001no foreign good evening we will now call this board member board meeting to order if you'll please join me in standing for the pledge and before the pledge Bishop Mitzi is going to come up and lead us in our invocation it's not his kind father in the name of Jesus Christ we are so thankful for the gift of this wonderful day we thank you for the wonderful privilege that you have allowed us to be together in this room one more time God we thank you for this board oh God we just thank you for our superintendent Deputy superintendent all of the staff all of the district students and teachers and parents and everybody that is a part of this District tonight we ask you oh God for your mercy for your strength for your guidance
002for your protection we ask your God for your wisdom tonight on decisions that will be made oh God will affect the lives of our children and their families we're going to just ask that you'll be in this meeting oh God and let this meeting be a fruitful meeting Bless the people tonight encourage the people tonight and ever keep us by your divine power and we will ever tell you thank you for it all for we ask it in your wonderful name Jesus Christ we pray amen and I'll now ask that Michaela Santiago comes up to say the Pledge and if you'll lead us in the pledge whenever you're ready I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic forces stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and
003justice for all thank you you may be seated except for you Michaela we got some questions for you so how old are you eight years old and where do you go to school um floor Avenue Floral Avenue and what grade are you in third third and I hear that you are a budding entrepreneur and have a little business yep can you tell us about it it's a lemonade stand a lemonade stand I raise money for um people or animals in need people and animals in need that is awesome man that is not what I was doing with my lemonade stand money at eight years old but well so what do you want to be when you grow up a chef and all my own restaurant called my dog and I which you can bring your
004dog to eat with you you are speaking to my heart I my dog Oliver loves nothing more than going to dinner with us so we will be there just let us know when you open so well thank you so much for leading Us in the pledge tonight do you have any friends and family here with you I got my best principal my best friend principle um assistant principal and my best teacher my best mom and my best grandma man well all of these best people stand up thank you have the best support system well we are so proud of you and thank you for coming and sharing with us tonight and have a great night [Applause] all right so the first order of business tonight will be to accept the agenda for the January 25th
0052022 school board meeting superintendent do we have any revisions yes ma'am Madam chair members of the board there are three revisions um item K-8 Combi Elementary Combi Academy remove wastewater treatment plant and connect the city of lakeland's Public Waste Water collection that items being removed item q6 tpg cultural exchange services based off the conversation through Workshop that item would be pulled and rescheduled for February until such time as we can get questions answered satisfactorily through tpg before moving forward with that recommendation the last item there was there was a change to the HR transaction form as one of the slated individuals did not accept the position at this time thank you and I'll seek a motion to approve the agenda motion to approve second any discussion bear with us tonight we're so we're doing our
006own boats electronically so we're good all right so the next order of business will be our special recognitions um can I have Miss Miller go down in front and I'm going to ask Miss Copeland to come up to do her but I'm sure before we proceed has the boat been locked in for that oh I'm so sorry all those in favor for accepting the agenda hi hi any opposed and the motion carries now we'll move on to special recognitions foreign good evening everyone tonight I have two groups of stakeholders from our Tate stock and children program here to recognize both groups are vitally important to the success of the students in that program so bear with me as I tell you just a little bit about what goes on for anyone that may not know
007our take stock and children program is a Statewide program and the Education Foundation serves as a lead Agency for Polk County excuse me when students are in the program they have to do just a few things to earn their scholarship that we've already purchased Florida Prepaid scholarships that are waiting for them they have to keep a 2.8 minimum GPA they have to have good attendance good behavior meet with a mentor and then of course graduate so although we have staff that visit the students at school and look online to regularly check grades attendance and behavior we depend on the mentors to act as a liaison for us so mentoring is mandatory it's not an option Florida Prepaid requires that for students to receive their scholarship and we have to actually turn the hours in mentors
008commit to seeing their student two to three times a month for 20 to 30 minutes each time to check in and make sure everything's going okay and they're like an accountability partner and get what take stock staff if they see there's any type of intervention or assistant that needs is needed by the student many of them have jobs they do other volunteering they have families so a commitment like this is huge so I don't know if you're aware I bet you are that it's National mentoring month so I have three folks that I've brought with me this evening to recognize and they illustrate the almost 90 mentors we have that are doing the same work so Danny Higgins is here first Danny works at Mulberry high school so she's a school district employee and currently
009mentors eight of our students there she's mentored 26 students over nine years as a mentor she arranges translation services for the Hispanic students and the take stock programs sometimes their parents are as a language barrier so she helps us with that too Dr Larry Rankin is a retired missionary and he's mentored for our Tate stock and children program for seven years and in those years Dr Rankin has mentored six take stock students he likes to start with the students when they are in the ninth grade is where our students start because he likes to establish a long-term relationship with them and silly may just put two and two together that Dr Rankin's family is also one of our annual sponsorship Scholars scholar sponsorships when the girls in the office bragged about him I just didn't
010realize it was one in the same so then Reba coil is a specialist with District Workforce education department Reba has mentored in our program for four years and is currently getting ready to see her first mentee graduate so we have almost 100 mentors I say in our take Stock Program couldn't bring them all tonight but I just wanted to thank all of them publicly let you know what they're doing with our students it's mandatory it has to happen and I can tell you it's hard to keep a hundred plus mentors every year um shout out to Mrs Cunningham who used to be a take stock and children mentor and if any of you or anyone in the audience or anyone that sees this might like to serve as a mentor at Lake Wales Lakeland like
011Gibson Kathleen or Bartow High School just let me know and we can make it happen so thank you all and thank you to all of our mentors let me get a picture here [Music] facilitator oh okay here we go on the other side okay we do love each other one two three okay thank you very much all right so another group that makes our take stock and children program work are our donors and we couldn't be anything where we are today without them every student in our take stock and children program has the promise of a two or a four-year scholarship waiting for them if they do all those things I mentioned earlier and they graduate so for the class of 2022 that's an approximate value of either sixty four hundred dollars or sixteen thousand
012four hundred dollars depending on which one they get so as An Education Foundation we can purchase Florida Prepaid scholarships buy one get one free half off however you want to look at that and we have one group the group that's with me tonight that has taken ample advantage of that deal so the Citrus Center Kiwanis Club have partners with partnered with Tate stock and children for 19 years and over that time have provided 140 students with tuition scholarships to date with the match their Club has raised just over 839 thousand dollars to help students earn afford a prepaid scholarship in our Tate stock and children program so tonight we have Catherine Cook yeah Catherine Cook Dylan Daniels and Alan Higgins Allen was Club president this year Dylan and Catherine have been on the golf committee
013for as long as I've been director so 17 years plus and we just thank you for everything that your Club does some of the club members have served as mentors as well so thank you and we have a certificate for your oh you have your certificate he's crazy about that Cameron mm-hmm as that's right thank you all for letting me brag on them thank you so much thank you Miss Copeland and now at this time I'd like to have School Board member Miss K fields to come forward for recognition of our community leaders providing support to our tpg teachers well miss Fields is making her way up uh I'd like to extend Polk County Public Schools heartfelt thanks to our community members for stepping up to assist our International teachers by showing inclusion and compassion
014I'm sure we have many have and will continue to contribute we'd like to highlight a couple this evening though Katina Campbell is the daycare owner and businesswoman she attends Hearst Chapel AME in Winter Haven Miss Campbell organized an event at her church were more than 30 International teachers were provided with Transportation a buffet meal a free shopping experience at the church to get food household items clothes and toiletries the event also matched community volunteers with the teachers so they could be a local resource of getting acclimated with the county most recently she organized a few men at her church to purchase a vehicle for one of the international teachers also there has been countless employees at schools who need to be acknowledged for providing free rides meals social experiences and support to those International teachers
015it's Miss Katina Campbell present please come forward [Applause] and I believe there's a certificate for Hearst Chapel as well I'm not sure okay foreign the Episcopal Church of Good Shepherd also known in the community As Good Shepherd Church is located in Lake Wales we also have a YouTube channel and a Facebook page on Sunday in Late July 2021 a quiet confident young man named Usher from Nigeria came to visit Good Shepherd he was warmly received by but with masking and social distancing at the time it was difficult to get very acquainted some of us thought he was visiting as a missionary he Faithfully attends church every Sunday in August Uche invited Diane another International teacher from Ghana to join him everyone a Good Shepherd enjoyed getting to know both of them however we didn't realize
016they were walking to and from church in early September they never mentioned it or complained several of us noticed and started to ask about their transportation we learned that transportation is one of the biggest barriers for our International teachers church members teamed up to provide round-trip Sunday transportation for our beloved International teachers once round-trip Sunday Transportation was in place other International teachers joined they are treated with a hot breakfast on Sunday mornings several of us have been to their Apartments rental rooms and humble Cottages we have shared our call our cell numbers and text numbers in the event of emergencies a Good Shepherd member named pablitha daughter got enrolled in a local kindergarten class she took the family shopping provided school clothes for the daughter other Good Shepherd members have and still provide transportation for
017shopping since most of our Lake Wales teachers walk we have a few bicycles I believe three out of the 16 have purchased small expensive older vehicles used car prices have recently soared a number of Good Shepherd members have reached out to help our International teachers they are too many to name some have gladly given and provided clothing coats furniture moving assistants bikes meals groceries blankets bedding bed and bed frames linen shoes ponchos umbrellas dishes cough drops visits to Black Tower and uh most often transportation even at 6 30 in the morning on rainy school day rides were provided so our International teachers could arrive to work and warm and dry at Good Shepherd we believe God has called us to give and serve it is a pleasure to help our International teachers get settled in
