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NOTES: Board Work Session, 3/23/09
The Board Work Session on Monday, March 23rd will be re-broadcast on Channel 96 on Wednesdays at 6 p.m.; Fridays at 9 a.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. It will be available soon via web streaming. To view the full agenda and the various reports, please visit BoardDocs.
The below notes are my personal notes and are not intended to be all-inclusive or official minutes for the Board of Education meetings and are provided as a request from my supporters and the general public in a personal effort to be more transparent. Although I have diligently tried to make these notes as unbiased and accurate as possible, I am only human and do make mistakes.
PUBLIC FORUM
- Female - Resident of White Plains for 30+ years. Concerned about the safety issues in the schools. Supports Abells request for information. Appalled by reaction of other members. Wants to know how board members vote on these issues. Concerned about quote by Wade in Indy and fights. Concerned with lack of transparency. Public should know what is going on.
SAFETY IN SCHOOLS
- Cook - Wants an update about the safety of our schools
- Pedersen - What happens after events occur? We did brainstorming...supports a student government teen court and cameras in schools
- Cook - Grant money available for school safety
- Abell - Parent policing; student ID's; lack of visitation by parents due to policy restrictions; whole community is needed
- Wise - Doesn't believe there are safety problems, taught for 26 years
- Cook - Things are not like they used to be
- Abell - Teachers and principal have commented to me personally: Teachers are reluctant to send students from the classroom because they are ridiculed and reprimanded by principals for not being able to "control" their students. Principals reluctant to suspend because it looks bad on them and their school.
- Carrington - Who is responsible for these parent volunteers?
- Ms. Hile (Principal, Hanson) - Never been told to watch her suspensions or keep them down
- Mr. Short (Principal, Lackey) - Montgomery County has ID's and still have the same number of suspensions. Thinks students do a great job policing themselves. Very open environment; allows parents in school
- Cook - Perception vs reality
- Abell - We need to be open and let the public know about the incidents
- Carrington - Thinks it's wrong to put on web-site or put emphasis on this small percentage of our student population.
- Wise - Addresses newspaper to stop putting negative in the paper and put positive on the front page
- Abell - Paper does print the positive. Web-site ONLY has positive; no bad
- Bailey - History of the board and system and how far we've come. Kudos to staff
REVIEW POLL OF BOARD
BOARD MEMBER NOTIFICATION OF INCIDENTS
- Anonymous paper poll indicated...Yes = 2; No = 5
- Bailey - No. Not Needed
- Wise - No. Thinks we get enough
- Pedersen - Yes
- Abell - Requests a public vote for all these items so public can see how each board member votes
Yes = Abell, Pedersen; No = Wade, Wise, Carrington, Bailey, Cook
SCHOOL INCIDENT TICKER ON WEBSITE
- Anonymous paper poll indicated...Yes=1; No=6
Yes = Abell; No = Wade, Wise, Carrington, Bailey, Cook, Pedersen
CODE OF CONDUCT - SEXUAL OFFENSES
- Anonymous paper poll indicated...Yes=4; No=1; Maybe=2
- Wise - Because it is happening more we should review
Yes = Abell, Carrington, Cook, Pedersen, Bailey, Wise; No = Wade
- [Yep....it doesn't match the anonymous paper poll]
ALTERNATIVE SCHEDULES
- Anonymous paper poll indicated...Yes=3; No=3; Maybe=1
- Carrington - Doesn't see a need for it
- Pedersen - Wants to put it to rest and will appease community
- Wise - Doesn't see a need
- Pedersen - Inform public
- Abell - Listed the history of this request dating back to Jan 2007 through today of at least 8 requests for the research that was previously done.
- Wise - Thinks staff should not be tasked; we should do it ourselves
- Richmond - Offered staff; double-shifting does work and year round schooling does work in some areas but don't know if they are right for us.
- Wade - Form a committee of staff board members
Yes=Abell, Bailey, Cook, Pedersen, Wise, Wade; Abstain=Carrington
Meeting adjourned
2 comments:
Ms. Abell, it is available for the public to view online:
On the CCPS website, go to
Public Info & Media, then
Channel 96, then
Schedule.
Locate any listing of the Board Work Session, then click (View). You do not have to access it only during the time listed on the schedule.
I used Windows Media Player; I am not sure what other media programming will accommodate the feed.
[For some reason, the meeting and viewer access has disappeared from the schedule for 6-7 pm March 23, the date and time of the actual meeting. Viewer access also disappeared for a short time Tuesday morning on any of the Channel 96 schedule, so it appears there are some glitches. After it re-appeared, it seems to have been been available on the schedule throughout the rest of the week.]
Re: the Editorial in today's Maryland Independent ["No time to point fingers"] regarding the Work Session -- EXACTLY. The Independent shares Ms. Abell's position: "If the details are not made available to the public, then parents become all the more upset...Sweeping these items under the rug and not reporting on them will do nothing to calm fears."
I might also add that last Wednesday's Editorial [March 18] was fully dedicated to the children of our community. "As a community newspaper, we realize how important it is to let folks know about the good things in which children are involved." The paper has created a story tag called "The Good News Kids" to highlight all the good news associated with the children.
Ms. Wise's finger-wagging in admonishment of the media was bad form.
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