Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 12/10/19

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, December 10 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.  Individual names are spelled to the best of my ability.

Executive session – 12 p.m.

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

Recognition of student state golf winners - Names

Superintendent’s update to the Board - Report

Correspondence/board member updates

• Abell - MABE Budget Committee Meeting, increase 2.5% dues increase for 2021; requested MABE salaries; APFO Subcommittee met and requested more data to delve into at our January meeting to start coming up with recommendations.
• Battle-Lockhart - Business Management and Finance Committee; CTE Open House North Point; Legislative Breakfast
• Lukas - Mt Hope Senior Dinner; Safety Town Hall at Stone; CTE Open House North Point; Open House at Stethem; It's Academic; Attend sports; Art Show at Matula; Mattawoman MS Art Show
• Hancock - LPHS PTO Security Meeting; Dr. Mudd MD Agriculture classroom trailer; Legislative Breakfast
• Brown - MABE Legislative Committee Meeting focus on discipline; Mt. Hope Senior Meal; Safety and Security Town Hall; Dr. Muddd Reading Fest; CSM Scholarship Awards; Frozen at Westlake; Legislative Breakfast; Volunteer at Middleton Hall for Thanksgiving Meal
• Wilson - EACC Ice ream Social; Congratulate to Woods for play at Stone; Legislative Breakfast; Mt. Hope Senior Dinner
• McGraw - Play at Stone congratulations to Mr. Woods; MABE Board of Directors Meeting; MABE Equity AdHoc Committee; MABE 2021 Budget Committee; Congrats to Student Board Member Jake Burgess for Gen Assembly Page.

Education Association of Charles County update - Report

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees update - Report

Student Board member’s update - Report

Disproportionality in special education - Report

• Lukas - asked regarding calculations; data from  9 schools dominated
• Hancock - timeline and reporting requirements; due by June
• Woods - are the numbers per student or occurrences? occurrences; what is process for interventions vs suspension.; students with disability limited to 10 days out of school suspension per year.
• Wilson - We're in the top 3 of fastest growing in the state for students with disabilities; does transitional students count against us.  Only reported suspensions happening here in this county; Requests a report on transitional students number.

Project status update - Report

• Turner - demolition complete; reconstruction begun
• Stoddert - erosion controls and temporary parking
• Hancock - redistricting; will begin next fall with committees for middle school redistricting
• IAC Funding Update - receiving less than last year by about $4M.  Recommendations on projects.  Will appeal decision.  
• Water testing - 123 outlets exceeded, turned off for public use and have been repaired; process of retesting

Health insurance update - Report 1; Report 2

• Wilson - Case management is the new way of keeping cost down

Legislative update - Report

• Substitute Teachers database will be initiated for those that are disqualified from substituting in the state of MD.

Unfinished business

• Battle-Lockhart - Policy 8000, 9000; follow-up from Town Hall meeting; virtual math training

New business

Future agenda items

• Lukas - Kirwan legislation and community partners.
• Battle-Lockhart - Waldorf development - teacher housing; ASPIRE vs STAY vs Fresh Start
• Woods - intervention strategies and implicit bias training

Recognition – 4:30 p.m.

• Students    
• Quinten Echard, Senior; Career Readiness; Westlake High School; Principal: Diane Roberts
• Suki Aumavae, Grade 8; Academic Achievement; Theodore G. Davis Middle School; Principal: Kim McClarin
• Emmaline Ogungbesan; Grade 5; Academic Achievement;  Billingsley Elementary School; Principal: Sabrina Robinson-Taylor
• Genesis Rodriquez Batalla, Grade 5; Academic Achievement; Indian Head Elementary School; Principal: Shane Blanford
• Genesis Zelaya Villalobos, Grade 5; Academic Achievement; Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School; Principal: Nancy Seifert 
• Employees
• Scott Shuttleworth, instrumental music teacher, Westlake 
• Linda Breitinger, instructional resource teacher, Davis
• Charles Ford, building service manager, Billingsley
• Cynthia Asimenios, special education instructional assistant, Indian Head
• Catherine Graff, prekindergarten teacher, Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy

