. He decided it would be better for the teacher to resign rather than be fired, and HR went along with it. I am pretty sure it was against the law even then to make such an offer. They definitely violated the law after the teacher resigned by failing
029to notify NCDPI that the resignation occurred because of sexual misconduct. Thus, there was neither a criminal background report nor anything on file at NCDPI when this teacher applied for a job in Wake County. During the job interview, the the hiring principal was so naive that, according to the lawsuit, she just accepted the teacher's story that the reason he resigned mid-term was to care for a sick relative and made no effort to get any corroboration of that story. The only reference she checked was the Durham principal. She did not ask him direct questions, and he did not tell her the reason for the resignation. Astoundingly, he even gave a positive review for the teacher. This is known as passing the trash. Policy 7100 on hiring merely lists qualifications to consider. There needs to be more detail
030on what you should ask references, what records to request, and how to conduct interviews. Criminal background checks give a false sense of security because many abusers haven't been caught, and very few get screened out this way. There needs to be a list of common red flags because evidently personnel conducting the hiring don't have the common sense to recognize them. Cases like this one need to be examples in in training. Thank you. Our next speaker is Dan Holt is All right. Good evening, Dr. Taylor. Chair Chair Swanson and school school board members. My name is Dan Holt. My wife Carol and I volunteered last spring with the Level Up Literacy program at Bugg Elementary School. The school's enrollment is 97% economically disadvantaged and its reading proficiency scores for 2025 are 27% compared to 57% for the
031district and 46% for the state. We met our second grade students in late March and met twice weekly for 30-minute sessions through May. The reading program and support we received was managed by the Wake Ed Partnership. We had looked forward to returning to Bugg to tutor this fall, but the Level Up Literacy program has not been renewed. Most likely due to a lack of available funds. Wake Ed submitted an RFP, request for proposal to the Wake County School System to manage the program this year. We are unaware of any communications from the board as to why it was not accepted. We realize there are many budget concern constraints the school board is facing over which they have little control. But we would like this RFP to be revisited and the program renewed. Let's review the
032statistical results system-wide from the spring session provided by These are provided by Wake Ed. There were 194 volunteers. 332 students served grades served through grades 1 and 3, 1 through 3. 1,900 hours of tutoring and supporting students from February to May. This covered 34 elementary schools who were participating in Level Up Literacy. And the results show that 97% of these students showed improvement according to progress check data regardless of which literacy component they were starting with they were targeting. So, I think the numbers speak for themselves. Here's the thing. What we don't hear is the voice of the children who desperately need our help. I wonder what they might say. Perhaps something like this. They might say, "We want to grow up and be successful. We want to learn to read, but it's not easy.
033We look up to our teachers and other adults. Please take time to teach us. Our future depends on it." Dear Dr. Taylor and school board, let's renew the Level Up Literacy program for the spring semester. We We can do it and we should do it. Thank you. Our next speaker is Sarah Haddad. Forgive me if I mispronounced your last name. I'm a little tall. Good evening. My name is Sarah Haddad. I'm a Wake County school parent and alumna. With over 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry focused on health, clinical, regulatory systems, and policy. The definition of a bully is someone who seeks to harm or intimidate those they perceive as vulnerable. Wake County has a no a zero tolerance bullying policy, yet what ICE does in and around schools is textbook bullying, intimidation,
034targeting, and fear. And I say that with what my history teachers taught me a millennia ago at Athens Drive. You never appease a bully because appeasement signals permission. Appeasement does not create safety, it creates opportunity for further abuse. When intimidation affects children, failing to establish protective policy leaves students vulnerable, and that is a responsibility no district should accept. No child in Wake County, regardless of immigration status, race, religion, or sexuality, should be forced to learn under fear. Our policies must protect every child, not just the ones whose protection feels administratively simple. However, this is also a public health issue. So, a recent study from St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital found that chronic stress, instability, intimidation, or fear can activate the immune system in ways that potentially damage mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, weakening long-term
035immunity. So, what happens is that fear becomes biological, stress becomes cellular, and a child in survival mode cannot learn. A federal law already recognizes that children must be able to attend school without fear, and that's the foundation of Plyler versus Doe. Safe zones simply protect that existing right. And here's the truth about bullies. If you don't stop them, they escalate. They widen their targets. And if intimidation is tolerated today, it will push deeper into the community tomorrow. That widening sphere of fear is how a systemic health consequences spread across generations, not because families are weak, but because children are still developing bodies that cannot withstand chronic stress. Districts across the country have passed strong safe zone policies because schools are not just educational spaces, they are public health spaces, emotional safety spaces, and centers of
036community stability. Wake County should be among those leaders. Education and health are human rights, not privileges. ICE has no place near our schools. Thank you. Our next speaker is Serena Johnson. Serena Johnson. Hello, everyone. Um speaking as a parent of our students that went to Wake County Public School. And I'm also here to talk about safe zone zones for school protecting children that are immigrants um from the threat of ICE um and going to school. I know we have all this stuff with academic um you want to talk about academic structure and how everything is happening now. This is affecting these kids every day, not just on a school level, but just on a home level, and a life level. And I feel like Wake County, being one of the largest school board systems in
037North Carolina, should be taking a lead on a resolution that's going to protect families that are going through the threat of ICE. It was done in Durham. We can come up with a a resolution in Wake County. So, you know, we've been doing all we can at Education Justice Alliance to support our families and community on every aspect of the word as far as home life, things down to basic life needs, food, water. Families cannot even go outside safely and live their lives to provide for their families. People are behind on their rent, on their lights, on just living life, stuck in the house, hiding from ICE. And on our schools on our school grounds, you guys should be providing all the safety provided for those students and those families. And it shouldn't be something
038that's slow to come. This has been going on for weeks now. We've been working day in, day out to see what we can do to help families get what they need. And as public school system is supposed to provide that just as basic needs for students, all students. So, I hope that you guys will come up with a resolution for Wake County ASAP so our students won't be facing fear at the bus stops, going to school, and they already have enough fear to deal with within the home themselves. Thank you. Our next speaker is Miguel I don't want to butcher your last name. Figueres. Thank you. Thank you, Miguel. Thank you for that. Hi. My name is Miguel Figueres and I'm a parent organizer and a member of Public School Strong in Wake County. And
039I'd like to thank you for all you do cuz I know um the North Carolina General Assembly, which is um and controlled by the R's in the Senate and in the House, are um not funding schools the way they should and are taking taxpayer money and giving it to their private friends, private school friends. So, um I like to thank you for that too before I start. Um I'm here to ask you again uh to adopt a safe schools resolution that protects undocumented students and mixed status families. I have parents whose students are afraid to attend conferences, school events because they worry about being seen. I have parents afraid to walk their children from their apartments to the bus stop that's not even a block away. Something needs to be done and you can do
040something. Federal law includes including the Supreme Court's decision of Plyler versus Doe, which was mentioned earlier, says every child has a right to a free public education regardless of immigration status. That right doesn't mean much if the students are too afraid to walk through the doors. Fear is the enemy of peace and growth. When there's fear, everyone, students, teachers, staff, they all feel it. Having safe schools policies create a calm atmosphere. It creates more stable and learning environments in classrooms, which is good for all students, not just undocumented ones. Allowing immigration enforcement in or around school invites racial profiling of both students and their parents. It's stupid to think that there's an accurate way to spot who is undocumented and not have a social security card in in their pocket. When immigration enforcement is allowed
