Coraggio Consulting
Fairfax County School Board Meeting, Monday, June 26, 2023

Date: Monday, June 26, 2023
Place: Fairfax County School Board, Virginia
Length: 6h 0m (video)
Official meeting video (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqLqqyoHlvU
Official School Board page (FCPS): https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/leadership/school-board

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-11-03. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:09:57] This June 26, 2023 regular meeting of the Fairfax County School Board will now come to order.

[00:19:17] Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by a moment of silence and a performance of the National Anthem by the Franklin Camp Blue Orchestra under the direction of Devin Wilcox and Cindy Crum.

[00:19:38] That was wonderful. Thank you so much.

[00:21:36] Agenda Item 2.02, Certification of Closed Meeting. In order to comply with Section 2.2-3712D of the Code of Virginia, it is necessary for the Board to certify that since the Fairfax County School Board convened a closed meeting on June 26, 2023, to the best of each member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements, and only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed meeting were heard, discussed, or considered by the Board in the closed meeting. Do you have a motion?

[00:22:07] Ms. Corbett-Sanders is there a second? Ms. Cohen, all those in favor, please raise your hands. Ms. Keyes-Gamara, Ms. Marin, Ms. Tolan, Ms. Corbett-Sanders, Ms. Darinak-Kofax, Ms. McLaughlin, Dr. Anderson, Mr. Frisch, Ms. Cohen, Ms. Bukarski, and myself. That motion passes. Thank you very much.

[00:22:23] Agenda Item 2.03, Confirmation of Action, Taken in Closed Meeting. Motion number one, I call on Mr. Frisch for a motion. Thank you very much. Madam Chair, I move to appoint Dr. Giovanni Ponsi as Chief of Schools, effective July 1, 2023, AND AUTHORIZE THE CHAIR TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT REFLECTING THIS ACTION.

[00:22:46] IS THERE A SECOND? MS. COHEN, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HANDS. MS. FUKARSKI, MS. COHEN, MR. FRISH, DR. ANDERSON, MS. MCLACHLAN, MS. JARANAK KOFAX, MS. CORBETT SANDERS, MS. TOLAN, MS. MAYOR, MS. KEIZ GAMAR, MYSELF, THAT MOTION PASSES.

[00:23:05] WELCOME TO MR. PONSE. And just as a reminder, because we have a packed agenda tonight, we will invite all of our new appointees to come address the board at the next meeting and welcome them formally. Motion number two, I call on Ms. Corbett Sanders for a motion. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move to appoint Dr. Nardis King as the Chief Equity Officer, effective July 1, 2023, and authorize the chair to execute a contract reflecting this action.

[00:23:36] Is there a second? Second. - Dr. Anderson, all those in favor? Ms. Keyes-Gamara, Ms. Marin, Ms. Toland, Ms. Corbett Sanders, Ms. Derenak-Houfax, Ms. McLaughlin, Dr. Anderson, Mr. Frisch, Ms. Cohen, Ms. Bukarski, and myself, that motion passes, congratulations.

[00:24:09] - On behalf of the board, I would like to take a moment to congratulate Dr. King and Dr. Ponce on their new roles. Additionally, we would like to congratulate Dr. Michelle Boyd on her new role, Assistant Superintendent of Region 6, effective July 1st, 2023.

[00:24:39] Again, because of tonight's packed agenda, we'll invite all three of them to address the board at our July 13th regular meeting. Motion number three I call on Miss Cohen for a motion. I move to deny the school reassignment appeal of a student who participated in a group assault on another student on a school bus and to confirm the disciplinary decision of the division superintendent. Is there a second? Ms. Keyes-Gamara all those in favor please raise your hands. Ms. Bukarski, Ms. Cohen, Mr. Frisch, Dr.

[00:25:13] Anderson, Ms. McLaughlin, Ms. Darnak-Koufax, Ms. Corbett-Sanders, Ms. Tolan and Ms. Kees-Gamara all those opposed abstaining Ms. Marron that motion passes motion number four I call on Ms. Kees-Gamara for a motion.

[00:25:36] Mike Ms. I move to deny the school reassignment appeal of a student who participated in a group assault as the question is mute moot. Is there a second second. All those in favor please raise your hands. Ms. Kees-Gamara Ms. Marron Ms. Tolan Ms.

[00:25:55] Corbett Sanders Mr. Koufax Ms. McLaughlin Dr. Anderson Mr. Fish Ms. Cohen Ms. Pekarski myself that motion passes. Thank you very much. One last motion before we get to our announcements. Motion number five. I call on Dr. Anderson for a motion. I move to excuse from attendance at school certain student identified in closed meeting pursuant to Virginia code section 22.1-254B1. Is there a second? Ms. Corbett Sanders all those in favor please raise your hands. Ms. Bukarski, Dr. Anderson, Ms. McLaughlin, Ms. Jernot-Koufax, Ms. Corbett Sanders,

[00:26:33] Ms. Tolan, Ms. Marin, Ms. Keith-Gamara, and myself, all those opposing, all those abstaining, Mr. Frisch and Ms. Cohen, that motion passes. Thank you very much. Agenda Item 2.04, Announcements. Ms. Omeish has submitted a written request to virtually attend this evening's meeting due to a personal conflict.

[00:26:51] All those in favor of approving Ms. Omeish's request, please raise your hands. That is Ms. Keith-Gamara, Ms. Marin, Ms. Tolan, Ms. Corbett-Sanders, Ms. Jernot-Koufax, Ms. McLaughlin, Dr. Anderson, Mr. Frisch, Ms. Cohen, and myself, all those opposed.

[00:27:07] Were you voting? No, okay, all those opposed, all those abstaining. I'm sorry, Ms. Bukarski, just give me a voice for that. Okay, thank you, and Ms. Bukarski, that motion passes. Thank you, welcome, Ms. Omesh, can we do a mic check, please?

[00:27:22] - Yeah, good evening. - Okay, welcome, Ms. Omesh. If you would like to review a copy of the agenda and any agenda item that is being discussed tonight, that information may be found at the back of the auditorium on the website at fcps.edu backslash school board backslash board docs tonight's meeting is being broadcast on channel 99 and live streamed on the website at fcps.edu backslash tv backslash channel 99. after reading tonight's proclamations the board would like to invite each recipient and their family and friends to join us for a photo agenda item 2.05 proclamation honoring the 2023

[00:27:59] laura ashley piper scholarship recipient i call on dr anderson for a proclamation Okay if I may just give a quick background of the Laura Ashley Piper Scholarship just for the education of the group here. Laura Ashley Piper a 1987 graduate of Robinson Secondary School graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. Miss Piper was killed in action over northern Iraq in April 1994.

[00:28:36] during her high school years at robinson she was an outstanding student talented athlete and an exceptional leader of other students approaching all opportunities and responsibilities in school and out with intelligence determination and boundless enthusiasm her strong commitment to students participation and her willingness to accept new responsibilities culminated in her county-wide election as a student representative to the school board in the 1986-87 school year in that position she faithfully served effectively representing the views of students articulated their concerns and communicated issues of governance and discussions before the school board

[00:29:14] she continued to maintain her high standards of achievement involvement and service through her college years and beyond and so this scholarship is naming her honor um and has been part of the board's work for many years and i'm very excited this year to share that the recipient is one of our finest in the Mason District. Where are you? Dr. Anderson? Yes. Oh, okay. I just want to make sure I see her. Thank you. Okay. Whereas Sophia Elmini has remained consistently committed

[00:29:49] to excellence in academics, community service, athletics, and student leadership. I'm sorry, in student leadership responsibilities throughout her years at Justice High School. And whereas she has shown great potential for continued academic success by maintaining a 4.498 grade point average and receiving a score of 1310 on her SATs as she worked towards her IB diploma. And whereas during Sophia's time at Justice High School she demonstrated maturity, responsibility,

[00:30:27] and determination as well as supported and advocated for the environment by promoting sustainability and reducing waste. And whereas, Sophia has contributed to her community by being an engaged member of Best Buddies, facilitating friendships, building leadership skills, and promoting acceptance, understanding, and awareness of differences among students. And whereas, through Sophia's overall excellence in academics and activities, including athletic success

[00:31:01] in track and field field hockey and lacrosse she in every way personifies the characteristics and ideals to which laura ashley piper adhered now therefore be it resolved that the fairfax county school board awards the 2023 laura ashley piper scholarship to sophia elmini in memory of Lieutenant Piper and in recognition of the drive, determination, and dedication to excellence of

[00:31:32] both. Is there a second? I'll second. Ms. Omesh, Dr. Anderson, would you like to speak additionally to your proclamation? Try and stop me. I'm very excited and thrilled and you can see and hear the pride in my voice to present Sophia with this award. She is an exceptional young lady who beautifully and enthusiastically embodies the spirit of the Laura Ashley Piper recognition.

[00:32:09] She is a full IB diploma graduate who has taken the most rigorous courses available. She has made straight A's in every single high school course she has taken. She is enrolled in the athletics and sports leadership class at Justice High School and she also has a long list of accomplishments, some of which I will share with you right now to illustrate her excellence.

[00:32:36] Sophia has been a member of the Schools of Justice cross-country team and has been a member of field hockey and lacrosse. She's a member of the National Honor Society, Science Honor Society, Spanish Honor, Best Buddies Club, Ecology Club, and Leo Club.

[00:32:56] She is an involved community member and has participated in events beautifying trails in doing tasks such as painting structures, revegetating landscapes, and removing invasives. Some of her athletic honors and recognitions include varsity field hockey captain during the 22-23 season, varsity girls lacrosse captain during the 22-23 season, national district girls lacrosse champion during the 20-21 season, national district field hockey champion during the 21-22 season.

[00:33:34] among many others. Academically, she's been all A honor roll all quarters of ninth, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. She is a seven time Justice High School Scholar athlete, and she has had perfect attendance every single day of high school.

[00:33:54] Yeah, she is an impressive individual, and I think a perfect recipient for this award. There's so many more accolades that I could read, but I do not believe we have time.

[00:34:09] Congratulations, Sophia. Ms. Ameesh, would you like to speak to your second? - Yeah, thank you. First of all, congratulations to Sophia and your family.

[00:34:25] I'm sure everyone's incredibly proud and I see that they've joined you. As a former IV recipient and daughter of a Justice High School grad myself, I am especially touched to be able to second this tonight. Dr. Anderson beat me to giving some background on the Laura Ashley Piper Award, but it's notable that it was given to a student rep all the way in the 1980s.

[00:34:46] And that only speaks to the legacy of student leadership And specifically was given for Laura Ashley's commitment to student voice and service. And of course, it's no surprise that, Sophia, you're receiving this today. You know, I wanted to highlight specifically your commitments to service through the Leo Club, the environment, and then Best Buddies are our testaments to your dedication when it comes to service, future vision, when it comes to addressing environmental issues and whatnot. And then also having an inclusive spirit demonstrated through action. And if I may speak to

[00:35:24] you, I hope that those are three things you take with you and continue into college and beyond, because our world is in such desperate need of them. And I know that you'll lead us forward in a great way, so long as you stick to those commitments. I know that, you know, your high achievements go without saying. I want to make sure I shout out a couple of things that I know were especially notable to you so that the public knows. Sophia actually had perfect attendance all four years of high school, and the last time she missed a day of school was middle school for a

[00:35:58] funeral. Sophia also, you know, in her own words, said she loved her time at FCPS, built lasting friendships through attending Belvedere, Glasgow, and Justice, where she did IB throughout the whole journey. So just to go to say the ability of this program to really cultivate leaders, Sophia actually recently went back to Belvedere in her cap and gown to talk to the kids and meet with the principal and teachers to encourage students to see where they can end up if they continue with the program graduating like she did. And Sophia also wants to give a huge shout out to all the coaches and

[00:36:34] teachers who held it down during COVID. But tonight we shout you out, Sophia, for all your accomplishments. Congratulations on this award. I look forward to seeing the incredible things you do with that spirit of inclusion, a future-oriented vision, and a commitment to service. Thank you, miss mclaughlin sophia i just want to personally extend my congratulations to you as well as the braddock district school board member 75 of the families from my district attend robinson secondary

[00:37:10] and so the ashley piper scholarship is particularly meaningful to me and i have enjoyed every year seeing the young talent who are winning this award in her honor sadly she was only two years younger than I am. And when I think about when her life was cut so short in 1994, she was only 25 years old. And when I think about all the things that even in my own lifetime that I've had the chance to have, a husband, three kids, amazing friendships, family, and career, I just want you

[00:37:46] to know that I hope you not only take in what incredible honor it is to have this, but to know that you are an amazing young lady, and I hope you have a lifetime to be able to continue the spirit and the beauty of who Laura Ashley Piper was, and just warmest congrats to you and your family. You are certainly a great pride for all of us here in FCPS. Best wishes as you continue your journey. Thank you, and I would just like to say it is amazing to hear of the incredible

[00:38:24] accomplishments that you've already accomplished at such a young age, and I cannot wait to see what you will do in the future and continue with that spirit of inclusion I just read about actually a Best Buddies inclusive living situation where there were people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities living together and they made a point to say this is not for helpers this is not to pay people to do it this is just inclusive roommate situation so I hope you look at that as you move on to your adulthood but I just applaud you for all that you've done I don't know when you sleep but and I can't wait to see what do in the future so with that I would like to invite you Miss Sophia Lemony up to the counter

[00:39:00] to say a few words up to the dice to say a few words come on up to the podium okay I want to say thank you to everyone who has gotten me here the school board my teachers friends coaches parents and everyone else who has because I could not have done it without anyone and I'm excited for the future and I couldn't have done it without you guys thank you thank you but I think you did the work agenda item 2.06 proclamation honoring student representative Michelle Togby and I will

[00:39:38] read the be honored and proud to read the proclamation oh my god I'm so sorry I skipped the vote I apologize it didn't yeah I skipped the vote my apologies we'll just go backwards so all those in favor of the Laura Ashley pipeline scholarship please raise your hand to make it official for you that is Ms. Makarski Ms. Cohen Mr. Frisch Dr. Anderson Ms. McLaughlin Ms. Derek Koufax, Ms. Corbett Sanders, Ms. Tolan, Ms. Marin, Ms. Keith Gamara, and myself. Congratulations, Sophia. We can't wait to see your future. Didn't mean to shortchange you on your vote there.

[00:40:15] Now, I will be honored to read the proclamation for student representative Michelle Togby. Whereas Michelle Togby has enthusiastically served as the 52nd student representative to the Fairfax County School Board, her tenure for the 2022-2023 school year included the introduction of a new superintendent and the development of the strategic plan and whereas michelle has never wavered in her commitment to the students of fcps and her duties as a student representative she has excelled at seeking student engagement and feedback attended meetings and special functions

[00:40:51] all around the county and contributed helpful observations from the student perspective to discussions on issues before the board and whereas michelle has focused on increased mental health resources countywide, the incorporation of diverse perspectives in humanities courses, expanded civic education programs, career and technical education opportunities, and early childhood access in low-income communities. And whereas at South County High School, Michelle has maintained academic excellence while enrolled in rigorous advanced placement AP classes. And

[00:41:26] whereas during her time in FCPS, she was a leader of student government, one of the first cohorts of the student equity ambassador leaders program founder of the south county student equity coalition member of the superintendent advisories council where she conducted research on district practices that resulted in 27 policy recommendations to fcps leadership and a member of model judiciary english national english honor society national honor society and varsity swim and dive teams michelle was also a recipient of the princeton prize in race relations now therefore be it

[00:42:04] resolved that the Fairfax County School Board acknowledges with deepest gratitude the service of student representative to the school board, Michelle Togby, during the 2022-2023 school year and expresses its sincere appreciation for her contributions, leadership, and extends its best wishes to her as she continues her education at the Brown University with a full scholarship.

[00:42:31] Is there a second? I second it. I will speak briefly. I know many of my colleagues will wish to speak i already see all the lights lined up here so um i just want to thank you for all your hard work and just your incredible positive attitude and joy and your smile that you radiate i don't know how you smile so much because i look at all the stuff you do and but you never seem stressed you never seem you just seem full of joy and enthusiasm and excitement for the work that you do and that has really resonated and radiated to me i think probably to all of us it's been

[00:43:10] really a pleasure to watch your passion about your work and the fact that you've made it a mission I think and I think you've accomplished this visited every high school in our division is that correct pretty close I think almost which is really incredible because this is a big county a lot of high schools and then by doing that by engaging students from all over the county the way you've done you've really been an amazing voice for our students right and you've really taken done a lot of work to make sure you're bringing perspectives not just from your experience from really the diverse experiences around the county. And that has been incredibly beneficial to the work on the board. And I also just appreciate your passion for career and technical education, your commitment

[00:43:49] to DECA, which really prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs, which we can see right here in you. And I just wish you the best at Brown. I cannot wait to maybe have dinner with you in Boston at some point when I'm up there. So I just wish you all the best. And I know my colleagues wish you all the best as well. So congratulations, Michelle. And I'll turn to Ms. Dernot Koufax for remarks and then to my colleagues. Michelle, it's been such a pleasure to work with you and as our student representative, your work has been so impactful. You should be so very proud of that and your parents out there, I see you, you should be very proud of her as well. You've been actively

[00:44:25] involved in so many areas as noted in this resolution. You did it all in your senior year, which is really hard, while applying to colleges and maintaining grades. This is all very, very impressive, and I don't even think you understand what good work you do, but we have witnessed it.

[00:44:46] I truly congratulate you on your accomplishments. I thank you for all of the work you have done on behalf of the students at FCPS. You have led them well, and I too will miss your beautiful smile and your constant positive attitude, but I can't wait to hear and see what you do at Brown.

[00:45:04] Thank you. I'll just drop down this end because I see everybody's lights are on. So Ms. Keyes-Gamara, and we'll just move on down. I was kind of hoping I went at the end, but it's fine. It has been so cool sitting next to you, and I just, you are just such a ray of sunshine and hope and really an advocate for your peers to a degree that I don't think many understand.

[00:45:34] And so I am just really grateful. Someone asked me for a word for you, and I said, unstoppable. So I'm looking forward to see where that thing in your soul takes you as you fight.

[00:45:54] I think you told me you were interested in public policy. And we need people who are focused not just on policy but on the public interest because so many, you know, and I don't have anything against capitalism, but somebody has to care for our community, and I think that you will be that person in the future, and I've been honored to sit next to you, and I thank you for being an inspiration. Well, Ms. Togby, you know, being a student rep, it sure doesn't seem like an easy position, and I guess we can relate to that,

[00:46:30] being on the school board, but I think, you know, it wasn't easy to earn the seat amongst a multi-day process with your peers and I've seen you though hold it with integrity and you've done that in trying to be a conduit between your peers and the board and trying to figure out how to do that on such a massive level and I've seen you look for accountability in the board and to be responsive to student needs so thank you for keeping me a little bit in more in the loop with what your peers need in order to be successful and I just know you're gonna be continued rising star in whatever you approach thank you for your service

[00:47:05] Thank you, Ms. Amesh. Michelle, this is obviously an opportunity to say this publicly, so I'll show off a little bit about you, but obviously our relationship goes way back, and perhaps people don't know that Michelle was part of the team that brought Fairfax together and helped us present information in the most dire times to the community and make it accessible to folks of all backgrounds.

[00:47:36] Really, you know, I guess I want to speak to your strength and your courage during this role more than smiles and, you know, a beautiful presence, of course, goes without saying, but to have taken stances on tough issues. You know, I remember you came on quickly sharing your goals to increase transparency with student voice, to further civic education, and to bring an equitable lens to the school board.

[00:47:59] And you were clear that those were three pegs of your mission, and you acted that out. And I appreciated you being a voice of conscience for the board, keeping us in touch with the realities of what kids are thinking and feeling and dealing with. And it especially came out, I think, in the teaching truth resolution and many other opportunities.

[00:48:19] But that I remember you took a you took a stance and it was, you know, that's not always easy to do from the dais, even for, quote unquote, adults to take a moral position and really stick with it. So I really appreciate that. And I don't know that anyone mentioned, you know, you earned the Princeton Prize in race relations, no surprise, but really just, you know, something we've all seen over the course of the past year in what you've done.

[00:48:43] So, you know, I say that to offer to the community that Michelle has been hard at work in trying to address each one of these mission points. And I've seen tangible outcomes from that work. So thank you for everything you brought to this board. And all of it just shows that you're going to be an incredible leader in public policy or maybe law or whatever you decide to do.

[00:49:04] I'm definitely here to be a resource to you in whatever, you know, a thought partner and whatever you end up deciding. But look forward to seeing the incredible things you're going to do because I and maybe one day you'll you'll break the record and become the youngest school board member. I look forward to supporting that endeavor. Thank you, Ms. Tolan.

[00:49:23] Michelle, best of luck to you. You are going places. You approach any opportunity to make the world a better place with patience and creative problem solving. When I first met you, you dove right in with a whole set of questions about all the Drainsville schools and what was happening.

[00:49:43] And I really, really appreciated your curiosity and wanting to learn. I've seen you all over the county. We sat in the bleachers together in Herndon for the band competition. You were down in Mount Vernon for the environmental fair. and I've seen you at so many other events, and I really appreciate that you know how important it is to get out and about and around and see firsthand what's happening.

[00:50:07] I know you will love Brown, and you will be involved in lots of activities and have the chance to learn and grow, and that you will become even more successful. Best of luck to you. You know how to find me when you get back to Northern Virginia. I'd love to hear how you are doing at any time, and if you need help with anything, look me up.

[00:50:28] Thank you for your service. It has been an absolute pleasure to serve with you. Thank you. Ms. Corbett Sanders? Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. Michelle, first, we love you. You make our hearts sing with the joy that you bring to all of our work.

[00:50:48] Your wisdom, creativity, and patience is just so remarkable and amazing. And how exciting a night this is and so appropriate that we are able to honor you, Michelle, the same night that we adopt the equity policy for this school system.

[00:51:07] For those of you who don't know Michelle, I'm going to introduce you to her through some words for each of the letters in her name. Michelle is mighty, intelligent, and innovative. She's compassionate and caring, happy, helpful, and hopeful, empathetic, a natural leader, and lovely.

[00:51:31] Equity and excellence is what drives her. Michelle, we want you to go to Rhode Island and do great things at Brown. But we need you to come back home to Fairfax and to Mount Vernon so that we can vote for you when you're ready to run for public office, because we know you're going to do great things.

[00:51:54] Thank you. Ms. McLaughlin? Michelle, I not only want to echo all of the well-earned praise from each of my colleagues, but also to personally thank you for once again bringing such a valuable voice for me as one board member to hear the student perspective all along the way.

[00:52:13] on a little levity. We Penn Quakers like to rival Brown in any sport imaginable. So I will be watching when our two teams match up together and certainly hope that you will absolutely keep us prized of how you're doing there up in Rhode Island. But more importantly, I want to reassure you, I remember being a scared 18-year-old going across country to a school I'd never visited.

[00:52:41] I knew nothing about West Philadelphia, and in 1985, that was a heck of a place. So I do hope that when you go off to Brown, the most important thing that you remember is a night like tonight, where we have just reminded you what a remarkable, remarkable person you are.

[00:53:00] Coming from one of the best counties in the country, you are going to shine. You are going to inspire your fellow classmates. and don't you ever doubt for a minute what an incredible, dynamic, loving, caring, and talented young lady you are. It's been a true pleasure to get to serve alongside of you this year. Best wishes.

[00:53:23] Dr. Anderson? Yes, I had to pass that tissue down, but I had to come back. One of the things that I want to point out, at least since we've been on the board, those of us who this is our first term, we have had, I think, tremendous student representatives, just really stellar young people, And Michelle, you stand right there with all of them.

[00:53:45] You have been stellar and you're tremendous. I have very few things left to say because all of it has been captured, particularly that acrostic poem. Thank you, Ms. Corbett Sanders. But I do want to say that it's my privilege this evening to really speak about these exceptional young women, both you and Sophia just a little while ago.

[00:54:06] And it just warms my heart to know that such an exceptional person is being recognized this evening. Because it is all very much due to what you have brought to this board. I think Ms. Omesh really captured it. You've been courageous. You've been compassionate. You've been thoughtful. You've been insightful.

[00:54:23] She sat with me at her request in a conversation to learn more about early childhood. Because she wanted to expand opportunity for all of our kids who don't have that opportunity. But she wanted to know first, well, what do we provide?

[00:54:39] So the fact that you wanted to be informed, to ask questions, just speak to the great things that you offer. I'm just in awe of you. I think you are wonderful. Brown is getting one of our very finest. None of the things, none of the accolades that you are receiving tonight and have received are accidental.