018the lakeville's area again we appreciate this opportunity to share and be recognized and I apologize I don't have the name of that written in my notes first Chapel AME and that went to uh Miss Campbell okay yes because that's her church all right thank you and that concludes our special recognition of our support of our International teachers thank you chair Wyatt thank you madam chair that concludes special recognition next on our agendas public comments for items on the agenda as adopted at the start of this meeting before we begin I would like to welcome the public and go over our public comment process and opportunities for this evening we will have two opportunities for public comment the first will be for items on this evening's agenda to be voted upon at the end of the
019meeting we will also have an additional opportunity for public comment on items that are not on this evening's agenda to register to speak community members must fill out a speaker card in the lobby prior to the meeting all speakers will be given three minutes the clock will give you a warning sound when you have one minute left and when you have 30 seconds left please give your name for the record and as a reminder public comments are an opportunity for us to hear your thoughts and comments while it is not a question and answer session if you are seeking additional information I encourage you to contact any of us or the superintendent's office outside of board meetings and we would be happy to have deeper conversations so our first public comment will be Andy Crossfield
020and on Deck is Brittany devoy thank you all for allowing everyone to in the public to speak after seeing some of the news accounts of how raucous these meetings come I had to be here to show our support for the school board you were elected to care for our children and that's our biggest resource and I have to tell you that sometimes the decorum in the room hasn't matched the value that you offer the community and I brought some friends if they could hold their signs up thank you so much for the job you do and the dedication that you have to our children as far as sex education let me stick on topic here I can't think of a more opportune time to answer the questions every child has about their own body than
021at school because I know I didn't learn it at school I had to learn it on the street honestly most people here probably did the same thing and if you can ask a trusted a teacher questions that you that you're struggling with or identity that you have an issue with and you find compassion and knowledge I think we will stop a lot of the sexual assault that goes on in society and let's face it if we can stop one sexual assault because somebody took the effort to explain The Facts of Life to children who were questioning it then isn't that worth it is it preventing sexual assault in this Society worth it and if you have an opportunity to do that I heartily endorse the program and I hope you vote in favor thank you
022very much thank you [Applause] Brittany Devore and on Deck is Gloria Mona Smith I believe hey good evening um I just want to thank you that y'all I appreciate you listening to us and hearing us and for acting so swiftly regarding the items that we have expressed concerns about swiftly you put those items up on the school district website thank you for your idea of allowing parents to opt out of certain topics so thank you thank you for listening and for acting so swiftly honestly there's that's really all I have to say I did notice on the opt-out form though that the second sentence says this approved curriculum is presented by registered nurses and so then perhaps I've missed something perhaps um I've I've missed a conversation or a decision that's been made to my
023knowledge it was first or nurses may be involved in it but it's also be approved trained teachers is what the word that's been used in the past so I was which then just leads me to other questions of how are they trained who trains them um but for I will follow up with superintendent Hyde or one of the school board members and perhaps that is a decision that's been made and perhaps it is going to be truly addressed by registered nurses and if so that would be awesome and if it isn't though I would just ask that the opt-out letter that the wording on that letter reflect the most true most truthful and accurate statement that it may be presented by registered nurses or trained teachers or however that wording is going to be so
024just thank you for acting swiftly and I'll follow up regarding that question thank you madam chair if I may I can address the question actually now so in reality at the elementary level the entire curriculum is delivered by our School nurses and outside of that correct me if I'm wrong Dr Lutz it is our health all right it's our health staff at the middle school in high school nurses High School District registered nurses so as far as their curriculum is concerned those are your health certified instructors and so they have a background in the information there so and so does the middle school and high school letter already address that perhaps I I don't we could differentiate that in another place to me we could provide that differentiation yes ma'am thank you Gloria Mona Smith
025and on Deck is William young Bill Young good evening I'm Gloria Mona Smith I'm from Lakeland almost 15 years ago I was hired by the Department of Children and Families to be a child protective investigator and I was responsible for of course investigating child abuse allegations during the training I recall where we the new hires were asked for brainstorm words that we had learned to describe our private body parts we all got a chuckle out of the remembering some cute funny names but we were clear about the reason for this activity they wanted us to be prepared for asking questions to clarify exactly what a child might be talking about if a child told us they someone had hurt them if someone hurt their Tatty or their monkey or their pocketbook we were trained to
026ask a little deeper ask a question a great deal of concern was has been expressed around the proposed curriculum worries about children wanting to engage in sexual activity but I'm far more concerned about their exposure to sexual activity that they don't want individuals who take advantage of deficits and knowledge or icky topics that don't get discussed and they prey on our uneducated and vulnerable I watched last month's meeting where this was discussed well-meaning concerned parents shared their own discomfort in saying some scientific words about their body parts as they were advocating for the ones being solely responsible for teaching children about their body parts you know I have a lot of respect and encouragement around parents who want to take on this challenge despite the red faces and the stuttering words and the stuttering sentences
027this is a wonderful thing when parents want to be the first line of defense for our kids and when it comes to empowering and educating their children about their bodies however this school system serves over 110 000 children and I know as a matter of professional experience both as a DCF worker in the past and currently a mental health professional here in Polk County that not all parents are capable or even want to share this very necessary information to our kids the Grim reality is that one in five girls and one in 20 boys are victims of sexual abuse The Fallout of these victims include dealing with mental trauma STDs unwanted pregnancies and a terrifying introduction to the most intimate parts of the human body parents who don't believe the school should have a role
028in this teaching a specific topic have the ability to pull their kids from this content however this curriculum does have a role in the school system for those children who do not have access to real non-predatory information about their bodies for this reason I support this curriculum not because it's perfect and not because it's ideal but because information empowers and protects and something is better than nothing and nothing is what too many children receive thank you thank you Bill Young and then next up will be Catherine Sutherland no but sorry Bill Young and then on Deck is Catherine your next bill that was my not sure uh school board thank you for hearing us this evening my name is Bill Young I live in Lake Wales Florida and I have had four children two boys
029and two girls that I partnered in raising I'm going to be brief and I'm going to be to the point in what I'm speaking out on tonight I'm speaking out against adopting the proposed reproductive health program as it stands as I believe it to be hurtful to Children due to its being too graphic for age I also am against purchasing the nearpod Learning System for two reasons first the cost of close to a million dollars is way too costly to the taxpayers long term even if Federal money helps initially which is also taxpayer money I might add secondly I have studied the system in nearpod just teaches what the government wants to dictate not helping young people to critically think for themselves therefore it is just one more government overreach in my opinion thank you
030for listening thank you Catherine Sutherland and just to clarify we will not be voting on your pod this evening sorry on Deck will be loadless Smith all right thank you for having us here today my name is Dr Catherine Sutherland and I'm an obstetrician gynecologist and that has included adolescent Health Care um we all want the same things for our youth we want them to be safe we want them to be knowledgeable and we want them to be empowered as they go through the process of maturing sexual maturity is a part of of maturing into adulthood that cannot be omitted multiple Studies have shown that accurate and comprehensive sexual education actually is does not increase the likelihood of premarital sex does not increase the likelihood of teen pregnancies and does not increase the likelihood of
031sexually transmitted diseases on the other hand some abstinence only programs have been shown to be ineffective so the best programs are the ones that recommend delaying sex and they clearly State the reasons why including social reasons emotional reasons and health reasons when when students understand those reasons then they can make good decisions on their own sex ed needs to be a part in my opinion of the curriculum it should be as complete and as accurate as possible if you leave gaps in the things that are discussed the The Adolescents will figure out how to fill those gaps they will ask their friends they will get inaccurate information they will hear rumors this is how people learn that you can't get pregnant the first time you have sex or douching takes care of sexually transmitted diseases
032adolescents have questions and so often the last person that they want to ask those questions to are their parents so leaving sex ed to parents can mean that it is inaccurate and that it's biased not all parents feel comfortable talking about sex when my daughters were growing up I often helped in their classrooms with the sexual Ed curriculum and of course they were mortified but I did find that afterwards many of their friends would come to me in secret asking questions that they didn't have anybody else that they felt they could ask so adolescents really need trusted professionals teachers counselors Health Care people to help them with these decisions so I would say let's Empower our students with Comprehensive sexual Ed so that they can make informed and safe choices as they mature thank you
033the Emmett purpose my name is Lola I'm 10 years old and I go to Bothell Elementary School a lot of the speaker that the last meeting seemed to be concerned about my innocence thanks I guess but it seems to me that most of those speaking haven't been a child in quite a while so as an actual child I'd like to say we are fine a lot of the adults expressed concerns that learning about sex would make kids curious and we'd want to try it well I can assure you I've learned about Christopher Columbus every year since kindergarten and I have never felt an urge to discover and colonize my neighbors backyard I've gone to art class just as long yet both of my ears remained intact my point is that kids deserve more credit than
034the adults in this room are giving them we have morals and Common Sense health class provides us with facts our health and our families and sometimes our faith provides us with morals when you argue that kids should learn about sex at home you are implying that either that a parent is somehow being prevented from having this conversation at home just because it is also being discussed at school the truth is these discussions at school often lead to an important discussions at home we will carry our belief from home with with us when we go to school but preventing in-school health and sex education is a mistake I know you want to keep your kids from having sex because it makes you uncomfortable but the truth remains 71 of American teens have sex before they turn
03519. but research shows that minors that receive formal sex education in schools have sex later in life than those who don't research has also proven that abstinent only education has no effect on the rates of teenagers having sex it doesn't work I implore everyone here to concern consider their many benefits of health class that teaches kids proper words from body parts consent honest sexual education and birth control and please give your children more credit we have common sense we have more common sense than you seem to realize thank you for your time [Applause] thank you Lola in it Purvis Emmett Purvis and then on Deck will be Lisa Burke Emmett Purvis 655 East Stewart Street in Bartow school board members Mr superintendent Mr chairman person uh I watched the whole world sections this afternoon I
036had to leave to get here I didn't hear the end of it but I appreciate the comments Lynn on several items that you came forward and spoke on and there were several of you and two things I'm the second of four generations of of being educated and my school schools for Polk County four in Highland city alone four generations and it appears what we have here is a failure to communicate and the schools have usurped the authority of the parents and what I wanted to talk about was the section on reproduction human reproduction and the schools shouldn't be having to teach us and especially in the format that was presented uh I couldn't support that one I owe them and the other is nearpod I have an intuition and it's carried me a long way
037but it seems like it's consensus by collectivism education what about those that Excel what about those that are being held back what provision is being made for them and I know this is not a question and answer session but I'll close by saying I'm a Frederick Douglass Republican I vote my values and I have a heck of a lot of respect for Frederick Douglass and what however you vote on these two items that's on the agenda one of them is the other one was on the work session it's an indictment on you as individuals and I thank you very much for your time thank you Mr Purvis Lisa Burke and then on Deck is Jacqueline Torres sorry it's Lisa Burke and then Jacqueline Torres you're on Deck my name is Lisa Burke I live at
0383100 Lake Wales Bastrop Trail in Lake Wales I'm the president of basme 2027. um first of all I want to thank those International teachers for stepping up coming it's another place that you don't know and I've actually been on both sides of the fence now I'm at one of the schools that they work at and they're doing excellent they've had to put up with a lot look they've had to put up with me we know how that is um as you go through tonight I want to say Clinic sounds great I hope we can get that going plus another one a little bit bigger for the other side of the county for those of us in not from Lakeland from earlier sorry guys um as you go through tonight I did want to talk about
039we still need to work on our communication issues and that goes throughout the county Stephanie pea administrators everything because we still have issues with respect communication and everything else through the district okay um and as you go through and deal with the budget please still continue to invest in the employees that you have and help us get more that want to stay and be here as we should still be the school district everybody wants to work at thank you Glenn Torres and then on Deck will be Shannon Lee hi good evening I'm here to support all of you and thank you for ill the work that you do for our students we've heard tonight from a citizen a parent a grandparent and a doctor I grew up with subwent in that in the household where
040sex education was not discussed it was not discussed in my school it was not discussed at home my mother was on the mindset if she didn't talk about it it wouldn't happen to be perfectly honest I it was years before I knew why I had a menstrual cycle I didn't know I was too embarrassed and I was in ridiculed if I did speak up that I didn't know to my peers I didn't learn it in the streets I I was just naive so I represent the person who was never taught sex education in school or at home and as a result I was taken advantage of in high school you know it is what it is what can I do but when I had kids I made sure that they were going to learn about
041it and when I approached them or I just kept it the subject open they told me they already knew about it and I looked over I do remember I had to sign a paper for them to be to be participated in this but when I reviewed with them what they were taught in school it was so Tastefully done it was so empowering for them I wish I had that empowerment I look please keep the sex education program in our school system because I want our children to be empowered I do not want anyone to be taken advantage of knowledge is power and I I want them all to be knowledgeable my children were not promiscuous you might all say oh well you don't know what's going on Mom no I am super involved I'm very
042involved anyone who knows me they know that I'm involved my kids were not promiscuous as a result of that knowledge anyone who knows me knows I am fiscally conservative I am tight with every penny and I'd rather see money go to this to prevent unwanted pregnancies in the future than having to support unwanted children on welfare later on or having to pay for programs of abused children who didn't want to be born I'd rather my money go to prevention and education than anything else thank you for your time and please keep the program in our school system thank you thank you I'm Shannon Lee [Applause] good evening thank you all just want to thank you for all for what you do we are very appreciative and for the time to be up here and talking
043with you um one of the things I guess for me that when I was looking in regards to this agenda and this sex education part of this is that I was trying to look for kind of like the curriculum or the videos being shown and maybe I missed it that I didn't see links on the website and I know that there is an opt-out form but for me um having two in Middle School one in high school um of course I would like to kind of view it I would like to see what they're being taught I'd like to see the videos kind of make more of an education decision for them what they're viewing if I want them to be taught so I can opt in or opt out of it um so I
044think that would be something just as a suggestion to be able to have that access as a parent before and maybe had adequate notice um for when it's going to be taught so I have time to review it and just to be transparent so we can have more of a relationship between our schools and parents so we can be involved together um and I mean there's a big you guys got a big challenge I mean you got K-12 I mean if you kind of think about movie ratings they all got the different ratings so I mean you got to go through this with kids obviously something for high school is not going to be appropriate for elementary school so I mean it's a big task so I think having um the access and just for
045me as a parent that's just something I wanted to bring up that I thought it would be nice to have that and it was something I was looking for today I listened to your meeting today so um but that was really all that I had to say about that just that we would like to have the information I agree it needs to be taught but I think parents should see what's being taught videos materials from what my kids say there are videos so I think it'd be nice to be able to have access to those videos ahead of time and that's really all I had to say thank you for your time thank you oh superintendent Hyde can you comment briefly on the videos I know we talked a little bit about it today in
046work session yes ma'am so there there are a total of 22 videos only six videos do we have licensing which would allow us to publish them to our website those were posted There are 16 additional videos that we do not have copyright permissions to post Mr Bridges and the academic team are working on that however it is more likely that we will have to because we can't reproduce that and publish that on our website is probably more likely that parents will have to go to their school to review that content in the interim as far as notification as we talked about if and when the board approves the curriculum then we will actually schedule the activities for schools and then parents will receive notification one at minimum of one full week prior to its delivery
047so parents can again go back comprehensively review what's available to them and make an informed decision as to topics that they want their child to participate in or withdraw from thank you you're welcome okay and that concludes our public comment for agenda items next on our agenda is the approval of the minutes the first set of minutes is to approve the Eminence from the January 11 2022 special school board meeting second sportney and Miss Miller do we have any discussion all those in favor please signify by saying aye aye and the motion carries next will be our second set of minutes which is from the January 11 2022 work session meeting I'll hear a motion in a second let's improve second I think it was Miss Fortney and Dr Allen any discussion all those in
048favor please signify by saying aye aye in the motion any opposed and the motion carries next on our agenda is the approval of the January 25th 2022 consent agenda as revised I'll hear a motion in a second [Music] Miss fields and Mrs Miller any discussion all those in favor please signify by saying aye any opposed in the motion carries superintendent hi do we have any new administrators we do Madam chair members of the board so if you hear your name called please feel free to come to the front love to hear a few words from you you're also welcome to bring any family members or loved ones up with you because we'd love to say thank you to them because a commitment to being an administrator is not something that you do or carry a
049burden by yourself it is something that your entire family is committed to so at this time the first administrator I'd like to introduce to the board is Ashley Mac mcentee the administrative assistant at Haines City High School who's now being promoted to assistant principal at Haines City High School [Applause] hi thank you so much I am a proud product of Polk County Schools I started kindergarten at Inwood Elementary and graduated from Winter Haven High School um and now I have the honor of serving as assistant principal at Haines City High School good morning nation and I am here tonight with my Mom Donna thank you um my mother-in-law Sharon my daughters Jocelyn and Lily and my husband Joe and my grandmother is in Tallahassee and I know she's watching and making notes and we'll have
050a discussion later about this thank you so much congratulations what a great opportunity and I'd like to just say I know that principal Lane could not be with us tonight and on his behalf and on behalf of the Hornet Nation congratulations everyone is so excited for this opportunity As you move forward so many blessings to you and your family and thank you for what you do thank you appreciate you you thank you I'm Sorry Miss Miller I was also a graduate of Winter Haven with Ashley but I want to recognize her mom Donna Swindle stand up who led this nation this district for a long long time so look at this Generations here with us and we so appreciate all the work for many many years thank you push your daughters to education please push
051your daughters we want your daughters to follow a computer we have we hire yeah next administrator I'd like to bring forward if they're here with us is Shelly Camp who's a school-based coach currently at Wagner Elementary School however she is being promoted to assistant principal at Medela Elementary [Applause] product of Polk County schools and being the assistant principal at medalla elementary I also attended Mandela from first first grade to sixth grade so I'm back home just in a different role so I am so grateful for this opportunity I have my family here to thank for the support my husband my son and my mother are here with me and I also like to thank Dr Henry and Mrs McLeod for giving me this opportunity so thank you once again congratulations great job thank you Miss
052Rebecca Cleveland is currently the director of community services for Polk County Supervisor of Elections she is a new hire with Polk County Public Schools and will be joining us as one of our commun Liaisons for the Northeast quadrant of our community thanks for having me here I am truly honored and humbled for this new Venture in my life this new position I am a native of Polk County born and raised in Haines City went to school there spent almost a decade working in the community with the businesses and the schools Community with the chamber currently the past four years with the supervisor Elections office and Outreach and education capacity county-wide I'm looking forward to get back to the community of my heart Northeast Polk County to do some good work and advocate for the schools
053and for the students for Polk County Public Schools thank you and I just want to say we are so proud of you and so excited to welcome you home so to speak and I look forward to all the wonderful relationships that I know you will help us to build in the greater Haines City area Community so best wishes as you move forward in this wonderful wonderful new position and thank you superintendent Hyde for creating this opportunity for Northeast Polk we really appreciate it thank you both congrats thank you next on the list is Miss Reba Coyle she's currently a trst program specialist with Polk County Public Schools and she is now being direct are promoted as well to be to serve as an additional Community liaison good evening everybody um I just want to thank