041in or around school, it invites racial profiling of families based on language, appearance, last name, or who they stand next to in the carpool line. It's ridiculous to think that this country is where it is right now. But here we are because of xenophobia and hate. We have some amazing public school educators who are doing everything they can to support students academically and emotionally. Because of immigration enforcement, those amazing teachers are forced to manage the fear in the classroom as well. So I ask you to please make it crystal clear that the Wake County Public School District believes in safe schools for our students regardless of immigration status or family status, and they can show up, feel safe, and focus on learning. Thank you. [Applause] Our next speaker is Emily Malpass. Is Emily in the
042room? Great. And Emily will be followed by Ramaya R. Hi guys. Uh my name's Emily Malpass. I'm a parent of students at Lynn Road Elementary and at Carroll Middle School. Um so let's think. Is it going to be the HR issues, reductions in force, understaffing, school mental health needs? What's she going to talk about? Um all of that would be a good place to start tonight, but I am here to use my 3 minutes to join in the call for this board to adopt a safe schools resolution protecting undocumented students in mixed-status families. Such a resolution should also reinforce the legal limits on federal immigration agents' access to our school properties, mandate staff training on how to respond to immigration authorities, review bullying policies in relation to this situation, and communicate openly with families about
043their rights. One thing I can do from where I stand is to say what I see and offer some acknowledgement. So I'd like to name that especially at this time of year, we are all operating beyond capacity. I know that every parent, every administrator, teacher, every one of you elected officials sitting on this board, we all say yes to more than we can really do. We all sleep less than we should. And now because of yet another completely manufactured emergency by our federal government, we are being called to do even more with less than ever. I wish I had data on the number of hours everyone in this room collectively has spent on the last few weeks on Zoom calls, group chats, meetings, driving extra loops, attending trainings, standing around in parking lots in the
044rain talking to each other. And as I heard a colleague say today, flying planes as we're building them. How much money have we spent buying extra groceries we can't really afford, printing flyers, buying more whistles than any of us have ever wanted in our lives? How many other advocacy initiatives and personal and professional projects are on the back burner while we contend with a threat to the rights and safety of thousands of students and families who follow all the rules? And this only accounts for my lived experience, which is one that I don't deserve any more than anyone else. Whether or not we all agree on what is on our wish list, I think everyone here has shown up because we want to affect change. And none of us can do it to the extent
045we truly desire. What you, the members of the board, can do is to pass this strong safety resolution, to take that much of a stand, which will start to balance the scales even a small amount. Do the thing you can do to reassure our families and staff while balancing the legal constraints we all know exist for you. Follow the lead of our neighboring counties and use your voice to remind us all what makes North Carolina public schools worth fighting for. Thanks. Our next speaker is Ramaya R. Ramaya will be followed by Sarah Quadiri. Excuse me if I mispronounced that, Sarah. Good evening. My name is Ramaya, and I am a youth organizer with Education Justice Alliance. I work with teens and families across the district, and one message that we've been hearing constantly is simple
046but urgent. School should be a safe haven. Kids cannot learn if they're scared. That is the fact. When students come to school worrying about immigration enforcement showing up, or that something could happen to their family while they're in class, they're not focusing on math, reading, or science. They're focused on survival. No child should walk into a classroom carrying that level of fear. And we know that families who speak another language, who look a certain way, or who come from certain neighborhoods are more likely to be watched or questioned. That kind of targeting does real harm. It breaks trust. It keeps families from participating, and it sends a message that some students belong more than others. That is not what public education should ever be. Students across multiple schools have already raised their voices. They protested,
047they've organized, and they've made it clear that they don't want ICE anywhere near their learning environments. They're asking you to listen and to act. Our students are watching what you do. Please pass a safe schools resolution that tells them you are welcome here, you are safe here, and your education matters. Thank you for your time. Um our next speaker is Sarah Sarah Quadiri. If I mispronounced that, I'm so sorry. If Sarah's not here, we will now hear from Drew Washington, and Drew will be followed Well, Drew Washington. How y'all doing today? Uh my name is Drew Washington, and today I'll be echoing the voices of my colleagues. Um so I'm a community organizer for Education Justice Alliance, and today I'm here to speak about the urgent reality that we are facing here in Wake County,
048which is the presence of ICE in our community, and to urge this board to pass a safe schools resolution that will protect our immigrant students and families. So as we know, there has been a numerous amount of violence and injustice against immigrant communities across the nation that has been encouraged by the federal government and felt deeply by many families. And today we are here to talk about something that isn't that distant. We're talking about what's happening in our own community and what's happening to our students. Over the past 2 weeks, Education Justice Alliance, along many powerful community members and dedicated volunteers, has worked tirelessly to respond to ICE activity, educate families about their rights, and create a sense of unity and support during a time filled with fear and uncertainty. The outpouring and of care
049and support has been incredible. However, we understand that collective action works best when efforts are made from all fronts. That is why we are urging Wake County Public Schools to pass a safe schools resolution. A resolution like this is more than a symbolic gesture. It's a commitment to making sure immigrant students feel safe at school and to ensure that they know their school system will take a stand for them. When it comes to public education, the needs of students and families must always come first. A learning environment that is truly nurturing cannot exist without safety, trust, and support. We all know that when students feel safe at school, the learning environment becomes more stable for everyone. No child should walk into a classroom wondering if they'll be criminalized, targeted, or taken away. Young people, especially
050those from minoritized backgrounds, are already carrying a number of pressures. Knowing this, it is our responsibility as adults to remove these barriers and to not be complicit. In moments like this, our students need us to wrap a blanket of care around them. They need to know that their school board is willing to act, speak up, and protect them. Not just in words, but in both policy and practice. So today, I urge you to work towards passing a safe schools resolution and help ensure that every student, regardless of where they're born, what language they speak, or who their family is, can learn, grow, and thrive in a safe school environment. Thank you. Our final speaker will be Mira Butalia. Butalia? Please correct me if I mispronounced your last name, and I'm so sorry. Hi. Um my
051name's Mira Butalia. Um I run an environmental education uh program for students from Wake County schools. I'm here to echo these folks. Um the increase in ICE activity in the triangle has affected the lives of Wake County students the way that any acute crisis would. Students have felt un- not safe to leave their houses. Families are losing income. Families aren't able to leave to get food and a lot of students are living with a baseline of fear. I see it in the students I work with and also the stories they are telling about their own high schools and the drop in attendance that they've seen. Um, I'm just encouraging you guys to respond to this as a crisis like you would respond to any other, the same way Wake County schools had to pivot to
052respond to COVID-19 or you would pivot if a majority of students were affected by a natural disaster. Think about the effects on students' lives, the fact that they're living in fear. Um, this is an extreme disruption in students' learning and their sense of safety at school. So, I just encourage you to respond as if this was this is a disaster for a lot of students. So, thank you for your time. Thank you. [Applause] And this will be the last call for Sarah Quadrury if she's in the room. All right. We will now turn to our consent agenda. Is there a motion for the adoption of the consent agenda? Chair Swanson, motion to approve the consent agenda. So, we have a motion by Vice Chair Hershey. Is there a second? >> I'll second. Second from Mr.