[00:55:00] It's due to your hard work. It's due to your perseverance. It's due to your effort and to your ethic. so I am so proud of you and good luck thank you Mr. Frisch thank you so every year the board goes to the Virginia School Board Association in Williamsburg and the last year was a felt like a twice as long drive than it should have been and by the time I got there I was not a happy camper and then I turned onto the hallway in the hotel and there was Michelle and her father and immediately

[00:55:34] my mood was lifted because you have that impact on the people that know you. It says a lot that you have the respect of your peers, school staff, this board, the administration. That is not an easy thing to achieve but I think you know you're very talented and you're hard-working and you're empathetic and you're justice focused and those are not just traits that are serving you well as our student representative those are traits that are going to serve you well at college and they're to serve you well in life and i can't wait to see what you make of your life so thank you thank you

[00:56:11] miss cohen first of all mom and dad nicely done really truly nicely done and sister although i don't know how much credit you'll take right for your big sister um it has been quite a year and i know um many of us know that um behind all the smiles and the joy that you bring that this has been a tough year. A tough year at South County, a tough year in the Commonwealth, a tough year to be

[00:56:48] a voice of young people who continue to get bullied and demoralized, and yet you keep popping back up and taking another hit and really pushing, I think, all of us and certainly our school system generally about student agency and remembering that all of our students need a seat at the table when we talk about making decisions. So I wanted you to know that we collected comments. We asked

[00:57:24] everyone for a word about you. So everyone on the board participated, Dr. Ivy, Dr. Reed, many of the leadership team. And so I just wanted to read those words to you. I didn't do it in a poem form, but Karen's got that one covered. Focused, dedicated, excellent, motivated, trailblazer, leader, kind hearted, wise, kind, just, change maker, thoughtful, determined, compassionate,

[00:57:59] vocal, amazing, inspiring, hilarious, remarkable, gracious, funny, lovely, humble, truthful, formidable resilient and powerful and the last one probably the best description of you unstoppable so keep going we cannot wait to follow you on your journey and yeah some of us like Rachna may just show up apparently at your dorm door at some point but you keep coming back

[00:58:38] and and telling us the good the bad and the ugly of what we're doing and we're going to count on you as a resource. And as Megan said, and Karen said, we can't, we can't wait to vote for you. So keep going. Proud of you. You're just jealous. Ms. Bukarski. Michelle, I'm going to miss you.

[00:58:57] And at the same time, I am so incredibly excited for you and all that you are going to go out into the world and accomplish and experience your, you know, you've, you've heard how we all feel about you, your empathy, your kindness, your compassion towards others, your intellect.

[00:59:24] But I will tell you what I most admire about you is something that very few people actually, I believe, have and are able to utilize in a way that makes real change and makes a leader.

[00:59:40] and that is your incredible emotional maturity. You have never, ever not told us exactly how you felt or what you thought the right thing was to do or what we need to be thinking about or what changes need to happen, whether or not we wanted to hear them, whether or not it was easy to deliver.

[01:00:04] However, you never did it in a way where your passion came through and, you know, berated others or made them feel as if, you know, there wasn't space for them to change and be better.

[01:00:23] that is very hard it is a very hard thing to do to make all of us and so many others want to be better and do better never change that because that is your wonderful beautiful heart and just go out into the world and do good you have a bright shining north star follow it there will be some downs, lots of stumbles. That is life. But you have so much more to give. And I'm excited, as we all are, to see where your journey takes you. So don't forget to come back.

[01:01:02] Thank you. And with that, I will call for the vote. All those in favor, please raise your hands. Ms. Bikarski, raise them really high if you like, as high as you can. That is Ms. I'm sorry, Ms. Omesh, I know your hand on the screen only goes so high. That is Ms. Bikarski, Ms. Cohen, Mr. Frisch, Dr. Anderson, Ms. McLaughlin, Ms. Dernot Koufax, Ms. Corbett Sanders, Ms. Tolan, Ms. Marin, Ms. Kees-Gumar, myself, and Ms. Omesh. That is unanimous. Congratulations, Ms. Toghvi.

[01:01:38] Hang tight. We've got a couple more. Agenda Item 2.07, Proclamation Honoring Dr. Fabio Zuluaga.

[01:02:12] I call on Dr. Anderson for a proclamation. Whereas Dr. Fabio E. Zuluaga has exemplified outstanding leadership and dedication throughout his esteemed tenure of 14 years as the Assistant Superintendent of Cluster 8 and Region 2 in Fairfax County Public Schools, leaving an indelible mark on FCPS.

[01:02:37] And whereas Dr. Zuluaga's unwavering commitment to educational excellence and the creation of dignity has contributed to the growth and success of FCPS schools by fostering a culture of inclusivity and collaboration that has positively impacted countless students, classrooms, and staff members. And whereas Dr. Zuluaga's leadership is characterized by an infectious

[01:03:10] sense of joy and optimism, inspiring and uplifting those around him, fostering an environment where individuals are inspired to reach their full potential, and whereas Dr. Zuluaga's commitment to leadership development in the division has led to numerous principal appointments, his mentorship and belief in recognizing and fostering the potential of individuals within the organization has deeply impacted the leadership journeys of countless leaders,

[01:03:43] And whereas Dr. Zuluaga's data-driven decision-making, his relentless focus on student achievement, and his student-centered approach to school supervision has led to meaningful academic growth and progress and has served as a model for instructional leadership and FCPS.

[01:04:03] Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Fairfax County School Board extends its highest commendation and deepest appreciation to Dr. Fabio Zuluaga for his outstanding and unwavering service to Fairfax County Public Schools and to the students and citizens of his community.

[01:04:24] Is there a second? Second. Mr. Frisch, Dr. Anderson, would you like to speak to your proclamation? Yes, I would. A lot has been said in the proclamation regarding Dr. Zuluaga, and I happen to be the only school board member who only has one region assistant superintendent.

[01:04:45] I have one Raz. He is certainly an eternal optimist. I see that all of the time. He sees the silver lining, and he is always hopeful that we will overcome whatever challenges are presented. And there have been quite a few, but he doesn't get down.

[01:05:01] He believes on that we can overcome the mountain, not whether we will overcome the mountain. And that kind of energy is appreciated, particularly during difficult times. Dr. Zuluaga, in his 14 years as regional assistant superintendent, has appointed numerous principals, numerous executive principals, many of whom have advanced in their careers.

[01:05:23] The person sitting right next to him used to be his executive principal, and now is also a RAS in her own right of region leadership. four, she's not my region, so I don't know anymore of region four as just one example.

[01:05:39] This is a testament to Dr. Zuluaga's keen ability to identify talented individuals who will foster student achievement and drive excellence in our schools. Dr. Zuluaga is diligent in maximizing the time that we spend together during our region check-ins. We pack in a lot on that agenda.

[01:06:00] he's an enthusiastic leader, and he pushes our school leaders to see every child. Since I started on this board, I found it very easy to identify a Region II classroom. For those of you who've not been in one, they are all marked with the learning targets posted on the classroom walls.

[01:06:19] Every single classroom, every single school. And these are really good measures and very important measures to educators because it tells the students What is it that they're supposed to be doing that day? And the accountability for achieving those measures and really centers the classroom.

[01:06:38] So that's something that's always stood out to me. So Dr. Zuluaga, you have had significant impact on our region and the division, some big, some small, and everything else in between. But I will certainly miss all of your efforts.

[01:06:53] I will miss your enthusiasm, your availability 24 hours a day. Literally, he will text me any time of the day to inform me of what is happening in our division so we can be of support to the schools and to the community. You will be greatly missed, Dr. Zluaga, but I wish you the very best in the next chapter of your life.

[01:07:14] I know you deserve this rest, but I also know we'll be pulling you back as we tend to do in FCPS. So enjoy the brief break because I know you'll be coming back. Oh, and the last thing that I do want to say is whenever Dr. Zuluaga introduces a new principal or a new leader in our division, he always greets them with flowers.

[01:07:41] And it's been wonderful to watch just that very small gesture. So I am so thrilled tonight to be able to give you your flowers. I'm going to leave it right there until you can come up. Mr. Frisch, would you speak to your second? Yes, thank you. I was disappointed that the parliamentarian is not here tonight because I'm pretty sure that he would tell me that if we don't vote for this, then you're not allowed to retire.

[01:08:06] So there's no way of checking that since Jason is not here. So you're off the hook. It's been interesting watching the approach of this day as we've seen graduation speaker Dr. Zuluaga. We've seen award recipient after award recipient, Dr. Zuluaga, whether it's at the Hispanic Educators Association, you know, annual awards banquet or elsewhere.

[01:08:31] And I listened to your graduation remarks intently, and you didn't just tell the story of how you came to teach in Fairfax County. You told the story of Fairfax County, right?

[01:08:46] people coming here to do their part, to make things just a little bit better, and you've made things a lot better. When I was elected, some school board members who were departing told me, you know, hit your wagon to Dr. Zuluwaga because he knows what he's doing, and he really cares about the schools in Region 2. And, you know, you are the embodiment of a servant leader. It is never about you. It is always about the kids. And you are gifted at helping others figure out solutions to problems, you know, we often get requests from folks around

[01:09:24] schools that seem insurmountable, but you have a knack for finding a way to the solution that everybody's after. You lead with empathy, you lead with compassion, you center equity in all you do, and Dr. Anderson was right, joy and optimism, that's what I think of when I think of you, and though you will be missed, you are leaving a legacy of others in the school division that runs very, very deep, and your legacy here will be felt for many years. So thank you for all you've

[01:09:57] done. Thank you. Ms. Toland? Yes. Dr. Zuluaga, your impact on FCPS certainly is a big one. I thank you for all the hours you have spent with me to discuss McLean Pyramid issues.

[01:10:16] I hope your successor is warned about the amount of time we spend discussing bathrooms, floor tile, boundary changes, and renovation queues. But of course, that is all mixed in with how to best serve our students and parents, and how to staff our schools the best way possible, and how to support our principals.

[01:10:37] I did a little bit of work to gather quotes from those that have worked with you for years, and here's what they had to say. When Fabio became the assistant superintendent for Region 2, he made his mission clear as we worked through school improvement, strong CLTs, regular use of data, and building relationships, and it worked.

[01:10:57] We took our school out of state sanctions, and the work has continued since about 2014. He knows how to yield sustainable results and support his principals along the way. Another one, having worked for Fabio for my years as a classroom teacher in Cluster 8 to him hiring me first as an assistant principal and finally as a principal in region two. I can say his priorities never changed. When Fabio entered my classroom at McNair Elementary in 2003, he looked for learning targets, asked students directly in Spanish and in English what they were

[01:11:34] learning and why, and asked me outright how he would be assessing the mastery of their understanding before moving on to another classroom in the building. After five years as a principal, at each visit his intentions have never strayed from that. Fabio also has a laser-like focus on learning, student engagement, and discourse. He could quickly assess a classroom, provide quality feedback to a teacher, and help me develop next steps as a leader to move my building forward.

[01:12:04] Fabio supported me through some of my most challenging times as a school-based leader and has been by my side to celebrate each success along the way. I will miss his consistent priorities, compassion, empathy, and support of family engagement initiatives. Fabio, we all wish you incredible happiness in retirement. Godspeed. They are passed across again soon. Thank you.

[01:12:33] Ms. McLaughlin? Fabio, I just want to say what a joy it's been for me to share Annandale Pyramid with you and for Sandy Evans and now Riccardi Anderson without question and the words and the accolades that you are hearing this evening you've poured your heart and soul into FCPS for so many years and what I really truly have appreciated in our time and working together is your remarkable remarkable diplomacy you are always so kind and I know I ask a lot of tough questions and

[01:13:11] without a doubt you've always remained so positive and responsive to the questions I've asked and and your heart and dedication to really making sure that every child in the region could thrive, that every employee in your region could thrive.

[01:13:31] It's never been in doubt how much you've been very dedicated, devoted, and how much you love the work you've been doing. I am so happy for you that a life is full of wonderful opportunities. you have given us so much here and I really wish you truly the best as you get to now enjoy the next chapter in your beautiful life. Thank you for giving your time to us. Thank you. Ms. Darnak-Koufax.

[01:14:03] Fabio, Dr. Zaglaga, what a pleasure it has been working with you these past 12 years. What stands out to me in the resolution is what stood out to a lot of my colleagues, leadership that is characterized by an infectious sense of joy and optimism.

[01:14:19] And that's how I will always remember you, and I want to share a short story about that. I believe it was 2014, and we at FCPS were seeing more ESOL students coming to our school with greater needs, and we needed some new programming and curriculum enhancements.

[01:14:36] And one of my colleagues, Ms. McLaughlin and I, we saw a session at the National School Boards Association Conference and what great strides were being made with ESOL students in Texas. and it took several months to coordinate but eventually two school board members including me went with five members of the leadership team including you on a road trip to Texas over three days and I could say a lot about that road trip but the one moment I will share that stands out to me is when we were observing the first classrooms. Now I really pushed to get this

[01:15:11] trip to happen but just as we began observing the classrooms I started to get nervous because I was like what if this trip didn't yield what we needed to do and what if it wasn't what we hoped for did I waste other people's times well you were after the first classroom observation ended you were the first to speak and you were exuberant you praised the teachers you cheered and you thanked for the students you spoke English you spoke Spanish you laughed we almost all cried at your enthusiasm but that moment is how I will always know you and all the joy that you have with your

[01:15:51] work and that you bring to this community and we have made some great strides in that curriculum in part to what you've done with Jay Pearson and that whole team that went out there with us so I thank you for that I thank you for all that you've done and I wish you much continued joy and optimism on whatever road trips you take in your next journey. Thank you, and just making sure no one else wishes to speak. Ms. Amesha, I saw your hand just go up, so go ahead. Yeah, thank you.

[01:16:26] Dr. Zuluaga, I want to thank you for your hard work throughout these years. I mean, the earliest memory I have is actually when I was in school, showing up to one of my first work sessions ever as a high school student, and there he was, Dr. Zuluaga, as a part of his 14 years, really the commitment to the school system. And I remember coming back as a board member, recognizing few faces, but yours was one of them. And I say that because I know that your commitment of long years and hours is, you know, of note, specifically, even your portfolio of what

[01:17:03] you had to handle, you know, tackling some of the most complex challenges in our school system, managing the only region that has a Title I middle school and so many, in addition to that, an elementary school. And then, of course, TJ being a part of the portfolio, not only a governor's school, but even a governor's academy that you manage and whatnot. So I'd be remiss not to acknowledge and recognize just the amount of work that was on your plate and the complexity of the challenges that you saw with such positivity, which I think everyone spoke to. And that really

[01:17:38] is something that was very obvious about every interaction. It's trying to be positive, trying to be joyful about the way we deal with the most complex challenges that are ahead. So I do appreciate that from you. And we've had our moments, our ups and downs, our frustrations, but I think I just overall, I'm very grateful and appreciative of the longevity of your sticking with FCPS and look forward to your retirement and in celebration of all that work and hope you have a great next chapter in your life. Thank you. Seeing all the lights that are up, I know Ms.

[01:18:17] Togby, your light is up. If you want to take a few words before I say my turn, please go ahead. Yes, I had to collect myself together for this. I have to say the first time I ever met Dr. was at the virtual SAC meeting last year where I accidentally joined the wrong region breakout room and I asked this is region four right and he was like no but I can never forget that memory and also I know how much you are adored by the kids in your region every time you leave the room everyone always asks what was the name of our region again because he was so funny

[01:18:54] and I absolutely love that because you've truly made such a large impression on them with your charisma your smile and I know that you're going to be truly truly missed and thank you for everything really thank you Miss Togby and I'll just say a few words I everyone has spoken so beautifully of you and your joy and your your real commitment to student achievement and I just want to say thank you for all of our meetings thank you for always bringing your team thank you for the great conversations and just what I can say when I meet with your team it just makes me smile

[01:19:31] because you take every question I have every way I challenge and just respond with a smile and the truth and I just really appreciate all of that and we're going to miss you incredibly and thank you for all the work you've done to leave us incredible leaders who've come behind you and have been trained by you and watched you work and learn from you so we know you're leaving us maybe coming back as dr anderson alluded to in some way but definitely you have left your mark on the leaders who are there that you have trained and you have mentored and so you your passion your joy and your knowledge will live on in fcps so thank you very much and with that i will call for

[01:20:10] the vote all those in favor please raise your hands that's miss keith gamara miss marron miss tollen miss corbett sanders miss omesh miss darrenat koufax miss mclaughlin dr anderson mr Frisch, Ms. Cohen, Ms. Bukarski, and myself. That motion passes. Congratulations, Dr. Zulog,

[01:20:27] and thank you for all your work. Last one. Agenda Item 2.08, Proclamation Honoring Dr.

[01:20:51] Frances Ivey. I call on Ms. Tolan for proclamation. Whereas Dr. Frances W. Ivey has served Fairfax County Public Schools for 30 years with excellence and dedication. Throughout her career with FCPS, dr ivy has compassionately represented and served the interests of students teachers schools and diverse communities in a variety of positions including special education department chair at several secondary schools assistant principal and principal at herndon high school director

[01:21:27] of pre-k through 12 curriculum and instruction cluster 5 and region 5 assistant superintendent and most recently as deputy superintendent and whereas during her role as department chair and member of the inaugural staff of westfield high school dr ivy stewarded county-wide initiatives such as closing the achievement gap grading and reporting and digital transformation dr ivy forged strong relationships with students by instilling high expectations and developing personal

[01:22:01] connections with all students. These core values were evident during her tenure as principal of Herndon High School, where she made a difference as a true champion for all students. And whereas during her tenure as director of pre-k through 12 curriculum and instruction, Dr. Ivey stewarded county-wide initiatives such as closing the achievement gap, grading and reporting, and digital transformation. Dr. Ivey supported the integration across curriculum and instruction with fluency and expertise. In her work, she was able to fundamentally move the needle using

[01:22:40] research-based instructional practices across the school division to positively impact student outcomes. She led with her heart first and was influenced by the mantra that all means all. And whereas, as the Cluster 5 assistant superintendent, Dr. Ivey supervised schools represented in the Edison, Lewis, formerly Lee, and South County Pyramids. With the reorganization to regions, she continued to improve student achievement and close achievement gaps in Region

[01:23:15] 5, Chantilly, Fairfax, Westfield, and Woodson Pyramids. And whereas during her tenure as Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Ivey provided oversight for the region offices and staff, promoted collaboration, cohesiveness, and alignment of services between regions and our various departments to better support all schools and students. She has worked tirelessly to collaborate with administrators, staff, and the school board to ensure the continued success of all students. In addition,

[01:23:49] Dr. Ivey was at the helm as deputy during the COVID pandemic. Dr. Ivey was instrumental in overcoming setbacks and effectively navigating obstacles to ensure the health and safety of our staff and students while preserving continuity to educational programming. And whereas through her dedicated leadership, Dr. Ivey worked to build strong system-wide relationships while contributing to the quality education of all students. Her caring manner, uncompromising integrity with her strong support, encouragement, and mentoring of administrators and teachers allowed for the

[01:24:28] continuous improvement of instructional programs and services, Dr. Ivey always remembered that we are in the people business and people and families come first. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Fairfax County School Board extends its highest commendation and deepest appreciation to Dr. Frances W. Ivey upon her retirement and thanks her for her inspirational leadership, outstanding service, and unwavering dedication to the students, teachers, administrators,

[01:25:02] and communities of Fairfax County Public Schools. Is there a second? Second. Ms. Darnak-Koufax. Ms. Tolan, would I just speak to your proclamation? Yes, I would. Frances, I'm really going to miss you. Not only have you been a tremendous professional colleague, but you have been a trusted friend, even as I've dealt with my own role on the board and within the school district.

[01:25:30] So I also did a bit of sleuthing to hear from others that have worked with you along the way, even some of your ISD colleagues. Overwhelmingly, you are viewed by anyone you have encountered as the heart and soul of FCPS.

[01:25:48] One person said, when I was in the central office, I had the unique opportunity to work closely with Frances. I learned so much from just watching her. She helped me slow down and carefully consider the opinions in front of me before making a decision.

[01:26:05] consider the options before making a decision. She always thought about anyone impacted and carefully considered the messaging needed. When I learned I was going to lose my mom, she sat with me and just listened for hours. In a time when we move so quickly, have to make decisions on a dime, and consider endless perspectives, Frances has always been so thoughtful, poised, and measured in her approach. I always valued her opinion. And another colleague said, over our 22-year professional relationship, what has always stood out about Frances Ivey is

[01:26:45] her deep commitment to people. Her genuine care and concern for others can be felt in every interaction. She listens to understand and always seeks to find solutions and to lift people up to become the best version of themselves. Her belief in others is one of the many attributes that make her truly remarkable. And another said, I enjoyed working under Frances and consider her one of my top supervisors in my education career. Her door was always open and she was willing to listen to what one had to say, even if it was just events. Yet, she was also firm in her encouragement to do

[01:27:24] what was needed for the best of students in FCPS. On a personal level, I regarded Dr. Ivey as a mentor and a role model. It is that quiet support and encouragement that I admired much in working with Dr. Ivy. I wish her the best in her retirement. To teach is to touch a life forever. Dr. Ivy has indeed touched the lives of many in instructional services and in FCPS for the better. And those are just a few of the people I heard from. Frances, I cannot thank you enough for what you have given

[01:27:57] to all of us associated with FCPS. Thank you. Thank you. Ms. Janet Koufax, would you like to speak to her second? Yes, thank you. Dr. Ivy, Frances, what a pleasure it has been to work with you during my 12 years on the school board. I am truly going to miss you. I have had the privilege of learning the ropes from you as an early school board member. You were one of my closest guides.

[01:28:24] You taught me so much in my early tenure on the board, and I so appreciate that. You were the assistant superintendent, which included Edison, now Lewis, and South County in that pyramid during that time. And your professionalism, your patience, and your desire to help me and all those around you succeed was evident from the moment we began working together. I am grateful for your leadership and your friendship. We have created many memories together and I've benefited greatly from working so closely with you during my board tenure and it's been wonderful to me to watch your career

[01:29:02] grow. Your grace, your style, along with your passion for teaching and leading our school system will be greatly missed, but all the wonderful contributions that have been noted in your resolution will continue to benefit so many of our students for so many years to come, and you can always keep that in your heart. I know how important family is to you, and Charles and your children and your grandchildren cannot wait to have more Francis time. So enjoy this next journey, Dr. Ivey. I hope it brings you as much joy and happiness as you have brought all

[01:29:40] to us so thank you you will be missed thank you miss mclaughlin francis our journey began almost exactly 15 years ago three years before i was on the board where we met and i was a community advocate and one of the first things that i really appreciated is that when i did come to the board three years later you welcomed me as a voice not as the community advocate but just a member of this board and how we could partner and strengthen the system together. We've had this journey through

[01:30:15] four different superintendents. We shared our love, passion, and support for the Woodson High School Pyramid. And I will carry in my heart what you specifically brought as a leader to our community when we lost six boys in three years to suicide. You were the person who came and wrapped your arms around our school around the leadership around our our faculty and staff and our families and that type of compassion that people are talking about and all the different ways you've served

[01:30:51] our institution but nothing was felt more deeply than what you brought at that moment in time and I just want you to know that I personally am going to miss our time together I'm going to miss having you here and while you'll beat me out the door by about six months I will be honored to maintain the special friendship that we've built over the years.

[01:31:15] And I just want to thank you so much for every year, every moment, every sacrifice that you have given to this division. It's truly remarkable, and I'm deeply grateful as both a parent and a board member for all that you've given us.

[01:31:31] Best wishes to you and your family in the next chapter. Thank you. Dr. Anderson? Yes. It's kind of refreshing to hear the relationship that you have developed with all these school board members. And I thought I was the only one. I am not as special as I thought. But it definitely speaks to your very generous heart that you've been able to develop these relationships with each and every one of us because we're all very different folk.

[01:32:04] You're the consummate professional, and I am in awe of you. What I've written here is that Dr. Ivy walks softly, but she carries a big stick. And you have been ingrained in the fabric of FCPS.

[01:32:20] You're kind, you're compassionate, a problem solver, and you're a historian of all things FCPS. You have all of that information that I hope you've downloaded somewhere so it doesn't exit the doors as you go. I will miss you so terribly.

[01:32:37] um i've just been grateful at our time that we've spent together um when i first got on the board we were on the phone or in your office weekly and now it continues monthly i'm in it off in your office trying to move this division forward and i've created my own little poem uh miss corbett Sanders, for Dr. Francis W. Ivey. So all of those letters will be shared shortly. Dedicated,

[01:33:08] relatable. That's the doctor part. Frank, respectful. I couldn't decide between accomplished and authentic. Nimble. Also couldn't decide between courageous and collaborative. Encouraging, selfless. That was Francis. Her middle name, W. Warm. And I think Carl and I agreed,

[01:33:37] a woman of substance. Ivy. Insightful. Couldn't decide between valued and visionary. Effective. Yourself. And I also added yes, because her attitude to get to yes, I think really moved the needle on many, many things. But the last thing I want to share is that you're a true unicorn. You're special. You're unique. You're one of a kind. And you are leaving enormous

[01:34:13] footprints here, enormous shoes to fill. And I'm really grateful that I've had the benefit of getting to know you a little bit. So thank you. Thank you. Mr. Frisch. Thank you. I feel like I have to call you Dr. Ivy still after all these years. I have always felt guilty calling you because I've always felt you have far more important things to be dealing with than me.

