Coraggio Consulting
Loudoun County School Board, 2nd Tuesday School Board Meeting (Rescheduled due to inclement weather), Thursday, February 13, 2025

Date: Thursday, February 13, 2025
Place: Loudoun County Public Schools / School Board meeting (see BoardDocs / LCPS-TV)
Length: 6h 17m (video)
Official meeting video (Vimeo / LCPS-TV): https://player.vimeo.com/video/1053570466?rel=0
BoardDocs (School Board): https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/loudoun/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DCVPRE65DD8B

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 2026-10-11. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:18] - Good afternoon, I call to order this February 13th, 2025 Loudoun County School Board meeting. We'll start with disclosures and I will start. As a member of the Loudoun County School Board, I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees.

[00:00:46] Specifically as a school board member, I am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected, of which I am included.

[00:01:03] I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Ms. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair. As a member of the Loudoun County School Board, make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for lcps employees specifically as a school board member i am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an lcps

[00:01:38] employee these benefits however affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected of which i am included i can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest this disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years thank you miss chandler mrs griffiths thank you madam chair as a member of the loudon county school board i make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that

[00:02:14] may include or affect benefits for lcps employees specifically as a school board member i am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits benefits as an LCPS employee these benefits however affect thousands of employees will in excess of statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected of which I am I am included I can and will participate fairly protective objectively excuse me and in the public interest this disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years thank you thank you mrs. Griffiths ms. LaBelle as a member of the Loudoun County School Board I make the following disclosure to the school board and to

[00:02:54] the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and/or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees specifically as a school board member I am eligible to receive health insurance related benefits as an LCPS employee these benefits however affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interest may also be affected of which I am included I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest this disclosure will be reflected in the public records of

[00:03:31] the clerk of the school board for five years thank you madam chair thank you miss LaBelle miss Chernoff thank you madam chair as a member of the Loudoun County School Board I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and/or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees. Specifically, as allowed as a school board member, I am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees while in the excess of the statutory three employees whose interest may also be affected, of which I am included. I can and will participate

[00:04:10] fairly objectively and in the public interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Thank you, Ms. Chernoff. And we will move on to item three, approval of the consent agenda. Board members, do you have anything, are there any changes to be made to the consent agenda?

[00:04:29] Seeing none. Before we vote on the consent agenda, we will have one proclamation to read. Our proclamation recognizes February as Black History Month and will be read by Dr. Rasheed. Thank you, Chair. Whereas Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a noted black scholar born in Virginia and the son of enslaved parents initiated Negro History Week on February 12, 1926, and whereas the celebration of black history expanded from one week in February to Black History Month in 1976, and whereas during Black History Month we recognize and celebrate the contributions, influence, and spirit that black African

[00:05:08] Americans have demonstrated since the inception of our country, and whereas, especially during Black History Month, we acknowledge and highlight the many achievements and profound contributions made by black African Americans to the economic, cultural, spiritual, educational, and political development of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the entire United States. And whereas 7.4 percent of enrolled Loudoun County Public Schools students are black African American and 6.7 percent of the LCPS workforce has self-identified as black African American, and whereas 97% of black African American students graduated on time from LCPS

[00:05:46] in 2024, compared to 90% of all black African American students in the state of Virginia in the same year. And whereas Loudoun County Public Schools has adopted a commitment to equity to ensure student growth and success for every child, create culturally responsive environments where all students see themselves represented, foster a sense of belonging, eliminate opportunity gaps and increase division-wide efforts in diverse recruitment, hiring, and retention.

[00:06:16] And whereas the school division continues to collaborate and partner with various community-based individuals and organizations to further its efforts in forming strong relationships in a culturally sensitive, responsive, and appropriate manner. And whereas the Loudoun County School Board continues to operate with the equity committee composed of various invested parties from Loudoun Community to demonstrate its commitment to closing opportunity gaps for all students and creating an educational environment where all students can benefit from high-quality, rigorous educational programs.

[00:06:52] And whereas, during Black History Month, we focus on the critical role of education in the history and advancement of black African Americans. