Coraggio Consulting
Henrico County School Board Monthly Meeting, Thursday, August 27, 2026

Date: Thursday, August 27, 2026
Place: Henrico County School Board, Virginia
Length: 48m (video)
Official meeting video (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVa8z8vIw_A
Official meeting portal (Henrico County Public Schools, Diligent Community): https://henricoschools.community.diligentoneplatform.com/Portal/MeetingTypeList.aspx

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 2026-10-25. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:02] I'd like to welcome everyone to the August 27, 2026 monthly meeting of the Henrico County School Board. Colleagues, is there a motion to approve the agenda? I move that we approve the agenda for tonight's meeting. Thank you, Mrs. Shea. Do we have a second? Second. Thank you, Mrs. Kinsella. All in favor say aye.

[00:00:20] Aye. The ayes have it. The agenda is approved. Dr. Cash will. We will begin the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. Good evening. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and remain standing for the moment of silence.

[00:00:35] I pledge allegiance to the flag, the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[00:00:53] Please remain standing as you are able for the moment of silence. Thank you. You may be seated.

[00:01:17] Good evening, Chair Irving, Dr. Cashwell, School Board members and guests.

[00:01:46] My name is Mike Dusall, Director of Elementary Teaching and Learning, and it is my honor to present our first recognition this evening, the HCPS John Batakis Community Award. At this time, I'd like to introduce Ms. Jaleesa Turner to bring remarks on behalf of our County Manager, Mr. John Batalkas. Thank you, and good evening, Chair Irving, members of the school board, Dr. Cashwell, and members of the Henrico community. My name is Jaleesa Turner, and I'm the Director of Henrico County's Outreach and Engagement Agency, and I have the privilege of joining you guys

[00:02:23] tonight on behalf of our County Manager, Mr. John Batalkas, who unfortunately could not be here today but he sends his regards and his heartfelt congratulations to both of tonight's recipients through my work in outreach and engagement I have had the opportunity to see every day that Henrico is a special community because of people again because of people who are willing to step forward see a need and respond they give their time share their talents build relationships and create opportunities for others, often without expecting recognition in return. Tonight,

[00:03:01] we have the privilege of recognizing two individuals who embody that spirit of service. Their commitment reminds us that meaningful change often begins simply with someone deciding to care, to show up, and to make a difference. So on behalf of the County Manager and Henrico County, I want to congratulate tonight's recipients thank you for your service your leadership and the impact you continue to make throughout our community and honestly when i read the names of the recipients i was not surprised these two individuals who are winners and receiving this award tonight they are friends

[00:03:37] of the county as well um so again congratulations and thank you also joining me tonight is miss sarah modrak our esl specialist to help hand out the awards this award recognizes and honors individuals who embody a spirit of service and profoundly impact our community. The award is named in honor of John Votakis, Henrico County Manager and J.R. Tucker High School alumnus, the first honorary recipient. Mr. Votakis is a naturalized citizen and a native of Greece, immigrated to the U.S. as an

[00:04:16] infant with his parents. At a young age, he learned the value of leaving it better than you found it. That foundational principle formed his legacy of community service. The annual award is presented to others who embodied this same spirit.

[00:04:31] Please join me in welcoming our first award recipient, founder and executive director of the Henrico Comount Community Food Bank, Ms. Sudeshna Dasmenzis. Guided by the principle that students can't learn when they are hungry, the Henrico Community Food Bank has become a vital lifeline for our most vulnerable neighbors. By providing snacks to schools where 92% of the students

[00:05:07] face economic hardship, this organization ensures that food insecurity never stands in the way of a child's education. Through flexible, compassionate leadership, the Food Bank doesn't just address food scarcity, it strengthens the very fabric of Henrico. Thank you, Ms. Das Menzies and the Henrico Community

[00:05:30] Food Bank. Next please welcome our final John Vitakas award recipient, Mr. Zulfi Khan. Mr. Khan's three decades of service have fundamentally shaped a more inclusive Henrico. From his vital work educating the community about the Islamic faith, to his successful efforts to bring cricket pitches to our local

[00:06:05] parks, Mr. Khan's advocacy is driven by genuine care. His ability to bring people together across faiths, cultures, and sports makes him the ideal recipient of the John Botakis Community Impact Award.

[00:06:21] Thank you, Mr. Kahn.