Public Forum – 6 p.m. (names are spelled to the best of my ability)

• Karl Grebe - 8th grade student at Somers; support families at Gale-Bailey; something happened with his son in October, Son was hit in the back of the head and then in the side of the head breaking his glasses, the other student was not removed, disappointed in the process.  Not enough regulation on when admin has to follow through or how they follow through.  Somers Spirit Night at Greene Turtle on Tuesday
• Linda McLaughlin - EACC president, discipline.  want to talk about looking at causes.  need to integrate socio-emotional learning back into curriculum at an early age.  Students dont have the ability to follow single or multi step guidance.  We are failing.  Causing burn-out with students and teachers. Cant teach content unless the skill of self management is learned
• Dawn Proctor - Daughter at Gale Bailey.  Assaulted on the school bus.  Hit in her private parts.  Student stuck his middle finger up and licked it.  Girl told driver, driver told school.  Boy was never disciplined.  VP bullied parent when she called the school.  Nothing was done. Need to pay attention to elementary school, not just a ms or hs issue.  Policy was not followed.  Volunteers go through training but the people we report to or not following the process.
• Nancy Jean - Somers parent.  Parent involvement is critical but not easy.  Tries to visit sons classes but was told she had to pick two and only two per quarter.  Referenced policy.  Couldn't have birthday lunch with child because it was not pre-scheduled.   school climate is not welcoming. 
• Tim Perrier - 41 days ago daughter was sexually assaulted by 3 boys.  Nothing is being done.  Failure by VP, moving children to other victims classroom, put them on the bus, now they sit at home not going to school.  Told because they are juveniles, we cant do anything.  Legislators say this is not true.  Not ok to put victims in the classroom with their assaulters.  Met with other families that say the same thing has happened to their students but nothing is being done.  Urge board to make right choice and decisions.
• Chelsea Spencer - My daughter was assaulted at Indian Head Elementary on Friday.  Kindergarten.  A boy put his hands down my daughters pants.  Daughter said she was fine and sent to recess but when she came home she wasn't fine.  Met with VP and Principal on Monday.  He was moved to a different class but she still sees him at recess and the cafeteria.  She was withdrawn from school and i had to call the police myself.  Nothing they could do because he's under 7.  
• Rhonda Thomasson - Lack of communication has always been an issue and nothing is being done about it.  Incidents are happening more frequently.  Parents should not have to find out about incidents at school through social media.  Harassment is considered a threat per our own bullying report.  Expects an email or a call when something happens.  Three minutes does not do justice for our children.
• Seth Heisserman - six children under 11 yo.  41 days ago terrible things happened to our children.  Passionately advocating for our children and all children.  Culture of failure to report sexual assault in CCPS.  Culture to hide incidents.  Reflects poorly on all of us. Irresponsible, immoral and illegal. Never received an offer for counseling for their daughters.or even the boys.  October 1, 2019 educators can now be prosecuted for not reporting sexual assaults.
• Deron Tross - County founded in 1658 and we are still operating as such.  CCPS failed by the way they handle and/or respond to situations.  Did you learn anything from Carlos Bell.  Have a thumb drive full of information I'm delivering to (media) in DC.

Action items

Motion to accept the Minutes from the November 12th Executive Session Meeting by Wilson; Second by Abell

Yes = Abell, Battle-Lockhart, Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson

Motion to accept the Minutes from the November 26th Executive Session Meeting by Lukas; Second by Hancock

Yes =  Battle-Lockhart, Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson; Abstain = Abell

Motion to accept the Minutes from the November 12th Board Meeting by Abell; Second by Lukas

Yes = Abell, Battle-Lockhart, Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson

Motion to accept the Minutes from the December 2 Executive Board Meeting by Abell; Second by Wilson

Yes = Abell, Battle-Lockhart, Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson

Motion to accept Personnel by Abell; Second by Brown

Yes = Abell, Battle-Lockhart, Brown, Hancock, Lukas, McGraw, Wilson

Adjournment