054Mr Hyde and the board and our cabinet for having the opportunity to kind of reach my goal I think I have almost in my work world to be the community liaison for Lakeland the greater Lakeland area I went to Florida Southern go Mox and have been in the greater Lakeland area for over 30 years my position with Bartow Academy as their Grant coordinator and then on to Polk Vision where I got so much experience in the business Community County Wide I've learned so much about our community and I know the importance of building that bridge between our schools and our businesses and I'm very excited to do that plus we have a rockstar team Betsy and Steve are great so I'm excited to be on board I look forward to working with all of you
055thank you very much and I'm also my husband is here thank you so thank you and last but certainly not least this evening is Miss tally Miller she is currently the assistant principal at Crystal Lake Middle but she is being promoted to principal at North Lakeland Elementary hey I just want to go ahead and say thank you guys thank you superintendent hi for this opportunity members of the board Dr Henry thank you and for the support I've gotten already I'm super excited for this new adventure that I am going on I've got my family here with me my husband Steve and my daughter Layla I got one more watching at home and they've been a tremendous help to me getting to this point in my career I think there's some other people in this room
056who have helped me get here I think I saw Mr Butler around here somewhere earlier he played a huge role in pulling me from the classroom into an administrative role and then Miss Barnes for mentoring me through the past several years as part of her region along with my current principal Miss Cotter who's been tremendous in helping me get to this point so thank you I appreciate all of you and I'm looking forward to the new challenge thank you that concludes the list of new administrators my hope is that next meeting I will have some additional announcements for you thank you and I believe our lovely photographer was headed to get a picture of all of you together was that okay okay he looked like he was running out the door so gather out in
057the lobby and they'll get a picture of all of you all right next on our agenda is the charter review team nominees we'll do these as two separate motions so the first motion we'll look for is to approve Miss Kate Wallace to be appointed to serve on the charter review team for Polk County Public Schools I'll look for a motion in a second move approval second and any discussion Mr Wilson would you like to read her bio for us yes thank you Kate Wallace is a government relations and public policy professional Specialties in telecommunications and K-12 education she currently serves as senior manager of government Affairs in Florida for Charter Communications a Bartow native Kate is a product of Polk County Public Schools and a graduate of the international Baccalaureate Baccalaureate school at Bartow Senior
058High she subsequently earned a BS in public relations from the University of Florida since moving back to Florida K has taken up involvement in the in our community she is a member of the Junior League of Greater Lakeland and serves on the Statewide Junior leagues of Florida state public affairs committee locally she serves with Polk Vision the United Way of Central Florida young leader society and I should say and the United Way of Central Florida young leader Society so I recommend Kate Wallace for our Charter Review Committee thank you madam chair we'll send any further disc all those in favor please signify by saying aye aye any opposed and the motion carries and our next nominee is we'll look for a motion to approve Miss Abigail Skipper to be appointed to serve on the charter
059review team for the Polk County Public Schools I'll take a motion in a second I move to approve and any discussion Ms Miller would you like to read her bio sure Abigail Skipper is a financial advisor and financial coach with ranch Capital Advisors she's a lifelong resident of Polk County and serves on several boards she's appointed by the governor by governor Scott to the Florida Department of Education exceptional student education advisory and served for several years she's a founding member of the steering committee for the Advent Health Lake Wales project search Project search is an international transition program which assisted in the development of training experience internships and employment opportunities for students with disabilities in their final year of transition worldwide and locally at Lake Wales high school and victory Ridge Academy Mrs Skipper served
060two terms as a board member for victory Ridge Academy a charter ESC Center School in Lake Wales she serves on the board of the Vanguard School charitable fund and is well versed in school choice and Charter she currently serves on Lake Wales Charter School Superintendent search committee I know Abby very well and she is a great Advocate and will serve this community I think very well on that board she is married to her husband Alan for 21 years and is the mother of four daughters her daughters have a her daughters have attended and currently attend Lake Wales and Polk County charter schools thank you Miss Miller any further discussion all those in favor please signify by saying aye aye aye any opposed in the motion carries I just would like to say thank you to
061everyone who agrees to serve on our committees because we need all of the community support we can get so thank you for for saying yes the next item on our agenda is the naming of the media building at Union Academy so I will seek a motion in a second to approve the naming of the media building after Mr Jordan Jerome Corbett I would love to make the motion to approve the naming of the media center at Jewett Academy Middle after Mr J.J Corbett Union Academy I mean sorry Union Academy what did I say Jewish we can name them all thank you so we have Miss Fortney with the motion and Miss Fields with the second um Miss Fortney as I know you want to read the bio with Mr Corbett and his family like to
062step forward so we can recognize you please go ahead Miss Courtney right and I'll have Miss Fortney read your your bio real quick first I apologize wrong Academy uh the biography of Mr Jordan Jerome J.J Corbett in the winner of 1943-44 J.J Corbett was among 20 young African-American enlisted men who were ordered to Fort Benning Georgia to be trained as parachutist these young men were Pioneers because never before in the segregated military system then prevalent were coloreds considered intelligent enough or brave enough to serve in combat units of any type and certainly not capable of being paratroopers in 1943 Americans were called to fight against Adolf Hitler's anti-Semitism and Injustice but these trained as parachute but these trained as parachutists known as the 555th parachute infantry company of Highly skilled African-American soldiers were passed over
063and treated as second-class Citizens on the home front discrimination raged as prisoners of War ate their meals with white soldiers but the uninformed uniformed 555th triple nickels brave men of courage and strength were ready to fight for their Nation could not eat in the presence of the white soldiers once the war was over in 1945 Dr Jordan J Corbett Sergeant Jordan J Corbett who was stationed in Texas returned home to Polk County he earned a degree for North Carolina a t college began teaching mathematics at Union High School now Union Academy where he met Eva and was married in 1954. they became the proud parents of a son Jerome who was standing beside him right now and his wife is out in the audience the 555th parachute infantry battalion was nicknamed the triple nickels because
064of its numerical designation in the selection of 17 of the original 20-member color chest platoon from the 92nd infantry Buffalo division hence the origin of the term Buffalo nickels the spelling derived from the old English three buffalo nickels joined in a triangle of a pyramid and it's the identifying symbol congratulations Mr Corbett any other discussion I'd like to have comments but are you okay standing Mr Corbett yes I have okay I want to thank you for what you've done in our community my heart is very full you're one of my heroes you're an amazing man you've done an amazing job in our community you supported so many people you served on the school board you have sat in my seat had it not been for you you paved my way I might not be here
065today so I want to thank you and let you know how much we love you and we are so happy to name the media center after you I wish we had a school but the media center will just have to do but congratulations and thank you again and we thank Jerome for taking care of you and his wife as well Miss Courtney I I have here a letter that principal shotsky uh sent requesting that that Media Center be named and uh chairwoman Wyatt with your permission I'd like to have that maybe typed up and given to Mr Corbett as a Memento for tonight thank you yes ma'am any other discussion all those in favor please signify by saying aye aye aye any opposed in the motion carries congratulations and I'd like to invite you to
066say a few words if you'd like you know Once Upon a Time I could get up in front of an audience and speak without thinking I was in positions where I could do that once I served as the chairman of the National School Board Association but right now I'm a little wordless but I want to thank you for this great honor that you have bestowed upon me and I feel like that I'm standing on the shoulders of those that came before me and I really appreciate the job that you all are doing I don't think many people realize what it takes to be a school board member sometimes it's them as you do damage you don't but you have to still go ahead and do something and in watching you in your services I feel
067very proud of this movement again thank you so much for this honor thank you [Applause] and thank you again Mr Corbett for everything all right next on the agenda is resolution number 2021 2022-9 building tomorrow's schools Incorporated and so the motion will be to approve the resolution so move second we have a motion and a second any discussion seeing none all those in favor please signify by saying aye any a post and the motion carries up next is the lease agreement between the school board of Polk County Florida and building tomorrow's schools and the motion is to approve the lease agreement between the school board of Polk County Florida Lisi and the building tomorrow's schools Incorporated lessor move approval second any discussion Ms Fields so we had a lot of discussion about this item and
068our Workshop shop earlier today and I am supporting this lease agreement because I trust that our superintendent of schools has done due diligence and the company has been vetted Mr Burgess has read the contract that excuse me the lease agreement is different we've never done this not well Mr burgess's reference the Aviation Academy being similar but it was on the grounds of someone else property so it was a little bit different but I again I'm supporting it because I feel like the work has been done to ensure that we're going to be in a good place and if we need to make some Provisions Mr Bridges said that we could do that along the way and Mr Hyde assured us that the staff would be intimately involved and there would be good communication as as
069we go forth with the building of this school that is correct ma'am thank you thank you Miss Fields Miss Fortney yes uh exactly what Miss Fields said and if you remember a month ago we asked a bunch of questions and uh you know at some point in time I have to trust staff and superintendent um that we are doing the right thing and I pray we are so I support it as well thank you Miss Fortney Mr Wilson thank you madam chair we did have significant discussion this afternoon in the workshop and I'm very proud of our school district for taking this step forward in In This Very Innovative approach in partnering with the business Community to meet our cap the capital needs of our school district and as I mentioned earlier in the workshop
070um there are a lot of benefits to this I think a significance to me is the fact that we can free up our internal resources our staff to address our deferred maintenance need needs around the county we have a lot of schools that require a significant amount of work right now and and we're freeing up staff to take care of that as well as the money to do it so I um I think I have a very good feeling about this I think that we're going to see this as the wave of the future not only in our school district but throughout the state and even even the country so um very proud to participate in this very eventful uh opportunity thank you thank you Mr Wilson Miss Miller I also just want to Echo