053Haggerty. Uh, any discussion? All right. Hearing none, is there I'm sorry. Uh, all in favor of the motion to adopt the consent agenda, please let it known by the sign of I. >> I. Opposed, same sign. The I's have it. The consent agenda passes. We will now turn to our information item which is our policy do do do do policy 4318 student use of wireless communication devices for second reading. Dr. Crane. Thank you. Sure. Tonight, I understand this policy was moved from consent to action. So, I'm bringing to you the second reading of policy 4318 student use of wireless communication devices. This is a revised policy and revisions were recommended by the North Carolina School Boards Association Association and staff and were discussed at the October 28th, 2025 policy committee meeting. The revised policy was
054approved on first reading at November at the November 18th board meeting. Um, so we request your second reading your approval on second reading for this. Are there any questions that I can answer for you? Great. Is there a motion to adopt policy 4318 on second reading? Chair Swanson, I move that we adopt 4318 on second reading. The policy has there's a motion by the policy chair, Ms. Edmonds, to adopt uh, 4318. Is there a second? Second. There's a second by Ms. Gordon. Any discussion? Uh, Ms. Ms. Edmonds. Thank you. Very briefly. Um, just we wanted to move this just to reiterate to the public that the changes that were made were very minor. It was really one change where when we adopted the policy last or this summer, uh, we did so in order to
055have something in place for the 25-26 school year knowing full well that the legislation was still in process and that we may have to amend it once that legislation was passed. And so where before we had um, devices had to be silenced and put away, per legislation, we had to change it to off and put away. And so that was the change and it, you know, again, in compliance with state law. And so it's really not as dramatic as some may we did say. For further information, we did clarify up top that we changed um, smart watches. We now include smart glasses and that they may be worn and used as watches and glasses, but any features that connect to them connect them wirelessly to communicate should be turned off. And before section A, we
056included some language that says the policy does not apply to district-issued and managed devices or personal laptop computers that are used exclusively for approved instructional purposes consistent with policy 3225 technology responsible use. We had some questions from principals at the start of the year, "Does this mean I cannot allow my students to use their own laptops on campus?" And we certainly did not that was not the intention of this policy. Principals, in accordance with policy 3225, may prohibit personal devices being used on campuses. That is under the responsibility of the principal based in policy 3225. Thank you, Dr. Crane. Um, Ms. Bryce. Thank you, um, Chair Swanson. I I just want to to help me too with the point of clarity because it's been going on conversations that's been changing. Um, with our policy currently
057still, um, is it true that our policy is um, students are still in control of their devices, they just still must put them on silent and put them away. Um, is it anywhere in our policy that indicates that teachers are to have our students put their phones in certain places or in lock bags or in cubbies. I just want to make sure that our policy still remains that we are not taking ownership of people's stuff, but it is just that we need you to cut your phones off now off to comply with policy. Is that correct? That is correct. Okay. Thank you. Are there any other Mr. Haggerty? Thank you. Um, Dr. Crane, I apologize. You remember we had extensive debate about all of these issues and we we ran long and appreciate all the
058work that went into this. Um, as we were reviewing this to come back to uh, the full board, I had questions in my notes that I didn't answer in committee and I just wanted to ask it now before we vote if you could either reassure me or if you think anything is added. We talk about the like the recordings that you had mentioned being allowed for authorized use and authorized use including um, legitimate academic purposes. Is that right? Yes. That was for revision to policy 3225 technology responsible use. Yes. >> Okay. And the question I had is do we need would we need anything in there for security uses or would the use of like video cameras and monitoring that we use in many of our schools for safety and security purposes run a foul
059of the policy? I don't know specifically the answer to that question. I can tell you that in our policy we say that school staff can authorize use of the device if there is a reasonable and legitimate need. We also say that no permission is required to call 911 when appropriate. Um, this policy um, does not contemplate the use of a phone to capture uh, video or audio. Um, that would be under the technology responsible use. Okay. It was part of that related discussion, so I just wanted to ask it. Mr. Chair, what I just asked is when we come around to any future use of the aforementioned policy, we just put a pin in that and make sure that we're compliant. Great. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Crane. Are there any other comments? I'll just
060say that this is again, we are in compliance now with the state General students who may have um, assistive devices used as an IEP accommodation, so that still is in place. This is just for us to comply with the state law. >> Correct. And we also um, allow in high school, we allow um, personal device can be displayed, used or made visible for instructional purposes with prior authorization of the classroom teacher consistent with the school wide rule regarding that instructional use. We did not include that language in elementary and middle school. That is a high school language provision. Great. Are there any other comments? All right. Hearing none, it well, I'll call for the vote. All in favor of adopting uh, policy 4318 the student use of personal wireless communication devices on second reading, let
061it be known by the sign of I. I. Opposed, same sign. The I's have it. The policy passes. Thank you, Dr. Crane. Welcome. And we will now turn to the information item of our um, agenda. We'll start our comments with our superintendent, Dr. Taylor. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do want to start off by uh, first of all, recognizing um, the tremendous disruption that have taken take place in our schools as a result of ICE activity. Um, I know that our data showed on that particular day that that they were in the community, we had an additional 11,000 students that were absent and so that is uh, a severe disruption to the learning. We know that families have been in distress as well as students. I also recognize that I've had the opportunity to speak
062with students who are in schools that are friends of students that are there that are not there. And so, we know that stress goes both ways. I know that our schools continue to support students and families, and we acknowledge their continued efforts to support these students and these families. It does take a lot. Our principals are ensuring that there is adherence to the law. Every student that lives in Wake County via Plyler v. Doe have access to a free and appropriate public education. And so, we are making sure that every family is aware of that. I'm also proud of the work that our our students, our teachers, our administrators, and families have done to go out and support families that have been in distress. We know they've delivered food, all sorts of things to support
