Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 12/11/18

The Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, December 11 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 – 11 a.m.

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

Recognition of student state winner

• Bailey Davis, tenth-grade, North Point High School; 2018 Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) Golf Championships; Class 3A/4A Girl's Individual Competition; Individual State Champion

Superintendent’s update to the Board - Report

Correspondence/board member updates - 

• McGraw - It's Academic, Col. Wade Military Ball, MABE Board of Directors meeting, Thank you to outgoing board  members
• Crawford - Memories and thank you
• Kelly - Middle School Archery Tournament; thank you
• Marshall - Juvenile Services Education System MSDE; thank you
• Lukas - Ditto events; winter sports; congrats to NP football team; CC Arts Alliance; thank you
• Abell - MABE Budget Committee, 2.5% increase in dues for FY20202; thank you
• Palko - Senior Interviews; Culinary Arts Students; Thank you

Education Association of Charles County update - Report

Student Board member’s update - Report Polar Plunge 1/24

Grant funding use to enhance instruction - Report

• Kelly - Dyslexia Portion of Grant = Just Words; Parent Center at Gwynn Center

Student suspension: the data, the law and the alternatives - Report

• MD Law - 7-305.1 - PK-grade 2 cannot be suspended; very specific exceptions
• MD Law -  13A.08.01.11 Principal of a school can only suspend up to 10 days.  School is still required to provide work and we have to accept it.
• Reportable offense law- 73 crimes are reportable offenses in MD.  If under the age of 22, law has to report to school system.  Principal and system decides if it is safe for student to attend school.  If not safe, alternative education is provided under Safe Schools.  Could be home schooled.  If the student commits one of the 73 offenses AT THE SCHOOL...it is not a reportable offense and Safe Schools does not apply. (This has GOT to change.)
• If they are Special Education - we cannot educate them in an alternative environment. 
• Alternative Program for elementary school students to open next school year on Stetham campus
• Matthew Henson has a program called Huskies.  Suspension numbers have decreased YOY.  Therapeutic component, in school education.  A whole team of support to keep them in the building.  
• Abell - Who can get to the discipline/incidents stats in Synergy? Principals/teachers = yes; Tracking incidents and suspensions compared to other years...tracking below; Suggest transportation aids or other adults for Alternative Program for elementary students.; Huskies program similar to in school suspension with therapeautic component.
• Lukas - Reportable Offense Law pertain to field trips, sporting events, etc.  because they can get school dscipline.  Synergy referrals are parents notified?  Yes.
• McGraw - negotiated agreement states a conference with school, student, parents.  Hollstein - only if teacher requests and on severe incidents.
• Kelly - Special Ed - have to educate in our facilities - does it have to be there home school - no.  Parent Shadowing parents not taking advantage - why?  need to collect more hard data is that they cant take off work.  Similar to SHIELD at high school.  

Project updates - PRESENTATION POSTPONED UNTIL JANUARY

• Project Status Report December 2018
• Supporting Services Report December 2018

Health insurance update - Report

Unfinished business - NONE

New business - NONE

Future agenda items

• Abell - Board Member Retreat

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.

• Students - Ja'Nae Pickeral, twelfth-grade; Personal Responsibility; La Plata High School; Principal: Douglass Dolan; Steven McPhee, eighth-grade; Academic Achievement; Piccowaxen Middle School; Principal: Wendell Martin; Brandon Lin; fifth-grade; Personal Responsibility; Berry Elementary School; Principal: Louis D'Ambrosio; Anthony Cave; fifth-grade; Career Readiness; Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School; Principal: Kathleen Morgan; Tre'Joir Washington; third-grade; Academic Achievement; Eva Turner Elementary School; Principal: Ingrid Williams-Horton
• Employees - Jennifer Joyner, theater arts teacher; La Plata; Maggie Fitzgerald, Spanish teacher; Piccowaxen; Eileen Holden, third-grade teacher; Berry; Laura Kelly, art teacher; Higdon; Keith Juarez, technology facilitator; Turner

Public Forum – 6 p.m.

• Christy Wright - bus safety, distracted motorists, misconduct on bus, vulgar language.  safety issues, she drives her own kids to school.  Need another adult on the bus as a monitor.  Volunteer bus monitors if there isnt enough funds.
• Melissa Williams - teacher at Somers Middle School, views and support from speech last month has been overwhelming.    Hard to get high fliers out of the building.  We understand it's state law but there is maybe 5 at each school.  Use Stethem.  Not set number of days.  Discipline problem is not happening everywhere and accept our problem.  why is it up to teachers to come up with a solution.  Charles County is in a crisis situation.  
• Yolanda Michelle Coleman-Brown - mother of 6 in Charles County for years.  Twins in middle school and one in high school.  concerned with discipline and lack of pipe lining, lack of intervention.  Not utilizing all of our resources.  Child was suspended and she is very concerned.  Suspension is not the answer.  Boys across all races are bot being treated fairly.  Communication is not getting out to parents.  PPW, Tri-County Youth Services, Charles County Mediation Services.

Action items

·         Minutes

Motion to accept the minutes by Kelly; Second by McGraw

Yes = Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko

·         Personnel

Motion to accept Personnel by Marshall; Second by Kelly

Yes = Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko

·         Grading policy #5132.2

Motion to accept Policy 5132.2 by Kelly; Second by Lukas

Yes = Abell, Crawford, Kelly, Lukas, Marshall, McGraw, Palko

Adjournment