[01:34:43] And you would be hard pressed to find anybody in this school system whose life and profession you've not had an impact on or touched personally not just like in in theory or the things you've done have had a ripple effect that you've encountered personally and I felt so grateful to be a part of attending your retirement celebration when your kids spoke your son he talked about your glasses and you know he said you know you have a habit of doing this when you

[01:35:19] want to make a point looking over the top of your glasses and I thought I thought only the school board got that. And your daughter talked about how inspiring you were as a mother, that you at a time when it was not acceptable public, you know, in a lot of places, you prioritized your family and excelling in your career and how inspiring that was for her. You've had that kind of an impact on thousands and thousands and thousands of kids through your work and many adults. You know, when somebody throws a stone into a pond it like drops in one spot but those ripples touch every

[01:35:59] single part of the periphery of the pond and that's like your career in the system um it has been such a privilege being able to do this work with you even in just a small way and even if only over three and a half years you are going to be missed thank you miss cohen how do you follow that carl um i just wanted to say truly truly and um and i think you hear it tonight we would all say that never in the history of the world has such a tremendous brain and such a wonderful grateful

[01:36:38] heart been fit into such a small package. You are amazing and clearly you make all of us feel like we are half decent at our jobs which sometimes I know feels like moving mountains.

[01:36:56] And I will personally say you have been such a role model to me trying to navigate exactly that motherhood and being a board member and remembering when to push a little and remembering when to let my children fly on their own.

[01:37:19] And the kids are so lucky to have you as their Gigi. Charles, we still want to borrow her every once in a while. Charles Charles this is a true story she almost chased me out of a restaurant one time when I asked if Dr. Ivy would consider staying an additional six months so I've learned not to ask permission but we we truly I don't know what we would have done all eight of us new on this board without your patience

[01:37:52] and your kindness and your gentle leadership and in particular in you know two months into our service when the world fell apart you were the constant of trying very hard to make sure that always we were meeting our goals of trying to do the best by our kids trying to do the best by our staff and I know a lot of times that meant you were having conversations with us at 11 30 at night and 6 a.m. the next morning and thank you for that leadership I don't know

[01:38:29] where we all collectively would have been without it so thank you for everything we're we're we will like poor Michelle you may find us on your doorstep every once in a while but we really do adore you and we hope you feel that tonight thank you for everything Ms. Pekarski thank you Dr. Ivey of course I cannot let this go by without saying just a profound thank you for everything you have done for this system and in particular for my district our district your impact there

[01:39:03] is very deep and far-reaching and and people have the most incredible things to say about you anywhere and everywhere what you have taught them what you have just the kind of role model you have been for what we need for you know what we need to be for our students and i have i thought i had great patience you way way way beat me on that but truly in these last few years that have been so incredibly difficult you have been the anchor of the system

[01:39:42] of this leadership team in many ways for this board as well and I'm just gonna miss you I you are an incredible human being I have not heard a single bad word And that is a really difficult thing to have such a long, long career somewhere and for people only to have the most incredible things to say about you.

[01:40:09] You demand great respect and I hope as you're reflecting on your years you feel great fulfillment that you have been able to leave just a very lasting impact on the lives of thousands of children and and adults as well and i thank you and i'm so excited for your family enjoy it thank you miss keys camara i'll try to give you the short version amen to what everybody said

[01:40:44] um you were here when i got here and i'm so grateful um i know i came on the board very concerned about how we handle discipline and improving restorative justice i have joined other colleagues and that concerned and you were so gracious to um to hear me out and to try to develop processes uh to make sure that the system was being more responsive and and i thank you for that um everything everybody has said with respect to consistency providing a steady hand through the

[01:41:19] pandemic through the transition of superintendents um i i just don't think we would have done as well without you. So thank you and amen. That's the shortened version. Thank you. Ms. Corbett Sanders. I too will be brief, but I can't believe the time has come. It's impossible to imagine Fairfax County Public Schools leadership without Dr. Francis Ivey as part of this team. Francis, I don't know if you remember when we met. We met in a cafeteria in Mount Vernon many, many years ago when I was a

[01:41:57] community parent concerned about things that were happening in our community, and your quiet leadership and your ability to listen and hear people's concerns and offer the reassurances that everything was going to be okay, that ability to do that is how I think about you. It's that reassurance that everything's going to be okay. So I know you're going to reassure us that everything's going to be okay as you retire. And Charles is shaking going, yes, everything's going

[01:42:37] to be okay because I want her home and I want to be able to celebrate our children and grandchildren with her. So we have to congratulate you on being able to do that. But I want people to understand how amazing you are. Your quiet, inspirational leadership style is an amazing one that each and every one of us should aspire to. You have a heart of gold and you're wise and kind and always professional. And you're one of those amazing people who exemplifies quiet leadership. Here

[01:43:14] in Virginia, we like to call it steel magnolia. And we're just so grateful for all that you have done for our students, for our families, for our teachers and staff, and for this board as we navigated challenging times. So once again, it's hard to believe we will wake up tomorrow and you won't be part of this leadership team, but you know that you will always be part of our hearts.

[01:43:45] Thank you. Thank you. Ms. Amesh? Thank you so much. I'm happy to follow all the praise, and I know Dr. Ivey has heard so much of it over the course of the retirement party and beyond. And it's all just a testament really to what she's offered our system. You know, folks spoke to her professionalism, which I think goes without saying, given how many people are in awe of it. But I'll point out just one in how thorough Dr. Ivey, I have been impressed from the beginning of, you know, you have meetings with people and some follow up, some don't, especially as a board member, that is something

[01:44:21] that can be a source of frustration a little bit in the work, but I don't think I've ever mentioned something that you have not followed up on proactively on your own, whether it's setting up a meeting with some staff person to do something, discuss an issue, follow up on a problem that arose. I've really appreciated that level of diligence. But on a more personal note, I think, especially in a time that's so fraught in public education and challenges, you know, this whole culture war thing and whatnot, but your ability to listen and to humanize has a capacity

[01:44:58] to heal. And I've been inspired by that and just seeing, you know, your open door to seeing the person first. I know there have been times when I came in perhaps too busy to have the extensive conversations to build understanding or to, you know, focus in a way that was blinding, but you've given the benefit of the doubt every time and we've been able to discuss and better understand where both of us are coming from in ways that have been very productive for the work and that's the kind of dialogue that I've been inspired by and that I hope to carry forward in my work in

[01:45:37] the years ahead and I think many of us can learn from and especially as a younger person who came in not really you know trusting everyone and not realizing the tough lessons of life I think I've always and continue to feel safe in vulnerability with you. And that's been a huge thing to cherish and that I've appreciated. And on a personal note, Dr. Anderson was like, I didn't realize I'm so special. I'm going to have to hold on to the fact that Dr. Avi did show up to my wedding.

[01:46:03] And that will forever be an honor and something I remember and cherish. And your gleanings as a daughter, as a mother, as a wife have been really deeply impressive on me. And I'm just really grateful I know I've shared far more with you offline but just for the sake of the public to know that I think you have a capacity to to listen and absorb in ways that we can all learn from and I just want to thank you for your years of service and for the for the impression you've left on me because I think especially as a younger person in my professional life it'll carry forward for a

[01:46:38] long time thank you and say no the board members who wish to speak I know Ms. Togby you have your light-ups, I'll let you speak before I take my turn. Go ahead, Ms. Togby. Thank you, Dr. Ivey. Thank you for everything. You've been a mentor, you've been somebody I can call right before the bell rings for school, and you've just constantly supported me in ways, whether it's, should I leave this board meeting because I have a statistics quiz the next morning, or just simply asking questions about the function of this whole division so I appreciate everything you've done

[01:47:16] and just echoing the words of my colleagues you really are a gem to us all and I don't know what I would do without you. Thank you and I know the hour is late and I echo all the sentiments of my colleagues and I was really blessed to be able to speak on behalf of the board at your retirement ceremony so or your retirement lunch so I won't share too long just a couple things I really need to lift up um as a new board member in 2020 you know when COVID hit you know three months into our term two and a half months into our term it was amazing to have you there because you're calm

[01:47:53] and you're authentic listening but your calm was just was was so needed of I know this is tough we'll make it through we got this we got you and that was just really really incredible and And, you know, as much as we figured out our way, just that calm helped us, or helped me, I should say, right?

[01:48:17] And throughout the years, I've just really appreciated your office is kind of a safe space to let us be vulnerable. And sometimes as board members, it's hard to really be able to be fully open and have these dialogues in the way we need to. And I've always felt like your office is a place that we could do that and really help us think through some very difficult topics, again, for me when I visited you.

[01:48:36] And just, I can't imagine the sheer amount of work that you manage, but you always have time to listen to us, not just in terms of our roles as board members, but in terms of us as human beings. And you generally seem to want to care so much about what's happening in our lives.

[01:48:54] And I just very recently, I mentioned about the death in my family, my recent death, and you genuinely seemed so sad that you didn't know. And that was really not just that you cared about it, but you were so sad that you didn't know.

[01:49:10] And that shows how big of a heart you have in the middle of all the work you're trying to do. So I just personally wanted to say you will be missed and know that there are hundreds of thousands of students out there who are better people because of your influence and hundreds, if not thousands, of staff members who are better at their job because of your influence.

[01:49:34] And so when you're having your date night with Charles or your Gigi time with your grandchildren, know that your influence and you, your soul, your energy is still here with us. So if I know the hour is late, I would like to ask my board members if they don't mind to let Dr. Zulalaga and Dr. Ivey say a few words before we move on to the next agenda item.

[01:49:56] So if that's okay, I'll start with Dr. Zulalaga and then Dr. Ivey. But first, a round of applause for Dr. Ivey. I need to take the vote. I've got to take the vote. So before you go, Dr. Zulalaga, I will take the vote. I didn't vote yet. Sit down. All those, sorry, a little exercise to keep us awake. All those in favor of the proclamation for Dr. Ivey, please raise your hands.

[01:50:16] That is Ms. Omish, Ms. Bukarski, Ms. I don't have to read them out loud, unfortunately. Ms. Cohen, Ms. Frazier, I'll say real fast. Dr. Anderson, Ms. McLaughlin, Ms. Darnett Koufax, Ms. Corbett Sanders, Ms. Tolan, Ms. Marin, Ms. Keith Gamara, and myself, and Charles, apparently.

[01:50:31] Charles, that is unanimous. Congratulations. Now, let's give you a round of applause.

[01:50:46] So before we take photos I apologize I know you've been waiting for a while but if we may indulge Dr. Zulaga if you want to come and say a few words and then Dr. Ivey if you want to come say a few words.

[01:51:01] I know Ms. Togby you mentioned speaking during your student rep matters so thank you. I'm going to be very very briefly members of the school board, Madam Superintendent, leadership colleagues, principals, staff members, students and families.

[01:51:28] Good evening and thank you for allowing me the opportunity to make some very few remarks. Serving this great community for the last 14 years has been an honor and a privilege. In my wildest dream, I never thought I would land the best job of my educational career that began 35 years ago in Kansas City, Missouri, as a secondary science teacher.

[01:51:49] As some of you know, I grew up in a rural town of Columbia, South America, in a large but lovely family of 10 brothers and sisters. I come from a very, very humble background. The currency in my family was faith, hope, and optimism.

[01:52:07] I was lucky since I was able to attend a fantastic high school and a great college in South America. This is where my passion for quality public education comes from. Strong schools are transformational and can completely change the trajectory for hundreds of students in a school division.

[01:52:29] And this is what happened to me. I believe Fairfax County Public Schools is one of the school divisions where the trajectory of our students is being changed every single day. Fairfax County Public Schools has and will continue to set the tone and be the lighthouse for other school divisions in America.

[01:52:50] During my last 14 years, I visited hundreds of classrooms, witnessed teachers' passion for teaching, observed the patience and the decisiveness of our principals and their leadership teams. I saw the tenacity of our central office people and central office personnel and departments doing whatever it takes or whatever it took to help our schools.

[01:53:13] And last but not least, I was able to observe the joy for learning from our students. I am very optimistic about the future of our children. They will help us build a more inclusive and tolerant society where different views are respected and meaningful dialogue is encouraged and respected.

[01:53:38] I am eternally grateful to my mentors, colleagues, previous superintendents, and our current superintendent, Dr. Reed. I'm also grateful to previous deputies and our current deputy, our beloved Dr. Francis Ivey.

[01:53:53] Thank you for all your leadership and support. And thank you to my regional assistant superintendents, to my wonderful Region 2 team, the leadership team members, central office personnel, and school-based leaders. I could not have done this without you. Gratitude to my wonderful family in South America and in San Francisco.

[01:54:12] The distance has not diminished the love we have for each other. recognition goes to my beloved husband and partner for 30 years his patience and understanding of the nature of this crazy job his willingness to always help me improve my english has been my cornerstone i owe you to to you big time mark i know you are not here in person this evening but you're watching me from new york i love you man thank you for our to our distinguished school board members for your faith in me continuing to model respectful and open conversations around

[01:54:51] complex issues of the 21st century school boards are the heart of a school division they sell the tone and they are the thermostat of an organization thank you for all you do for our schools and for our wonderful community thank you and god bless you dr ivy i'd love to have you come up if you're

[01:55:28] you're willing to keep say a few words. Adam Chair Seismorheiser, Vice Chair Derenak-Koufax, members of the board, Dr. Reed, and my esteemed leadership team colleagues. Thank you for your

[01:56:05] kind words and acknowledgement of my career tonight. It has truly been an honor and a privilege to serve as both your deputy superintendent for the last four years and also 26 years in varied teaching and learning and leadership positions in Fairfax County Public Schools.

[01:56:28] Each position gave me the opportunity to grow and to learn and to blossom into the leader that I am today i stand here tonight with a heart full of gratitude for all of the experiences i have had and the opportunity to work with truly amazing people and it includes all of you and all of our staff and families and students in fairfax county public schools i can't help but think of all the

[01:57:08] mentors, the leaders, the colleagues, the friends, and the family members who have supported my leadership journey, and I'm thankful for their love and guidance and support. I want to thank my husband, Charles, who is here tonight, for being my biggest supporter, my partner, my best friend, my soulmate, and my rock. Jobs like this are certainly more than the average eight-hour gig

[01:57:44] and are pretty much so 24-7. And Charles, you have been so very patient as I have worked long hours and been on call day and night. I also want to thank my children, Kristen and Chuck, who are watching tonight who have been patient as they watched me try to balance being a mom and also the work that I was required to do. And with the help of so many in Fairfax County Public Schools

[01:58:20] that have grown into successful adults that I am just so proud of and that they just bring me so much joy and then I want to thank my Fairfax County Public Schools family and that includes all of you on the school board both present and the previous board members that I've had the pleasure of working with I want to thank you for your dedication your support your vision and your passion for the work and the future of our school system and for believing in me while some

[01:58:59] Some moments were easy and others were very, very, very challenging. I will always cherish the most, I will always cherish the most, what I will cherish the most is our shared passion that we have shared for what is best for each and every student.

[01:59:21] And yes, all definitely means all. I want to congratulate you on a successful year and your recent graduation, and it has been an absolute joy watching you elevate student voice and all of their perspectives, and with the courage and grace and joy that you've sown in each and every situation as you've represented students for this entire year across our county.

[01:59:55] Dr. Reed, thank you for your steady leadership, your strong conviction to equity, and what is right for students, and for your courage during this tumultuous time as a public education is being challenged every day.

[02:00:19] You have dealt with some incredibly challenging issues in your first year, and I've seen it firsthand. And you have done so with unflappable determination and grace. I leave knowing that our district is in very good hands, and I am very excited for the future of FCPS with the development and passing of the new strategic plan and for the historic vote tonight for our new equity policy.

[02:00:53] I'm just so excited and for my last meeting for this vote to be taken just I've come full circle in all that I have wanted to do in making a difference for all students.

[02:01:09] I have just a little bit more I know I'm going on but I just have a lot to say. You have earned all your time Dr. Ivey. Okay, I would be remiss if I did not thank and recognize Dr. Brabrand, who hired me as the deputy superintendent and the second in command.

[02:01:28] I will cherish our time of working together. I watched him day after day make courageous decisions, and I want to thank him for being that lighthouse, especially during that pandemic times, and bravely facing the challenges during that time with hope and courage. His optimism gave our team the strength to carry on in what some days seemed very impossible, and I'm forever grateful. My gratitude extends to my colleagues on the

[02:02:03] leadership team. Thank you for 14 years of collaboration, hard work, and trust, and our exceptional region office team. You are an amazing team and group of individuals who shared a focus, vision, and commitment to Fairfax County Public Schools.

[02:02:23] I have learned so much and truly enjoyed working with each of you as we strive for the success of our students, our staff, and our families. To all of our departments and employees who truly make our schools division a premier school district both school-based in our principals and school-based administrators our teachers our faculty and staff and central office employees across all departments I want to say together we have built an extraordinary legacy called

[02:03:01] FCPS. I have watched you show up and lean in during the best of times and some of the extremely difficult times, and you have all worked incredibly long and hard to do whatever it takes to make a difference for every student. From a very early age, my parents taught me two very important lessons that have carried and lifted me up, no matter what my position or what my circumstance.

[02:03:35] The first and foremost was that education unlocks the doors of opportunity to make a difference and change the world. And second, to whom much is given, much is required. If we are blessed with talents, wealth, knowledge, time, and the like, it is expected that we will use these gifts well to benefit others. These two lessons have been my foundation as I have strived to make a difference

[02:04:14] one student, one employee, one parent, and yes, one school board member at a time. I can't wait to see what's next for our students as you continue to create opportunities and possibilities for each and every one of them. I will be cheering you on every step of at a time and just a sincere thank you for all the wonderful memories that I will carry in my heart forever as I retire from Fairfax County

[02:04:52] public schools and thank you very much i would i would like to invite the family members staff and community members who are here this evening in support of dr ivy's proclamation to please join the board out of for a photo at the front of the dais and i ask that my colleagues remain at the

[02:05:24] dais for the next three photos recording in progress i would like to invite those here in

[02:07:55] support of dr zoolaga's proclamation to please join the board for a photo i would like to invite

[02:08:50] those here in support of the Laura Ashley Piper scholarship proclamation to please join the board

[02:08:56] for a photo. I would like to invite those here in support of student representative Michelle

[02:10:29] Togby's proclamation to please join the board for a photo. We appreciate your patience. I believe

[02:13:51] the board members will be taking a quick five minute break and we'll come back to it. It is once a year we have retirement so we really appreciate indulge your patience as we celebrate our retiring staff we'll be back in five minutes board members we'll get started back at 9 20 and

[02:14:10] we did get started at 5 p.m so thank you board members please take your seats board members

[02:20:00] please take your seats thank you thank you everybody we can thank you for your patience as the board's been going since five and we wanted to celebrate our outgoing leadership team members so thank you for your patience we're going to move on to agenda item 2.03 confirmation of action taken in closed meeting for technical reasons we're going to read this motion again so I will call on Ms. Keyes Gamara for a motion I move to deny the school reassignment appeal of a student because it

[02:20:39] is moot is there a second Ms. Cohen all those in favor please raise your hands Ms. Keyes Gamara Ms. Marin Ms. Corbett Sanders Mr. Koufax Ms. McLaughlin Dr. Anderson Mr. Frisch Ms. Cohen Ms.

[02:20:56] Bukarski myself that motion passes thank you very much agenda item 3.01 community participation the next order of business is community participation speakers must limit the remarks to no more than two minutes in length at the conclusion of two minutes the microphone or video will be turned off the school board will not hear statements involving issues that have been scheduled for public hearings such as a capital improvement program budget and boundaries comments targeting criticizing or attacking individual students are not permitted during public meetings. Complaints regarding school-based employees should be directed to the appropriate school principal or other school officials.

[02:21:36] Speakers should refrain from using personally identifiable information in connection with an individual student or school-based employee. Additionally, speakers should be respectful and observe proper decorum in their statements, avoiding profanity, inappropriate gestures, shouting, and comments that run counter to the spirit and letter of the school division's non-discrimination policy. The school board welcomes community members to provide comments at its regular business meetings and public hearings on school board deliberations, school-related issues, or particular topics. All statements should be directed to the school board and speakers should remain

[02:22:11] at the podium until concluding their remarks. As a reminder, speaker substitutions are not permitted. A speaker may not yield their time to another individual before or during their remarks. Shouting and outbursts from the audience will not be tolerated. We are grateful for those who have come to speak to us today and thank you for your cooperation. Madam Clerk please call the first speaker.

[02:22:32] Student number one. Good evening esteemed members of the school board my name is Tamara Jimenez and as a proud Hispanic student in this district I stand before you to advocate for the implementation of the equity policy aligned with the one Fairfax policy. This policy is not only crucial for students like me but for every student in our diverse community. Growing up as a racial minority I have experienced firsthand the challenges and barriers that can hinder our

[02:23:10] educational journey it is sad to face the discrimination as I did when someone told me to go back to my country at school despite reporting this incident no actions were taking leaving me unheard and invisible even though I do not look Mexican it is still who I am by implementing the equity policy we can ensure that no students regardless of their race or background experiences what I went through this policy acknowledges the unique needs and experiences of students like me and it provides a framework for addressing and eradicating the systemic discrimination. For students like me, this policy means that my voice will be heard and experiences will be validated. It means that no student will have

[02:23:49] to endure the pain or discrimination without the consequences of those responsible. It means that we will receive and support and the resources necessary to thrive academically, emotionally, and socially. But this policy is not just about my personal experience. It is about creating an inclusive environment for all students and recognizes that diversity is our strength and that brings that every student brings unique perspectives and talents to the classrooms by embracing equity we ensure that each student's potential is realized regardless of their race ethnicity or background furthermore the implementation of this policy sends a powerful message to our entire community it shows that we as a school district stand against

[02:24:28] discrimination and intolerance it sets a precedent that such behavior will not be tolerated and it emphasizes our commitment to fostering a safe and welcoming environment for all in conclusion the equity policy aligned with one Fairfax policy will have a great impact on students like me who have faced discrimination and adversity it will provide support and resources needed to overcome those challenges that coceded by it sorry it's okay thank you very much great job student number two good evening esteemed members of the

[02:25:05] board my name is Summer Qureshi and I'm a proud student in this district today I stand before you to advocate for the implementation of the equity policy aligned with the one Fairfax policy. As a racial minority student I believe this policy is essential not only for students like me but for every student in our diverse community. First and foremost this part policy recognizes that each student starts from a different starting line. It acknowledges that the barriers and challenges we face are not always of our own making. By intentionally considering equity in our policies and programs we ensure that

[02:25:42] every student has an equitable opportunity to succeed regardless of their background or circumstances. For me, as a racial minority student, this policy represents hope and fairness. It means that my unique needs will be recognized and addressed. It means that my struggles and challenges won't be overlooked, but rather met with targeted support and resources. Equity allows us to level the playing field, removing the disparities caused by factors like economics, disabilities, parental education, and immigration status. But this policy isn't just about me. It recognizes that a one-size-fits-all approach does

[02:26:20] not work for every student in this diverse community. By embracing equity, we can provide individualized support and accommodations to meet the diverse needs of all students. The equity policy aligned with the Fairfax One policy, it will create an inclusive educational environment where every student has an equitable opportunity to succeed. By embracing equity we empower students to reach their full potential and ensure a brighter future for all. Let's seize this opportunity to make a lasting positive impact on the lives of students in our district. Thank you and good night.

[02:26:55] Neera Datta. Neera Datta. Madam Chair she's virtual and we're trying to bring her up.

[02:27:37] Thank you. Okay we seem to be having technical difficulties so we'll come

[02:27:50] back. Robert Rigby. Good evening. My name is Robert Rigby. I am co-president of FCPS

[02:28:28] Pride which is an LGBTQIA2S+ employees and families group in FCPS. I'll put this first. As far as the students rights and responsibilities goes, students with intellectual and developmental disabilities are among our most vulnerable students, I urge you to protect their rights and pass the possible amendment requiring that parent consent be required before they are asked to provide statements that can be used

[02:29:03] against them. Now you're really in for it because I'm winging it. I'm going to speak to policies people spoke earlier to people. Michelle, as Ms. O'Meage said, you held the board accountable As Ms. Cohen said, you stood up for kids that were being bullied, in particular LGBTQI kids.

[02:29:36] And you lifted my spirit in desperate moments. And I really think some scars and children were rescued. um for my friend Francis um you also for you you're all means all really means all and it includes me and my folk and I thank you for that uh and for myself I will miss you you'll love

[02:30:10] retirement godspeed Helen Miller my name is Helen Miller and I'm a longtime FCPS parent I'm pleased that the new strategic plan specifically mentions partnering with families both in the equity commitments as well as in Pillar B,

[02:30:48] vibrant home, school, and community partnerships. But wait, the family and community partnerships is now the second priority in the equity draft policy. Below facilities, it was moved down after the equity policy work group session last week when it was stated that things that we can work on should be higher on the list.

[02:31:08] Wow, here are some suggestions about how FCPS can work on this relationship. It starts by taking meaningful steps every day, beginning today. It starts by treating parents with respect rather than as an inconvenience. It starts with actions that demonstrate that you do value parents and their viewpoints and not just the same few groups of activists.

[02:31:32] And by not scheduling meetings like the SR&R changes right after spring break holiday. And by giving the community adequate time to comment, such as with the school year calendar options. it starts by not pushing through an equity policy in the summer with no public vetting and comment period. However, while many parents believe this key policy deserves a wider review and conversation, we now know it will pass tonight. We are supportive of expanding programming and academic opportunities at all schools, but we are already hearing concerns from many parents about

[02:32:07] how equitable practices will be implemented. Does equity mean restricting or reducing programming and activities at some schools, taking away advanced options like AP and IB classes, mandating the demographic makeup of clubs like Model UN and Science Olympiad, taking a portion of class dues from some schools to subsidize others, restricting where schools may hold proms and all-night grad parties, for example would off-site locations no longer be allowed.