071thanking the staff this is different than what we've always done and Mr Wilson has mentioned the average school age of that we have in Polk County is 50 years plus we do not have we cannot keep up with the schools declining plus build new buildings so I'm proud of our district you know I think we're probably the first one to step out and do this others will follow so to see Polk leading has always been encouraging to me I'm excited for this and as well for my schools in Auburndale who desperately need attention that we will have funds um across the district Polk City is when I hold heart to my heart as a good neighborhood school that you know with these buildings are just aging and so this will allow us to be able
072to meet the needs of those aging schools so I support this thank you thank you Miss Miller any other discussion I too would like to thank staff this is an extremely Innovative model that they've brought us um and have well vetted for months now and gotten answers to I think every question we've asked and then some which has been probably into the hundreds of questions we've asked of this so um thank you to staff for all of your work on this and all those in favor please signify by saying aye any a post and the motion carries right our next agenda item will be the reproductive Health curriculum review the recommendation is for approval of the reproductive Health curriculum as required by one zero zero three point four two F dot s dot I'll hear
073a motion move for approval second Miss fields and Miss Fortney any discussion Mr Wilson this was another item that we that there was significant discussion about this afternoon and you know what our last work session there were folks who had concerns and I asked them to visit with me and many of them did and I shared those concerns with superintendent Hyde they've all from my perspective they've all been addressed we discussed them more more fully in the work session this afternoon but you know in our society the most we can we can ask for his choice and there's Choice here for those parents who don't wish to participate in this program they they can opt out and I think that's um you know that's what what we look for in our society so I will
074be supporting this this um motion this evening thank you thank you Mr Wilson Miss Fortney well I I know we all hope that most of our children learn by their parents example and by their parents input but reality is that's not the case and that's why we'll be supporting this thank you Miss Fortney Mrs Fields uh thank you Miss White I want to thank superintendent Hyde for going back and addressing the concerns that were presented to the board in December I believe I wasn't at that meeting but um I understand that all of the concerns were addressed I think one of the things we really wanted to make sure that parents could opt out and they can and I think that they need to be given an opportunity to either participate or not but this
075is something that I think that is very important as our students grow older they need to be able to deal with a lot of issues and I think that this is one of the things that they need to be well educated on in my opinion so I too will be supporting this tonight thank you thank you Miss Fields would you like me to Briefly summarize the changes that were made thank you superintendent that would be great yes ma'am Madam chair members of the board as we discussed in Workshop I'd like to Briefly summarize because there are members in the audience who were not privy to that meeting or even some of the dialogue I've been having with some of our concerned stakeholders as Mr Wilson has and many of you have as well so first
076and foremost from fourth grade we did strike the HIV curriculum as we shared that is a holdover from a prior requirement the language shifted several years ago from must to May and so we did make that revision that is now reflected online I shared previously the concerns with videos we have been able to publish those that we have licensing agreements for we will work on the remainder several other concerns were expressed especially as it related to identifying parents as a point of contact for students when they have questions or concerns as it relates to teen pregnancy issues it relates to sex sex education as a relax as it relates excuse me me to STDs so parents have been listed as the first and primary point of contact for students as well as others Healthcare professionals
077we we also addressed several other content areas as it relates to and there was some confusion because the human growth and development curriculum here in Polk County has oftentimes especially at the secondary level meaning middle school and up been split between two departments it was part of it was addressed like the human anatomy aspects were addressed as we shared earlier through School nurses however the health curriculum covered other components and so the teen dating violence and those types of aspects that seem to be not appearance apparent or related as required by Statute we're there they're just simply disparate systems so we have aligned those we did uh there was I have an agreement that one area where we were deficient was we did not publish our materials online as you note I I promised that
078within 72 hours we fulfilled that commitment within 48 Hours got all the kind content online so families could have access to it the opt-out forms I think I believe a committee should be very pleased to Mr Wilson's Point choice is important informed choice is just as important and so rather than basically putting families in a position where they must opt out of the entire curriculum parents will actually see the specific topics that will be addressed on day one of the curriculum on day two of the curriculum depending on which grade level they're in there are multiple days so at the early primary grades there may be two days at secondary maybe up to four days of the content so parents will be able to review that and make an informed decision as to whether or
079not their child should participate on that particular day what I like about it as both a parent and as a former middle school science teacher is in reality I want our parents to be prepared um for those that opt in kudos to them and just as those who opt out I respect your opinions and your beliefs but what I like about it is even if you opt out you know what topics are being discussed and they have the opportunity to discuss those topics at home with their child knowing full well that when their child returns to school in a subsequent day those topics will be discussed amongst the children also for those who are opting in same thing what a powerful opportunity to open up the dialogue in case that child has questions without having
080to rely on the child to be the initiator for the dialogue it's really important that the parents say listen I know you talked about these topics today would you like to discuss them further what did you learn about such and such and I think there's the opportunity for the dialogue between the parent and a student and it eliminates to the greatest extent possible the shyness right the reluctance it bridges that Gap or at least provides the opportunity to bridge that Gap um and so I think by and large we have addressed as I shared the majority of concerns the committee will reconvene again uh the curriculum review Academy where we've convene this summer and do a comprehensive review of all the curriculum that is a committee structure it includes members from our local Health agencies
081hospitals Health Department our own curriculum staff instructional staff and others and again all of that information will be readily provided for our families so again the point here be as transparent as possible give families a choice but also give them an adequate timeline so lasting is not only will parents have the opportunity to opt out but at a minimum They will receive a notification at least one week prior to the content being taught that they can go back and review it one more time um so again I think we've provided incredible flexibility I think we've been incredibly responsive to some of the concerns that were brought to our attention and we want to make sure that we're delivering instruction that's aligned to the standards and to that point we we don't want to go any
082further we don't want to short have any shortcomings either so I think again we've the team has done a great job kudos to Dr Lutz and to several others um who have really worked diligently behind the scenes to help make this happen so thank you thank you superintendent Hyde any further discussion seeing none all those in favor please signify by saying aye aye any opposed and the motion carries we will now move to our superintendent report Madam chair the next work session will be held on February 8 2022 the work session will begin at 9 00 a.m work session will be held at the Jim Miles professional development center located 5204 U.S Highway 98 South in Lakeland additionally for board members I know that we have been really excited about the potential of returning back
083to the school district office for school board meetings as you know the construction of the room has been completed what we're waiting on now is the technical equipment but I will provide you with an update or an expected timeline in which that that room will become operational thank you superintendent Hyde and our attorney our attorneys report Mr Bridges Madam chair if you will grant grant me the opportunity I'd like to say a word about JJ Corbett um when I completed the officer's course in the United States Air Force in 1990 in San Antonio and reported for Duty in Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery Alabama as a freshly minted first lieutenant who had a degree and and and fancy uniform and that was it it became apparent to me very quickly that there were some
084salty senior ncos around there who had a pocket full of Article 15 paper from from Vietnam still in their pocket and they told me what to do and I and and then and I did it and they called me sir and nobody was fooling anybody you know we we knew who ran the place we knew that wise people listened to those individuals and when I arrived in this District in Sergeant Corbett was one of the first to extend his hand in friendship and welcome to me he has been a friend through the years no one has ever been a finer ambassador from the school district of Polk County no one has ever been a finer gentleman and I just want to say that wise people still listen to Sergeant Corbett thank you [Applause] thank you
085and in lieu of our Auditors report tonight we have a nomination for the audit committee audit and finance committee so the motion will be to approve the appointment of Mr Christopher reader to the audit and finance committee for a three-year term and his nomination is by a school board member Lisa Miller District 7. I'll seek a motion in a second move to approve second thank you Miss Miller and Miss Fortney and any discussion Ms Miller would you like to read the bio sure I don't think Mr reader is with us this evening Mr Christopher reader is the finance director with the City of Auburndale I nominated him I'm very impressed with the resume and I think he'll serve us well Mr reader has held management positions at sofa Del America Corps for 10 years he
086has an MBA and a bachelor's degree in accounting and business administration with a finance concentration from the Florida from Florida Southern College his AAA is in Business Administration with an accounting concentration from Polk Community College throughout his career Mr reader has taken on new challenges which have stretched his skills from developing a Consolidated supply chain to managing a manufacturing site for multinational organization each of these opportunities was rooted in finance and has contributed to his success Mr reader brings a unique perspective to today's challenging environment and encourages personal growth and development in himself and his teams he is supported and guided by his wife Sandra and their son and daughter whether it's on the soccer field or the softball diamond and I got a chance to meet his daughter I didn't realize I was sitting
087next to her I was at a City of Auburndale City commission meeting and I met this little girl and there was something in between us but we just struck up a conversation like I've known her for years and she's a delight I hope we can have her at one of our board meetings but I'm excited to recommend Mr Rita for that position thank you Miss Miller any discussion I just would like to add that Mr reader is from leadership Polk's class 15 which is the best class ever and so you it's a great appointment and I am I appreciate his willingness to serve all those in favor please signify by saying aye aye any opposed and the motion carries we'll now move to board member reports and starting with district one Dr Allen Madam chair
088no comments tonight thank you wow all right moving to District Two Miss Cunningham no report Madam chair and District three Miss Fortney I'm glad you all let me talk this time I know I know I could count on you I'm just um so first I want to uh congratulate all of our retirees and thank you for your service um I I wanted to bring something to superintendent Hyde's attention something came or ran across my purview somebody said if we want to live a morale booster that's free we should maybe let all the staff wear jeans the rest of the year I didn't know that was a possibility or not but I thought I'd throw it out there as in free um I was remiss I did not mention January 9th was law enforcement appreciation day