[00:07:38] Good evening, Chair Irving, members of the Board, Dr. Cashwell, and guests. I'm Rick Lilly, the Education Specialist for Student Activities here in Henrico County Public Schools, and I'm very excited to begin our student recognitions by inviting to the Dias Silver Medalist for Team USA East and the International Olympiad in Forensics, Sadie Tice Christ. Sadie represented Holman Middle School as part of Team USA in the International Olympiad in Forensics, a global competition that brings together outstanding student speakers from around the world. Being chosen for Team USA is a tremendous honor and a testament

[00:08:17] to Sadie's commitment to excellence. This prestigious selection recognizes her exceptional speaking abilities, dedication, and hard work in competitive speech and debate. On the weekend of August 15th, she competed in the original oratory category, bringing home the silver medal for holman middle school and team usa congratulations sadie okay continuing with student recognitions it's my pleasure to also recognize the 2025-26 spring vhsl state champions

[00:08:53] we will start things off by giving some love to our tennis student athletes from freeman high school please join me in welcoming the vhsl 5a girls tennis team state champions starting with leah bazianos olivia bouvet sophia bouvet mary ellen calgill Eva Dalton, Peyton Edwards, Lauren Miller, Madushree Mutharaj, and Lucy Yuan.

[00:09:29] And the team is joined by VHSL Hall of Fame coach, Coach Larry Parper. With an impressive 19-3 record, this is the team's sixth consecutive Region 5C and State 5 Class Championships.

[00:09:48] I want to emphasize, six consecutive. This year's team truly embodies the spirit of student-athletes and champions, both on and off the tennis court by not only winning the sixth consecutive state championship, but also with a cumulative GPA of 4.1.

[00:10:03] Let's give these Mavs a big round of applause.

[00:10:29] And Athletic Director Vance Harmon and Principal Dr. John Marshall had planned to be here tonight, but they're actually currently at the Freeman-Atlee football game. So we're gonna stay on the Freeman as we pass the baton to Freeman's VHSL 5A outdoor track and field state champion in the boys' pole vault, Wittner Lilly.

[00:10:49] Wittner is joined by his coach, Gretchen Hugh. Wittner brought home his second outdoor track and field state championship title with a jump of 15 feet and 6 inches and increased his own school record to 16 feet, the number two jump all time for a sophomore in Virginia.

[00:11:09] Let's give Wittner a big round of applause and all of the Freeman student athletes. Next, we are passing the baton to the VHSL 5A outdoor track and field state champions from Glen Island High School.

[00:11:26] Coach Devin Johnson and Principal Kerrigine O'Neill are joined by their student athletes. Beginning with Aris Moore, Skylar Hope, London Johnson, and Catherine Arhona.

[00:11:52] With a time of just under 3 minutes and 49 seconds, this team brought home the championship in the girls' 4x400 meter relay. Additionally, as individuals, Aris Moore won the state championship in the girls' 400 meter dash with a time of 55 seconds, and Skylar Hope won the state championship in the girls' 300 meter hurdles with a time of 43 seconds.

[00:12:15] Yes, give a big round of applause for those individual honors. Congratulations, Jaguars. All right, next on the track, we have the Hermitage VHSL 5A Outdoor Track and Field State Champions.

[00:12:33] Joining the coaches, Coach Stan Davis and Denise Patrick. All right, the girls 200-meter state champion setting a new school record with a state winning time of 24.52 seconds, Taryn Patrick.

[00:12:58] Setting school records in both the 400-meter dash and 800-meter run with a state winning time of 2 minutes and 14 seconds, the state champion for the girls 800-meter run and a New Balance All-American, Ms. Princess Kamara. next we have layla suit who won the girls discus state championship with a throw of 128 feet seven inches and on the boys side with a jump of six feet nine inches the boys high jump state

[00:13:33] champion killin yancy he also broke the hermitage school record let's hear it for the hermitage state champions congratulations panthers all right now please welcome the vhsl 5a outdoor track and field state champions girls 100 meter dash from highland springs high school naima harvey

[00:14:07] this springer brought home the winning state title with a time of 11.88 seconds and she is joined by coaches alice davis maurice davis brandon turner sydney mosley shere holloway derek blump oh and i do see principal dr ken white back there hiding in the in the back makes me wonder is dr jackson