063these families that have been in that distress. I can't say enough about how we've rallied to make sure that we provide the support that they need. We also stress to people that there have been no activities at any public school in North Carolina by these agents. None that have been reported to me. While that is the case, we do know that disruption in the community does impact the schools. So, we're continuing to provide that support to our students. I also want to say welcome to our board member Job. I appreciate you taking the the stance and the willingness to be a public servant. You will find that this is a daunting task, and we appreciate you being willing to serve your community and students. And that means so much to me as superintendent that you
064are willing to do that. So, we welcome you to the board and we'll be here to assist you. And I also want to say thank you to the past chair, Chair Haggerty. I will say to our public that he has he served as a chair that was both supportive of me as superintendent, but also held me to a high level of accountability. And I want you to know how much I appreciate that because it is about continuous improvement. He is one of the strongest advocates for the Wake County public schools that I've seen. I know he was I guess you say attended throughout your life in the Wake County. And so, he is a true member. And lastly, I'll say that regardless of what what you may think of the chair, he has given a
065tremendous amount of himself for this position. He also holds a full-time job and just can't imagine how you would balance those two in terms of what you've given to this district as chair, and what you've also given to your job as well. And I know that takes a tremendous amount of family support for you to be able to serve in that capacity. I want you to know how much I appreciate that, and we thank you for your leadership. I also like to recognize three outstanding Wake County Public School System educators who were recently honored at the state level. The North Carolina Society for Health and Physical Educators, or NC Shape, has named Genevieve Sterns, Christian Ormer, and Laura Demby as 2025 Teachers of the Year in their respective categories. They were selected from more than
0664,000 health and PE teachers statewide. Ms. Sterns was named Middle School Health Education Teacher of the Year for her work at Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy, where she has built a strong student-centered health education program that guides students as they grow into young adults. Ms. Ormer was named High School Health Education Teacher of the Year for her efforts at Broughton Magnet High School, where she is where she has created a robust health education program aimed at shaping confident, capable, and caring students. Ms. Demby, also Broughton High School, was recognized as the High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year for the energy, passion, and humanity she has demonstrated in developing an outstanding physical education program that serves students and athletes. These awards will be presented at NC Shape's annual conference tomorrow in Winston-Salem. Together, these
067recognitions highlight the quality of our health health and physical education programs and the important role they play in supporting student wellness, engagement, and achievement. That was wellness, Mrs. Rice. Mrs. Rice. I want to thank all three winners for the expertise and energy they pour into their students every single day. They are excellent examples of the talented and dedicated professionals working throughout our district. Next week is National Computer Science Education Week, but one week wasn't enough to contain the hands-on digital learning opportunities we are offering to our students. That's why we have designated December as Computer Science Education Month here in our district. Our digital learning coordinators will be coordinating activities in 14 schools. These will include robot programming challenges and other interactive tasks. This is the fifth year our digital learning coordinators have led these
068coding events, and they continue to be extremely popular with our students and our staff. In total, they have visited 75 schools, reaching students at every grade level and building excitement around problem-solving, creativity, and computational thinking. One of the showcase events will take place tomorrow at Millbrook Magnet High School, where students will work with programmable robots like Sphero, Dash, and Finch to put their coding skills into action. Later on December the 11th, we will partner with state officials and representatives from Accenture to host Hour of Code activities at Dillard Drive Magnet Middle School. So, I really do hope you have an opportunity to get out and see the Hour of Code. Computer Science Education Month reflects our ongoing commitment to preparing students for a rapidly changing digital world. These meaningful opportunities to sharpen technological skills also
069allow students to practice collaboration and critical thinking. So, we are grateful to our digital learning coordinators and community partners for helping create these engaging experiences that spark interest in computer science. Finally, fourth-grade students from 16 elementary schools had the opportunity last week to visit Marbles Kids Museum for an event called Together We Learn, celebrating American Indian culture. They got to see dance and music performances from North Carolina Native American tribes, and also engaged in hands-on learning about Native American art. The event was held in honor of Native American Heritage Month. And with that, we will take a look at this video. In November, fourth-grade students from multiple WCPSS schools had the opportunity to visit Marbles Kids Museum for an interactive learning experience for Native American Heritage Month. While there, students saw dances and heard oral
070histories of tribes from the state of North Carolina. And I have the privilege of serving as the 2025-2026 Miss Indian in North Carolina. Throughout my reign, I have traveled the state representing the eight state-recognized tribes and four urban Indian organizations of North Carolina. We respectfully acknowledge the Coharie, Eastern Band of Cherokee, Haliwa-Saponi, Lumbee, Meherrin, Occaneechi Band of the Saponi, Saponi, and Waccamaw Siouan in honor of the enduring presence, vibrancy, and diversity of contemporary indigenous populations. Students also had hands-on experiences learning about arts and food grown by Native Americans. Interest in this event was so high that WCPSS and Marbles have partnered for a second event in January. Mr. Chair, that concludes my comments. Thank you, Dr. Taylor, and we'll start on this side with Ms. Coffey. I used to go in first. New side, new
071order. Okay. I hope every Is this on? Can you hear me? Hello. Okay. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and had some time to reflect, count their blessings, and were surrounded by loved ones, and to be able to share with those that were also without their loved ones. A tradition my family has is to go around the table and share with what we are grateful for throughout the year. Well, I'm not requesting that we do that at this table, although we could. I do want to reflect on our amazing teachers, our bus drivers, our instructional assistants, staff, and all of those that that share with our students. And I want to say how grateful we are for all that you do that is noticed and not noticed. I do want to share that our
072next board advisory committee is next Monday at Zebulon, and we will discuss some updates and do a breakout on AI. Student achievement and transparency are huge for me. It says a lot when we're transparent and have good discussions around decisions that we make. I abstain from both votes tonight. I was originally prepared to vote, but I was not comfortable with choosing names after last Tuesday due to the lack of transparency. And I fear that our board is so partisan that I am just not sure who would act non-partisan in these roles. Last Tuesday, we had zero discussion before deciding who would represent us in District 8. We spent months planning, weeks organizing, and many days going over resumes and documents, and our candidates put a lot of time into that, too. And I feel the