[02:32:37] Neera Dutta. good evening esteemed school board members my name is nira data and i'm a mom to three fcps students and an auntie to so many more i'm joining this meeting tonight to support the equity policy that has been proposed by fcps in recent years there have been a few buzzwords thrown around and i find most people are not even sure what it means equality means the state of being equal especially when it comes to status rights and opportunities when we say equality we mean each

[02:33:16] individual or group of people is given the same resources of opportunities. When we talk about equity, we are ensuring that everyone has access to the same opportunities and that individual factors do not hold any student back from reaching their full, unique, and limitless potential, while also responding to and addressing the barriers that result in marginalized groups to be underserved disproportionately within our system. When we use the word diversity, it can means so many different things.

[02:33:46] We may think of the token black or brown student, the teacher or staff member in a school photo on the website. I would encourage our school board to think beyond appearance-based differences and consider championing equity in the intersections where many of our students live and thrive, especially when it comes to our students who have physical or cognitive disabilities.

[02:34:05] There are so many underserved families in FCPS who are food insecure or housing insecure due to the lack of affordable housing here in Fairfax County. I encourage you to pass this policy because it's definitely something that we need. Thank you for your time.

[02:34:23] - Marnie Matyak. - Good evening. My name is Marnie Matyak and I am the president of Fairfax Education Association Retired.

[02:34:40] When language immersion programs were first initiated in FCPS, I was a young teacher at Herndon Elementary. On paper, the French immersion program was an excellent idea. In practice, it caused the school to lose its Title I status as more middle-class students transferred into the program.

[02:34:56] The differences between the Gen Ed and the immersion students were never more striking than when we took our classes to assembly. The Gen Ed classes included white, black, brown students, many of whom accessed free and reduced lunch. The immersion students were white.

[02:35:14] Herndon eventually became a two-way Spanish immersion program and regained its Title I status. However, impoverished students were denied additional support for more than a decade. Fast forward to the end of my career in 2021. I was a reading teacher at Hunters Woods, another school that lost its title one status years ago when it became a magnet school and a level four advanced academic center.

[02:35:34] Again, the differences between Gen Ed and AAP were striking. Gen Ed classes included white, brown, black, and indigenous students, while the AAP classes were predominantly white and Asian. Limited access to gifted programs by underserved populations isn't just an FCPS issue.

[02:35:50] nationwide 8.1 of white and 12.7 of Asian American children in public schools are considered gifted compared to 4.5 of Hispanic and 3.5% of black students. While I support these programs, I use them as examples to highlight the need for robust equity policy that ensures that all of our students have access to educational opportunities and these programs do not negatively impact the larger student population.

[02:36:16] THEN CAN FCPS BREAK THE SEGREGATION CYCLE AND SERVE ALL STUDENTS NEEDS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. SUJATHA HAMPTON. GOOD EVENING.

[02:36:45] MY NAME IS SUJATHA HAMPTON AND I'M THE SECOND VICE PRESIDENT AND EDUCATION CHAIR OF THE FAIRFACS COUNTY NAACP. I'VE COME TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THE EQUITY POLICY. I ATTENDED THE WORK SESSION ON WEDNESDAY SO I KNOW YOU ALL SUPPORT THIS POLICY COMPLETELY. I KNOW YOU ALREADY UNDERSTAND. I'M SORRY MS. HAMPTON. WE ONLY ALLOW ONE PERSON AT THE PODIUM SO IF YOUR FRIENDS COULD TAKE A STEP BACK THAT Okay. Thank you. Thank you. They wanted to speak but they were a little afraid to come. I understand. Thank you. Thank you.

[02:37:09] I attended the work session on Wednesday. So I know you all support this policy completely. I know you already understand the time critical nature of the work. I'm here mostly to thank you for standing up for the kids and families in our schools. We'll be watching this historic policy pass. I underscore Miss McLaughlin's remarks on Wednesday when Dr. King presented the work. She like all of us expressed her dismay that six years after one Fairfax our schools find themselves in the same struggle.

[02:37:32] disparate access outcomes hiring staffing programs facilities and on and on issues that impact every corner of our county and every child intersectionally all our children and as today's story about the maligning and unwarranted firing of a beloved band director in Annandale High School and the truly horrible story from Oakton cheer neither one of neither of which issues has been fully investigated or resolved indicate there's a serious and ongoing problem in FCPS that we must own and we must end. So again I thank all 12 of you for your bravery in the face of people who do not want to see this policy put into place, who are hoping you will delay and demand never ending fine tuning of the language in the document as

[02:38:10] though the failure of our schools to treat our children and staff equitably will be solved with the perfect word and the most apt definition rather than via commitment to the principles and moral obligations stated boldly, clearly and without equivocation in the current version of the equity policy.

[02:38:25] Thank you again for this good work. I and the Fairfax County NAACP look forward to working with the board in any way we can TO SUPPORT THE CHILDREN AND STAFF OF FCPS AS WE PUT THIS VISIONARY POLICY AND NATURAL EXTENSION OF ONE FAIRFAX INTO ACTION THANK YOU TOBY LATHAM MADAM CHAIR SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS

[02:39:02] DR. REED GOOD EVENING I SPEAK TONIGHT IN SUPPORT OF THE DRAFT EQUITY POLICY AND TO RENEW A REQUEST THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD WORK TOWARD ADOPTING AN AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION OR AAC POLICY FIRST I WANT TO THANK THE CHAIR FOR HIGHLIGHTING THE NEED TO BE REPETITIVE ABOUT REFERENCING INCLUSION IN THE DRAFT EQUITY POLICY BECAUSE MAKING SPACE FOR PEOPLE WITH disabilities is often overlooked without such references in DEI programs. As a parent of a student with disabilities, I often encounter adults who incorrectly believe that people with disabilities need to be segregated to receive the supports that they deserve, which isn't surprising when we think about the fact that we raise kids around various programs

[02:39:39] that are segregated based on disability. We need to change our practices to hopefully change people's views so that we ensure that people like my son have a shot at thriving in their community as an adult. Second, I thank the superintendent for her continued emphasis on preparing students for careers that do not yet exist. But I challenge everyone here moving forward that we untether educational equity from future wage earning positions so that we can focus on creating an inclusive environment that does not yet exist. Some students with disabilities will never generate a dollar of revenue for a company, but those students deserve the opportunity to achieve their full potential too. And that brings

[02:40:17] ME TO THE NEED FOR THE AEC POLICY AS THE SUPREME COURT HAS MADE CLEAR IN ITS RALLY DECISION AND AGAIN IN THE ENDUREF DECISION THE IDEA DOES NOT REQUIRE SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO WRITE IEPS THAT GIVE STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL SO IF WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT THIS EQUITY POLICY REACHES STUDENTS WITH IEPS THERE MUST BE A FRAMEWORK BEYOND THAT PROVIDED IN THE IDEA TO ENSURE THAT THAT HAPPENS FOR EXAMPLE THINGS LIKE TIMELY AND EFFECTIVE TRAINING FOR STAFF SHOULD NOT BE SUBJECT TO IEP TEAM MEMBERS KNOWING WHAT THEY DON'T KNOW AND REQUESTING NECESSARY TRAINING THAT THEY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW EXISTS.

[02:40:50] RATHER THE SCHOOL DISTRICT MUST MAKE CLEAR THROUGH ACTION THAT EVEN IF AN IEP TEAM FAILS TO INCLUDE SOMETHING LIKE TIMELY AAC TRAINING AS AN AGREE TO SERVICE THAT AAC USERS WILL STILL WALK INTO THEIR CLASSROOMS WITH WELL-TRAINED STAFF SO THAT THEY TOO HAVE.

[02:41:16] PAUL BEHRON. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS YOU. MADAM SUPERINTENDENT AND THE SCHOOL BOARD. I AM PAUL BEHRON AND I AM RUNNING FOR SUPERVISOR FRANCONIA.

[02:41:32] the Board of Supervisors here in Fairfax. When I first put my hat in the ring and was planning to run for office, I was inundated with phone calls regarding the school board's decisions on a variety of issues. I had no idea how bad things were from the opinion perspective of the parents.

[02:41:52] By looking at you this evening and listening to you, I think you don't have the fangs, and you're not the ghouls and goblins that you were made out to be. So I respect you for that. But I must also urge you to please consider, before spending so much money as you have on the equity and inclusion policies that you have, you might want to take a look, another look, at the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights, which does guarantee equal opportunity to all of us citizens.

[02:42:19] Regardless of what nationality, what country, what gender, everything is all addressed already there. You don't need to spend all the taxpayers' money. I think the parents would agree with that. And I would urge anyone out there who is listening and watching that you also consider the opportunity to elect new officials come November, not only with the school board, but also with the supervisors.

[02:42:42] If you don't like the job they're doing, you have a chance to change that. Thank you very much. By the way, the report card of being a 40% deficit between what Virginia education, the students' performance, and what the Fairfax students are is just absurd.

[02:42:59] It really is. something needs to be changed with the way that we're teaching our kids writing arithmetic and American history. David Wallrod. Good evening, Chair Sizemore-Hyzer, Dr. Reed, and members of the board. Thank you for allowing me to address you to this evening. Like many others this evening, I'm speaking to you on the equity policy. Our country has long touted its social and economic mobility. In the United States, the financial status of your parents should be less important to your future success than your own abilities, professional goals, and work ethic.

[02:43:38] In reality, however, the best indicators of standardized test scores, such as the SAT and ACT, not just here in Fairfax County, but across the United States, are not GPA or work ethic, but parental income and zip code. In other words, your parents' wealth and where you live are better indications of how you'll do on tests meant to identify college readiness and success.

[02:43:58] This proposed equity policy is brought together as stakeholders from across the country and across the county and across the political spectrum. This policy has been created with the goal of creating a school system where the best indicators of future success are a student's ability and work ethic, which is exactly what we should all strive to see. Moving to another topic, this school board is proposing a significant raise for themselves today. The proposal will be to specifically tie the pay of school board members to that of the budgeted price for a new teaching position. More specifically, the proposed salary exactly matches the rate of a new teacher with a master's degree. I wholeheartedly support creating

[02:44:38] this precedent as long as it is a precedent. I hope that when this board reconvenes in spring of 2027 to consider their own future salaries, they begin and end at the current rate of a new teacher with a master's degree. Thank you and have a good evening. Mike Waltz. Good evening again. I am a

[02:45:12] parent, but also I wear many hats in this county, one of which has allowed me to hear many cases of discrimination, racism, and mistreatment of students, not the least of which my own kids, and heaven help you if you're on the other side of me messing with my kids, but for the other 180 plus thousand, what do you have? What we really have is a system that was not designed for many of the kids who are here now, despite the constitution and all these other laws, massive resistance, racism, segregation, shutting down schools because non-white kids were going there as

[02:45:47] part of this country's, this state's history, which needs to be taught. Hasn't been yet. Wonder when it's going to happen, and we'll have to get that outside until we have what you all have before you tonight, this equity policy. It's actually really easy.

[02:46:04] These students wouldn't go through what they dealt with if we had something like this. The work is, the difficulty is going to be implementing it. Implementing any policy is a challenge. This is actually easy. For those who are opposed to it, I would say the difference is they want things for some children.

[02:46:25] This policy is for all children. I never see those opponents when children are subjected to racism. They never speak up. They never say anything. They come out times like this to speak against what we know needs to happen. So I want you to keep that in mind as you make the decision tonight.

[02:46:43] This is for all children, not just some, not just few. you I guess I got 20 more seconds so add to that this policy again it is really just the beginning it's a commitment that has not yet been made and we will work arm-in-arm with you to make sure that even those who succeed you get it

[02:47:08] done the right way thank you air Queen hello my name is air Queen I'm a queer transgender non-binary autistic music teacher and I use they/them pronouns I'm I am also the solo parent of a rising kindergartner in FCPS and a board member of FCPS Pride.

[02:47:42] Over the past two years, I've had the opportunity to present on gender equity in 20 states and on both national and international levels. I love my job and I've been a quarter finalist for the Music Educator Grammy Award three years in a row. Because it is still June, I will wish everybody a happy Pride Month while I am up here.

[02:48:02] And I do appreciate the Pride Month proclamation that was read at the last meeting. the same time that the queer and trans community needs you to go farther than just the pretty words and platitudes. Queer and trans people exist all year long and come from every single background possible. Though it is often presented in a singular way in the media, queerness is not just a white experience and only recognizing queerness during June or October is a way that the erasure of queer identities within the global majority populations continues. FCPS and the school board has the power to create

[02:48:39] intersectional and equitable policies for staff and students and a vote to pass the equity policy is a step in the right direction and I urge you to vote yes tonight. While approving the equity policy is a small step in the right direction, you do still have work to do. Partnering with an appeasing Nazi group should never be acceptable. However, one of the groups that is listed as a contributing organization for the equity policy is not only called a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, but has openly quoted Adolf Hitler in their published materials as recently as this past week.

[02:49:13] Working with Nazis should never be acceptable, and in my view, working with Nazis is the same as being one. When the work that gets done is compromised by appeasing bullies, the work will never be enough to protect or care for our minoritized groups. Thank you.

[02:49:32] Lindsay Latham, Jennifer Bond, Arthur Purvis, Christine Bearden.

[02:50:11] I have something prepared, but I'm not sure I'm going to say it. This is about the equity policy. You guys are going to vote on it. But I guess it's a little disappointing because we were promised community participation to at least have a say in the draft, the second draft after the work meeting that you guys had.

[02:50:38] Look, we're all for equal opportunities. This is not about not passing something that could be really good. But what about me? I'm a parent, and I know so many other parents that wanted some input on this.

[02:50:54] All colors, all of my friends, all different nationalities. I tried to find out who was on the committees for these policies. I couldn't find it. You have to do a FOIA. Why is that?

[02:51:10] What's being hidden?

[02:51:12] It makes somebody think that there's something another agenda. I don't I don't know. I mean why couldn't we find out who it was so I before you vote on this just know that the community really was not involved as we were promised and the other thing I wanted to say I guess I guess that's it. It's just disappointing. It's just disappointing and I already know you guys are going to vote. Yes. So thank you next we're moving on to our video

[02:51:58] testimonies please play the first video submitted by leslie houston good evening chair seismor heiser school board members dr reed and leadership team i am leslie houston the president of fairfax education association representing thousands of your employees who fully support the proposed equity policy presented by dr king and the equity team in our pursuit of providing quality education for all. It is imperative that we recognize and address the disparities that exist within our

[02:52:34] schools. Equity in education means that every student, regardless of their background, race, socioeconomic status, or ability, has an equal opportunity to thrive and succeed. Unfortunately, some students in Fairfax County Public Schools do not have equal access to resources, opportunities, and support. This is not acceptable. It is our duty as educators and advocates to dismantle these

[02:53:07] barriers and create an educational landscape that is fair and inclusive. I urge you to pass this equity policy because we must foster an environment that embraces and values the richness of our differences, where every student feels seen, heard, and valued, where every student has access to rigorous courses and advanced programs regardless of the region in which they live.

[02:53:38] Tonight, your vote will make it clear that in our school system, the circumstances of one's birth do not dictate the trajectory of their life. This work of equity is arduous, but it is vital for the well-being and future of our students.

[02:53:57] Let's do what's best for kids. Thank you. Please play the second video submitted by Nicole Sabotani. I want to talk about DEIA, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility.

[02:54:16] When I was a TJ student more than 10 years ago, we talked a lot about diversity. But now we all know that diversity is necessary but insufficient. Inclusion must be intentional because when our schools have been segregated and stratified for so long, it's impossible to enact needed change in a passive manner. Accessibility is also crucial.

[02:54:31] Many of our kids need accommodations not because they're not fully capable, but rather because accommodations help them unlock their potential. For example, I'm right-handed, and I was injured in my arm playing sports in college. It took weeks to recover. I received permission for extra time on my homework assignment and even a big exam, given that I had to write with my left hand and it took considerably longer.

[02:54:49] The fact that a process existed to receive such an accommodation benefited me, even though my injury was only temporary. As a TJ alumna and Fairfax County parent, I'm especially thrilled about the push towards greater equity. There's a lot of debate over what equity is, so I'll offer Code for America's definition as cited by Harvard professor Dr. Martha Minow.

[02:55:05] Equity is fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people while striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups. When I entered my arm in college and needed extra time on my schoolwork, nobody questioned my intelligence or called me lazy for needing the extra time. Nobody expected me to be able to complete the same tasks as quickly and completely with my non-dominant hand.

[02:55:24] Yet when I was a student in FCPS, people made these discriminatory and judgmental comments about students with accommodations all the time. Those who oppose equity are advocating for this, inequity. They are advocating for the continued exclusion of marginalized students of all kinds. Abandoning equity would be a huge loss, not just for those students, but for all of us who need their contributions and friendship and ideas and so much more.

[02:55:45] I later learned that comments I heard as a Fairfax County student, like no employer is going to give them special treatment in the real world, are rubbish. I'm honored to count many folks who need accommodations, from disabled veterans to those born with visible or invisible disabilities and illnesses among my colleagues. Equity is not just a nice-to-have, but a must at all our nation's best universities, workplaces, and organizations.

[02:56:05] Wherever our schools lack equity, we are falling behind and failing our students. Madam Chair, that was our last public speaker. Thank you. We'll move on to Agenda Item 3.02, Academic Matters.

[02:56:22] I'll call on Dr. Rhee to share academic matters.

[02:56:35] Thank you, Madam Chair. And this evening, I'm going to provide an update on our special education enhancement plan, as well as our COVID-19 compensatory education plan, extended school year, and the annual special education conference recently held.

[02:57:04] I want to remind our board that during the last eight months, a number of internal and external stakeholders have worked collaboratively to develop the five-year special education enhancement plan, which we'll be discussing at tomorrow's work session. This plan addresses the 19 recommendations provided by the American Institute for Research following their external review of Fairfax County Public Schools special education programming.

[02:57:29] It also provides additional enhancements in programming to improve outcomes for students who have individualized education program plans and Section 504 plans. The plan uplifts the importance of collective responsibility where all stakeholders are tasked with working collaboratively to foster increased outcomes for students with IEPs. I'm looking forward to the team presenting this information tomorrow. Want to remind folks to to pause and extend a heartfelt thank you to the many many stakeholders that have sacrificed time away from families friends and other

[02:58:07] obligations to support this important work. Also want to take a moment and thank all of our special educators in particular during this past school year who've put in countless extra hours to support our students and one another. In thinking about the compensatory action education plan, throughout this year, staff have continued to support students in recovering from learning gaps that may have been experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic or exacerbated by the pandemic.

[02:58:38] Part of the work has included implementation of the COVID-19 compensatory education plan as outlined in the agreement between Fairfax County Public Schools and the Office for Civil Rights. In order to ensure staff and families had adequate time to learn the new compensatory education criteria to ensure staff are able to partner with families in a meaningful way, FCPS requested an extension to the June 16, 2023 deadline that was due to that was the due date for compensatory considerations. Our request for an extension was granted by office of civil rights who's been monitoring our progress throughout the school year in accordance

[02:59:18] with the agreement essentially that we have as a county committed to making sure that all required education considerations are completed by august 18th 2023 prior to the start of the 2023-24 school year during the past four months iep teams and 504 committees have been working diligent diligently to complete the compensatory education consideration as of june 20th the compensatory education considerations have been completed for 91 of the students enrolled in fcps who had an

[02:59:53] iep or 504 plan during the pandemic period and again a big thank you to all the staff students and families that have accounted for 91 of all of these plans having an opportunity to be reviewed COVID-19 compensatory education services have begun and are being provided in a variety of ways.

[03:00:14] Staff are going to continue to partner with families to ensure compensatory services are best meeting students individual needs. Also a couple brief comments about extended school year, a reminder that these services are provided to students with IEPs and grades pre-k through grade 12 whose IEP team determines the benefits the student gained during the regular school year will be significantly jeopardized if the student does not receive ESY services.

[03:00:43] This year, we anticipate 4,608 students in ESY who are going to be served across 20 different sites in the division. All students will be receiving a meal, at least one meal, at no cost to their families. And consistent with FCPS ESY website from the 2021-22 school year, this year's esy website provides detailed information regarding esy to include staffing updates program calendars program sites bell schedules and frequently asked questions our staff are really looking forward to welcoming students to esy in the coming weeks and look

[03:01:20] forward to an exciting summer of learning finally want to just share the 18th annual special education conference highlights there were a number of those highlights in the well-attended event with the theme being unity within our FCPS community every student every educator every family we had over 1300 family and community members along with FCPS educators registered to attend opening ceremonies and live presentations the highlight of the conference was the advisory committee for students with disabilities recognition of 12 first class award winners for their commitment to and support of students with disabilities please visit the conference

[03:02:00] WEBSITE TO ACCESS ALL OF THE INFORMATION ON THIS YEAR'S CONFERENCE AND THAT IS OUR UPDATE THIS EVENING ON THE UPCOMING CONVERSATION FOR THE SPECIAL EDUCATION ENHANCEMENT PLAN MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU DR. REED I SEE A COUPLE MEMBERS WITH THEIR LIGHTS UP SO I'LL START WITH MS.

[03:02:15] BAKARSKI OH WAS THAT LEFT AWARD FROM BEFORE OKAY MS. KEYS GAMARA THANK YOU I APPRECIATE THIS REPORT DR. REED I WILL SAY IN THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS I HAVE HAD numerous occasions to um fortuitously run into teachers and staff members of fcps and a number of them have raised concerns with respect to the compensatory services and the level of workload

[03:02:50] that it produces for regular everyday teachers who are also still having to manage their classroom So I didn't have an opportunity to review this prior to our, I might have prepped you for this question, but can you speak to how we might support our in the classroom teachers who are having to work with families to try to figure out these compensatory services?

[03:03:19] So, our in-classroom teachers have had to set up conferences and meetings to determine what those compensatory services might look like. It's my understanding we have hired staff to provide those compensatory services, and I know Dr. Boyd is here.

[03:03:38] Dr. Boyd, would you please respond to the staffing arrangements for the compensatory services, please? Certainly. Thank you, Dr. Rhee, and thank you, Ms. Kees-Gumar, for the question. As Dr. Reed's share, our special ed case managers did facilitate, as well as our 504 case managers, facilitate those meetings to determine whether students were eligible.

[03:03:59] We're now moving into the phase as we wrap up the IEP and 504 meetings, the actual service provision. Staff do voluntarily sign up or apply to serve as compensatory education teachers, and many of them have opted to do that. some of them have opted to do ESY. And again, that's not anything that's required. They are compensated. We're having some summer academies. Some of that service provision is provided after school and also during the summer on Saturday academies as well. And so we are compensating those persons. And again, it's for those persons who are interested. And there's other mechanisms

[03:04:38] where services are being provided as well by third-party providers to again relieve some of that obligation directly on FCPS and again in accordance in the collaboration with families um I can say that not one person I talked to felt like it was voluntary and I understand that because we've been going through a really tough time with this and we were put in a in a bad position so moving

[03:05:13] forward Dr. Reed is are there plans to try to first of all improve the situation evaluate the situation and monitor it so that our special ed teachers particularly those in the classroom who have taken on these additional duties feel that they have the additional support I mean it was disheartening to me um to hear people say that they were just completely overwhelmed and I know

[03:05:49] this isn't the first time we've heard this but I did want to speak out about it because some of these people wouldn't let me leave until I heard their concerns so I thought that I would make sure that it was stated publicly and perhaps give you guys an opportunity to say how we're going to TRY TO IMPROVE IN THE FUTURE.

[03:06:09] SO THANK YOU, MS. KEES-GAMARA. I DO KNOW THAT CLEARLY THE HOLDING OF A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF CONFERENCES WAS AN ADDED BURDEN AND AN ADDED TIME TO AN ALREADY FULL WORK AGENDA FOR SURE.