[00:14:45] back here from hermanage he always likes to slide in come on up dr white next for the springers we also have mr jordan francisco jordan won the vhsl 5a state championship in the 400 meter dash with a school record 48.18 seconds jordan also anchored the state runner-up for about 400 meter relay team that also broke the highland springs state excuse me school record let's give these

[00:15:22] springers a big round of applause all right thank you springers all right and for the final leg of our state championship recognitions and i would like to remind folks that almost all of these track athletes are underclassmen so they're going to be coming back again so hopefully we want to get used to this um for the final leg we welcome um coaches lakeisha moore eboni baxter and alicia

[00:15:55] thorpe as well as athletic director lamont folsom and principal sharita sears from varana they are joined by the ron of vhsl 4a outdoor track and field state championships leading with mr xavier curry with a new 4a state record jump of 16 feet four and three quarters of an inch in the boys pole vault xavier set the school record and state record he was also the adidas outdoor national

[00:16:34] champion that is his second championship both indoor and outdoor adidas champion and he also finished 10th at the very prestigious united states u20 qualifier and was one of the only only a couple handful three to be specific underclassmen in the competition so we're expecting great things for xavier in the future next is imani moore who is the state champion in the girls 100 meter dash with a time of 11.56 seconds girls 200 meter dash 23.77 seconds and the girls long jump with a distance of 19 feet nine and a quarter inches all of which are new verana school

[00:17:13] records big round of applause for imani and then the remaining members of the girls four by 100 meter relay team we have rihanna johnson jalen seward these four set a new school record with the winning state on winning time of 47.58 seconds way to go blue devils and this concludes

[00:17:50] our recognitions for the evening. Thank you. Okay. We will continue on with recognitions,

[00:19:12] with the recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Mrs. Kinsella. Thank you. National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15, 2026 to October 15, 2026. Whereas the Hispanic and Latino community stands as a diverse representation of an integral part of the the innumerable historic and cultural contributions with local, national, and global impact.

[00:19:41] Whereas, citizens are encouraged to participate in activities that recognize, appreciate, and celebrate the cultural and linguistic diversity and the significant contributions made by Hispanic and Latino Americans. And whereas, Henrico County Public Schools and the Henrico community recognize and embrace our vibrant Hispanic and Latino community that continues to shape and strengthen our schools, our county, our country, and our world.

[00:20:12] Now, therefore, let it be proclaimed that the School Board of Henrico County Public Schools recognizes September 15th, 2026 through October 15th, 2026 as National Hispanic Heritage Month and encourages observance and celebration to the attention of our citizens.

[00:20:32] Recognized by the School Board of Henrico County Public Schools, this 27th day of August, 2026. - Thank you, Mrs. Kinsella. Dr. Cashwell. - Thank you. Good evening, Mr. Chairman, members of the board, and to those who are with us in attendance.

[00:20:50] Our next item on the agenda is the Henrico Highlight, and as you might expect, we are celebrating this week's successful start to what I am sure will be a phenomenal school year. This year, for the first time, Henrico County Public Schools welcomed our 49,000 students over a two-day staggered start and the goal was to give students in key transitional years such as pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, sixth and ninth grade extra time and attention to become familiar with their schools and to establish new routines. As you will see, whether a student's first day was Monday

[00:21:27] or Tuesday, it was a great day. First day of school, guys. At which school is from here?

[00:21:44] Welcome back, students. Welcome to the new RC Longin Elementary. We are excited to start 26-27. Let's go!

[00:22:00] Hey, guys. Welcome back, everybody. Alright, you want a hug or a high five? No, I want a hug. I'm ready for you. Happy first day, everybody. Good morning. Good morning. Great.

[00:22:19] Oh, we're excited to have you, girl. Welcome. Welcome! So you have Mr. Saz Bazitov. This is what we're going to do. On the back of your computer, when it's on, there's a little light on the back side of your screen. Good morning, guys. Today has been fantastic so far.

[00:22:36] The freshmen are coming in really excited and ready for this day. Good morning. Good morning, everybody. Welcome to Tucker. Nice to meet you.

[00:22:55] The first day of the 26-27 school year welcoming our ninth graders. gone well so far. It's wonderful being able to have them in the building to be able for them to get adjusted to their new school community and we love welcoming our new Wildcats.