073public had a right to hear our thoughts behind any decision-making and to deliberate. We had a few really incredible candidates, very qualified, and address everything that we should be focused on, centered around direct student achievement solutions, which means student success, prideful achievements, flourishing children that reach their short and their long-term goals. That should be our first focus and not partisan representation. Two candidates that stood out for me, Mr. Yeagley, if I'm saying that correctly, a former, apparently very successful superintendent who really addressed some of our issues and had great success with specific struggles that we face, and presented us with solutions, even a presentation that I hope that we will still discuss. We He really seemed to be a potential value to our board. Ms. Dearman had an incredible resume and interview. She touched on
074so many important things, very purposeful, and experienced working with a variety of schools in Wake County Public Schools. She had solutions we really needed to address. She, too, had seemingly had seemed to be an amazing candidate, already familiar with Wake County Public Schools, and her line of work strictly helping students succeed. What better value is that? And we didn't even discuss it. We were instructed that we would have instruction after our first round without any discussion. It went to vote, and we did not have any discussion. I'm sure our candidates were all very passionate, and it brings me great alarm when I see such divisive history and political in nature, and we didn't discuss it. No offense to our new board member. I'm sure she is very lovely, but without any discussion, the way that
075the vote went down last week was against anything transparent. I'm not sure how that doesn't appear to be partisan. And I felt it was very important for the public to hear our thought and exchange of ideas. So, it was disheartening to me, and I really do struggle with this. Right. Dr. E? Good evening. I hope that everyone had a restful few days last week spending time with family and friends, and I know that it can sometimes be a stressful time because of family, and on top of that, there's the cooking, the cleaning, the holiday travel, and for me, working on Thanksgiving Day. So, I'm sure that, like me, many of you had to take a few days to decompress and to reflect on the events of last week. So, to kind of go along with
076what Ms. Coffee was saying, people may wonder why I I abstained from voting for the board leadership for this year. The truth is, because of what transpired last week with the interview and voting process, I have a hard time supporting anyone. I believe in transparency, and we talk about transparency all the time, but the process last week was far from it. Yes, we all went through the interview process. It was live-streamed, but with 14 applicants to choose from, I thought it would have involved some more thoughtful discussions. It's truly remarkable that the board was able to make a decision on the first vote. Therefore, there was really no opportunity for the public to hear what we thought of the candidates. I believe we had several extremely qualified candidates, and it was really difficult for me
077to decide to have to pick one person out of that as my top choice for a vote. The interview process involved the whole day, and these 14 candidates took time to submit an application and went through the interview process. So, I think we owe it to them and to the public to be open in our decision process. We spent more time discussing the wording of a policy in our policy committee and what punctuation mark to use than on deliberating our choice for the next District 8 representative. And we make a heart-wrenching budget decisions by debating the pros and cons, but we were able to make a decision on this position in less than 5 minutes without a single public discussion. If we are to espouse transparency in what we do, we have to we have
078failed in the process. And that is why I chose not to vote, because I do not have the confidence that our leadership has been transparent. But still, I believe in the process, and I believe that the decision of the majority stands, but the voice of the minority in this case was not heard. In any event, I wish to welcome Ms. Job to the board. I do wish her well in her new role as the representative for District 8, and I do hope and expect that she will put away put her partisanship aside in performing her duties as she had promised in her interview. It is true that we all have a certain political affiliation, but directing the education of the children of Wake County should be non-partisan. I know that we all have world views
079that will color our opinions, but we are sworn to carry the duties of the Board of Education by representing all the constituents of Wake County, even when their viewpoints may not align with ours. I do hope that we can respect each other's viewpoints, and we can continue to come together to do what is best for the children. Thank you. Ms. Gor- I'm sorry. Please refrain from outbursts. Thank you so much. We'll now hear from Ms. Gordon. Thank you so very much. Today, we recognize National Special Education Day, a moment to honor the students, families, and educators who make our commitment to inclusive education real every single day. Special education is not a is not a separate part of our system. It is a vital expression of our belief that every student deserves to learn, thrive,
080and belong. And to point out a bit of history, the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act was signed into law today on in 1975. I want to extend deep appreciation to our exceptional children's teachers, support staff, service providers, and school leaders who advocate tirelessly for equitable access and meaningful learning opportunities. Their work embodies our core values on this board, student-centered, community-focused, and educator-driven. Thank you to everyone who continues to champion inclusive and excellence in our schools. I want to congratulate all of the educators who celebrate who celebrated the accomplishment of their AIG certification this evening, but I want to send a special congrats to Ms. Jessica Allen from Fuquay Varina Elementary, who I have the pleasure of representing that school. I also want to recognize all of the 14 candidates that came out and interviewed
081for the District 8 vacancy. Your time, effort, and ideas you shared with us last week will always be welcomed and encouraged. And congrats to my new seatmate, Dr. Job. I look forward to servicing alongside you, and I just want to say publicly to you that I appreciate that all of your answers were very student-centered. So, thank you. To the community members that came out tonight to advocate for a safe zone resolution, thank you for your advocacy, and I want to restate something from our comments last week. We, as a district, have the responsibility to communicate proactively, support families who feel vulnerable, and make sure our staff has the guidance and training they need to keep classrooms safe, calm, informed, and focused on learning. I look forward to having discussion with the rest of my board
082members about what the community, our families, and students urgently need right now in this time of crisis. Thank you. Thank you. And Dr. Job. Okay. Um let me apologize in advance. This is going to be very off-the-cuff, because um and next time, I will have prepared remarks. I will be going into schools over the next couple of weeks. I look forward to meeting everybody. Um but I I wanted to say that I am, as you were saying before, Cheryl, about the Ms. Coffee about gratitude. I am incredibly grateful to be here. Um when I stepped up to apply to be the District 8 representative, it wasn't from any sense of partisanship. It was from 18 years of experience in the classroom and in higher education and K-12 education, and it was because I because basically