[03:06:29] AND WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE ALL OF THE STAFF PULLING TOGETHER TO ACCOMPLISH 91% OF THE MEETINGS AS OF THE 20TH OF THIS MONTH. thinking about the compensatory services that are now being provided to students across the division I think that we're continuing to look at ways to best support our students and at the same time support our staff and I think Dr. Boyd shared I think we had over I don't know over 500 staff sign up to be I'm not sure am I in the ballpark there you're in the ballpark okay over 500 staff sign up or apply to be able to provide compensatory services at a

[03:07:08] salary to do that having said that we have to look at ways to be able to proactively serve our students so I know our staff continue to look at ways to alleviate that so to your point we're continuing to monitor the situation and we'll adjust as we're able I do appreciate that I did want to give you an OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO SOME OF THOSE FOLKS WHO CONSISTENTLY APPROACHED ME AND GOING FORWARD I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR OR I'D LIKE TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR HOW THAT'S WORKING OUT BECAUSE

[03:07:46] GIVEN WHAT SOME OF OUR FAMILIES HAVE GONE THROUGH I CERTAINLY WOULD LIKE FOR THEM TO BE ABLE to hear when you step up to the microphone that one you heard them right and two this is our plan moving forward so thank you and we did hold several staff town halls for our teachers of students with special needs we also I know met with families and parents on that topic and it is an important topic I know that the board's going to have an opportunity to unity tomorrow during the work session to review the special education enhancement plan this

[03:08:24] evening really was an opportunity to kind of lay the groundwork or foreshadow that conversation tomorrow but to your point we do see just a large number of staff that have worked extraordinarily hard this year and a large number of our students who've worked extraordinarily hard and their families and supporting them uh in many cases to overcome um some losses that occurred during the pandemic and so we you know um we recognize that and know we have work to do so thank you for raising that i have no doubt i just wanted to give you that opportunity and um i you know want our staff members to know that

[03:09:04] we're not only aware but we're constantly working to improve the situation so thank you thank you Ms. Tolan I'm just curious when you say that 91 percent of I think it's of the meetings are done to determine those compensatory services do you have any insight as to you know what the budget looks like for actually giving those services whether it's you know additional staff and paying

[03:09:37] our staff or some of that I think is reimbursement for services that you know parents provided for their children during COVID when we were not open. I would just be curious to know how that is looking. Well, thank you, Ms. Toland. And I want to start by saying, if you recall, this decision from OCR happened after the budget had been done for this year. So there wasn't a budget item per se to cover the expenditure. So we've been continuing to, as would be expected, meet with individual IEP teams to determine what's best for each and every student in

[03:10:16] those individual settings I do know that our office of student support and obviously our Department of Special Education Services has been collecting this data as we make sure that we are finding the funds we need to to make these plans and be able to engage students staff and families dr. Boyd do have a any kind of a figure or guess of where we are right now because you know again we're still working through quite a large number of these meetings correct we're actually in the process of calculating a will be anticipate being

[03:10:56] our total need based on the meetings that we have had provided and so we're actually working in special services and with financial services to get that information so we should be able to have that information available for you

[03:11:07] next week. Thank you. Thank you. Ms. Corbett Sanders. I'll be very brief because we do have a work session tomorrow and that's where we will do some unpacking. In advance of tomorrow's work session work session though I would like to encourage a spirit of innovation in how we approach some of our challenges in meeting the needs of our children where they are and that perhaps the traditional approach that we

[03:11:42] have had with addressing some of our students needs actually adds additional pressure not only on our students and on their families but it actually adds additional pressure on our teachers and so I'll be raising that tomorrow and I know you enough out you and I have had some sidebar conversations about it we have thank you thank you very much and because we have a work session tomorrow will take my turn and tomorrow but just as a highlight the people for whom are getting services who are getting compensated for services reimbursed for

[03:12:21] service I should say I may want to know about the reimbursement timeline and how long that resource when it's taking we'll make sure we have the timeline questions answered great thank you very much I appreciate Dr. Reed and with that I'll move on to agenda item 3.03 and student representative matters I call on Miss Togby and I think this is your last one isn't it I'm looking for those words of wisdom before you go off to Brown. Get ready to soak them in. As always, thank you, Madam Chair. Good evening and happy Monday, everyone. First, I want to thank you all so much

[03:12:56] for your kind words. This year was far from what I was expecting in the best of ways. I'm grateful for the relationships I felt with each of you all individually. And thank you for your mentorship, your guidance your patience with me um and it's been it's been a great year and i'm very grateful for it um i couldn't have asked for a better board to work with um and my very first co-workers i can't wait to hear all about the amazing work you guys accomplished in the fall and i look forward to staying in touch of course um whenever people ask me what it's like to be on

[03:13:32] the board and what my experience has been like i always kind of explain to them that i was on the other side. I was in the audience. I was testifying. And something I guess I just never really grasped was how much work and just understanding it takes behind the scenes to really wrap your head around individual things, whether it's policy or what really can be done within a work session, things like that and it's really changed the way I approach um data-driven decisions and just

[03:14:11] overall I guess um processing of information um and I'm I can't really describe how grateful I am for this and I'm really glad that it was with you guys so thank you um when I was first elected in this position I had so so many goals um and I still do just from a different position I guess and I'm very proud to say most of them were accomplished and that even the small ones that I said I wanted whether it's I want one student in a history classroom to know who their board member is and I kind of got to see a little bit of that whether

[03:14:50] it's in school visits or meeting students at certain events so that's something I'm really really proud of and I hope students continue to reach out and stay in contact because we know how powerful that can be. I find it so full circle that my last school board meeting will be when the board passes the equity policy, which was a task started when I was a freshman and I've been supporting through multiple avenues.

[03:15:17] It's crazy to think that 2020 was so long ago, but at the same time, not that long ago. And yes, as board member McLaughlin mentioned, Fairfax has made historic moves with the one fairfax policy but it's so much more with this equity policy it's bigger than this board it's bigger than one classroom it's crucial for everyone across the district and we heard students come here tonight um stand before us and advocate for this policy so really what more needs to be said um this policy emphasizes that the one-size-fits-all approach is not effective for

[03:15:52] our beautifully diverse county and large district and you've listened to me talk all year about student voice and if there's one thing i really want you all to remember is that student voice can be both a catalyst and a byproduct of educational reform whether it's county-wide or on a school-by-school basis student voice in the decision-making process can help inspire and and inform new approaches to learning and understanding but student voice can also be the result of learning experiences that help build students a sense of belonging and elevate their opinions when you actively value the

[03:16:31] voice and experiences of your student body they're being validated and affirmed and in turn your students come to believe that they matter and they do and I know you all believe that they do so when school leaders make equity and explicit invisible priority it permeates through the school culture and offers a clear path forward towards hope towards healing towards understanding and it leads to transformational results in the student experience and what it's like in the classroom so I have to emphasize that equity work at the end of the day

[03:17:06] is everyone's work and we see that with this policy equal access to all the resources and support is crucial to having an environment where all students are affirmed in their classroom so let's meet students where they are let's do it tonight and I can't wait to watch FCPS make history again so I urge you all to vote yes and lastly I wanted to leave you all with a reminder from one of my very first events that I got to attend if you're not actively valuing student voice then who are you serving so for the last time thank you so much for

[03:17:39] everything FCPS for all the years inside classrooms to this amazing experience thank you to the board to the leadership team to the amazing people that supported me through and through my amazing support team that has ranged from school staff former SoCo teachers and of course my amazing family I don't know what I would do without you guys so and of course it would be a crime for me to not mention we should pay our teachers more just kind of kind of going out there um i wish you all the

[03:18:15] very best and be sure to take time to enjoy your family and your friends this summer thank you so much for your time patience and support forever and always thank you miss togby and you will be greatly missed and your voice will be greatly missed on this board so thank you for all the

[03:18:52] wisdom you've brought to us this year agenda item 3.04 superintendent matters i call on dr reed thank you madam chair in light of the hour um i will defer my comments to our next meeting thank you dr reed i'm going to agenda item 3.05 kent gardens elementary school boundary study scope and i'll call on you dr reed for the introduction thank you madam chair and it's my pleasure to turn to assistant superintendent chuck fanshaw to take this item mr fanshaw

[03:19:26] thank you good evening i'll quickly present the proposed scope of the kent gardens elementary school boundary study next slide please our cip notes that kent gardens elementary school has a substantial capacity deficit of 121 capacity utilization for school year 22 23 based on the cip amendment noted staff held a community boundary scoping meeting on april 26 2023 as required and outlined in regulation 81 30. the purpose of the scoping study is to identify which

[03:20:04] schools should be considered as part of the kent gardens elementary boundary study next slide this slide shows an overview of the historical membership program capacity utilization and potential solutions implemented over the last 10 years as of school year 22 23 next slide this slide shows a map of elementary and in red high school boundaries and elementary school capacity utilization for the McLean high school pyramid and surrounding area

[03:20:40] for school year 22-23 based on the September 22 certified membership the blue shades represent schools with sufficient capacity surpluses yellow shades represent schools with moderate to significant capacity deficit oh I'm sorry and the red shades represent schools with moderate to significant capacity deficits next slide this slide is similar to the previous map but shows projected capacities for school year 27 28 next slide this slide shows an

[03:21:17] overview of the existing school capacity as of school year 22 23 and projective student membership for school year 27 28 for elementary schools in the McLean high school pyramid it shows design capacity program capacity student membership and program capacity utilization the right side of the table shows the school year 27 28 projected student membership and program capacity utilization

[03:21:49] next slide as noted a community meeting was held on april 26 2023 at mclean high school to help determine the scope of the boundary study feedback was gathered in writing from the approximately 75 participants at the meeting in addition we received another 171 responses online Chesterbrook and Franklin Sherman elementary schools were the most frequent suggestions for schools to be considered with both schools mentioned in over 100 responses other responses

[03:22:22] included the five schools shown on the slide next slide this slide contains a summary of comments from beyond schools to be considered the other major themes that arose from the community's feedback are listed here next slide please as per regulation 8130 the boundary adjustment process is currently at stage 2 of the process where the scope of the study for schools is presented to the school board following feedback from the boundary

[03:22:57] scoping community meeting following approval of the scope another community meeting will be held to present and discuss possible boundary change options as prepared by staff after this there will be a series of school board meetings where recommendations will be presented to the school board and put forward to be voted on next slide please here's a time frame for confirmed and approximate timings of the next steps in the boundary adjustment process next slide please based on community feedback our analysis and current school

[03:23:34] boundaries we present the following to be considered in this boundary scope study scope elementary school boundary adjustments for Chesterbrook Churchill Road Franklin Sherman Kent Gardens and Spring Hill and elementary schools as a consequence of the potential elementary school boundary adjustments considered the following AAP boundaries will be considered Haycock Elementary AAP and Churchill Road Elementary AAP as a consequence of the potential elementary school boundary adjustments considered middle and high schools may need to be considered for an option for options which involve a split feeder next slide

[03:24:13] please Haycock Lemon Road and Westgate elementary schools were not recommended for the boundary study scope because adding students may require capacity relief additionally Haycock elementary school is currently approaching a capacity deficit if these three schools were to be added to the scope schools adjacent to these school boundaries would need to be considered as well and this concludes my presentation thank you very much Dr. Reed if you have no

[03:24:50] word to add I'll turn to my school member comments so I'll start with Ms. Toland and then Ms. McClarkin first of all just a huge thank you to our FCPS team that has been working on this for months and months and months we had people from ISD facilities OCCR you know just all putting our heads together first of all to figure out whether we should even bring this forward in the CIP which we did early in the year and then you know working with our community and talking with our community and then you know bringing forth this step tonight and

[03:25:28] also a huge huge thank you to the Kent Gardens community and the McLean community for all of the inputs and for really coming forward and understanding that you know we have a school a beloved school that is overcrowded and as a community you know we're going to have to make some tough decisions and you know people are coming to the table and giving us input on what makes sense. So basically you know as Mr. Fanshawe mentioned you know tonight we're just at step two IN THAT BOUNDARY CHANGE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT POSSIBILITIES FOR KENT GARDENS.

[03:26:09] AND BASICALLY, AS A BOARD, WE'LL VOTE ON, YOU KNOW, THIS LIST OF SCHOOLS AT OUR NEXT MEETING. THIS IS ON NEW BUSINESS TONIGHT. AND AFTER THAT VOTE, THEN FACILITIES AND OUR TEAM, ISD, OCCR, WILL BE ABLE TO GO BACK, TAKE ALL OF THIS INFORMATION, AND THEN JUST DIVE IN EVEN FURTHER AND COME UP WITH SCENARIOS FOR THE COMMUNITY TO LOOK AT AND THE BOARD TO LOOK AT IN THE FALL AND SO WE'LL HAVE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC INPUT FOLLOWING OUR BOUNDARY POLICY IN THE FALL AND WE HAVE A KENT GARDENS CAPACITY CHALLENGES WEB PAGE SO PLEASE GO THERE IF YOU NEED ANY

[03:26:48] ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WITH THAT I'LL SEE WHAT OTHER QUESTIONS BOARD MEMBERS HAVE PERHAPS

[03:26:57] Thank you Miss McLaughlin. Thank you Dr. Reed. These are always a challenge for our community and anywhere across the nation. I've experienced in myself in North Carolina when I live there briefly the beauty of this particular one is that it is very fortunate to be located in an area where there are just remarkable neighboring elementary schools so I just wanted to number one express my appreciation for my colleagues

[03:27:31] Ms. Tolan for showing such great care and concern for her community. Number two for our interim assistant superintendent Chuck Fanshawe and his team because these are tough and if we do them well we bring our community along with us. The other thing I want to say is someone who personally experienced one myself as a 10 year old and then I watched my children also experience it. It's so important that where we can continue to keep the feeders together so if we can do this type of scoping and look where students might have a different

[03:28:06] elementary school but they will continue up through the McLean pyramid always engaging our community not just so that they can bring their fresh eyes to what they might see and we do not but also again in that partnership to make sure they understand the science behind how we're making these decisions and looking at the enrollment numbers and looking at the transportation piece.

[03:28:31] I think the more we continue in that deep engagement, then I do have high confidence that FCPS will be able to bring the community together in a very positive way. But I do want to just say again, there's a reason that we rely on having a extremely well-informed facilities department that can work through the demographic projections, the enrollment, the facility space and utilization.

[03:29:04] I mean, it's a Rubik's Cube, but again, doing it well, I see us being able to have high success and also alleviate the overcrowding. My last plug is that our facilities and planning advisory committee, which is made up of school board appointments, of which Mr. Fanshawe is my Braddock appointee, I do also believe that they are an amazing asset of talent and experience to help you and your administration.

[03:29:33] So I look forward to supporting this work. Thank you very much. Dr. Reed, did you want to respond? Just thank you.

[03:29:49] And I appreciate that this is a complex process. And I know that staff have been working really hard with Ms. Tolan, as well as members of the Kent Garden community. So I really appreciate the collaborative work. Thank you.

[03:30:05] And I just also want to thank staff and Ms. Tolan for the amount of work and time. And I know when I've called Ms. Tolan with questions and called staff with questions, I get quite a lengthy and detailed and very well researched and engage the community answers. So I really appreciate all the hard work as well.

[03:30:21] So I look forward to further information coming from staff as they do the work. So thank you, Mr. Fanshawe, thank you, Ms. Toland, and more to come. So we'll move on to Agenda Item 4.01, Students' Rights and Responsibilities. I will call on Ms. Marin for a motion. Thank you.

[03:30:41] I move that the Fairfax County School Board adopt Regulation 2601.37P, Student Rights and Responsibilities, Regulation 2613, Dress Code, and Policy 2613, Dress Code, as detailed and the documents attached on board docs is there a second miss tollen miss marron would you like to speak to your motion just briefly i'll share for the public that the srnr regulation is something that the school board reviews annually it is governed by a policy and later on this evening

[03:31:20] i'll be bringing forth a follow-on motion to see that when we do review the regulation regularly that we also ensure that our policy is up to date but it is something that we ask all families and and parents and students to read every year. This spells out the discipline code.

[03:31:37] This year we are updating the dress code. So it's a pretty big deal. And you will see this in written format, in paper and electronics and video. Your students will see this presented to them at the start of the new year. And it is a guiding document that I hope that families and of course staff and students will refer to when it comes to expectations and rights for our students.

[03:31:59] Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Tolan, would you speak to your second? Thank you. Just briefly, Ms. Marin, thanks for listing some of the new things that are in the policy. So we do have a dress code, but I do want to assure everyone that pajama pants are acceptable. That was a point of contention early on.

[03:32:18] I actually, looking through the revisions that were made, one of the things that we added was a belief statement and values in the beginning of the SRNR, which I think, you know, is worth reading i won't read through it tonight in the essence of time but it really does express you know what we are trying to do as far as having students really be aware of you know what their rights are but then also what they need to bring to the table too to make sure that our learning

[03:32:51] environments are as safe and as supportive for everyone as possible i do understand that we will have an amendment related to related to inclusivity added to our work this evening which I will be fully supporting as well. Thank You Ms. Cohen. Thank you.

[03:33:14] I am bringing an amendment this evening so I would just like to go ahead and put that up. I move to amend the following language when a disciplinary incident involving a student with an intellectual or developmental disability may result in a suspension of any kind. School staff shall not request a verbal or written statement from the student until a guardian parent slash guardian has been provided notice.

[03:33:37] I'd like that to be changed to when a disciplinary incident involving a student with an intellectual or developmental disability may result in a suspension of any kind. School staff shall not request a verbal or written statement from the student until a parent slash guardian has provided consent. I will second this motion. Ms. Cohen would I just speak to your amendment? I would. I know this has been a conversation that's been happening for a few years and as the

[03:34:13] liaison to ACSD I feel like I would be remiss not to try to address it in this way I feel really strongly that our students who have intellectual or developmental disabilities should not have any statements collected from them when it could result in a suspension without their parent or guardian providing consent. I understand that some of the pushback has been that there may be a delay in the process and I understand that. I imagine it's incredibly difficult to be a school administrator

[03:34:47] and have to make sure that you take this extra step. I also would posit that I am hopeful that the number of our students with intellectual and developmental disabilities that are ever sitting down and being interviewed about a suspendable offense that we would want to make sure that when any kid comes to the table that they fully understand and can take in the gravity of the questions that are being answered that we're ensuring that they're being communicated to in a way that they can understand and that they have the ability to communicate in the

[03:35:25] way that they are best able to communicate and so I feel strongly as one member of this board that instead of just providing notice that parents must be able to provide consent before a statement is collected thank you and I will speak to my second I think that we all share the same goal that whenever an incident happens we want to find out what happened so we can address the incident and for some students especially those intellectual and developmental disabilities being able to answer questions in an accurate way requires a lot more support and a

[03:36:02] lot more understanding from communication partners who understand how to ensure that their communication is accurate. And that is the reason for this amendment. I recently sent a 14-page document on neurodiversity chock full of links to research, blogs, articles to Dr. King, Dr. Reed, Dr. Boyd, and many other members of the leadership team staff.

[03:36:25] And this article is filled, filled with links about the communication challenges of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the discipline disproportionality and that results if we do not provide the appropriate supports and ensure the appropriate supports are provided in these extremely stressful moments when anxiety can exacerbate ineffective and inaccurate communication.

[03:36:49] For those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, it is really, really important that we provide them the atmosphere and the trusted adults that will help them communicate effectively and parents are a huge part of that no one wants to get this communication wrong and we're simply ensuring that the parents can provide consent before a statement is collected to the parents can ensure that the right safeguards are there for their students no one is trying to stop the students from speaking we're just trying to make sure that they have the support so they can speak accurately so the accurate information is found and that we are not collecting statements that are inaccurate and relying on those for

[03:37:28] suspensions because we already know that the gaps in learning are huge for these students and suspensions will just make that worse as well as exacerbate chronic absenteeism so this is an amendment that essentially assures that students who have significant intellectual or have developmental disabilities and significant issues and maybe being able to communicate are provided the supports and the parents can ensure that before they're collecting statements that will be used against them for suspension it is not for all discipline it is for suspension which is pretty serious so we want to make sure that we protect our students while we find out the accurate information because I think that is the

[03:38:06] goal for everybody so I see quite a few hands up so I'm assuming this is speak to this amendment so I'll start with Karen Corbett Sanders and then move on from there and Karen Keith Moore you're next actually I was going to speak to both the amendment as well as to the overall motion I fully support the amendment I've been spoken about it with miss Cohen ahead of time and it's something that is just so important for our students and when we talk about ensuring that we have safe supportive schools this amendment helps us realize

[03:38:40] that we have safe supportive schools and communities and that our students are able to have the supports they need at a time when they are probably the most vulnerable in those so thank you for that I also wanted to bring the attention of the community to the modifications to the SRNR about creating safe supporting safe school communities because that is something that really focuses on our shared responsibility

[03:39:13] and accountability for behaviors and for encouraging students to seek assistance when things are happening in the community rather than just pulling out a phone and videotaping it.

[03:39:28] Get help because oftentimes a person who a fight may occur and rather than seeking help so everybody becomes part of the crowd watching and we want to encourage people to know that as a bystander in a community you have a responsibility for creating a safe community.

[03:39:51] The other thing that I would suggest, Dr. Reid, is that the belief in value statement at the beginning of this is really important. And it's something that I think would -- our schools and our students would benefit from having it hanging in the front hallway as they enter so that they know what they can expect and also the values of our communities in creating those safe, supportive school communities.

[03:40:22] And with that, I just thank you to the makers of the motion. I will be supporting both the amendment and the overall one. Thank you. Ms. Keyes-Gamara? Yes. As one who works with young people, when I hear this, I fully support the sentiment behind it in the sense that certainly there may be some developmental concerns and the

[03:40:52] ability to respond um that raises flags um but and i'd like to ask staff to speak to this um because i didn't get an opportunity to raise this concern before but when i look on some of the changed language on page five of the srnr um a paragraph a says that fcps commits to fostering an environment where all students feel safe and secure, et cetera, free of harassment, et cetera, and weapons.

[03:41:27] And what I don't hear in this language is an exception when there may be a safety concern. And so I'm wondering if that is a concern for our staff, because while I fully support the sentiment of what is being said here, I can imagine, having been in court for a number of situations, where a safety concern can arise, and you simply do not have time to get consent.

[03:42:02] So, Dr. Reed, I don't know how you'd like to handle that, but I can tell you that that is a concern for me here. Thank you, Ms. Keyes-Gamara. I apologize, I'm on page 5. Which part of page 5 are you referring to?

[03:42:19] paragraph a in our values her oh okay well again I think that in a situation where it's a fast-moving situation I think what we would clearly need to do would be to likely detain a student until we were able to get that notice so I think there would perhaps you know given the administrative staff and or

[03:42:55] safety and security staff that might be necessary to be responding on page five circumstances I think it would simply be a matter of detaining the student until we're able to get a hold of the parent I think it may in some cases be challenging but if that's a value piece of the board you know votes on then that's what we'll need to do so dr. Reed in the event say for example we're dealing with a weapon correct and we don't know where that weapon is but

[03:43:31] we're dealing with a student that may have a disability, the longer we don't know where that weapon is, the longer we have a concern, at least I would have a concern regarding safety. I realize this is an exception and it is not going against the principle of what is being said. Right. But I can imagine that our staff members may find themselves in a situation where they feel they have to violate this in order to protect students. And that is ultimately my concern. In most

[03:44:10] situations, we can wait. But I don't know how we handle a situation which we, you know, I can only anticipate what that might be. But I think if it involves a weapon, if it is to such an extent that it might impact the safety and security of the school, and let's say the parents simply isn't available um i'm i'm not i'm i'm uncomfortable um thinking about what position that could place our

[03:44:45] staff members in so let me be clear right we don't want to have any circumstance that's going to place either our students or staff members in danger and i think all of you would agree on that right so you're asking is what would the practical application of this amendment potentially have students or staff in danger really is the question on the table correct is the question on the table in the event that let's say a weapon has been involved but

[03:45:21] the weapon is not with the child anymore I really I want the makers of the motion I'm sorry I didn't get to talk to you guys prior to this but when this language was read this is this is the alarm that raised up in in me so I think I THINK WHAT I I LET ME STEP OUT OF THIS FOR A MOMENT I THINK THERE ARE SOME BOARD MEMBERS THAT HAVE A RESPONSE AND THEN I'LL STEP BACK INTO IT TO MAKE SURE I'M RESPONSIVE TO YOUR QUESTION IF THAT'S ALL RIGHT MADAM CHAIR NO

[03:45:52] ABSOLUTELY THEN MS KEIZ GAMARA OKAY MS COHEN DID YOU WANT TO UM I JUST WANTED TO SAY WE HAVE A SEPARATE CLAWS THAT WE PUT IN LAST YEAR FOR EXIGENT CIRCUMSTANCES SO WE HAVE A CLAWS IN THE SRNR THAT WE PUT IN A YEAR AGO THAT SAYS ALL OF IT TRANSCENDS IN THE EVENT OF A

[03:46:12] Physical safety emergency that what we're talking we're not talking about you're taking statements from people in the in the middle of an emergency that's not that's not what this is referencing so anytime there are any sort of emergency situations and we put this in specifically when we changed the language last year last year this language that currently is existing we added last year because there was no carve out for kids with intellectual in developmental disabilities this is just to be clear to the public not about every child who you

[03:46:48] know who has um you know my child who has dyslexia or whatever not being allowed to be questioned this is kids with very significant communication issues um who i would argue in our world of equality sorry that's not answering the question i apologize the question is no that should never APPLY BECAUSE WE HAVE A CLAWS SPECIFICALLY IN HERE THAT IN THE EVENT OF ANY KIND OF EMERGENCY LIKE THAT THAT THIS IS SUPER THAT THAT SUPERCEDES ANY OF THIS LANGUAGE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING LANGUAGE

[03:47:22] ABOUT QUESTIONING DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING MORE MS KEESKIMAR I DO I DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER I COULD SPEAK OR NOT DR. BOYD DID YOU LIKE TO SPEAK THANK YOU UM I TOO WANT TO SHARE THAT I UM AM IN FULL AGREEMENT WITH THIS SENTIMENT AND I'VE BEEN CORRESPONDING WITH SOME BOARD MEMBERS EXCUSE ME while we were having this conversation that I fully agree with the sentiment and that we want to make sure that students fully understand what's being asked of them so that they don't

[03:48:01] inadvertently agree with something that they don't fully understand that could result in adverse consequences for them or really just the assessment of the situation so I want to lead with that and I do have concerns about the word consent and I'll share why when we say consent that means that the parent or guardian has the option to provide consent or withhold consent. If I'm a parent and I decide to withhold consent, that might impede the administrator's ability to conduct a full investigation and as a result could inhibit or limit the ability to implement due process.