[00:23:10] Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. Ow, ow, ow, ow. Good morning. There it is. Good morning. Yay. Serene. Good morning. Thank you. Have a good one. Have a good day, sweet girl. Good morning. Good morning, boys and girls. Yeah. Getting up today pretty easy. Yeah. All right. Happy Tuesday. How are you today? Good. Day two. You got it, man. Great morning to be a cub. Y'all know you gotta zap me up. Y'all know.

[00:23:58] How we doing? Good looking shirt, dude. Welcome to 7th grade. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome back again today. Good morning. Good morning.

[00:24:15] Welcome 7th. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Let's go. Good morning.

[00:24:32] Coming weeks, we will seek feedback from families, teachers, principals, and our 6th and 9th grade students about this year's Staggered Start. Families and staff should watch their email for the link to an online survey. The feedback will of course be shared with the calendar committee as they develop future calendar recommendations and make recommendations for the board's consideration.

[00:24:55] We will keep you posted. As our board and community know, it takes incredible teamwork to prepare for the start of a school year. One of the hallmarks of this is Henrico's annual back to school kickoff where this year more than 3,000 people came out for a day of fun, connections, and free school supplies.

[00:25:14] event of this magnitude requires collaboration of every school central office the school board and countless community partners all of whom are the heart of henrico so board members as we conclude tonight's highlight i want to thank all of our employees for their tireless efforts this back to school season i also want to express my appreciation to each of our board members who to support our communities by participating in events like the back to school kick off, advocating for resources and making decisions that put our students first.

[00:25:53] And I would also like to acknowledge that with the many celebrations and successes of the new school year, we have experienced some challenges. A number of schools have experienced varying degrees of issues with air conditioning, whether the issues can bind to an individual classroom or involves a wing or a common area.

[00:26:13] We know that when our systems are not working properly, there are impacts to our staff and students. And without a doubt, I know it is a top priority for the school board, as it is for me, to ensure comfortable and safe learning environments.

[00:26:29] Significant progress is being made. HCPS technicians and contracted vendors are working extended hours to ensure that systems assessed and actions are taken as quickly as possible repairs are happening systems are being balanced and needed equipment is being procured teams are installing temporary cooling measures as needed where repairs may take longer and actively making long-term repairs to systems in need I want to assure the board and our constituents that in addition to addressing critical mechanical matters I continue to work with the team to take broader action to

[00:27:08] improve the quality control and reliability of HVAC systems across all of our schools and strengthen our ability to respond to mechanical challenges. These efforts build upon the third-party comprehensive assessment of our mechanical systems, which is being used to prioritize long-term and short-term work. As a result of a joint RFP with the county general government, we've expanded our network of service providers through cooperative contracts, increasing our capacity to perform preventative maintenance and complete needed HVAC repairs more efficiently. At a September work session, the board can expect an update on the progress and

[00:27:48] next steps for these ongoing efforts. Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Dr. Cashwell, for sharing an update on the first week back to school. The board echoes your thanks to the entire Henrico team for ensuring a strong opening to the new school year seeing the many ways our staff have ensured school environments that are welcoming fostering foster belonging and set up students for success is truly heartwarming on behalf of the entire school board thank you and a special thanks in we see you to the maintenance team and hvac techs who work tirelessly behind the scenes and put in countless

[00:28:26] hours and the days leading up to school opening to address issues as they arose the mechanical challenges we face across our system are not lost on this board, and efforts to address these needs in the short term and the long term remain a top priority for all of us. Each of us is a parent and a professional, and we understand the concerns of our families and employees. None of us is sitting idly by, nor is Dr. Cashwell. Through our advocacy related to ensuring adequate CIP funding that that meets our real needs, leveraging grant funding and more,

[00:29:03] this board is committed to making progress on this front. We are encouraged by the technical experience and knowledge of our new chief of operations and what he brings to the role, and we look forward to an update in September on the progress and next steps of improvements in both our systems and our ability to address and respond to challenges within them.

[00:29:27] And with that, we will move on to the HCPS mission statement. - Mrs. Shea, if you wouldn't mind, or Mrs. Sorry, Mrs. Atkins, whoever. - HCPS mission statement, Henrico County Public Schools, through engagement with our families and community, equips students with the knowledge and skills to be ready for life and a successful future.