083my daughter being at Farmington Woods, and I'm so glad we recognized Ms. Little um today, because that is fantastic. She was wonderful to my kid and to all of the the children that she teaches, but I wanted to do what I could to make sure that we can make the most of what we have and make the most of the incredible talent and the the incredible resources that we have in Wake County and do whatever we can to grow those. But I I'm definitely am looking forward to working with everyone. I I do want to say that nobody was as surprised as I was when the vote happened. I also expected a really long drawn-out process as I've seen in the last couple of ones that I've watched. Um, but I appreciate that the the
084faith that those of you who voted for me showed in me. And I really hope to earn the respect of those of you who didn't. And um, and also I really plan to work with everybody who wants to step forward and work with us in our district. And I'm hoping I can talk to Ms. Dierman after we're done and that hopefully she can join. Um, I'm going to be looking at my BAC right now and I'm hoping that she can help out. Um, and I look forward to really getting as much involved as possible because I don't see this as a partisan position either. So, thank you. Thank you, Dr. Jobe, and thank you for providing your first board official comments. And we are grateful that you're here and you do not have to justify
085your why. It showed. So, thank you despite some colleagues' comments. Ms. Price. Chair Swanson, you might have took my words right out my mouth. But, um, Ms. Jobe, thank you for being here. But, I'm going to focus on my comments as I have them written cuz I got thrown off just a little bit. But, I'm just going to say thank you for being here and come back to that. Ms. Researcher, there's a doctor in front of that for a purpose. Educating Exceptional Children 15th Edition is what I think I see in your resume that you wrote. And so, I'm appreciative of that work that you have done, which is something that we constantly have to try to champion around this table and at this board. So, let me get back to T. Rice's comments as
086they should be. Good afternoon. Congratulations to Chair Swanson and Vice Chair Hershey on your election today. I look forward to your innovative leadership and unwavering support to students and staff in Wake. Welcome, Dr. Jobe, um, to the board. And I look forward to walking alongside you in this meaningful work. Don't feel bad. I wasn't voted for either with certain um, um, with certain colleagues. And I seem to be doing just fine. There is always amazing things going on in District 4. Here are the latest since our last board meeting. Thank you to the District 4 community for joining me in a conversation on the Ligon project. We had 97 registrants and over 100 participants. Um, the room was filled um, it's engaged participants and desired uh, the room was filled with engaged participants and a
087desire for action. So, thank you to the guest speakers, Carmen Cothran, who happens to be the daughter, in case no one did not know, of California California Oops, sorry. Mr. Malone, uh, Wimberly, um, who, uh, was the one of the board members of the of the integration of our Wake County public school system. She is also a historian within our community. And so, that is someone great that we should really, um, communicate with coming up on that, um, 50th year anniversary. Um, also, um, we had Dr. Williams, which was the principal from Ligon, and Desmond Dunn, who is a community advocate that helps us around uh, the the work of understanding, uh, what's going on with facilities and in our community. So, um, and of course, none other than our Dr. Taylor was also there.
088Um, he indicated for us that our next listening session, which will be led by the district, which is Superintendent Taylor and the staff on January the 8th and the 17th at 6:00 p.m. Um, and there will possibly be two other January dates as well, um, with Superintendent Taylor and staff. Um, and these mentioned dates will be for the alumni at first. Um, other dates and times were also shared. And I believe the superintendent informed us that there would be a webpage that would be dedicated to the Ligon's work and project that we're doing so far. Um, you can still find the current information that we have at teshiebarice.org/ligon so that you'll still be aware of the project dates and times that we have at the moment that the district has already shared. Uh, what an
089amazing time at our BAC meeting, um, last night in District 4, um, hosted by the amazing Poe Magnet Elementary Gifted and Talented, where Principal Story leads amazing staff and students. Um, a panel discussion with Q&A was robust and factual and informative driven by Wake County Judges Baker and Hamadani, um, the director of due process, um, Dr. um, Jamal Woods, and moderated by District 4 Chair Dr. Jarvis Bailey. Our focus and the reason why I'm bringing this up, because it's a very important topic and I'm getting tons of responses to it, is our focus with student code of conduct in schools, during transition, after school, and in the community. And we pretty much did had a really robust conversation around how that's impacting our in-school spaces, our out-of-school spaces, and the constant data that we're seeing
090around, whether it be suspensions, and how it actually plays over into our judicial systems, and how we can partner in things like that to be able to help. So, we're looking forward to that. Um, one thing I also want to share is the amazing work that our in-low students are doing. They are trying to close the gap. Even though it may not look like we're trying to do it all the time, but they're actually trying to close the gap. And what are they doing? They're trying to put books in the hands of students. They passed out flyers last night and stood up and spoke boldly about how they have already collected 1,000 books to turn into the hands of elementary students K through 3 in District 4. Why? Because they recognize and brought their our
091own data back to us. Thank you for sharing that tonight that we're 35% right with proficiency. So, I can't agree on those notes. These are the things we need to focus on and we can get there together as a board when we lock in and and be intentional about the work that we do. Just know our students are already beating us to the punch with collecting books and understanding we've got to get it. And they're partnering with that with Wake Up and Read. Um, finally, that's it. The community with the community in mind, our eight dimensions of wellness focus, we're ready for it, aren't we, Dr. Taylor? I heard you talking about me over there. So, I y'all getting the message that wellness is important, right? But, here we go. The community in mind, our
092eight dimensions of wellness focus is social wellness today. So, this season, many are facing both the cold and winter and the cold realities of immigration challenges. Offer warmth where you can. Check on your neighbors, share resources, and create spaces where people feel seen, safe, and supported. Community care is powerful healing. A little compassion motes melts both the ice, right? Both kinds of ice. Extend kindness that reminds others they are not alone so everyone can have a positive and productive day. Thank you. We'll turn to Ms. Edmonds. Thank you. Welcome, Dr. Jobe. I cannot think of a more stellar example of grace and integrity in the response that you just gave to some comments directed at your selection. And so, I thank you for your comments. I'm very excited to have another educator on the board
093because as a non-educator, I really look to those of you that are to, um, help guide our discussions and, um, influence me on my decision-making. So, thank you so much. I really look forward to working with you. And you do deserve to be here. Thank you. Um, congratulations to our new leadership, uh, Chair Swanson and Vice Chair Hershey. Thank you, uh, Mr. Haggerty for your leadership over the last couple years. Um, I know it was a heavy lift. And I think, um, I couldn't have said it any better than Dr. Taylor with regard to trying to balance family and a full-time job. And I have a part-time job and I struggle at times with the, um, role of the board member and my part-time work, um, aside from that. So, I I can only imagine.