089with deputy sheriff's living right down my road I wanted to make sure I reminded everybody that we have a family that proudly does serve and continues to serve January 24th through 28th is National literacy week and that campaign this year is against the misinformation imagine that uh February 7th through the 11th is national School counseling week thank a school counselor shout out to him they need all the support they can get speaking of shout outs our PR team teacher of the year uh school-related employee of the year special note the young woman that was selected is a former student of mine at Bartow High and she has a smile that was contagious in the ninth grade and a twinkle in her eye that's still there Bravo Tiffany bearing Mulberry high school we did uh due
090to the half cent sales tax Mr Young and his staff honored the past and catapulted Mulberry High School into the future it is an awesome facility well deserved by the Mulberry community I want to thank Lake Region High School for hosting Winter Haven leadership and for chair Wyatt uh making sure that that culinary staff and the students did a wonderful job the Committee Member the community members I know they learned a lot while they were there and got involved uh Dr King celebrations Lord too many to to even mention I do want to give a shout out to Winter Haven had a beautiful luncheon uh Dundee Bartow Haines City great parades great celebrations and I was honored to attend to start the celebration of Black History Month um to our boots on the ground and
091that's anybody running extra routes cleaning extra classrooms taking extra classes covering uh I know you're going above and beyond and I just want to thank you um I also want to thank Bishop Mincey for always being consistent and showing up it is noticed by me and I appreciate you because as he knows pre-k through 12 Public Schools just do it better the end thank you Miss Fortney Miss fields thank you Miss Wyatt I wanted to um share a few things in reference to Kathleen High School we've been having Community meetings there Motley and be been inviting different stakeholders and alumni to come and to be a support to Kathleen and I think we're making a lot of progress I want to commend Mr Jones the principal and his staff and I want to thank all
092of the stakeholders and all of the alumni that have been coming and one of the things that we discussed at our January meeting is incentives for our students that are actually doing well that's turning themselves around and we are looking for sponsors to do different uh incentives with our students and we're also looking for people that might be willing to come out and speak to the students we're looking for mentors as well so if anyone has an interest if there's anyone out there listening that might be an alumni of Kathleen high school we would love to have you to contact Mr Jones directly and he can give you more information about what we have going on there and I'm very optimistic about what we're seeing and we're getting the students involved we have a student
093Advisory Group there as well so I just want to again thank Mr Jones and his and his staff for making sure that we have those monthly meetings and I want to thank Mr Green as well for his support and for his guidance in that area um the Martin Luther King Unity launching and reef land that was in the Winter Haven community and that was spearheaded by the City of Winter Haven we had I think great representation there Mr Hyde Miss Fortney Miss Wyatt I believe those were the ones that were there along with me and uh I have the names of three people but I know there were four so maybe you can pick up the third one the fourth one that I'm missing but the there were four people honored for their contributions to
094the Winter Haven Community they honored them by saying that they were four local black Heroes that would be Mr gethers all these people are now uh gone on Larry Hardaway and miss Ann Darby and do you know the fourth one thank you this is Johnson and so all of them were recognize and uh there was a weeklying ceremony as well and uh I think it was a great luncheon and I was very pleased to be a part of that and then uh going to Mulberry High School this past weekend with Miss Fortney Mr Hyde and Miss Miller it was just amazing to see the transformation of that campus it's beautiful if you have not had a chance to write down and to see it you should and there were a lot of people involved in
095the transformation of that campus and Mr Hyde respectfully and thank you for that he respectfully acknowledged uh former superintendent Jacqueline Byrd and her staff for spearheading that and making sure that they came that came to pass so thank you for that Mr Mr Hyde and then lastly uh I have bragging rights uh for the teacher of the year and the school related uh employee of the year the Inspire award I think this is my first time ever having bragging rights but I'm very honored and very pleased to acknowledge that we have a winner from District Five for the school related employee that missed a fortnight reference is her name is coach Tiffany bearian and she's at Rochelle School of the Arts and she's a para coach there and she is loved by the students and
096she's loved by the community and she does have a beautiful smile and more than that she really does a great job in her position so we want to congratulate her and honor her and honor her principal and all the students and the staff at Rochelle School of the Arts and that ends my report thank you Miss fields Mr Wilson thank you madam chair so over the past two and a half years I've been conducting research on the benefits of additional resources and improving educational outcomes for at-risk students and I was able to get data from the school district I studied 43 schools and over 13 000 students and I compiled information related to our Title One grants program that's a very broad-based program because it it generally impacts the school as a whole and what
097I found was that additional resources do benefit our at-risk students and and those schools had better outcomes and I'll share that I have provided I have some graphic presentations I'll give to school districts they can see that the next phase of that is working with our turnaround schools but I'm confident we're going to see great Improvement there because our turnaround schools have been quite successful the third phase of this is looking at it at a very granular level down at the student level and I was very very happy to learn we have a program I guess I'll call the pilot program it may not be a pilot program for you to look at how students are affected on a personal level when we when we are able to give them and apply additional resources at
098a very personal level and it was very excited to hear that the program the folks involved in that were excited and I look forward to seeing the outcomes of that as well because I'm I'm sure that's going to be those outcomes are going to be very exciting um and I as I mentioned earlier today I'm hoping that with our internal operational audit and external operational audits we can find some additional resources so I you know I know we're we're putting some Human Resources towards that and I'm sure other school related resources but um supporting them with some additional Financial Resources I think would be great and I think if we can expand that program because that's really what will will move our district forward moving those students forward moves our district forward and it benefits
099those students for their life obviously as well as our community so I'm quite excited about that and looking forward to getting some data on that down the road so thank you madam chair that concludes my report thank you Mr Wilson and Mrs Miller thank you madam chair I just have a few things um I spent Martin Luther King Day meeting with fuel Church in North Lakeland they do a lot for our students and I want to just remind our community and people that don't see it every day there are a lot of organizations involved I know fuel goes to schools and says how can I help you know can I can we help mulch the you know put your mulch out or feed your teachers and more of that is what's needed and so I
100am looking forward to expanding and kind of organizing all of these groups with our community Liaisons to help benefit our students I want to congratulate our teacher and support employee of the year coach Tiffany and Miss Brandon if you have not watched that video it's online our teacher of the year came from a center school if you work in our district our board member who has not been in a Center School lately I I really encourage you to go there was a student that uses technology by eye gaze by looking and at catching her gaze to talk and she congratulated her teacher for winning teacher of the year and that's where we're going to reach these kids with technology which goes back to Mr Wilson's point about funding I'll once again say that the law
101that allow these children to go to school has not been funded Ida is funded at 14 percent so if you're talking to your Congressional leaders please remind them there is a bipartisan effort to fund idea so that it will Ida so it will be at 40 before it comes to the States this will allow the technology to let these kids succeed so that's one thing that I think the community could help work on I just stopped by Tenoroc I got to see their vet tech program where the teachers can bring their dogs on Monday I thought that was exciting for the kids and their construction Academy I took a picture of one of the chairs an Adirondack chair they were making and I put it on Facebook and I think I got 12 orders already
102for that school so they're doing amazing things in those construction academies and it was fun to see the kids involved not only just on their iPads but being able to have the supplies there so they can learn those skills attending that Mulberry ribbon cutting I kind of equate it to my Auburndale that is such a community supported school I think everyone turned out on a very cold and rainy morning and it was inspiring to see people travel from different states just to come back to their school Walk The Halls of the old school and see the new facility so that was exciting I appreciate extending that offer to allow me to do that I think that's all thank you madam chair thank you Miss Miller and I have just a few things tonight the first
103is I just want to highlight again leadership Winter Haven Miss Fortney mentioned it several of us got to spend some time with them last week for their education day I spoke with them for breakfast and missed out on the gouda mashed potatoes at Lake Region so I'm a little disappointed in that but it was a great class and two Miss fortney's point I got to meet them again at the end of the day with winter Haven's pep group and they were energized and ready to get into our schools and volunteer however they can so we're ready to put them to work I just want to give a shout out to Katie Worthington Decker who has been a fierce advocate for education in Winter Haven for longer than I've been on the board she's been a
104great thought-pot partner and goes to Tallahassee with me every year to explain to our legislators why education is good for economic development and helps us flip the conversation and I just cannot tell you how much we'll miss her in Winter Haven congratulations to Lakeland because though she's not going far I know she's she'll she'll continue the good work in bringing business and education together in Lakeland as well so I just want to congratulate her she started with Lakeland Economic Development Council this week and then last but not least District 4 has bragging rights for Teacher of the Year Miss Ashley Brannon comes from Karen Siegel Academy and Mr um Hyde shared at the teacher of the year ceremony when we went to go do her prize Patrol she cared nothing about any of the adults
105in the room we had three of her students there and she was so excited to see them and to talk to them and it just showed everything you need to know about her and her spirit especially working with some of our media students the student who is able to using her eyes tell her I mean the whole time we were there she must have told her I loved her 50 times using her eyes on this iPad device so shout out to miss Brandon we're so proud of you and so excited for you and I think she's bringing home the state teacher of the year but that's just me District Force we've got it so that concludes my report and we will move on to public comments for non-agenda items so again these are the we'll