[00:29:59] - Thank you, Mrs. Atkins. And with that, we will move on to the public comment. This is the time when citizens are invited address the school board on any matter of concern about the school division citizens have signed up in advance and will be given three minutes to address the school board speakers will be called to speak and the order in which they signed up and may not relinquish their spot to someone else we ask that each speaker come to the microphone and clearly state their name and school affiliation if applicable and the subject of their remarks before speaking after stating your name please place your number place the number you were given in the cart near the podium speakers must present their remarks to

[00:30:37] the school board not the audience and may provide copies of their comments to the school board clerk the use of obscenity or defamation is strictly prohibited and will be ruled out of order to assist you in tracking your time there is a timekeeping system displaying the elapsed time on the screen speakers will also receive a notice from me when the time has expired the school board is here to hear here today to hear from you we will not be responding to speakers concerns or questions during the public forum. However, a Henrico staff member will follow up with speakers. Stakeholders have also had the opportunity to provide written

[00:31:14] comments through an online form in advance of the meeting. These comments are shared with school board members prior to the meeting and posted in community for public record. Equal consideration and attention will be given to both written and in-person comments. We appreciate your attendance here this evening and for providing your input will speaker number one please come up good evening my name is mary claire williams i am a henrico alumna i'm a henrico parent and up until a couple

[00:31:53] of weeks ago i was a henrico middle school english teacher of over 10 years i am here today to implore you to make additional drastic changes to our students screen time access and usage i've seen it impact both my own son who just turned seven and started second grade I am not kidding when I say hundreds of my own students one of the many problems that is frankly absurd to me Is the almost unfettered act internet access that our students have?

[00:32:22] Yes We have district a district implemented blocks in place for some games and social media sites But if I'm being totally honest any 14 year old with a Wi-Fi connection and a dream can circumvent those I've seen it happen last year was the first year to my knowledge that teachers were piloting a program that allows them to to control student laptops in real time over 20 years after the county put laptops in place another huge concern for me at the secondary level is that students don't see their laptops as a tool for learning I mentioned this to Taylor snow when he was at my school this past spring for a lunch and learn to hear from teachers about their concerns about student screen usage

[00:32:58] students see these devices as an avenue to play games or watch videos or entertain themselves it is not like the makerspace where that equipment is set aside and seen as a special experience meant to enhance instruction. They see these laptops as an extension of their phones, as something that they have a right to, something that they can treat with recklessness because there are no real consequences to any negative or incorrect usage. As a parent, I see my own son coming home talking about Prodigy and Epic and all of these other programs. I am grateful that he is learning from them, but I also know that that's because he is relatively sheltered from all the other things he could be accessing. I'm also very apprehensive about the amount of time he spends in front of a screen

[00:33:35] at school and I don't know any parent who wants their child to have more screen time because it's already a constant battle I also want to make it clear that I do not blame his teacher between standardized testing which eats up weeks of instructional time data entry required program minutes pressure from administrators who are getting pressure from central office teachers are on laptops as much as their students and I don't know any teacher who got into the game because they love working on a laptop but screams are impossible to avoid they have which is why we're here drastic change is needed they have a screens have invaded every facet of education and with the exception of students who use them for accessibility and students who need them for

[00:34:10] accommodations there have been very few if any net benefits in my tenure 12 years that I've seen as a public school educator we've seen the headlines in the data we've seen how it's affected our kids in our classrooms and as a teacher and a mother I know for sure that it has affected both my biological and my professional kids I was a seventh grader at Pocahontas Middle School in 2003 when we as a county were one of the first nations first counties in the nation to spearhead the laptop with a one-to-one student laptop initiative because we thought at the time that that's what was best for our students but in the words of Maya Angelou do the best you can until you know

[00:34:46] better and when you do when you know better do better we know better now than we did 23 years ago and so for our students and our teachers I'm asking you to please do better thank you

[00:34:56] Thank you, Speaker No. 1. Speaker No. 3. Dr. Cashwell, school board members, staff, employees, and guests. First, let me say thank you for allowing me this opportunity to speak. On the morning of Thursday, September 17, the campus of Virginia Randolph is hosting 100 Men Day. This event is a recreation of former principal Jesse Casey and his trusted staffer Jesse Milner's vision.

[00:35:38] The mission is to engage male students in meaningful connections and conversations with men who can listen to young men's wishes, hopes, and needs as they may be willing to share. Your participation feedback will be tremendously helpful in our efforts to identify and recruit resources that will help meet the needs of Virginia Randolph students.