094But, thank you so much for your leadership. And then, to reiterate what, um, Ms. Gordon said, I almost called you Ms. Gorman. What Ms. Gordon said about the advocates that came out tonight from Education Justice Alliance or not, anybody that came out tonight to speak about the, um, attack on our community by, um, those, you know, working under the guise of immigration enforcement, um, I really appreciated your comments. And I appreciate everyone that came out to, um, lift up our community and lift up the gravity of the situation. I won't I won't repeat what I said last meeting about all that. But, please keep coming back. Um, and thank you to that team, particularly at Education Justice Alliance, for everything they're doing in community and have been for a long, long time. But, especially in
095this moment, I really appreciate them and their work. Thank you. All right. Chair Haggerty. Thank you, Chair Swanson. So, coming into this evening, I had really sort of planned to go quietly into the night. But, there is a dangerous trend in this country and I will not stand for it. And that is the attempt to delegitimize legitimate elections simply because one does not agree with the outcome. It is dangerous for our society. It is dangerous for our democracy. And if attacked with unfounded allegations, I am going to stand up and defend them. Let me say that there was no orchestration, there was no collaboration, there was no predetermined outcome in this process. And let me give you some history. I have been here through the selection of four new board members. It has always been
096a surprise. With no offense to three of those four here today, often times, we are told that there is a frontrunner and there is someone who produces the most letters of recommendation, the biggest names. And you know what? They are rarely chosen. It has always been a surprise who we have chosen all the way back until I was chosen. And then, the only reason it wasn't a surprise is cuz I was the only person who would put my name up. Still question that decision sometimes. You know, let's let's be real. We had almost 20 applicants. And I know from talking to you around the table that you read those resumes, you read those letters of application. It was a grueling process. I spoke with many of you individually just about have you kept up, have
097you read them, do you know who's running, who's not. I've heard your comments as we were deliberating, comments about after an interview who did a good job, who surprised you. This was an active and legitimate [Music] I want to go back if you go back and watch the video of all of these previous selection processes. And Ms. Caulfield, you were a part of those processes as well. And you will remember that there has rarely, if ever, been any discussion in that first round of voting. However, I want to challenge you to go back and look at the videotape. Go back and look at the livestream, the recorded stream that I have before me. And you will see that I specifically asked all board members at this table if anyone would like to discuss any candidate.
098And in fact, you can see from the video, you had completed your ballot and passed it in while I was still giving the instructions. And you can shake your head, but it's caught on camera and the camera doesn't lie. Dr. Ring, I respect you. I respect the points you made. But please know that you too were offered an opportunity to discuss any candidate. I was surprised. But in as we have in the past, there was no discussion on the first ballot. And like many of you, I expected we would go many rounds. We did not. I was legitimately surprised. Now, I can go through and I can talk about every aspect that has been raised and they are available for discussion. The reason why we asked for a voter registration card is because we had
099a candidate apply for one of our vacancies who interviewed for one of our vacancies, who we then discovered was not a resident of the district that they came to represent. And it was a huge embarrassment for this district. And so we asked for documentation. It's state law now. You have to show ID and identification to vote. If you have to show ID to vote, you should certainly be able have to show ID in order to serve. So, each of these And if you if any candidate simply doesn't want to share their party identification, we saw candidates who on the submitted documents redacted their party identification just like they redacted financial information. So, there are options here. I understand disappointment and disagreement with the result. I really do. But I will not stand for any insinuation
100that this was not a fair process, that this was not transparent, and that any of us, whether we voted for candidate, for Ms. Job, voted against Ms. Job, did so for anything other than their own personal convictions after reviewing all of the submitted information, all of the information that was in the letters of recommendation, or or the the the letters of proposal from the candidates where we asked them to present on issues, and those individual speeches. I'm very disappointed by any accusations to the contrary. Again, I understand disappointment and disagreement. But I will not sit here and let the legitimacy of this process be attacked without defense. Because I know the truth. The board members around this table hopefully know the truth. The recording will set any misrememberings correct. But it is it is it
101is the height of arrogance and it is destructive to our system to allege an unfounded conspiracy simply because you don't win. And I've said my peace. Thank you. Thank you. Vice Chair Hershey. Thank you. Thank you. Um a few items. Let me start by um thanking the former chair for his service uh in leadership. What I'm I'm looking down as if I have something written about it, but I don't. Um what I have really appreciated most about your leadership is um your passion and your fierce defense of Wake County Public Schools. It is incredibly admirable. And it's something I have looked up to and I have just enjoyed it when you have in your role as chair and as a board member really passionately and without apology defended our school system. So, I I really
102appreciate your leadership on that. Um now I'm going to step on Ms. Gordon's toes. I'll answer your question about the NC State wrestling because we have NC State wrestling going to a district two high school on Sunday. Yes, I'm the sports guy, people. Get over it. Uh they will be wrestling at Willow Spring High School at 1:00 and at 3:00 against Morgan State and Rutgers. It's fantastic to have the local one of our local universities in our schools. So, um hopefully we'll have a great turnout there. I want to thank uh and congratulate the AIG certificate um the teachers who earned their certificate and were recognized earlier. And I want to thank all the AIG teachers. It is it's it impacts my family um what they do, the services that we get. And I want
103to use the opportunity to remind folks or educate folks and uh I know the chair will correct me if I get this number wrong, but I believe the funding we get for AIG and uh is about 4% of our the formula repre is that we get it for 4% of our total student population. So, we don't have endless resources for things like AIG. And we do the best we can and the teachers are amazing. And we would love advocacy for the General Assembly to increase that because it would help all districts across the entire state. And that leads nicely into that the next District 6 BAC meeting will be about public school advocacy. It'll be Monday, December 15th at Wiley from 12:00 to 1:00. Uh I look forward to seeing um my BAC reps who
104really wanted this um as a topic and this is going to be the first of multiple meetings that we focus on uh advocacy work. And then lastly, I will wrap this up in just I actually have two things. My apologies. Congratulations. Uh well deserved, well earned. I want to thank everyone who applied. It is um not regardless of who said what here this evening or what people think, it's really difficult going through 14 applications, seeing how many people are super qualified. And then I tell this to I told this to Ms. Gordon. I had no idea who I was going to select. And the same with the last process last week. And it was the interview for her. And I've told her that. And it's People from the outside may look up and look at
105us and think whatever. And that's fine. But it is really difficult. And you know you're trying to do your best. I know I'm trying to do my best. And um you know, we vote for who we voted for. I was shocked that we didn't go past round one. And um I was kind of off by myself on that. And that's fine. It's fantastic. It's a great process. It's difficult to do. And congratulations. And you know you owe nobody else an excellent explanation. Nor should you apologize for anything. It was well earned and well deserved. And then someday you'll be in front of constituents and they will give you feedback as well. Lastly, I want to thank my colleagues uh for putting their trust in me I to be on leadership um with Chair Swanson. I
