Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 10/18/16

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, October 18 will be re-broadcast on Comcast Channel 96, Verizon FIOS Channel 12 and is available via webstream at http://www.ccboe.com/ . 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.

Executive session – 12 p.m.

Call to order – 1 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance – North Point High School

Superintendent’s update to the Board - Superintendents Report October 2016. (1).pdf (211 KB)

Correspondence/board member updates
  • Palko - Commend Mr. Roberts at McDonough for a successful parent meeting last night; One Maryland One Book at St. Charles HS, successful event; field trip from Field to Fork promoting collaborative relationship with CCPS to promote agriculture, etc.
  • Kelly - MABE Conference attendance; tonight's reception for 100th Anniversary of BOE;  CCSO emotional survival training attendance
  • Crawford - Science Center BOE presentation enjoyed
  • Lukas - Fine Arts Advisory Council Meeting in Baltimore attendance
  • McGraw - Letter from state board regarding our response to testing.
Education Association of Charles County update - 2016-10-18 BOE EACC update.pdf (49 KB)

Student board member’s update - student update.pdf (134 KB)

FY2016 Independent Financial Audit - CharlesCountyBOEFinStmtFinal.pdf (522 KB)
  • Kelly - Question regarding increasing the OPEB budget
Policy 5117 - Board Policy 5117 draft October 2016.pdf (207 KB)

Technology
Mentoring initiatives

Redistricting update - Elementary 22 redistricting presentation.pdf (544 KB)
  • Selection of redistricting committee members
Staffing update
2017 Legislative positions - Legislative Positions (2017 draft).pdf (170 KB)

Unfinished business

New business

Future agenda items

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.
  • Resolutions AmericanEducationWeekResolution2016.pdf (351 KB): Accepting: John Groat, AFSCME president, Linda McLaughlin, EACC president; Da'Juon Washington, Student Board member, North Point High School; American Freedom Week.pdf (74 KB): Accepting: USAF: Cadet Technical Sergeant Deja Cash, 11th grade, North Point High School; Marines: Cadet 1st Lt. Antony C. Nader, 12th grade, St. Charles High School; Army: Cadet Major Matthew Kenlon, 12th grade, McDonough High School; Navy: Cadet LCDR Danyell Hankerson, 12th grade, Westlake High School
  • Students - Elizabeth Saoud, 11th grade, Academic Achievement, Maurice J. McDonough High School, Principal: Steven Roberts; Kikayla Cox, 12 grade, Academic Achievement, La Plata High School, Principal: Douglass Dolan; Caroline Edelen, 8th grade, Personal Responsibility, Piccowaxen Middle School, Principal: Wendell Martin; Zachary Berke, 5th grade, Personal Responsibility, Berry Elementary School, Principal: Sandra Taylor; Aurelie Hein, 5th grade, Academic Achievement, Dr. Thomas Higdon Elementary School, Principal: Kathleen Morgan; Keeva Morgan, 5th grade, Career Readiness, Eva Turner Elementary School, Principal: Orlena Whatley
  • Employees - Stephanie Barry, special education teacher, La Plata; Erin Amore, third grade teacher, Berry; Janice Earnshaw, fourth grade teacher, Higdon; Ivy Wade, instructional assistant, Turner; Valerie Benton, school counselor, Piccowaxen; Kathleen Davis, resource teacher, McDonough
Public Forum – 6 p.m.

  • Eugene Kirsh - petition of 2,000 regarding transgender issue.
  • Anna Albritten - Transgender bathroom policy sends the wrong message.  Send the message that biological sex is wrong.  same as telling anorexics its okay to starve yourself.  Please change it.
  • Norm Quick - 4 young boys attending school.  state policy promotes LGBTQ agenda.  against it.  no bullying should be tolerated.  transgender is not a physical condition but a mental condition.  Please reject this document.
  • Robin Talbot - 3 boys.  Transgenders deserve respect and love as everyone else but I have the right to teach my children as the Bible teaches.  What is the timeline for implantation.
  • Didn't catch name - education of morality should be left up to parents.  witnessed civil rights years ago but have seen this country digress in recent years.  concerns of pedophilia and molestation.  People will be held liable.  needs of many outweigh needs of one
  • Steve Shwann - 3 children.  Any empirical studies done on purported problems.  26,000 students; approximately 7 identify as transgender, 3 have requested bathroom accommodations.  what is the criteria or testing will be done to identify transgender and what protection is in place to protect against predators and how will they be enforced.
  • Todd Corey - Charles County native, police officer, receives extensive training on LGBT and asked fellow officers and they object to it.  Quote from Stand United website.  Do not teach transgender identification in schools.  Baffled.  Age appropriateness comes in to play.  Should be addressed at home. 
  • Erin Falls - 7th grader at Piccowaxen....feel uncomfortable using bathroom at school.  boys are boys, girls are girls.
  • Liam Falls - 6th grader at Piccowaxen.  uncomfortable going to a bathroom with a girl.  It's embarrassing to ask the teacher to go to the nurse to use the bathroom
  • Christa Falls - 6 kids in CCPS.  Transgender added to non discrimination policy in June 2015.  October 2015 state issued policy to include.  Dr. Hill laid out her plan in May 2016 to include transgender.  Males and Females on field trips on separate wings was stricken from policy.  Boys and Girls should be separate.  Make Dr. Hill change her implantation of policy.
  • Chris Falls - 6 kids in CCPS.  safety of children, especially special needs children.  Policy opens doors for predators.  Held accountable to Jesus Christ.  Please reconsider the implantation of the transgender policy.
  • Chris Ogne - Pastor and father of 4.  Speaks of the bible book of Ester.  Morticae.  We do not have the right to say who is boy and who is girl.  Only God does. Dr.Hill has the authority to change the implementation of this policy. 
  • Tom DeSabla - CC Republican Central Committee - Safe Spaces Policy.  Rights for one person ends where the rights for another person begins.  Surprised by policy document,  Completely put together by LGBTQ community and organizations.  MD graduating seniors are below the national average on SAT scores.  Doesn't sound like you have time to teach transgender identification or sexual orientation.
  • Karen Cross - 4th time speaking.  Upset as everyone else.  First year her child is in CCPS.  Teacher.  Training is phenomenal.  Watched meetings and thank you for your dedication.  Teacher shortage.  Need this transgender policy needs to go away so we can focus on more important items.  Saw work session where field trip language was changed in policy.  Will transgender teachers be allowed to chaperone on over night field trips.
  • Yolanda Coleman Brown - comes from blended family with 6 children through CCPS.  Been on PTO boards and volunteer in community.  Upset about our students witnessing this.  They have to choose which bathroom they go to.  Go back to prayer in schools. I voted for most of you.  It's time to take a stand.  board thinks parents are ignorant
  • Carl Briggey - quoted bible verse; 12 states have pushed back against it.  Counties have pushed back against it.  change policy
Action items
Motion to accept the Minutes by Abell; Second by Kelly
Yes=Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas,, McGraw, Palko; Absent = Marshall
 
Motion to accept the Minutes by Kelly; Second by Palko
Yes=Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas,, McGraw, Palko; Absent = Marshall
 
  • Personnel
Motion to accept Personnel by Abell; Second by Kelly
Yes=Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, McGraw, Palko; Absent=Marshall
Motion to accept the Comprehensive Maintenance Plan by Lukas; Second by Abell
Yes=Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, McGraw, Palko; Absent=Marshall

Adjournment