[00:36:01] We are excited St. Peter Baptist Church, Jesse's home church when he served as Virginia Randolph principal, is once again on board. we also feel blessed to have the support of another former AVR principal, Dr. Bill Parker, who organizes annual college and career workforce fairs hosted at St. Paul Baptist Church. Our goal is to include these young men, receiving meaningful voices in their lives that can provide guidance, opinions, and feedback toward academic and workforce development opportunities. To men of

[00:36:35] faith, please help us make sure that Allah, Elohim, Yahweh, and the Holy Trinity are in the room. The exact modern word mentorship does not appear in scripture. The Bible heavily endorses the concept through discipleship, wisdom sharing, and general teaching. God designs spiritual growth to happen in community where mature believers guide, train, and set godly examples for younger ones.

[00:37:04] Older believers are called to invest in the next generation, so spiritual truth continues. The Quran also does not use the word mentorship, but it strongly endorses the concept through the pursuit of beneficial knowledge, humility, and learning in seeking guidance from those with greater wisdom.

[00:37:26] Any man willing to donate 90 minutes of their time to help us build bridges in these young men's lives would be an absolute blessing. If you're interested to support our efforts, please go to the campus of Virginia Randolph website and register.

[00:37:42] We need you. Ladies, on October 20th is 100 Women Day. The announcement for registration will take place approximately September 20th. Thank you all in advance for this consideration. Thank you, speaker number three.

[00:37:59] Speaker number four.

[00:38:10] Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the board. My name is Aaron Billings. I have students at Ruby Carver Elementary and at Cuyahousin Middle School. You mentioned comments on the staggered start for what it may be worth. I think that went very well. I thought that was a great idea.

[00:38:27] It's a good thing to give the newer students a little chance to get acclimated to a new event, right? New school, new grades, things like that. So that's great. I'm encouraged by Dr. Cashwell's comments about the HVAC situation. I did come here in large part this evening intending to speak on that.

[00:38:44] I find that it is a foreseeable problem. I'm glad we're working on it now. It wasn't a new problem. It wasn't unknown last spring when school let out. It should have been known over the summer that the air conditioning did not work in multiple rooms. I wonder why nothing was done before, but I am glad something's being done now.

[00:39:07] I would encourage the members of the board to consider ahead what the winter will bring, even though it is hot now, and it may seem silly to consider cold weather when the forecast is 97 next week. We all know cold temperatures are coming and I wonder will the heat work when we need it. We had reports last year of teachers conducting class in winter parkas wearing heavy winter clothing both teachers and students. So while we're investigating the AC I would encourage checking on the heat as well. Very important obviously to have that function. On a separate topic I would just echo other comments by other speakers here to ask the board to consider how

[00:39:47] the use of screens and technology might be reined in a little bit in instruction. I am one of the parents that spends a lot of time helping my children with their homework, help my son study every night. I genuinely love education. I love history. I love science. I'm a math nerd. Enjoy all of those things. When I sit down with my son to attempt to understand the learning materials that he's been provided, it's very often disorganized printouts and handouts with various things. It It takes some time to sort through it and understand it.

[00:40:20] That may be a consequence of his 12-year-old organizational skills, I freely admit. But I would ask the board to consider the value of what textbooks brought to education many, many years ago when I was in school. It was extremely helpful, I found, to have a constant, reliable resource that was organized, known, and had good information in it.

[00:40:43] had great value and I would ask the board to consider how screen use and screen time might be reduced in the future. I thank you very much for the time this evening. Have a good evening. Thank you speaker number four. Speaker number five. Hi my name is Jennifer Lieberman and while I'm not a parent I am a concerned citizen from the Tucko District. This speech is titled an embargo on the tears of joy by those entangled in a web of shadows and the topic is trees. By now some of

[00:41:23] of you may know who I am as I've enumerated my ideological perspective within the chamber of the primary government a few dozen times over the course of the past year but to termize my view here is a quote by Alan Watson and something I came up with we do not come into this world we come out of it as leaves from a tree as the ocean waves universe peoples every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature a unique action of the total universe. When we look at ourselves, we must look into our inner self and