[03:48:40] As we talked here when we're talking about some of the earlier examples when we talked about serious situations and potentially needing to keep a student after school, in those situations It seems like we're still talking about notice, but making sure that we actually get a hold of Little Sloan's parent so that we're speaking with them before we talk.

[03:49:00] But if I get a hold of Little Sloan's parent and they say, you may not question Little Sloan, I withhold consent, then I won't have that information that Little Sloan may be able to add relative to the whatever allegation has taken place.

[03:49:16] And so, again, trying to figure out the balance between, again, wanting to make sure that our students have all the accommodation supports making sure that they're not again making statements without fully understanding them and also making sure that we can implement that safe learning environment and actually give all of our students due process at the same time. Thank you Dr. Boyd.

[03:49:42] Ms. Keithmore actually your time was up I just didn't hear the bell so if I can be on a go back I'm happy to have a go back thank you. Dr. Anderson. Thank you actually you started going down excuse me you started going down the line of the questions that I had which is what are some of the challenges that you foresee so just walk through this with me a little bit again I've walked in these shoes so I just want to hear where we could land that makes sense the rationale behind this

[03:50:15] is to ensure that our students who are not able to express themselves well or clearly that their parents can be notified I guess this is maybe a question for also the makers once the parents give consent obviously it doesn't change the students ability to communicate but at least it allows the parent to be informed that there's something that is significant and important taking place if the parents give provide the consent then staff will still need to work with that student to

[03:50:55] find a way to receive that information in the way that Dr. Boyd just talked about. I guess what I'm trying to figure out here is if we have an opportunity for maybe investigations of a significant and dangerous nature to be impeded, why could we be okay with the language that Dr. Boyd just provided, which is to take care of the student?

[03:51:23] because I'm not sure I am seeing how the consent piece of the parent, outside of informing them, how that impacts this piece. So let me just kind of pause here and go back to Ms. Cohen, if that's okay.

[03:51:40] Just walk me through your thinking a little bit, if you don't mind. Is that, may I ask for that clarification? Ms. Cohen, are you okay giving that clarification? Because I didn't get a chance to, you know, things were fast moving today. We didn't get a chance to have this conversation. No, absolutely. So walk me through the differences if a parent gives consent or does not give consent, what does it look like when it comes to the communication support that the student would receive?

[03:52:02] I mean, I guess my argument would be that we know that we have many, many students who communicate in ways in which our staff is still not trained to be supporting them. We hear this testimony on the regular that we have kids who are utilizing AAC devices that haven't been loaded.

[03:52:20] I mean, my guess is your child using a typical, you know, 12-year-old with an AAC device is probably not going to have a lot of these words like suspension and, you know, other words like this, even in the vocabulary of their communication device.

[03:52:36] So in my opinion, if it was my child being questioned, and I knew better than anybody else what if they were able to understand and be able to be understood, then, you know, I do feel like we are on real slippery ground if we're not saying, okay, your parent has said that we can have this conversation with you.

[03:53:02] And, you know, that's where I stand. I did want to just say on page 49 of the regulation, number C, it says, except in exigent circumstances, school administrators shall make reasonable efforts to notify a student's parent guardian prior to reporting a student's violation to the SRO, unless otherwise required by law.

[03:53:23] When principals are required by law to immediately report certain misconduct to police, school administrators shall comply with such statutory requirements and shall therefore make reasonable efforts to immediately notify the student's parent slash guardian, school administrators shall document reports, blah, blah, blah.

[03:53:39] But to me, notification can just mean that you have left somebody a message on their voicemail. So how do I know if I'm just saying, hey, you know, Rachna, Laura was detained today, and questions, that's notification.

[03:53:56] But that doesn't give Rachna any information to be able to go back and say, well, no, because there's no way that Laura Jane understood what you were saying. We don't have any of those words in their communication device, so there's no way that they were able to have that conversation with you.

[03:54:11] So I really struggle, I have to say. I feel like it would be interesting to see in the world if testimony can be collected in this way, generally speaking. And so my concern is if we know that we have students who we previously have identified on their IEPs, that they are not able to communicate in what we would say is the kind of discussion that you have when you're going to suspend a child.

[03:54:40] This is about their suspense, not about someone else's suspense. Thank you for that. in the scenario you just described, you are anticipating that the parent will come in and help with the communication that is happening in this investigation. Okay. So then this will be then dependent on the parent, not just providing consent, but being available to help with the discussion? No, I think, I mean, if a parent says I give you consent to speak to my child, then of course in any time that that but how does that then make the communication device and its

[03:55:19] limitations different well no that's what i'm saying a parent guardian will know whether or not their child is able to have and hold these types of conversation okay so but i i i do foresee that people will be able to say you know no i want you to wait until i can be there or i can send a communication partner or hey their community this is the person at school who is their communication partner so I give you consent but that communication partner must be in the room with them they so I think there are alternatives to just having parents come in okay thank you for that so dr. Boyd

[03:55:58] going back to you and in terms of trying to be efficient but trying to respect the fact that we need to take some additional steps to ensure that we are protecting the students that we're talking about here how do you imagine or how or how have staff been utilized to help with this communication that may be limited in the devices that are available to students and I don't mean like the administrative staff who are engaging in the investigation I mean the support staff teachers etc right so currently on page I believe is 61 of our

[03:56:36] red line it talks about having involvement of our IEP team and let me go back to that section here and I was thinking potentially about how we might be able to tweak some of that language but currently on page 61 of the red line it talks about consultation with the students IEP team and it says if any written or verbal statement concerning disciplinary incident is requested of a student with a disability school staff shall consult with the students case manager or another key member of the IEP team or 504 committee if the case

[03:57:11] manager is not available review the IEP or 504 plan and ensure accommodations documented in a student's IEP or 504 plan is provided and so those supports are involved and again just thinking as we were kind of brainstorming I'm wondering if in the parent or guardian notification section that's right above that on the same page number four yes um for number four perhaps we could make a modification to say parent and guardian notification and adult support and after the existing language add

[03:57:47] something to the effect of in such cases where students with an intellectual or developmental disability may be may result of a suspension of any kind an fcps iep team member with knowledge of the student's IEP will ensure accommodations are provided and be present when the student is providing a verbal written statement and then you you're probably not going to like this next point part but I'll tell you I to the greatest extent possible I know that last caveat may be challenging and with that is is that again we and we can pull the discipline and a data for you and share this is a small number of students that we will be talking about

[03:58:26] when we're talking about students with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities and so by and large there probably wouldn't be an issue with having an IEP member who's knowledgeable of that student and their needs to be present to support that discussion and making sure that again if that AAC device is needed or to say Sloan's not he that he's not understanding what you're saying and to be able to support that discussion we also at the same time understand that we're battling with critical staffing shortages and sub shortages and so while we're trying to support Sloan in that due process section we also have to make sure that instruction continues for the

[03:59:02] other 11 kids 12 kids 24 kids in the class that we may need that case manager to step away from so again just trying to think during this discussion some language that could be supportive because I certainly hear miss miss Cohen's concern as well as other board members that have shared this evening thank you I think I've run out of time but I'd like to go back sure I'll put you in a go back list miss McLaughlin I know it's super late so I'm just gonna try and do this as fast as i can dr reed one of the things that i've probably spent my entire time

[03:59:36] on the board talking about is the issue of equity and what parents may or may not know to advise their children and so early on when we had extremely punitive practices in the school division many parents around the county we just flat out told our high school and middle school's kids you don't talk to anybody if anything's happening until you say you want your mom or dad here and to be contacted and that was not popular but that was how things were because parents were worried about their minor children talking to adults and not knowing what they were going to say

[04:00:16] the exigent circumstance is paramount everyone wants to keep our kids safe this amendment here i think is really being far blown out of proportion we are talking about children with developmental and intellectual disabilities we're talking about getting a written or verbal statement from them i'm really actually disappointed in where this conversation is going because in the end we have put the protections in place in the end there are parents who will not give consent for school officials to talk to their kids that's even different from getting a verbal or written statement from them but we will do everything

[04:00:55] we can as a school division that if there is a safety problem going on that school building there's got to be more keepers of that information than simply that child but this is so rare and we're talking about children who absolutely are the most vulnerable I know that we always want continue to refine and improve our SR&R. I think this is gone, this whole discussion, honestly, we have the caveat of exigent circumstances as protection.

[04:01:29] This should have been a no-brainer. Yes, we're going to protect from written and verbal statements. That doesn't say we can't question the kids, it's a statement. The statement's what's used in the hearings office file. So anyway, this is how i'm reading it is just the statement not the questioning and is this a little bit gone off the rails so they can still question the kids they just can't get a verbal or written statement from

[04:01:55] them without consent from their parents thank you miss marron yeah it's i'm i'm trying to make sense of all this so i actually started advocating or looking into this a year ago because my constituents and septa and acsd asked for this they sent it to the whole board and i went to dr Raybrand, I went to Dr. Boyd, I went to some principals, and the input that I got back was that this would be very difficult to implement operationally. It wasn't something that had

[04:02:32] support. So I put it aside. Only this evening did I see that this motion was even up, and it's too bad that I couldn't have had this conversation earlier, because of course I want to support our students as best as possible. On the other hand, what is the data about how often this is an actual issue. There's a lot of supposition happening and worst case scenario and like doom, you know, kind of doom case scenario. If, you know, I want to try and honor that staff and the leadership team are trying to protect our staff from real physical violence in some cases. And then what

[04:03:10] about the other students too? Because if you have a student who is, you know, again, these are like worst-case scenarios perhaps but what are the data of how often this happens for how many kids so dr. Boyd did suggest other language I've sent it to a few school board members who I've been able to sidebar with but it's about parent and gardening parent guardian notification and adult support and so it says you know I can have it sent to the clerk but I just you know it's 11 o'clock and it's hard to do this kind of great discussion now and we still have to

[04:03:46] vote on the equity policy and so i just think it's a little too short notice for me to dive into this but i would love to ask dr reed to please look at this with her lens i mean last time i talked about this with the superintendent was a different superintendent so what does dr reed think about this after talking with her staff you know at a more fulsome discussion at a reasonable hour so i'm not i don't think i'm gonna be able to support this at this time the way it is. Ms. Lamesh? Yeah, I appreciate the impact of this. I think that's something I would

[04:04:26] hope we can get behind. I am happy to follow Ms. Marin though, only because, I mean, I kind of, you know, I feel inauthentic not saying that this was, this has come up in the work sessions and discussion was posted at the next steps. I mean, I posted two different next steps. The exception of Ms. Marin, nobody else voted it up. I didn't have an opportunity to come back with their best I mean, specifically, provide explicit language around parent notice or that allows parent redaction of testimony provided by a child if the parents do not consent.

[04:04:58] And another option will provide a provision that dismisses charges against the student if the student's rights were not honored and or if the incorrect discipline was applied. For example, a special ed student whose family is not notified of their testimony. I think there was opportunity here for staff to do some more thinking around what this has.

[04:05:15] But we find ourselves here, and it is, I think, a beneficial addition. I think this also allows us to reconsider our mentality around it all, because I don't think this even does enough. I mean, we know, you know, kids whose rights are not honored shouldn't be disciplined, period.

[04:05:33] We don't know if their testimony was taken fairly, their rights were not respected in that process. There are power imbalances in these situations, biases at play, information asymmetries that we're aware of. And we've seen case after case how these things manifest in a way that a student feels the kind of pressure to just say what they have to say in a situation. So I don't, yeah, I mean, I guess I'm disappointed that we're not doing more based on this. Obviously, it's an incremental step.

[04:06:01] But I did have a question just about consent, because I think in trying to make sure it achieves our goal, whether something like signed approval would make more sense or, you know, would make it more concrete i suppose because i can think of consent being what like oh they left a voicemail the parent didn't object they sent a you know like a message and an email and nobody said no and so they went with it like if you don't reply within 24 hours or something you know like with it by the end of the school day this will be happening to your child i feel like that can be abused in a number of ways maybe counter to the intent here so maybe saying something like

[04:06:37] i don't know signed approval might get to the intent better but uh yeah i kind of want to move to amend that but maybe let me hear from staff like what is our commitment when we say provide consent dr boy when i hear consent i hear parent option to opt to give consent or withhold consent and so i think perhaps that might be it seems like again in our discussion um there may be some

[04:07:10] members who are referring um to ensuring notice and the parents are indeed informed um in a manner above voicemail or email such as this two-way engagement but again in my mind I'm thinking and again if I'm incorrect please assist in my mind consent is optional for parents and they can provide consent or withhold consent right but would that look like a form we send at the beginning of the year that says be aware that your child will may be subject to blank blank blank and if you

[04:07:46] don't opt out of that that is consent like I can see that manifesting in a number of ways that are not as explicit as assigned approval for that interaction right i think i'm asking more of how that's operationalized rather than how that's like understood literally miss so much i'm not sure that um it does i don't think that the maker of the motion intended for there to be a um in advance consent it sounds like there was uh there's a desire to have consent from the parent um if the situation arises but i certainly would defer um to miss cohen to clarify that and

[04:08:25] And, Ms. Amesh, your time was up, so we can put you on a go back if you like. Yeah, sure. I might make that motion. I know that wasn't her intent. I was asking how staff will implement it. But, yeah, I'll take a go back. All right. Mr. Frisch? I appreciate the discussion and the elevation of the exigent circumstances language, because I seem to remember that from last year as well.

[04:08:48] I'd like to see if there's room for a friendly amendment here. Something along the lines of, and I think Ms. Marin for circulating language that was shared by staff. absent exigent circumstances in such cases where students with an intellectual or developmental disability may result in a suspension of any kind.

[04:09:12] School staff will speak to parents and ensure an IEP team member who is knowledgeable reviews the IEP and is present to ensure students have appropriate communication support.

[04:09:33] Yes can we maybe type that up on the screen and then we can see if there's a second. I will you give me a second I will send it

[04:09:41] over to the clerk partially right so let's see what technical issue but it's resolved and I'm

[04:10:41] sending it to the clerk I'm using my NPR voice as soon as it's posted we'll have it all right so

[04:11:40] the language is before us on the screens if you want to take a look at it we grow it in a place of the whole languages yeah there we go there we go so is there objection to just substituting the

[04:12:12] amendment with this language okay so we have a second okay given the late hour madam chair may I SUGGEST THAT WE POSTPONE THE ADOPTION OF THE SRNR UNTIL THE 13TH OF JULY WHICH IS OUR NEXT REGULAR BOARD MEETING AND WE CAN WORK OUT THE LANGUAGE, UTILIZE AND HAVE THE PEOPLE WORK WITH STAFF AND WORK WITH LEGAL TO MAKE SURE WE GET THE RIGHT LANGUAGE.

[04:12:49] IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO POSTPONING THE SRNR? I HAVE AN OBJECTION THAT I COULD SPEAK TO AND I HAVE A COUNTER MOTION. MS. BAKARSKI WOULD RAISE YOUR HAND FIRST. Yeah, I was just going to ask, I know in prior years it's been an issue of getting this printed and starting PD.

[04:13:08] So, Dr. Reid. It's my understanding that to adequately provide the translation support for the translations and provide the printing and PD, that it really needs to be approved tonight. Can I reclaim my time?

[04:13:25] Yes. Well, hold on. We're going to kind of veer it off a little bit. So we'll let Mr. Frisch finish. We had the amendment on the screen. Food for thought we departed from the process that usually brings us to the SRNR this year There were no two-by-twos that we had less formal discussions and thoughtful deliberations on the SRNR and so here we are Trying to make sense of it at the table So I would support having more time and I would also support a return to the efforts that have produced More consensus driven SRNR at the day. I said a regular meeting so that we're not in this position to get next year

[04:14:05] Thank you, Mr. Frisch. I'm going to go back to my list that we have here because I don't see the support for this friendly amendment. We don't have a second. May I be recognized to make a motion? Yes, Ms. Marin. May I make a motion? I'd like to make a motion to set on the table, to lay on the table this motion about this language only, to lay that on the table to the next meeting.

[04:14:32] Is there a second to lay this language on the table for the next meeting and continue the main motion on the SR&R? Ms. Corbett-Sanders? Ms. Marin, would I speak to your motion? No, thank you. but hang on um mr just one second um for the parliamentarian if you're here can you please let me know if this motion is in order i just want to confirm he's virtual mr morgan can you speak on the microphone i don't know if madam clerk if he can be heard i know he was on virtually

[04:15:10] earlier i i apologize can you hear me now we can hear you okay yes i actually was typing my response i didn't realize you wanted me to speak to it no the you can't lay on the table a pending motion to amend a main motion you can postpone the main motion and the the motion to amend you can postpone those together you can lay them on the table together although that's only for

[04:15:45] temporarily putting them aside while you deal with other business but otherwise you need to dispose of the motion to amend before disposing of the the motion to the main motion either by adopting or not adopting it so the short answer is no that motion was not in order so to confirm can you postpone the motion to amend no not by itself make sure i understood what you're saying there yes okay so is there a way to pass the main motion and amend it i'm just trying to figure out

[04:16:24] is there a way to do that if not we'll continue we'll take a five minute recess and sort this out Madam Chair, you can, of course, dispose of the motion to amend by, say, voting it down, then vote on the main motion.

[04:16:49] At the next meeting, there could be a motion to amend something previously adopted to go ahead and amend what was adopted tonight. So that is one way of accomplishing what's been discussed. All right, so my understanding is we can, I'm going to call Ms. Bukarski.

[04:17:08] Madam Chair, I wonder, can we just call the question? A motion to call the question. On which one, Ms. Bukarski? The amendment. I want to make sure I'm correct. Okay. All right, so second.

[04:17:24] So we need a two-thirds vote, I believe, to call the question. So I will, we have a motion to second. I will, I'll call the question. I'll take a vote to call the question. Please, all those in favor, please raise your hand. So that motion passes to call the question.

[04:17:45] So on the amendment. Now, Mr. Morgan, can we postpone this or do we need to vote on this now? Can we postpone this amendment and vote on the main motion? We need to vote it down now and try to amend it again next time. Yeah, vote it down and try to amend it again next time.

[04:18:01] Okay. As the board has just voted to call the question on the amendment, you do need to vote on the amendment now. Okay. All right. So I will call for the vote on the amendment since the question has been called. All those in favor, please raise your hand. Point of order. Okay. Can we make sure the clerk puts the correct motion on the screen?

[04:18:18] I'm going to correct the original language, because this friendly amendment did not pass, did not get a second, so the original language.

[04:18:39] I'm going to take a, well, I'm going to call, unless you want to call for recess, we're going to call for the vote.

[04:19:11] We're going to call for the vote. All those in favor of this amendment, please raise your hands. All right, the amendment is on the screen. Hold on, can you show that, this is the original language is on the screen.

[04:19:36] All those in favor, please raise your hands. That is Ms. Bukarski, Ms. Cohen, Mr. Frisch, Ms. McLaughlin, Ms. Daronak-Koufax, and myself. and mr mace are you voting i don't see i can't i was trying to amend the amendment so well we call the question so we we can't amend the amendment yeah i know so i'm gonna abstain until this is in the main motion oh well hold on so it's so we have six for the i for all those opposed please raise

[04:20:09] your hand that is miss keith gamara miss maron miss tollen miss corbett sanders and miss um dr anderson all those abstaining are you abstaining miss i'm actually i'm gonna oppose it all right so that motion fails that amendment fails now we'll vote on the main motion no madam chair uh yes mr mesh i'd like to uh amend the main motion what is your amendment mr mesh to have this exact

[04:20:46] phrasing except to change provided signed approval um can you re can you read it miss miss mish sure um i moved to amend the following language when a disciplinary incident involving a student with an intellectual or developmental uh just got moved can you scroll down so she can see disability may result in a suspension of any kind school staff shall not request a verbal or written statement from the student until a parent guardian has been provided notice to be changed to quote when a disciplinary incident involving a student with an intellectual or developmental disability may

[04:21:22] result in a suspension of any kind school staff shall not request a verbal written statement from the student until a parent guard parent or guardian has provided signed approval is there a second miss cohen miss summation to speak to your um motion yeah i mean i think this just addresses the vagueness issue my genuine concern was um consent will end up being vague enough that

[04:22:00] administrators can basically get around the intention that is behind the good intention that is behind this protection so i hope that i mean i think at this point we have seven who believe in this protection so i hope that we can get it passed miss cohen you want to speak to your second miss corbett i see quite a few lights on so if you can turn your lights off for those who don't want to speak to this that would be great thank you miss pokarski you want to speak okay I'll be very brief because it is very late.

[04:22:32] I don't want to be a Debbie Downer. We have a ton of work. We've got to land it immediately. The reason why I supported this to begin with, I don't think people understand that these children have a very difficult time in situations where they do not follow along.

[04:22:50] They get overwhelmed and they will just admit and say anything. It is real. I know it because I've lived it and I've seen it. It's very important to have parents involved. It just is. - Thank you.

[04:23:08] Seeing no other board members who wish to speak, I will also speak to that. I also have lived it. In moments of high stress, these students have been taught to please, have been taught about instructional compliance, and they will agree to say anything.

[04:23:27] And I know one of the board members said, well, there's only a few students saying the data, the data but if it happens to one student where they are signing a confession that is false that is one student too many and this is just to get protections to make sure that the parents give consent so the students have the protection that they need to ensure what they're saying is accurate it is not questioning it is a signed statement and if it happens to one student one student if it has once if it happens to one student where we are not ensuring that they have the correct protections and this happens it happens to one student too many so i'll be supporting this um Ms. Corbett Sanders, following Ms.

[04:24:06] I absolutely support the spirit of this amendment. I supported the original language until we were instructed by staff that there needed to be some clarification or changes, and it is very late, folks.

[04:24:23] I would suggest that what we do is adopt the SRNR as it is, adopt a follow-on motion that says we will address this concern in an amendment to the overall document by the next board meeting or at the next board meeting.

[04:24:45] If we were to do that, then what we would be able to do is allow staff to start the translation process, allow staff to start doing the work that needs to be done with the expectation that we will have changes to this one section.

[04:25:02] I don't think we do our best work when we are trying to achieve this at the table, And I am particularly concerned with the concept that there has to be provided signed approval because when you add in the signed approval, then you also add in delays where people may want to ensure that they have a lawyer reviewing something or that they feel like you can't have an approval without somebody, you know, reviewing everything for the signature.

[04:25:38] So I would just implore my colleagues that we adopt the SR&R with a follow-on motion saying that we will adopt an amendment to address this. Thank you. Ms. Keyes-Gamara? Yes, I just really want to clarify.

[04:25:56] I get what you're saying, Della. I get the concern, but I think the issues that are impacted are bigger than what we've been able to discuss today. I actually want to hear, and I'm not asking you today, but I want to hear from our legal counsel, because to some extent, this is implementing rules that I don't understand are typically, in case law, that impact schools.

[04:26:27] and in addition to that I am hearing staff and I am I appreciate the language that was being added with respect to exigent circumstances I do think that's necessary I just don't think we can get it all done tonight so I don't want any one to say that I'm opposed to what you're trying to achieve I very much support it I just don't think we've gotten to where we need to to be able to do so effectively. Thank you. Dr. Anderson? Yes, thank you. I don't want to belabor this, but I just

[04:27:02] at least want to pose this question for us to go into this night and ponder the response. There seems to be a very different understanding from the conversation that I'm hearing here and what I believe Dr. Boyd is trying to communicate with us. The intent at this table from Ms. Cohen with the original amendment was that students could be questioned but just could not produce a written statement without the parents' support, well, consent. Is that correct? So we can ask questions.