106be beginning the public comment for items not on the agenda just as before all speakers will be given three minutes the clock will give you a warning sound when you have one minute left and when you have 30 seconds left please note that although the board encourages Community participation no immediate action will be taken on items presented during this public comment portion of the meeting if follow-up board action is required then the matter will be placed on an agenda at a subsequent meeting in accordance with school board policy so first on the list is Christy McCullough and on Deck will be brooksie Smith Christy McKellen Winter Haven Florida and I'm here to talk about the international teacher program I want to thank some people and I want to ask the district please do better for
107our current participants as well as future ones we know we cannot find enough people here in the district to do our job we need these people um first of all thank you guys to you for taking so much time for asking hard questions last week obviously they did not give great answers thank you for caring enough to find out we were told at our school August sir we were getting a teacher from Ghana wasn't in the country yet um I heard through the grapevine about his first day because he showed up in a suit full suit because that's what he wears in his country and I thought it was too bad he wasn't here for prep week what we didn't know then was that he had walked two and a half miles to get to
108school and he walked to NFL's home in his suit in August because no car so continue to do that unless he paid for Uber but hadn't got his first paycheck so hard to pay for Uber big shout out to Susan Warner and Sue Petty at bicycle all the teachers that helped Daniel feel at home we have a hundred teachers that we're a high school elementary schools don't have those resources later I was giving away old furniture I saw a Facebook post by Marissa green asking for donations as a side note Marissa green is a rock star for our district she has organized an army to make sure these teachers have what they need and without the without her their experience would be so much worse so thank you to Marissa she told me about five
109teachers from the Philippines that really needed Furniture I went to deliver a couch and table assuming you know young college students whatever I found five women between 8 and 17 years of experience three of which ese two science um they were sharing a nice two bedroom one bath duplex that was empty the company share that they give their teachers an air mattress and the only thing in the living dining area was a flat air mattress so we were asking a teacher with nine years experience to come here teach self it contained ESC at a very low performing Elementary School and sleep on a tile floor you know that's it and they were actually excited because the first place they rented was unsafe and full of bugs so they were excited these women have left families
110and children they've done this job it's easy to say they make a full salary could choose to buy things they're often supporting their family at home or saving to bring their family here so please next year find local professionals to fight housing get them here early maybe a week together to to get to know each other to set up their houses to get their get established and meet each other arrange transportation both the school and to important errands like doctors in church and give the teachers that are here extra support now the number of the thing we're hearing is their struggle with classroom management especially secondary and the teachers we often put them in our most challenging schools because that's where we have vacancies so give them the support now because word will go back
111to their countries and whether it's this company or another company heating with the whole world for these teachers we're not just competing with Hillsborough or Pasco County we're competing everywhere so we want Polk to be the place that International teachers want to come thank you thank you thank you miss the color brooksie Smith and then on Deck will be Carmen araro good evening my name is brooksie Smith and I'm here to speak to you on trans the proposal for transforming adult schools and so you can put a vase with that lengthy thing I sent you but I'm just really here to tell you I love education I love teaching training everything that goes with the agony and Ecstasy of the profession and so I've taught everything there is to teach I've been a campus director
112I've there's just so many things that I've done but I served on the steering committee for the first Florida Department of Education career Pathways Grant incentive it was implemented in 2011 and I did that at East area West area and all 31 satellite sites that we had at the time presenting Career Education to those students and all those locations all around Polk County for East and West and I've remained abreast of all those updates all the requirements that we need for helping our adult students continue into their post-secondary education and and even though I'm not convinced that closing the most Central adult education registration and GED testing point in Polk County is the best interests of the adult Learners I know the transition to the technical college is vital and I understand the importance of
113the integrated Education and Training initiative my administrator wonderful Dr D consiglio and our Workforce Ed senior director Mr Cochran and I we all agree this is a future for the adult schools Nationwide and of course we want to support that endeavor but many students enter the adult school with great equivalence of one through eight which is called adult basic education only those with a great equivalent of ninth grade can enter the GED program in reading or math and they must have at least one GED level score in order to enter that integrated Education and Training Program so I'm just here to advocate for those nine wonderful full-time teachers that we do have that none of them would be displaced these nine full-time teachers are the heart and soul of the training the mentoring the stability
114for the 22 to 24 part-time teachers that we have especially those off campus in those one-room schoolhouses that don't have very much security the full-time teachers assist those part-time teachers to learn the difference in the curriculum from their K-12 role to the adult role and they don't have the luxury of professional development or planning time they just work five hours or less so we offer eight programs and I would love to keep those programs one full-time GED teacher one J Gad integrated technical training one full-time GED in Spanish one full-time Abe and math and one full-time Abe in reading and those four Esau teachers we would just love to keep them because you know some people are going to retire so just see the attrition as it really goes um it just it's a wonderful
115thing you know there's probably going to be three that will retire in the next two years so let the natural attrition we'll turn this corner on covet and see where it leads us so thank you so much for allowing me this time to present thank you for the comments that you made back to me about things so appreciate you thank you for considering that thank you Carmen Herrero and then on Deck will be Bill Olson good evening tall my name is Carmen Arroyo I am from Polk County I am an ESO teacher I'm here to to bring to the attention of several things number one I understand that you have over 400 vacant position of which 216 are Educators and out of that 22 are easel position 18 being ESO power 4 easel teacher I
116have applied for two out of the four easel possession teachers and I have not been called leaving that matter aside the reason I'm bringing this attention because these positions have been open for three to seven months I'm sure that there are teachers out there and easel teachers that can fill this position I do not understand why after seven months online on announcements on job search they are not filled why 18 ESO Physicians power positions are not filled after three to seven months okay I'm also concerned that this will also affect the future generational Visa population AKA generation 1.5 1.5 of the graduation easel students that arrive to college not knowing how to re-write speak in English these are students that have over five to ten years in the easel system never exit out do they
117have meetings do they have tests I do not know this time because I have not been an ESO teacher I was hired as a Nissan teacher which at that point I was let go because I wrote The principle stating that I will not be an accomplice to title three federal and state fund violations these students are going to arrive to college I understand that Polk County has Community College sponsored by Polk County Schools why are we not teaching future ESO students that have graduated have graduated in this technical college to become the east of para teach our own to work for our own con for our own Community from school why can we do a community an associate degree because it does take an associate degree of 60 semester hours to become an esopara so
118you have a technical college create the course and if you have a needle position then give them the power to make decision when hiring or dismissing a nasal teacher the easel Department should be involved because they are the one the teachers representing the easel department so why aren't they involved in the hiring and dismissal I'm sure that they know enough Association and enough high school students who have gone to Community College former ESO students that can be this ISO Para and in the flat for a second the sex education parents [Music] thank you and next on the list is Bill Olson on Deck is Bob Nichol good evening everyone my name is Bill Olson and I represent Bill Olson for congress 2020. I'm trying to become your Congressman here probably here in the new District
119that's going to be coming out soon hopefully uh I hate to be the bearer of bad news and I don't want to criticize but sometimes you have to uh I'm holding in my hand the Polk County Schools equity and diversity management now you may remember I showed up last 30 days ago and I let you know and I read a little bit about what's going on here unfortunately the Diversity Program that we have published here I don't know if there's another one but the one that we have published here has links and if you look at it it tells you please use the following resources in talking to your students and colleagues about topics such as racial inequality discrimination and diversity now you go to that link and it's CRT understanding race and privilege okay
120it's my understanding that CRT is not to be taught the governor the legislature the board the school board from the state okay 30 days ago I sent out emails to each and every one of you that are members okay three of you at least sent something back Mr Lynn Wilson took the time to call me and we had a nice conversation all right that's what I want to do is I want us to have a conversation about this now we have got a situation here where we're not following the rules and we need to now I think it's important we also understand that CRT is not something that we should be teaching in our schools it is very important that we understand that we are equal and CRT that's not what CRT does CRT does
121not teach us that we're equal it separates our children from each other so the last thing I wanted to say is to the gentleman your last name sir was Corbin Sergeant Corbett I'm a fellow sergeant retired United States Army airborne paratrooper just like you sir and I want to thank you sir for what you've done for this school district these people up here are patrons and so are you thank you Mr Olson Bob nickel and then on Deck is Danny Krueger good evening Bob Nichol Winter Haven Florida ESC inclusion teacher Haines City Florida Boone Middle School good evening I'm speaking tonight on behalf of my good friend Anita Carson chairman Wyatt and members of the board I've asked Mr nickel to read my comments tonight as I was told to stay home by the staff
122at the PCSB Health Clinic due to covet exposure and symptomatic presentation this is my current reality and Omicron has created this as a reality for so many teachers staff and students and community members many of our schools were short staffed or running lean before covid and with the new Resurgence we are drowning in shortages and losing valuable instructional time again our schools now regularly run with significant staff vacancies and absences due to illness our Polk County School students suffer the most children are being split up to be watched by teachers other than their instructor and are not receiving their regular instruction students are being placed in second and third periods of PE and missing vital classes because there are no substitutes or available staff to cover classes on-campus support staff such as Deans academic coaches
123guidance counselors testing coordinators and media Specialists are being pulled from their regular duties to fill classes multiple times a week that leaves all the important tasks these roles do either undone or often covered by staff on their own time unpaid specialized staff such as Esau Paris ese Paris and ese inclusion teachers are being pulled to cover classes numerous times ask Mr nickel how many days he has been able to provide ese inclusion assistance to his caseload this year six it is leaving our students who have the hardest time gaining in our schools even further behind without their needed supports we are drowning each day the people left behind on our campuses are further and further burdened as caring and skilled I implore you as a board to stand up for us your employees in the