[00:41:58] ponder on the idea of our appetite for destruction and what that means for our community. We must look at our interdependence with the antiquated views of expansionism as a virtue for what it means to be an animal. To connect our childhood state with a perpetual lust for suffering, is it just to quantify that that as purpose? If we are to act as a moral arbiter on this land, do we seize our consciousness to quell the desires of instinctual barbarism? Anyhow, I've been quite perplexed as to why one would value an intergenerational

[00:42:37] connection less than the words of greedy developers that just want to cut costs. I, for one, am appalled at the foundational belief that an oil-laced parking lot is more important than a tree that has touched the hearts of five generations. To argue that the tree may not be here in 50 years is a reason to justify cutting it down today is preposterous. And with the birth rate falling, is this, is R.C. Lungen Elementary School even going to be here in, or is the R.C. Lungen Elementary School even going to be used in 30 years?

[00:43:12] This even begs to ask, are we even going to be here when the time comes to mark this school has expired. Lastly, I'll end with this along with a question. Are we falling into a false inherent belief of deception or are we acting with such a strong malice towards ourselves that we delve into a bout of spiteful ignorance that perpetuates harm to our community? My question is, why are we teaching our children that it is okay to subvert our ability to think outside of the box by using a cut-and-paste approach to solve complicated problems because I thought

[00:43:48] the purpose of primary school was to help children explore and grow their minds while cementing the building blocks that helps them be productive members of society and that this is clearly not that. Thank you speaker number five and thank you to all of our speakers who came out tonight and for your attendance and your participation in this public process. Colleagues we will now move on to the approval of consent items. Are there any requests from school board members

[00:44:21] that an item be separated for school board discussion or individual action? I would just like to take the privilege to note item 7.06, which is the award of construction contract for chiller replacement at Shorepump Elementary School. When we as a board said that we are committed to getting this right, this is proof that we're going to be purchasing a new chiller for Shorpombe Elementary School with a cost of $860,000.

[00:44:51] These things are not cheap, they're extremely large, but we are committed to getting this correct for the betterment of our students and our staff, so I just wanted to highlight that item. Hearing no other requests, do I have a motion to secure them as a block?

[00:45:06] I move that the school board accept, adopt, approve, and/or award item 7.01 through 7.10 on the consent agenda as presented. Thank you, Mr. Young. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Mrs. Atkins. All in favor, say aye. Aye.

[00:45:23] The ayes have it. Items 7.01 through 7.10 on the consent agenda are approved. Colleagues, we will now move on to unfinished business. Does anybody have any unfinished business? Hearing none, we will move on to new business. Colleagues, do we have any new business? I have new business. Cardiac emergencies can happen anywhere at any time, and being prepared could the difference between life and death. Schools across Henrico have worked diligently towards the goal of becoming fully prepared to respond to these emergencies. These efforts by school

[00:46:01] nurses, administrators, and staff members have resulted in Project ADAM heart-safe school designations at every HCPS elementary, middle, and high school throughout the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU. This makes Henrico County Public Schools the largest school division and the state to fully meet Project ADAM's rigorous benchmarks for cardiac emergency.

[00:46:25] Project ADAM: Automated Debilitators in ADAM's Memory is a national non-profit committed to saving lives through advocacy, education, preparedness, and collaboration. HeartSafe designation schools meet standards set in a checklist by Project ADAM, which include, but are not limited to, readily available automated external defibrillators, AEDs, which with clear signage a designated cardiac emergency response team regular cardiac emergency

[00:46:56] training for staff and identified cpr add site coordinator a written cardiac response plan practiced through drills and collaboration with local emergency medical services and first responders the children's hospital of richmond at vcu became the first and only project adam affiliate in Virginia in 2022 and has guided schools on proper training and equipment in the event of cardiac arrest on school campuses. Dr. John R. Phillips, MD, is a pediatric cardiologist

[00:47:32] and electrophysiologist at the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU. Dr. Phillips serves as the medical director of Virginia affiliate at Project Atom. HCPS is the largest school division in the state to be fully meet Project Adams' rigorous benchmarks. Will the school nurses who are present

[00:47:53] please stand up to be recognized? Thank you for all that you do for our students and staff and our communities. We will now move on to the announcement of meeting dates. The school board's next meeting will be a work session on Thursday, September 10th, 2026 at 3 p.m. The meeting time

[00:48:32] may be adjusted as needed. This meeting is adjourned.

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