[04:27:41] Right. So thank you for that. So she's saying that a student could be asked questions regarding what's taking place but not provide a verbal statement or a written statement. How do you read this dr boyd because i think what you shared with me was slightly different so if a staff person asks a student a question and the student provides a response that is a verbal statement if we look on our hearing packets there will be an indication michelle said that she intentionally walked up and

[04:28:16] hit nars or did something so any information can contribute to that uh administrator's assessment of the situation and impact the disciplinary decision and again i i too want to really uplift and reiterate that i support the essence of this i do think that we just probably have to just work to figure out how um we don't have unintended consequences from um a really good place that i know everyone is coming from thank you i really wanted to have that clarification

[04:28:46] thank you um um miss mclaughlin i i really want to echo what people have said i i think the idea that we pass the main srnr tonight we can come back with language at the next board meeting to have proper language because this is going to our families this is going to our educators we have to have it worded accurately and so i think there's probably universal support for the intent but we've

[04:29:25] got to get the language right and I'm I'm just really concerned that we have a lot of responsibility when we pass amendments and we need to make sure we just we get it correct thank you miss Bukarski did you want to speak again all right then I will call for the vote the amendment is on the screen I'm sorry this is the bar yeah is on the screen all those in favor please raise your

[04:30:00] hands that's miss Bukarski miss Cohen mr. Frisch and myself all those opposed oh and mr. Mesh I apologize I can't see you on the screen so I don't know which way and I apologize I was trying to speak earlier but I mean oh I'm sorry you're it's not on the screen so if the clerks could help me know when her hand is up that would be helpful because it's literally not in front of me um before I apologize before I take the vote Ms. Amish did you want to speak yeah I mean I actually was just going to say that I don't want us to obfuscate this in the idea that like we need more time more thinking that's going to actually take away from the potential of what

[04:30:40] we have here this is well researched we know that false confessions are a thing that happen with kids let alone kids with intellectual disabilities i think that not doing this might you know cause more harm long term than potential tweaks of the language so at this point um and i recognize i'm saying this having tried to correct the language but if we're at a point where people are saying because of the language let's just not do the whole thing i urge us to reconsider this is important let's vote on it and move forward if we postpone we're going to end up having this hour to two hour long conversation again at a different meeting over the same stuff. So I think we've culminated

[04:31:17] in a place where we know this research supports this. I think we should move forward. And all it does is enhance student and parent rights anyway. And I think we're all behind that. So the exigent circumstances piece has been covered. Staff mentioned it's included somewhere. Thank you, Ms. Amish. Having said that, I'll call for the vote. All those in favor, and if the clerks let me know what Ms. Amish voted, that would be helpful. All those in favor, please raise your hands of the amendment on the screen the amendment is before it's on the screen all those in favor please raise your hands um Ms. Bukarsky Ms. Cohen Mr. Frisch what is uh Ms. Omeish Ms. Omeish and

[04:31:57] myself all those opposed Ms. Keith Gamara Ms. Marin Ms. Tollin Ms. Corbett Sanders Ms. Jernot Koufax Ms. McLaughlin and Dr. Anderson that amendment fails I will now call for the main motion is there anyone who wishes to speak to the main motion we had the maker and the seconder they want to switch to speak Ms. McLaughlin mine will be quick Dr. Reed I do hope that this is something we face year after year the seriousness of students sexting one another especially when

[04:32:34] most students in our school division are not yet 18 they are not yet adults and so I've been aware that even students who take a sexting photo of themselves and the way that the law is written if they send a sexting photo of themselves they have actually possessed and distributed child porn events of themselves so i i just really wanted to spotlight this here tonight that as we go through

[04:33:06] yet another year of training our staff and our students and our families this is something that didn't exist a generation ago there's a lot of families that still don't understand that this is happening in our schools and so I just I think this is something we've got to put a fine point on it and maybe check with your high school principal Association but and middle school Association and goodness I hope we're not having this at the elementary school level but you know I just it's very concerning to me and it's something that pops up and I'm I'm not

[04:33:45] sure everybody really realizes what we're still dealing with all right with that I will call for the vote all those in favor please raise your hands the main motion all those in favor the main motion please raise your hands that is Miss Keats Kamara Miss Marin Miss Toland Miss Corbett Sanders Mr. Koufax Miss McLaughlin Dr. Anderson and Miss Bukarski Miss Amish what is

[04:34:18] your vote it's an unfortunate place to be I mean I'll abstain all right hold on I'm going to call for the vote again. Thank you. All those in favor of the main motion please raise your hands.

[04:34:39] Ms. Bukarski, Ms. Cohen, Mr. Frisch, Ms. McLaughlin, Ms. Dernot-Koufax, Ms. Corbett-Sanders, Ms. Marin, Ms. Tolan, Ms. Keith-Gamara, all those opposed? Apologies, Ms. Sazmerheiser. I'll correct that.

[04:34:57] I'm sorry, Ms. Mesh, can you say that again? I'll correct that. My understanding is there's going to be, can I just clarify, there's going to be future action from staff to somehow address what we just discussed, right? No, no, we didn't direct them that way. Point of order.

[04:35:13] Yes. Ms. Mish, this is the vote. We already had the conversation. So are you voting yes? Is there the possibility for a follow-on to be presented? Yes, but we have to vote on the main motion first. Okay, that's fine. I was just asking. Point of order. Yes, Mr. Frisch.

[04:35:29] Can somebody clarify whether a follow-on motion is required for somebody to bring a motion at the next meeting? Or does it take more time for us to consider a follow-on motion, and we can just move on to the next thing, and somebody can work with other people to get a motion together?

[04:35:46] We don't need a follow-on motion to bring a motion at the next meeting. All right. All right, so, Mr. Morgan, can you clarify, if someone votes against the main motion, can they bring an amendment to the main motion?

[04:36:04] That's a question I've been asked at the next meeting. Yes, they can bring a motion at the next meeting. So even if they vote against the main motion here, they can still bring an amendment at the next meeting? Yes, they can move to amend something previously adopted, whether they supported or opposed the motion passed at this meeting.

[04:36:25] Okay, thank you. All right, with that, I'm sorry, Madam Chair, what was Ms. Omisha's vote? I'm going to call for the vote again, because she was asking some questions. So with that, I'm going to, and there's a point of work, so with that, I'm going to call for the vote. With that, I'm going to call for the vote.

[04:36:49] All those in favor, please raise your hands. That is Ms. Dr. Anderson, Ms. McLaughlin, Ms. Jernot-Koufax, Ms. Corbett-Sanders, Ms. Toland, - Ms. Marin, Ms. Keith-Gamara, Ms. Omesh, I cannot see you on the screen.

[04:37:05] Can you please tell me what your vote is? - My hand is up, yeah. - Okay, and Ms. Omesh, all those opposed, oh, Ms. Bukarski, are you voting for it or not? Okay, Ms. Bukarski, all those opposed? All those abstaining? Ms. Cohen, Mr. Frisch, and myself. That motion passes.

[04:37:22] - I have a follow on motion, please. - Yes, Ms. Corbett-Sanders. - I direct the superintendent to work with staff and board members to address the concerns REGARDING OBTAINING CONSENT FOR STUDENTS WITH INTELLECTUAL OR DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES THAT MAY RESULT IN A SUSPENSION OF ANY KIND AND PROPOSE AN AMENDMENT TO THE SR&R AT THE NEXT MEETING.

[04:37:56] I'LL SECOND. DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO YOUR FOLLOW-ON MOTION, MS. CORBUS HANDERS? I THINK WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS CONCERN QUITE A LOT TONIGHT. We also know that there is general approval and support by this board for achieving this amendment, but we know that there are concerns from staff about how to appropriately address it in the language.

[04:38:24] So what this does is it certainly puts a point in it to make sure that we address this concern at the next board meeting. Ms. LeMess, do you want to speak to your second?

[04:38:43] I mean, I think it's been covered. I don't think when we say all means, all equity, inclusion, all this stuff, we're clearly left behind a piece here. So hopefully staff can bring us their best thinking around the language that we all support the sentiment behind so that we can move forward in a way that protects all our kids.

[04:39:03] All right. Well, I see no other board members who wish to speak, so I have a question. I don't understand how we have a follow-on motion requiring consent when we just said we can't require consent. It doesn't make any sense to me.

[04:39:16] BECAUSE IT SAID A FOLLOW-ON MOTIONS FOR TO WORK WITH STAFF ON CONSENT, I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY BECAUSE WHAT I HEARD WAS ADDRESSED THE CONCERNS ABOUT CONSENT, AND THE CONSENT WAS A PIECE THAT WAS A CONCERN, SO I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY WHAT THE INTENT OF THE FOLLOW-ON MOTION, THAT WASN'T THE LANGUAGE, SO I'M TRYING TO CLARIFY.

[04:39:48] I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE COMMUNITY TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS BOARD FULLY SUPPORTS THE SPIRIT OF THIS AMENDMENT AND THAT WE NEED TO HAVE CLARITY AS TO HOW TO ACHIEVE IT.

[04:40:10] Point of order madam chair. I seconded a motion that said to bring an amendment to the language regarding that We did this is not reflecting an amendment Correct, I I think let me if we can take a two-minute break I will type it up myself and send it to you can take a five-minute recess

[04:40:38] All right, we're gonna come back to the table. Let me pull them all right

[04:51:47] Do we have the follow-on motion language up on the screen board members? Please take your seats Board members, please take your seats. Do we have the follow-on motion language on the screen? Ms. Corbett-Sanders, would you like to read your follow-on motion?

[04:52:08] Direct the superintendent to work with the board members to propose an amendment to the SRNR adopted tonight to address the concerns raised by board members in the amendment on obtaining parental guardian consent for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities prior to their being asked to provide a written or verbal statement for a suspendable offense.

[04:52:29] Ms. Omej, are you still seconding this follow-on motion? Yeah, I'll second that. all right do you miss corbett sanders do you wish to speak to it i think we've all spoken about it i think we should just vote miss omesh yeah i just want to say it's unfortunate we couldn't adopt the previous amendment but since we're here i hope we can at least pass this and make it happen next meeting all right i'll call for the vote all those in favor please raise your hand all those all right that is miss mckarsky miss mccarsky miss cohen mr frisch dr anderson miss

[04:53:03] mclaughlin miss darinette koufax miss corbett sanders miss omish miss tolan miss maron are you voting miss maron miss keith kamara and myself that following motion passes all right we will move on to agenda item 4.02 educational equity policy i call on dr anderson for a motion

[04:53:39] i move to no this is not sorry i move that the school board adopt the educational equity policy i will second this motion dr anderson would you speak to your motion extensively and for a very very long time. No seriously I'm very pleased to present this motion for the board

[04:54:13] to act on this evening. As you have heard from the very wise Dr. Ivey earlier this is a historic moment. This policy is the culmination of efforts that began several years ago Michelle's freshman year to be more accurate. It's a momentous occasion that after such a long journey this board will put in writing the beliefs and values of this system the work of equity began a while ago but has been inconsistent throughout the division without the weight of it being codified in policy the policy work began in earnest in a forum topic that was brought back in 2022 this was followed

[04:54:52] by two by two sessions with the board work sessions and the input of many community groups and members. Dr. Nardis King, our newly appointed Chief Equity Officer, dropped the interim there, and her team have had over 300 touch points with the community in the development of this policy.

[04:55:14] Dr. King and her team led an inclusive process which engaged constituents, associations, and community. The team conducted over 18 sessions with the following groups: equity leads, middle school principal association minority student achievement oversight committee special education parent teacher association septa student equity ambassador leaders the seals title one parent advisory committee the asian educators association family liaisons fairfax

[04:55:48] association of black school educators fairfax association of elementary principals the fairfax County Council of PTAs, High School Principal Association, Hispanic Educators' Association. It's really important to note that this policy was informed by the work of the Equity Policy Steering Committee.

[04:56:09] And I see some of the participants are with us in this room, and we've lost a few, but some are still here. And those participants engaged in at least six sessions between January and February to also add to the content, the vocabulary, and those groups included FCPS employees, FCPS students, parents, community members.

[04:56:32] Organizations were represented from the Fairfax County Council of PTA, the Fairfax County Government, NAACP, the Fairfax County Parent Association, FCPS Pride, FAM, Houses of Worship, Interfaith Council, JCRC, Moms for Liberty, Mom Network, MSAOC, SEPTA, TPAC, Trauma Informed Community Network. So Dr. King, I do want to give you your flowers in ensuring that we had a wide breadth of input into this process. This policy also lists seven areas of focus that are similar

[04:57:06] to the definitions are listed in alphabetical order to address facilities, family and community partnerships, student agency, school environments, school funding, teaching and learning, and workforce. I know, I'm almost done. The equity policy represents the board's stake in codifying practices that remove barriers for our students. It is not a plan to engineer equal outcomes, but rather a plan that forces our system to be intentional in providing access and resources

[04:57:40] regardless of a student's circumstance language race etc thank you this policy is so important and so seminal to our work that you have a previous chair bringing the motion you have a previous chair and current and then vice chair bring the forum topic and the current you're seconding it and the rest of our board working so hard I want to first start off by recognizing the board members Mr. McLaughlin Mr. Koufax I believe Ms. Corbett Sanders as well as who was here with the one Fairfax policy

[04:58:19] that really lifted up the work on equity and Ms. Keys-Gamara as well. I wasn't sure about the date, but who lifted up the work around equity and really set the tone and set the marker for equity being at the center of all we do.

[04:58:34] So I want to thank you all for being the guidepost that got us here. And since we came on this board centering equity, which I don't know how it's gotten to where it's gotten. It just means making sure every student has the opportunity to succeed and has what they need to succeed. And I think that's something that we can all wrap our heads around and agree with. It means moving barriers to student success. I don't know how that's something that's a bad thing. But so I'm really proud that this board has centered that and we've been doing

[04:59:10] this work for a long time. And this policy in particular is a year in the making. And this policy is seminal to uplifting the equity commitments in our strategic plan and if this policy is in alignment with our strategic plan, the strategic plan is what really sets our vision and guides us into the future and we cannot implement that plan in a way that works for all children without the equity commitments behind it because those equity commitments guide the implementation to say every child deserves what we are promising through the strategic plan and every child deserves what they need so they can fulfill

[04:59:48] the opportunities promised through a strategic plan and every child means every child and the equity policy is seminal to uplifting those commitments so i want to thank the team who worked really hard all year on this policy and who took into account many voices in the community and many voices among staff in developing this policy i think it's really important as we move forward with our equity policy that we do center all of our marginalized students and we really lift up the needs of all of our marginalized students and we look at the data but we also lift

[05:00:25] up the fact that this policy is going to improve outcomes and opportunities for every student every student and i'll give a couple examples of where i think it would have helped my daughter who is now working for unnamed tech company on the west coast who is in 13 ap classes and went to an ivy league school we fought for three years to get her anxiety from a pts from ptsd recognized and perhaps if there'd been an equity policy that talked about her needs being met so she could access her opportunities she wouldn't have suffered for three years before

[05:01:05] we were able to get her needs met my son would also benefit well i will take a point of privilege since i let a few others speak to say that my son would not be accessing one of the best music colleges in the world and perhaps the fights that we had in the eight IEP meetings a year we wouldn't have had if we had an equity policy that recognized his right to have all the opportunities and barriers removed so this is personal and I think it's going to help students

[05:01:44] in a way that I wish my kids have been helped thank you I will call first on Ms. McLaughlin then Mr. Frisch thank you Dr. Reed I do want to say that I really appreciate that when we had our work session you and your team really responded very quickly to just some small but important areas in the policy that was drafted by staff that would ensure there was an accurate and historical understanding of what this policy was

[05:02:19] going to bring and when I think about the word Trinity we are kind of faced with a Trinity here the three so the three being the one Fairfax policy from 2019 and then you go to the strategic plan and how that also talks about equity excellence and opportunity and then this educational equity policy that there are triad they all three intersect and support one another so you

[05:02:54] know I I think trying to help people understand that this this is a the extension as we ended up having in the language so people really did recognize that we did this as a division in partnership with the Board of Supervisors in 2019 to have the one Fairfax policy drive and guide all policies but we didn't have anything that went deeper and further from our shared commitment to equity and so that's what this is to spell out is how

[05:03:31] How do we then create from the one Fairfax policy an educational equity policy? One thing I did notice, however, though, in the actual draft of the document, it just says this is a new policy and it says equity policy A. I think how this is written, educational equity policy, and even this first sentence says to assert and clarify the educational equity beliefs, the next sentence is the equity policy.

[05:04:00] All right. Yeah. Yeah, we just need to make that. It's not an amendment. It's just without objection. We just without objection, just strike the word educational in front of equity policy. So people on the agenda. He said correct on the agenda. And then at the very bottom, I would say, Dr. Reed, for everyone to understand, again, this the triad and the connection under related policies and regulations. It's just listed as one Fairfax on page seven.

[05:04:38] And that, again, I would really appreciate if you and the staff would continue to reference it as the One Fairfax policy, because that policy drives all policy, including this policy we're adopting tonight.

[05:04:54] And we don't call it a policy. People don't understand that that is, like, the umbrella policy of all policies. So that is what we talked about at the work session. that is what was affirmed by staff and it is what's in the language of the one Fairfax policy that it drives all policy so without objection madam chair can and we just have it read on page seven at the bottom under related policies one Fairfax policy so people understand what that is

[05:05:24] okay if you go to page seven at the page seven of the policy it says related policies and regulations, staff hasn't put in there that it's the one Fairfax policy. It's not just called one Fairfax. It's the one Fairfax policy. I just want that word in there for clarity. So everyone knows when they're wanting to look at related policies, they know they're actually looking for the one

[05:05:56] Fairfax policy. Yeah, no, I'm just looking at this. Without objection, is that clear? Melody, do you have a question? Okay. I really would love to not get into this at this moment, but technically on our website it says one Fairfax. So I would not like to just change the name on the document because it seems like there's other implications of what it's.

[05:06:25] It was literally voted on by the school board and the board of supervisors at the one Fairfax policy. If our website's wrong, that goes to why I said five and a half years ago we committed to the one Fairfax policy and people are now wondering if we've been doing equity work for the last five and a half years. So I think it's a problem that just should have been corrected. It was just supposed to be cosmetic, but it's not a reason to not vote for it tonight. I just thought

[05:06:58] it was a housekeeping thing to correct. So to the broader point of where I'm at, I want to thank Dr. King, you and your team, and especially all those who stayed to the bitter end tonight. I did find, Dr. King, you set a tone of immense collaboration with me and from what I heard all of my school board colleagues, and that meant a great deal to me because we are all trying to come together.

[05:07:24] And to what Ms. Seizmerheiser said, I know there's been some consternation, but in the end, equity is about removing barriers and having every child succeed. So I'm proud to vote for this tonight. Thank you.

[05:07:39] Mr. Frisch. Thank you. There seems to be a particular point of contention in the community About the very existence of systemic bias and its impact on disproportionate outcomes. I don't think we can have a discussion about This question without addressing it head-on And I think the best way to tackle that is to step outside of public education and look at the car industry Current law allows local car dealers who provide financing to tack on a few extra percentage points

[05:08:17] to their loans to consumers without telling them. The result can mean thousands of dollars in extra profits for the car dealers, which in reality ends up being tens of millions of dollars for the industry in additional profits. The law does not say that car dealers can provide this financing and add the extra points to the loans of brown and black people specifically, but according to analysis from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other watchdogs, that's exactly what happens.

[05:08:47] Because the laws governing these loans do not protect the interests of brown and black people specifically from the disparate impact of these markups, those with the same income and credit profiles as their white counterparts are far more likely to face more expensive loans for cars.

[05:09:02] These types of systemic challenges exist throughout our government, our laws, and yes, even in public education. That is why we have an obligation to pass the equity policy, to identify, interrogate, and fix systemic inequities where they exist.

[05:09:18] Passing this policy puts the board and the school division on the side of supporting systems that support students to reach their individual limitless potential, and to end systems that perpetuate practices that hinder students from reaching their individual limitless potential.

[05:09:34] I want to thank Dr. King and her team, who are still here this late at night, the superintendent, and the many parents, students, and community stakeholders already identified tonight who who had a hand in developing this policy and my colleagues for their work on it as well.

[05:09:51] This policy is for every student, every family, and every staff member in our system, and I'm eager to cast my vote in favor of it. - Thank you. Ms. Corbett Sanders. - Yes, thank you, Madam Chair.

[05:10:08] I'm happy to support this policy as amended by the superintendent's team after last week's board work session. The improvements made by the superintendent's team led by Dr. King recognize that this policy focused on the implementation of the one Fairfax policy and the strategic plan and that this board adopted at the last board meeting, the strategic plan.

[05:10:32] Over the past couple of years and even this evening, we have heard from some that equity and equality are the same when it comes to education. Some would suggest that this would be fair and reasonable to use these terms interchangeably. They argue for the concept of allocating the same level of attention and resources to each school and for each child. However, this approach presumes that every child begins school from the same starting place. Students attending the Fairfax County Public Schools and frankly those attending schools across this nation represent a range of socioeconomic, linguistic,

[05:11:09] physical, and neurodivergent abilities. Providing the same resources to all schools and all students without regard to their individual needs makes little or no sense if our goal is to ensure that we meet the needs of our children by name and by need and it is in essence this does not achieve fairness by adopting this policy tonight this board reaffirms the com its commitment to ensuring equity and excellence in education and recognizing that it can only be achieved when steps are taken

[05:11:44] to ensure every student has the level of support they specifically need to be successful in inclusive classrooms have access to opportunities and we remove barriers so that all can fully participate in our school community. So I am happy to support this tonight. Thank you. Ms. Mary. Thanks again Dr. King. Ms. Mary. Yes tonight or this morning the board is doing what it was elected to do which is to set policy and the policy is the vision and represents the values of this school division. Equity isn't just providing what's needed but it's also

[05:12:23] stepping away or stripping away what's harmful. So it's not about what's needed it's also about stripping away what's harmful. One of the first and only meetings I was able to attend before COVID hit was to go to the National School Board Association meeting in DC for their equity meeting and I came back having learned about what some other school divisions had done with equity policy and I brought all those materials to then Chief Equity Officer Dr. Francisco Duran. That was January 2020. Then this board submitted forum topics to create equity policies by perhaps a different name and that work continued in so many ways and it was listed today with all the meetings and outreach was we are very

[05:13:00] accessible if people want to give us input you can certainly find us through the strategic planning process we also wove in equity as central our plan has it in there so I am so proud to vote for this even though it's technically the next day and I thank the educators and staff who remained here I can only imagine how much this means to all of you if you've stuck it out this long so thank you and this is just the beginning of how we're going to really use this to frame everything so that it's so much better for all of our students and our staff miss lamesh yeah thank you so much um obviously this is

[05:13:36] long overdue and uh i'm glad that we're here i appreciate ms mclaughlin's comments i i did find the one fairfax policy voted on november 2017 so um just to give a nod to that uh but then noticing to that Montgomery County in 2017 and Arlington in 2020 passed their equity policies in this language. So really just excited that we're here and want to thank our staff, who I know are still up and waiting and watching, you know, from Dr. Nardis King, who now is our chief equity officer, Kathleen Waltz, Iona Spikes, Kim Amenabar, Dr. Shannon Anderson,

[05:14:12] Nina Thomas, Dr. Manny Portillo-Gomez, Dr. Shannon Merriweather, Dr. Renee LaHuffman-Jackson, And the entire equity and cultural responsiveness team who have been hard at work for months now, perhaps over a year even since our first conversations and two by twos and trying to really get that community buy in.

[05:14:31] And no doubt there's a push and pull and frustration of needing to do that because some people think that, you know, we're well beyond, but others, of course, wanting to make sure it's clarified and understood by the community. So perhaps the humility and patience that came with this process is what landed us in a place of buy-in where we can all celebrate today.

[05:14:50] So it's not a win worth diminishing. I think it's a big success. And, of course, the typical reminder to all that, you know, equity is not a zero-sum game. Everybody gains. I think in the work session there were some great examples of how that is, and I encourage the community to look into that if they're a little bit more skeptical.

[05:15:10] I especially appreciated the peace and responsibilities from pages five to seven, where really we're reiterating, right, that this is an incumbent on everyone. And I take this as an obligation on myself personally, first and foremost, and I hope my colleagues and everyone does as well, to unpack our biases and show up to the work in ways that are intentional and hopefully humble enough to see where we might fall short.

[05:15:32] I'm particularly reflecting on even the vote we just had, right? Where does ableism fit into all of this and how can we have an equity lens that keeps students with disabilities in mind too, while no doubt working in good faith with one another where there may be genuine concerns as well. And finally, as we promise the community and convey this strong message that this is a win for everyone, I think to the equity team, the staff, I direct the message, and Dr. Reed, that that that means we take on the burden responsibility of living up to that trust and acting on that commitment.

[05:16:07] And so hopefully we can live up to that promise. And I think targeted universalism is a great strategy to help us get there and really thinking about everyone. But whether it's people on the other side of the aisle, whether it's minorities that we haven't heard from or aren't the squeaky wheel, Dr. King, I have confidence in your leadership and I look forward to continuing to work with you to make sure that in every nook and cranny, we're keeping in mind, folks, whether or not they've organized and advocated and are well-funded enough to speak up. So I'm hopeful, but I'm also feeling the burden of the weight of our promise today. And I hope that we can all collectively walk away being reflective of how we can really

[05:16:46] live up to deserving that trust. So thank you all for all the work, again, to the team. Thank you, Ms. Amesh. Your time was up a while ago. I just wanted to let you finish the sentences. thank you yeah no worries um Miss Toland I'm happy to support the passage of the equity policy tonight I've heard from a number of my constituents that they feel this is necessary for them to feel that although we've been working on equity issues across our county for years and even though we have equity now written and intertwined across our strategic plan this next step codifies for

[05:17:26] them that this work will continue in our school district. Although after working in the school district for years and with my years on the board I feel confident that our work to make educational opportunities available for every student will continue as we move forward. I respect that many in our community want to see that work codified and with that an assured continued action. In many conversations that I've had with our regional assistant superintendents and Dr. Reed I know that our Drainsville schools will benefit from our equity work and that our equity work in no way

[05:18:05] diminishes our striving for the celebration of merit and student success at all levels. We will be working to remove barriers to student success for any student. Also please be assured that our policies are not static documents like we've talked about our strategic plan. As we learn more and implement this policy and implement our strategic plan these will be updated to make sure that we are doing the best work possible thank you very much to our team of putting this

[05:18:39] together i appreciate all the work after the work session and the whole year leading up to it and a huge thank you to our staff and principals that have waited for hours for us to get to this point tonight. I really appreciate you backing up this work. Thank you. Ms. Keyes-Gamara.