106This is a enormous responsibility that I am aware of. I will work very hard and be listening to all of you. And I know and ask you to keep me in check if you see me being someone different just because I'm vice chair, you let me know. Um I'm sure the public will let me know as well as my as well as my amazing District 6 constituents. But uh it is a great honor for me to to be serving on leadership. And I appreciate your trust. Thank you. And you can add me to that list as well. And vice versa. Um so I will start my comments. And it may be a little long, but I I apologize in advance. And I'll use a little personal privilege if that's okay. Um so I want to
107thank the families of of um Farmington Woods. Uh I think two weeks ago I got the opportunity uh to tour and see the students on Farmington Woods to see the great things that were happening. And uh Dr. Chavis, who was the area superintendent for the West, notified Dr. uh Principal Pierce that it was my birthday. And they made it a great celebration. So I was able to walk through and engage with students. And I think that was the best gift of having little kindergarteners and first graders wishing and saying happy birthday. Um so thank I want to thank them for making that visit very special. Um and really just being a great reminder of how learning takes place. And seeing how their IB and magnet theme ties in and makes them great leaders not just
108of the future, but of the current is amazing. They are the leaders now and of the future. So I'm grateful for that. And to uh Principal uh Pierce, uh Principal Pierce, that it was my birthday in the new year in February. So I still have time, which means if you all want to go and read to some students at Farmington Woods, I will pass the link around. It will be in December. And the theme is hats. So hopefully you all will join me in reading to those students. Um this morning I had the opportunity to speak at Green Hope High School's uh economic and personal finance classes, where every year they do a campaign project where students actually get to build their campaigns based off of some uh research. And so um was able to
109speak and really just walk them through their roles and how those campaigns play out into real life. And so it was great to hear some of their ideas. Um all of them were running for president. And they had various roles. So I shared with them that the campaign manager is going to be the most important position uh despite the candidate, because the campaign manager's job is to hold everything together. And whoever is the finance person, their job is to make sure that their candidate has the money. And so it was really great to see them take what they're learning in the classroom and applying it to real life. And so I look forward to seeing how those presentations go. And I also know that uh Councilwoman Michelle Craig also joined the students after I left
110as well as uh Wake County Commissioner Cheryl Stallings. So always grateful for those teachers uh to open their doors to us so we can engage and hear directly from those students. Um I also want to announce that my Board Advisory Committee meeting will be uh next Thursday, December the 11th at Adams Elementary School at 6:00 p.m. And Dr. Robinson will be presenting our strategic plan, which is a living breathing document that we are responsible for. And so I also am grateful for the folks who mentioned our strategic plan, because it is a living document. And we have work that that we have to do not just as a board, but as a community and as mainly as a community to ensure that our students have the resources. So I want to thank the folks who
111are advocating for the level up um uh uh partnership. And thank you for your um advocacy and the work that you do for your students in the community as well. And so grateful for that. And um the Rotary Clubs who also go and read to students as well to really show that we alone, principals, teachers, cannot do this work by themselves to move the needle. And if we are so serious about student performance, student academics, then we have to step up as a community. And I appreciate those who do step up and those on this board that step up. And who do vote for things that help move the needle in their district, not cause additional harm. So I look forward to those conversations for us to keep moving that needle, because low-performing schools, student
112achievement is near and dear to all of us. And guess what? We will be talking about that at our retreat. And there will be work for all of us to look through our individual school improvement plans so board members understand and know uh where their schools are. That is public record. You can go on wcpss.net/look at our schools. And you have access to all 204 um school improvement plans to figure out what is happening in the districts, what your schools are looking how they're moving the needle, how they're supporting students, and how your votes at this table should align with the work that they're doing, contrary to what we have seen. I am also very grateful to my colleagues for their vote of confidence. And I do look forward for us keeping the main thing
113the main thing, as Dr. West used to say all the time. And the main thing is doing what's best for students, teachers, families, and our overall community. Because we have some serious work ahead of us. And our work is being serious about the business of Wake County students. Um and so I look forward to that. And board members, I look forward to our retreat, which will be a two-day retreat on Novem- No, we're not going back to November. December 9th and 10th. Um that information will be coming very shortly. I'll send an email out to everyone. Um I also want to share that there will not be major committee shifts. Um the only shift that will be taking place is that safety and security will no will no longer be a committee. It will be
114an ad hoc committee that we will discuss as a board. And so be be on the lookout for those changes um via email. And you know, to Chair Hegarty, I want to thank you for your leadership, your friendship, and your mentorship. Um it is not easy sitting in these seats. You and I have discussed many things. And contrary to what people say, we don't always agree on the issues. And that's okay. But the thing that >> know my dog did it. Well, I was hoping you weren't going to share that. Um but you know, the thing is your passion and your service is what really you keep the main thing the main thing. And so it's it's it's been an honor and a ple- an honor to serve as your vice chair. And I don't
115think you're going to go too far, cuz we have some work ahead of us. And again, it is it is it is a lot of work that that goes into this. And it's a lot of work that folks who are serious about this, who are serious about moving the needle, inviting folks in to have these and really building. One thing that we've been able to do um is try to build with our municipalities, because our schools are a part of our municipalities. And so we've had round tables. We'll continue those round tables so we can hear what's happening and vice we can't do this work in isolation. And if folks who are very serious about volunteering, please go to wcpss.net. Go to look at some schools. Talk to principals. They will welcome you into their
116schools to help with that work. And since this is giving Tuesday and we are talking about academics and you know, students cannot learn if they cannot eat, I would encourage the community to go to wcps. uh backslash donate to our Angel Fund. Because again, hunger is a major thing. And so students cannot learn if they cannot eat. And therefore we have work ahead of us. And so board members, I look forward to doing this work together. I look forward to us being united about how we're going to be serious about the work to level up the district and to be a team of 10. And when you're a team of 10 including the superintendent, that does not mean we're going to always agree on everything. That does not mean that we're going to always get
117what we want to get. But I think if we continue to keep the main thing the main thing, which is teaching and learning, supporting our schools, supporting our staff, supporting our teachers, supporting our families, we can move this district. We can move the needle on low-performing schools. We can move the needle on our strategic plan. And we can be serious about showing folks what it means to level up when we are playing nicely in the sandbox, when we are united around the issues, despite whatever's going on now, we can move forward with that. And I do think it is important for us to keep that main thing the main thing. So if I have a theme for this year, it's going to be keeping the main thing the main thing. And with that being said,
118I will entertain a motion for us to return to close session. Mr. Vice Chair. Chair Swanson, I make a motion to return to close session for the reasons previously stated earlier. Thank you. Is there a second? Second. Second for Ms. Gordon. Um all in favor of returning to close session, let it be known by the sign of I. I. Opposed, same sign. The I's have it and we are in close session.