124eyes of the public specifically we need you to amplify our voices to those in power our state legislatures have filed over 100 bills that are set to impact education our governor and education commissioner are wanting to implement new and harsher policies that further complicate our daily tasks and treat us less and less like the certified professionals we are please ask the state for one more year of reprieve from State Testing to give us our instructional time back so we can continue to work to grow our students instead of measuring them fine please ask the state to stop trying to micromanage our County and allow our school board with the thank you Mr Nichols from our community to figure out what works thank you Mr nickel us here in Polk thank you community thank you for
125your time Anita Carson thank you Danny Krueger and then on Deck will be Justin sharpless I'm Danny Krieger from Lake Wales I was watching the work session this afternoon on the online and one item caught my attention kind of being the closet statistician that I am and it was a bar chart indicating Proficiency in English language arts and math by grade um it looked pretty good actually and I meticulously reproduced that chart on the back of my agenda as you can see here all of the bars go almost all the way to the top so that would indicate I think that if proficiency equals 100 percent at grade level we're doing pretty good except that's only half the chart if you just hold a whole chart going all the way up to 100 percent we're
126actually less than half of where we need to be and I was going to speak on that at the regular meeting and I was told that it was not on the agenda and that that bothers me too because to me this is kind of an important thing and what I would like to see is a regular report from the superintendent the board whoever on number one what are the goals number two what's being done to get to those goals number three progress toward or away from those goals to me the only goal that makes any sense is 100 percent and we're a long ways from there right now based on the um on the information that I looked at this afternoon so and I think it ought to be a regular part of the agenda
127because to me the students the children and how they perform is the issue everything else is Superfluous everything else is by the way the question is are we bringing them up and educating them sufficiently to perform in a world that has gotten far too complex from everything that I've read it seems like 150 years ago children were very educated than they are today they were doing geometry algebra little trigonometry even before eighth grade so I'm wondering for maybe not look back rather than looking forward because what we're doing now is kind of all in spite of the progressive education system thank you Mr okay Justin sharpless and then on Deck will be Victoria del Castillo hello board members I first want to thank you for your service there's a lot of people who look up
128to you and see you as role models and so I just want to thank you each for what you do um I sent an email to you uh earlier actually yesterday inviting you all to the Polk County Youth Fair this week we have students from all over our County exhibiting in Bartow right down the road at the Polk County Youth Fair these are students that are involved in agricultural education as well as family consumer Science Education and um I'm pretty passionate about it and that's the reason why I wanted to get up here and I wanted to personally invite you I know some of you have already went to the Youth Fair I appreciate that but there's a reason why I'm passionate about it and I don't know super superintendent High I don't know if
129you remember this but um I actually came to I was on the superintendent search committee and then I came in this very room and I asked every single of the five uh finalists the same question what are your plans for Career Technical education in Polk County yours was my favorite so I'm glad you're here but um the reason why I'm so passionate about careertech education is I'm a product I'm a product of Polk County Public Schools Career Tech education I was a 10th grader when I walked into agriculture class at Lake Wales High School I didn't no idea what I wanted to do with my life but through a relationship I developed with my AG teacher Milton Bryan he inspired me to become a high school agriculture teacher and I did that for a little
130bit before now I'm teaching at the college level in agriculture so I want to thank Mr Brian specifically but also to all the teachers out there who are inspiring our students every day so I'm just going to close with inviting you again to the Polk County Youth Fair our students work really hard all year long to exhibit these projects this week so thank you all and again thank you for your service thank you Mr sharpless Victoria del Castillo and then on Deck will be John Ruffin hi good evening my name is Victoria del Castillo I was in the Youth Fair for 10 years I am a 4-H member and I'm so happy to hear that because it segues really nicely into what my comments are tonight regarding nearpod I understand it's been taken off of
131the agenda but what I read about it was that its purpose was to bridge the gap for students who academically suffered during covid is that I think that's pretty much and so that this software would be the would be the tool utilized in schools to bring the children back up to where they should be I'm a mother of two children four and seven years old when we arrived here in 2020 June I came on a humanitarian flight from Bogota Colombia I've lived in Colombia 15 years I worked under the Obama Administration as a federal contractor I worked on agricultural working with farmers in the countryside public policy many many different aspects with your tax paying funds and I was a Communications officer so my job was to look into information so when covet happened I
132owned a restaurant I owned a restaurant with 22 I had 22 employees and they shut us down I thought well the most important thing is to look at what are people scared of and most people were scared of dying so I said what are the death rates so in March 2020 I was looking at the exact same information at the World Health Organization reviews on death rates and the average was less than one percent at that time and we have a very clear profile of those that died that are over 65 with comoridity five different conditions that I can list out for you so I knew that kids were not at risk I also followed Sweden which did not close one school nor one business and since I owned a business and I had children
133I said well I got to get out of here because Colombia South America three and a half hour flight from here top of the continent Bogota closed my restaurant for six months I had employees that had to play their contracts they paid Health Care pension fund they had families depending on them and I was not going to put my children in schools when they finally opened a year later so I came here to Polk County and my point is that I was adamant against screens prief kovid became more adamant when Covenant happened and I think that money should be utilized for after-school tutoring programs one-on-one programs maybe getting older students working with younger students which would be great because what happened during this year was a great great loss of interaction among children and humans
134need facial interaction I worked as a substitute teacher in the school where my children attended for 13 months I worked there six months as a substitute teacher I have a great respect for all of the teachers I loved it there's no way I could have done it with a mask on I had babies to 10 year olds not one case of covid 80 students small building outside once a day so I'm here to bring the truth the love and the Forgiveness of Jesus Christ who drives me to share with you this information I sure hope that you'll act on it and not teach with masks on and don't do nearby thank you ma'am John Ruffin go ahead and go to the next person thank you Mr Ruffin and Terry Coney is the next person and
135then Bishop mincy is on Deck wow uh good evening I'm Madam chair School Board staff and audience my goal today is to see if I can get through all of this uh before I get a buzzer going so I'm Terry Coney 422 El Salvador Drive Lakeland Florida I'm president of NAACP Lakeland Branch I'm on the Polk County Public Schools ABC Board I'm a psych member for Rochelle School of Arts I'm a member of Washington Park Rochelle Alumni Association so I'm really involved in the community uh I have a whole lot of stuff scribbled on this paper but I didn't and I didn't know Mr Corbett was going to be uh honored today so I I definitely like to uh uh Anonymous Colbert and thank him for his service because of what he did I was
136able to stand on his shoulders one of those giants I'm a 22-year Air Force veteran uh and on Veterans Day we aren't at Mr Corbett Mr Herman Jenkins who was a World War II veteran and uh posthumously Mr limous gathers out of Windhaven uh there was a monument at Veterans Park in Lakeland that honored World War II veterans uh from Polk County and and that's good history that's fact that's not a theory so to follow up on that uh uh there's been a lot talked about about critical race Theory and the gentleman just up here a little while ago talked about critical race Theory I challenge anybody in here to give me a definition of what it actually is in July superintendent Hyde said Polk County Public Schools doesn't teach critical race Theory if you
137really looked into it critical race theory is a graduate level course it's a law school course I I think what somebody complain about is critical American history not critical race theory yes critical American history it's it's good there it's mad there as a country if you count 1776 with less than 250 years old we're still trying to figure it out compared to some of the Asian countries African countries European countries but we got to take that good and bad so there's a ton of stuff here I could go on with for instance uh my organization we we partnered with Polk County public schools to get information out about the new enrollment program for the magnet schools and Ace Program all that there's a saying goes either part of the solution or part of the problem
138rather than complaining step up and help Polk County Public Schools make it the best not consistently in that bottom 15 to 17 counties let's make that a priority let's let's help all our teachers get get competitive pay let's get a hundred percent of our teachers thank you Mr Cooney and Bishop mincy [Applause] y'all we need to hear something uh we are in a we're in a critical hour I don't think I don't say your board members don't think I think you think but I think as I hold our whole Community need to think where we really are uh I've said to you all so many times and I don't think you may not pay me in mind but it's a this dish that we're in and what we deal with on a day-to-day basis uh
139is more serious than what a lot of people look at everybody think they got the answer everybody in this room everybody in this room got think they got the answer and you know everybody don't have the answer we fighting uh Mr Coney just talked about that CRT thing that's a demon that's a demon and y'all know it's a demon what you need to do is acknowledge acknowledge what we went wrong that's all people it's why it's so hard for us to say I went wrong that's what I can understand I can't understand about us as people we don't want to acknowledge where we went wrong we went wrong so if you go back and straighten up where you went wrong then you can definitely go forward but until we America this country that we call
140the greatest nation on Earth until we come back to the place that we went and it was religious people that declared what they done so if they could come back that all that stuff to be in here y'all y'all know it's swept under the rug and we try to say it ain't just the way there but if we come back and say this where we fail this is where we need to start it and go forward I guarantee you we could accomplish a whole lot and our children I don't care how you fix that this people they communicate with tell them anything that they want to know daddy Grandmama granddaddy Grand Papa everybody as you can try to say it ain't so it ain't this ain't that I guarantee you they know more than you
141think you know they know it because you know why they talk old folk don't want to talk you know what they do they want to be stiff and tight and think they got the answer and don't have the answer what they do they pull apart and that's why we're in the situation we're in today we are so pulled apart we so put apart but we the greatest nation on Earth that's what we say right but all we need to do is just go back to where we live where we where we messed up get it straight and I guarantee you going down this road and be a successful people thank you bishop mincy and with no further business to come before the board we are adjourned