[05:19:02] Thank you. I echo all the sentiments that my colleagues have expressed, but I also want to acknowledge some of the comments we heard tonight. Of course, we have always had people saying that perhaps we have not done enough. This work has been continuing since I got on the board in 2017 when we started working on one fairfax so i want to talk a little bit about what equity is and what it is not someone mentioned tonight that it could possibly violate the equal protection

[05:19:38] clause which i vehemently disagree with but rather this policy acknowledges our responsibility to serve students based on data it is not a matter of giving advantage to one group over another we already have that perhaps in some of our the way that things are implemented it is not a zero-sum game it is not anti-merit it does not guarantee a programming in order to serve some but rather acknowledges that one size does not fit all and one view it inherently disregards the needs of the many it

[05:20:17] It strives to bring us closer to every student by name and by need. And I pray that it will continue. Because even though we are having this monumental moment right now, it is a part of a continuum and we should always be improving.

[05:20:37] Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Kees-Kemarra. Ms. Jernot-Koufax. Thank you, Madam Chair. As referenced in our work session, equity within our system and our community has been and evolution, first with the One Fairfax policy, next with the adoption of our strategic plan, and tonight further codifying our beliefs with this policy.

[05:21:02] We are moving forward with progress. As we have discussed in our work session, and so many of my colleagues have referenced, equity recognizes that we do not all start from the same place, that we must acknowledge this and make adjustments to the imbalances that do exist, that equity does not require us to lower standards, but it calls upon us to remove any barriers that might prevent one from achieving the highest standards possible. Equity does not ask us to disregard one's unique talents, gifts, or accomplishments. Rather, it calls on our educators and our

[05:21:39] community members to work intentionally on identifying those talents within our students and working with them to help achieve their highest potential. Dr. King, as I referenced in our work session. You and I talked about equity in our very first meeting when I first got on the school board when you were the principal at Mount Vernon High School and I was in my first months on the school board.

[05:22:03] What a wonderful full circle moment it is for you tonight as you take your permanent role as our chief equity officer as we move forward with this policy. Congratulations Nardis to you and all your team back there. Thank you all for your very hard work to get us here tonight.

[05:22:22] look forward to passing this tonight thank you miss mclaughlin did you want to go back um yes chairman seizer heiser i just uh again wanted to find out maybe our parliamentarian can make clear because i i've sent the information to the board members and it has been acknowledged that in november of 2017 this school board did pass the one fairfax policy and we need that to be correct before we pass it so without objection is it all right if we correct the phrase one fairfax to one

[05:22:56] Fairfax policy in the equity policy without objection okay all right so we'll make that technical change thank you all right and I see staff nodding their heads over there as well so with that I see no the lights up so I will call for the vote the motion before us is on the screen all those in favor please raise your hands Ms. Kees Gamara Ms. Marin Ms. Toland Ms. Darnak Koufax Ms. Corbett Sanders sorry Ms. McLaughlin Dr. Anderson Mr. Frisch Ms. Cohen Ms. Bukarski

[05:23:29] myself that passes unanimously agenda item 4.03 FCPS school board governance

[05:23:58] manual change proclamations I call on dr. Anderson for a motion I move to amend section D of the school boards governance manual to reflect the changes noted and read as shown on board docs and on the screen and they're not yet on the screen okay maybe make it a little bit smaller so the whole thing shows up

[05:24:29] please what what is happening oh it's only 12:30 all right is it on the screen in front of us a slightly smaller because it shows up in two places it's also on board docs is there a second miss Amish yeah I'll second all right

[05:25:08] Dr. Anderson you want to speak to your motion super briefly this is since we've made the amendment to our governance manual that school board members allotted two proclamations per year, and there are several proclamations which fall outside of that. That includes the Laura Ashley, that includes the VSBA award. You'll see the list here. What I wanted to add to that list of retirements of staff, we should not have as one of our allocations the retiring of LT staff who we do need to recognize when that happens because of their service that should not be part of the school board's allocations

[05:25:48] so i wanted to make that amendment mr may she want to speak to your second yep it's it's just simply technical i think dr anderson covered it um really just making sure that folks are not limited by the fact that we all want to honor our retirees and it's really incumbent on the board as a whole rather than an individual board member miss corbett sanders yes um thank you dr anderson for bringing this forward um and i understand the spirit of the amendment but i also understand that that there are several other changes to the governance manual that are expected to be undertaken with the new governance

[05:26:28] committee, which will be put in place. So I would suggest that rather than adopting this tonight, since we just did all of these proclamations this evening, recognizing retirements, that we postpone this adoption until such time that we have we look at the entirety of the proclamations policy so I will not support this tonight are you making an amendment to postpone or just suggesting I'm just suggesting that but I personally will not be voting for this tonight thank you Ms. McLaughlin yeah I appreciate what Ms. Corbett Sanders said

[05:27:04] but I actually given what we've endured tonight I think we need to stop creating unnecessary work. This is a no-brainer. I actually can't believe that we will always want to make sure we can honor retiring staff that you know some of these other things here are just we're over complicating it. It's here in front of us just vote it in. If you if you don't support moving it to there then I really can't even understand the rationale. So I wish we would just vote it in

[05:27:40] move on and you know it just takes care of the problem soon rather than later this is such a no harm change I'd like for us to go for the easy win all right I'm seeing no other board members who wish to speak I'll call for the vote all those in favor please raise your hands Keith Kamara Miss Marin Miss Tolan Mr. Kovacs Ms. McLaughlin Dr. Anderson Mr. Frisch Ms. Cohen Ms. Pekarski Ms. Omish all those opposed all those opposed all those abstaining Ms. Corbett Sanders that motion

[05:28:18] passes agenda item 4.04 school board member salary i call on miss cohen for motion um those in the audience and listening at home um there will be an amendment forthcoming i move that effective january 1st 2024 the annual salary for each member of the fairfax county school board be set at sixty thousand four hundred and four dollars and that the school board chairman be paid an additional annual salary of two thousand dollars is there a second i second miss tollen miss cohen

[05:28:55] I just beat your motion I would I will not be speaking to the amendment because as amended it has my full support I I just want to say you know this has been a painful process to get this board into a good place and it I've just been impressed at how everybody's worked really really hard to try to be collaborative and come together and find agreement and so I really appreciate getting to be the one to to bring this even though it'll it'll ultimately be as

[05:29:35] amended because I I absolutely I will say to every single person who is still here with us at 12:30 at night all of our family members at home every band concert and strings and chorus and every weekend event. I know the thing so many of us have missed our kids senior last because we've been sitting here and it is all part of the job and I'd happily

[05:30:12] sign up to do it again these last three and a half years. But I recognize that when we have a salary for $32,000 a year and say that this is a part-time job. It sends a message that is not accurate. The expectation from our constituents is that we will be accessible to them at all times, which as we said when we talk about our LT, that is the expectation that when those calls come at 1130 at night, when unfortunately we have the loss of a student or a staff member during the night,

[05:30:47] that everybody is available 24-7 to be responding in a way that I think people who are running a $3.5 billion organization ought to be running. I would argue that it makes sense for the salaries to be commensurate with our teacher starting salaries. I recognize that's not where the board ultimately fell. I do just want to emphasize to people that this is not us raising our own

[05:31:23] salaries. Eight of us will not be here for sure next year or not running. And so this is a recognition to those who will come after us that this is a full-time job. You should be expecting to walk into a full-time job with a full-time commitment. And, you know, I want this job to be accessible to all folks when we say that we want diversity of our staff i hope that we also mean

[05:31:58] diversity that is socioeconomic on the board and i will say that in these last three and a half years i've been grateful to be able to be a public servant i also spent this morning at the kitchen table with my husband trying to figure out how we're going to pay for the first semester of of college for our oldest that is due in a month.

[05:32:22] And I recognize that the sacrifice that we make, again, I'd happily do it again, but I think it is very reasonable for this to be a full-time salary. - Thank you, Ms. Cohen. Ms. Toland, did you speak to your second?

[05:32:40] - I'm basically seconding this in order to hear the substitute motion and fully support the comments of my colleague, Ms. Cohen. - I call on Ms. Jarena Koufax. - Thank you, Madam Chair. I moved to, I move to amend action item number 4.05, school board member salaries, effective January 21st, 2024, the annual salary for each member of the Fairfax County School Board should be set at $48,000, and the chair should be paid an additional salary of $2,000.

[05:33:17] Is there a second? Ms. Daronakopak, should I just speak to your amendment? Yes. By Virginia Code, school boards are only permitted to make salary changes prior to July 1 in year in which there is a school board election after much conversation and thought our board has reached consensus and has come forward with a salary change that is necessary and data driven based on factors that include the average step in msa that was given to each of our employees for the for the last eight years benchmark to the percentages increases undertaken by the board of supervisors comparison to board salaries for similar size school divisions i'm hopeful

[05:33:53] but by using these data points our board can move forward with this amendment miss corbett sanders would you speak to your second yes thank you although the code does not require the school board to follow the same process as the board of supervisors prior to enacting salary changes you'll see a follow-on motion tonight which will address some of that but i believe that this motion tonight does address the challenges that are posed because it

[05:34:30] requires the state code requires us to take action by July 1st in the year of any election the majority of the school board and so this motion tonight if we were not to enact it would mean that we would go 12 years without adjusting the school board salary and with a 12-year cycle of adjustment it it puts our the salaries of the school board out of out of whack for one of the better term and

[05:35:05] it also doesn't allow for you know it tends to send a message that that we're not addressing the needs of the board and the people who work on it and so my this motion tonight or actually let me start with today the school board salaries are about one-third of the salary of a member of the Board of Supervisors with this motion tonight school board salaries will be 39% of the salary of a member of the Board of Supervisors with the recent adjustments that they made.

[05:35:45] This motion is comparable to the salary that board members are compensated at for large school systems elsewhere in the country. It is consistent with percentage increases to board salaries that were made in prior years.

[05:36:03] And if you look at the history of changes, the board made changes in 2007, 2015, and now 2023. So it has a cycle of every year, every eight years addressing school board salaries.

[05:36:21] And so with a lot of discussion, a consensus was made to set the salary at $48,000, which is consistent with large paid boards.

[05:36:39] I will also be putting forward or I will be seconding the following on motion that addresses the unique circumstances of the Virginia state code which spells out that increases can only be enacted by July 1 during an election year and so we are clarifying that the review I'm sorry okay so we are clarifying that a review has to be done every four years and that data should be used to make recommendations on salaries so that is why we're putting this forward tonight

[05:37:17] ms mclaughlin thank you um i look forward to supporting this absolutely as uh one of the longest serving members of the board along with ms darin at koufax um we know what what it's been like when we first joined the board and it was a 20 000 salary and the time the board of supervisors were making 75 000 so we went eight years or we went for those um first four years there was not a raise we ended up going up to from 20 to 32 and the board of supervisors went

[05:37:53] up to 95 so we have continued to lag significantly now I am NOT trying to equate that board member school board members should make what board of supervisors make but I am hard-pressed to believe having done this job for 12 years that the board of supervisors are doing three times or 300% more than the school board members we do not have over six hundred thousand dollars for each one of our magisterial districts to have full-time staff, to have two offices, to have a pension.

[05:38:24] There are on and on the differences between this school board in Fairfax County that oversees a $3.5 billion budget, more than 28,000 full-time employees. And so this is more than reasonable when the board of supervisors will now be making about $123,000 and this puts us at 48. It is not lost on me as well that this has been predominantly female board. We've continued to lose men on this board and I can't help but think it's because when you look at the very small compensation that comes

[05:38:58] with this job, it is such a massive amount of time that for some of us and for too long, too many of us, it's because we've been fortunate enough to have a spouse, a partner who says, you know what, you're going to sit here with graduate degrees 20 30 years of work experience and you're going to earn 32 000 it's a significant sacrifice over time no one asks school board members or they don't ask the board of supervisors well wait haven't you served for like two terms isn't time for you to move on but i can't tell you the number of times people have said to me really two terms

[05:39:35] on the school board eight years don't you think it's time for you to move on there are so many double standards about looking at the continuity leadership that we see as a value for board of supervisors to stay for 20 or 30 years but we don't get that same respect and understanding and that's for not tonight after you know midnight but I say this because I want to thank every one of the board members here tonight we didn't take this lightly and eight of us are rolling off the board so eight of us don't stand to benefit here at all this is about the

[05:40:10] next board it's about the board after that because we can't keep going eight years 12 years and not addressing this so when you've only had three raises in 35 years this is long overdue and i'm proud to support what we have in front of us here tonight thank you miss mclaughlin miss omesh yeah thank you and i know it's late and everyone wants to go to sleep but i i mean i for one i'm a little disappointed that we're here without more discussion i haven't heard from anyone except I guess Ricky had asked me a while ago if I'd be open to the conversation, and I said I'd need a lot more information to get behind something like this.

[05:40:48] But I guess I want to learn a little bit more about what people are saying were similar divisions that we pegged this to. And then I'm struggling to get behind the step piece, too, because I can understand the MSA, like that's inflation and whatnot. But with the steps, board members are running for reelection.

[05:41:06] Nobody's staying here for like an extended amount of time such that the step would even make sense because you have people at different points, but then we're changing the salary for everyone. So, I mean, I don't know if there are any staff left in the room or anyone who wants to speak to the similar divisions piece, because I remember a while back when we had explored this before, I thought that we had found that we were on the upper end of similar divisions anyway in terms of pay.

[05:41:33] Don't get me wrong. I appreciated the comments on comparing the board of supervisors continues to puzzle me. We, you know, we manage more than half of the budget, but we get paid, you know, far less and we don't have an office full of full time staff working for us. And the work is so important. But I'm also seeing this in the context of education in general is hurting and everybody in education is underpaid.

[05:41:54] And I mean, especially post COVID and a recession, people are hurting financially. I don't know. I'm struggling with this one from a moral perspective, but I also see why this is needed. All the merits to it are there. So I don't know. I mean, can someone provide some more information around the specifics of what was alleged? Alleged, Ms. Minesh? Can you clarify what specifics you're looking for? I mean, I think I just outlined the comments on this being

[05:42:29] comparable to similar divisions, the number that's... I'll ask the maker the motion to answer your questions mr. Koufax so mesh we had looked at several divisions I'll just I can give you several but the two that are very comparable Orange County Public Schools they have approximately 190,000 students their salary is right in line with what we're proposing a little bit higher at 48 for Palm Beach County also

[05:43:00] also has 188 students with 48.4 and then that is the high range nationally the highest range is LA Unified with over 400,000 students and they pay their their people in tiers.

[05:43:18] If you have a full time job you get I think it was $50,000 but if you don't you get over 100 that's very different and that's triple the size of ours so those are a few examples I think mr. Frisch provided a chart in the packet that was sent with the first proposal two weeks ago when it was on new business there's a chart provided mr. mesh there was there's a whole packet provided of information a couple weeks ago to every board member I know there was some handout given out and closed without any description of what that was and then

[05:43:55] was collected by the clerk because it was closed material but there was no discussion so i'm miss omesh it wasn't collected by the clerk that is that's not correct i just want to make sure that's clear it was passed out in the packet for closed session and promptly collected by her at the end i my entire packet was taken by the clerk but that was not part of the packet for closed session so i'm not sure what happened with the collection but i see the clerk shaking her head it was not collected by the clerk madam clerk you want to clarify what was collected um the materials that i collected related to the agenda and the person and the personnel materials it may have been that

[05:44:33] she handed it all in and i did not realize that but it was not handed out as part of the closed materials all right thank you the document was passed out in closed session without any discussion or description of what that was so the assumption is it was closed content to be returned to the clerk it was not passed out by the clerk miss but i understand what you're saying it was not but it was not passed out by the clerk no i'm not saying it was passed out by the clerk it was on on our table, just like it always is foreclosed. I mean, anyway, so, but either way, there was no discussion. I think, I mean, I'm appreciative of the courage that it takes for this. I think

[05:45:11] Mr. Fish started this conversation and others took it on and here we are. So I think, you know, that's an important step, but there was no discussion with every colleague here. And I know I'm not the only board member who hasn't had this discussion with anybody either. So I appreciate the notes on similar division. How much would this amount have been if we had just accounted for MSA, because that makes sense to me to have a retrospective look. But then the step

[05:45:39] piece, again, still doesn't make sense to me for an elected position. Ms. Amesh, I'm not sure we have the numbers of just MSA. This was benchmarked against other comparable divisions, as well as keeping into account what the board of supervisors used as well. Calculated there was both longevity and MSA. So it was not, we didn't break down those numbers. It was more benchmarked against couple divisions. You're saying the Board of Supervisors has a step increase?

[05:46:18] Do you want to respond to that? Yes, Ms. Amesh, it's my understanding that the Board of Supervisors took the longevity and COLA that their employees had over eight years and they applied it to their existing salary of 95 and that's how they got to the 123. So when I know that I emailed our CFO Lee Burden and asked

[05:46:52] her to do the same thing, but just from our side of what our employees got as the average raise over the last eight years. And that brought it up to a little over $42,000. Then additional board members did the research of looking at similar size school districts, and that went as high as 48. So that's where board members started having conversations with each other of how do you try and apply the best you can in benchmarking, not just the raises over the last eight years,

[05:47:28] but what is the market analysis for the work that gets done. We do that with employees both on our side of the envelope and the county government. It's done fairly frequently, especially for the market analysis for individual positions, even police and public safety.

[05:47:54] Okay. Who did we not give an MSA to in the past, I don't know, five years, say, or even just this year? Do we know in our division? The market scale adjustment goes across all employees.

[05:48:17] Is there, in the past five years, have we withheld that? I'd have to check with my budget staff for specifics, but again, it goes across to all eligible employees, and so we can get the list of those employees who are eligible for a market scale adjustment.

[05:48:36] Who's not eligible, Marty? Ms. McLaughlin, do you want to address Ms. Amish's questions? No, this is a staff question. I'm not sure. Who's not eligible for an MSA?

[05:48:53] Dr. Reed, would you like to respond to Ms. Amish? What? Would you like to respond to Ms. Amish? Ms. Amish, I apologize. Would you repeat the question? Who in our division is not eligible for an MSA increase? Who is not?

[05:49:08] I think everyone is eligible this year. That's the plan. All staff, I believe. Yes. All staff this year are eligible. No. I can't speak to prior years.

[05:49:25] Burden is on if a misburden because we used her data to help us so she is the maker of the data if you will go ahead Lee yeah the MSA is applied to salary schedules when it's included in the adopted budget so everyone that is FTE or an hourly contracted employee like bus drivers and food services would all be eligible for an MSA because their salaries are on a salary schedule okay are there full-time employees who are not on a salary schedule or effectively

[05:50:05] full-time Miss Amesh your time is up okay I guess I'll take a go back all right well that is Miss McGlock did you want to go back all right we'll do a one-minute go go back Miss Amesh oh wait sorry Miss Cohen your mic please oh sorry I would love to call the question all right you want to call the question is there a second to call in the question Miss Pekarski second in calling the question. We need two-thirds vote to call the question, so I'll call for the vote to call the

[05:50:43] question. All those in favor, please raise your hand. That is Ms. Bukarski, Ms. Cohen, Mr. Frisch, Dr. Anderson, Ms. McLaughlin, Ms. Derenak-Koufax, Ms. Corbett-Sanders, Ms. Tolan, Ms. Marin, Ms. Keats-Gumar, and myself. That question has been called. I will then call for the vote.

[05:51:01] The motion before us, I'm sorry, the opposed amendment before us is on the screen. All those in favor please raise your hand miss Keats Gamara, Ms. Toland, Ms. Corbett Sanders, Ms. Jernot Kopecks, Ms. McLaughlin, Dr. Anderson, Mr. Frisch, Ms. Corbett Sanders and myself all those opposed, all those abstaining, Ms. Marin and Ms.

[05:51:21] Bukarski and Ms. Amesh are you opposed or abstaining? You are abstaining. All right so as Ms. Amesh is abstaining that motion passes. Now we'll go back to the that amendment passes so now we go back to the main motion as amended so the

[05:51:44] motion before us as amended can we correct the motion to have the amendment please the motion before us as amended is on the screen we just voted for the amendment now we're voting for the main motion all those as a minute it's the same it's the same we just have to vote for the main motion all those in favor please raise your hand miss keith gamara miss tollen miss corbett sanders

[05:52:19] mr knack koufax mr glachlan dr anderson mr frisch miss uh cohen and myself all those opposed All this abstaining that is Miss Marin Miss Pekarski Miss Amesh are you not abstaining this time. I voted when you asked for who was opposed.

[05:52:38] Okay so Miss Amesh is a po I'm sorry I'm really having a lot of trouble seeing the hands on the screen. Miss Amesh is opposed Miss Pekarski and Miss Marin are abstaining that motion passes. All right I hold on a second.

[05:52:56] Just a call on Dr. Anderson for a follow-on motion. move to direct the school board chair to include a salary review of the school board using but not limited the file to the following criteria the board supervisor salary fcps employee msa and step realized over the prior four years salary comparison of school boards of similar size divisions and school board workload this review shall be conducted in the third year of the school Board's term and be transparent to the public.

[05:53:34] Is there a second? Ms. Corbett Sanders, Dr. Anderson, did you speak to your motion? Yes, briefly because it is almost one o'clock in the morning. This is an opportunity for us to stay ahead of the conversation that just took place by having data that is current and is done in time that is well researched and is transparent to the public so that we can have all of this information be available during the third but not acted upon until the fourth year as per state code as just occurred just a little while ago. So this is just an ask for us to be intentional about

[05:54:13] ensuring we gather this data with every school boards term in that third year of the term. Ms. Corbett Sanders I just speak to you a second. Yes and I would also and I sent this to Dr. Anderson a slight revision to this to include May I?

[05:54:36] Yes, please. I am so sorry, the hour is late and I did forget. I do agree with that change that I just articulated without objection, if it is okay, I would like to just add that while the data will be collected in the third year, the action will not occur until the fourth year as per state code.

[05:55:01] So whatever measure we need to take to add that language, I am open to it. So without objection, we need to add the language. Without objection, we're going to amend the follow-on motion to add the language that's on the screen.

[05:55:19] I will read it. This review should be conducted in the third year of the school board's term and be transparent to the public, but the action will not be taken until, not to the fourth year, until the fourth year per state code. Until the fourth year per state code.

[05:55:35] Thank you, Ms. Corbett-Sanders. My apologies. So without objection, this is now the follow-on motion on the screen. Do you want to continue? I think we've talked about it. It's just important to systematize this approach.

[05:55:52] Thank you. Ms. McLaughlin? Just briefly, I do think that based on Ms. O'Mesh's line of questioning, you know, we really need to position both the board and the public and our employees to have a really deep understanding of how any raises to the school board salaries in the future will happen and what they're based on prior boards know that when we did the first raise

[05:56:27] i specifically recommended that we have a working group of independent citizens who could benchmark the work of the school board against the board of supervisors and other school boards of our size and complexity that wasn't done when in the 20 the 2016 2015 raise and then when we talked about doing it again this time we we didn't and we found ourselves pretty much compressed

[05:57:00] for time so there was an amazing amount of data and research that board members gathered that staff provided to us but i really look forward to this follow-on motion helping our our community our employees everyone understand that we are trying to simply benchmark the work this the time commitment the skills required and the compensation that is attached to these type of public offices and ms omesh as always i certainly welcome having deeper conversations

[05:57:38] with you i know timing wise i would have liked a longer runway from when we published this as new business to when we voted but because of the timing and with state code we had to do the vote tonight so i look forward to setting up future boards for having the longer runway for having this dialogue with one another and with the public so I will be supporting this thank you Miss Cohen oh I'm sorry is your light left left on all right

[05:58:12] Miss Janet Koufax I too support this and I appreciate that we can put into process and codify this process for future boards thank you with that I will then call for the vote the motion before sorry the follow-on motion before us is on the screen all those in favor please raise your hands

[05:58:32] Ms. Kees-Gumara, Ms. Marin, Ms. Tolan, Ms. Derenak-Koufax, Ms. Corbett-Sanders, Ms. McLaughlin, Dr. Anderson, Mr. Frisch, Ms. Cohen, Ms. Pekarski, and I don't see Ms. O'Mesh's hands up, so all those opposed, please raise your hand.

[05:58:55] All those abstaining, Ms. O'Mesh, that follow-on motion passes. If you could please turn your lights off while I, because my screen's, agenda item five, consent agenda, our adopted rules of parliament.

[05:59:16] procedure Robert's rules provide for a consent agenda listing several items for approval of the board by a single motion many items listed have gone through board review and documentation has been provided to all board members and the public in advance items may be removed from the consent agenda at the request of any board member prior to the meeting the consent agenda items are on the screen is there any objection to approving the consent agenda hearing and seeing no objection the consent agenda is approved agenda item six new business the following new business agenda items There will not be a vote on these items this evening.

[05:59:45] But action is scheduled at a future meeting. The new business items are on the screen. Agenda item seven, board committee reports. There are no committee reports to present this evening.

[06:00:00] Agenda item eight, board matters. I'm going to ask my colleagues, given the late hour, that we will not do board matters tonight. I will just indulge my colleagues to say this is my last meeting as board chair. So it is, well, my last full meeting. But it is pretty apropos for what it's been like being a board chair.

[06:00:21] With that, this meeting is adjourned.

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