001Good signal. All right. Um, welcome everyone. It is 5:32 on April 15th. Welcome to the King Board of Education uh, education committee meeting for April. We will start off by looking back at our March minutes from the 18th. Um, I think everyone Well, we've switched committees. We've um moved some things around, but we still have majority of our members that were here last year. Um Paige, Randy, John, do you guys have any because you were actually here even though you weren't here. Any comments? I have a motion to approve as presented. So moved. Second. So we're all good. Second. All right. All in favor? Opposed? Passes 40. Um, welcome to our visitors from West Morland. We're really happy to have you guys here. Um, tonight's my last night chairing this committee because I'm stepping off
002the board, but Jen will be here in the future if you guys come back and join us again. She'll be our new chair woman. All right. U, we're going to go a little bit out of order because Dr. Gallagher is here to join us. We're going to fast forward in the agenda to the field trip requests. Um, I don't know which one you guys want to put up first. The two key adjustments. Yeah, we have a local one to Vermont. Then we have a less local one to Panama. So, let's look at um what is I'm really just here to speak to the Vermont one. Okay. We have a situation where the students in careers and education or education rising in order to get their certificate in paratu they have to travel to Vermont and
003the testing station only takes five students at a time. So, we have to make multiple trips and since it's going to Vermont, the first trip's actually scheduled before the board meeting. So, I'm hopeful that you guys will give us a thumbs up so we can go across state lines and then actually schedule it for the finance committee with a special meeting quorum to vote on it so that that I don't have to send them without your permission, I guess. Um, so this actually would be an example of something that once we tweak this um policy anyway in a month from now, this wouldn't even be coming to us. Um, so does anyone I don't know if everyone had a chance to review this, but does someone just want to make a motion to approve it?
004And we'll have a chat. So moved. Second. Okay. Um, questions, comments, concerns. This obviously needs to happen. It needs to happen. Make it happen. Okay. I appreciate that. Thank you. All in favor? Approving against? Passes 4. Um, city, do you mind hanging out because I think we did have some questions in the committee about the Panama trip. I don't know how how well versed you are on it yet. I don't need you to be offgenda for that. If you need me to hang out, I serve here for you. We'll do that one right away now as well. All right, then. I appreciate that. All right. So, this is um the next request. This is in 2026 February vacation to Panama. Um guys have a motion to approve. So, we or just a motion this guy
005and then we'll chat about it. So, moved. second. All right. Um, so yeah, I think we've all read it. This is just like a there's like a lot going on in this one. Um, and this is one that's stuck in the segue of the policy changes. Okay. So, um, did anyone have questions that we have Dr. Gallagher with us would be okay? Thank you. This field trip, this plan, this experience that is being prepared for the students is something that I'd like to see more of. What I particularly like about this is how in line it is with developing global citizens, creating empathy, and bringing a couple different uh we've got some some health care involvement with this as well too, right? So it's the kind of thing that we would really like to see.
006This is the first trip coming out of Cheshire. Yeah. So this is the health science that leads to the LNA program or to the EMT program. That's this teacher. So it's and they're organizing co- with the Spanish club. Okay. So it is the first trip to come out of Cheshire. All right. To continue. However, these are not ordinary times and sending this to South America. Well, particularly to Panama, um may be a cause for concern if we're being seen as vouching for the board is being seen as vouching for the safety of this trip. I hope that's not the intention. Um really like the idea, but there are some concerns about the safety of the trip. um not particularly financial safety if the state department starts re restricting this. I'm hoping that there can be
007some financial um instruments available so that all the students and anyone who is paying for this can get their to get their money back. So it's certainly not something we can decide here but something I want to bring up for discussion. So each of the travel companies that we use we use EF and we use various travel companies. You'll see the you'll remember last year the BISE trip from independently designed to a travel company afford people the opportunity for the insurance and we strongly encourage it because you never know what's going to happen. Okay. So they're going to get 100% travel insurance. You know what? I've never read the insurance clause. It's whatever you get for a trip rally. I can't tell you whether it's 100% or not. Okay. So, there is a financial instrument
008in order to protect them financially. There is something available, but I don't know that it's 100%. I would imagine based on my kids' experiences, it was time and it incre the closer you get to the trip, the less you get back because they've already prepaid for all of the additional besides your flight. They play paid prepaid for all your tickets and all of your excursions. Yeah. I'm not sure that's going to be quite good enough, but at least there's it's a start. So, you can Are you asking me to bring that back to the committee next month? I mean, I can find out. I have it up for I have it up for discussion. Okay. With with with this committee as well if they're as concerned as as as I am about um the fi
009the you know the financial protections or anything else about this particular chip. Um, so keep in mind this is a trip that's going out in the spring and we do have two other internationals already approved to go out next year. So if the board's raising a safety concern, I think that's a very thoughtful thing to raise given everything that's happening and how tenacious things are. It's almost like co you change on a dime right now. But we already have two other trips going um out. Um I I I presented to this committee for discussion to that. Um no, I think it's a you know it's definitely a consideration. Um uh my question was more all of the students will be participating in of these activities. That's the expectation. Okay. Because I imagine some of the
010healthc care students do not speak Spanish. So when I met with both adviserss, they've mapped out a plan to bring the healthc care kids Spanish language up and the Spanish students ability to do the trip up. And I've had a student take one of these healthc care experiences through a different company, but he went to Lima. And while were they while they were on the trip, the guides actually build your confidence up too. So they start in Lima and they can can't do anything and by the time they get to the top of Mitu Picchu, they can draw blood and speak in Spanish enough not to offend people. So that so we have plans built in to do the cross piece of it between our two groups, but it's also a part of the trip.
011Good question though because I raised that question too. It's interesting when I send trips away, I want us to be culturally appropriate. So, my world language staff, I have full expectations they can pull that off, not a problem. I don't want to be disrespectful, but I don't know that people that haven't done this kind of travel are culturally appropriate when they go to other places more than they're aed by it. And so, we talked a lot about making sure both groups could do both aspects of the trip. Everything and well, it will be. Nothing's been publicized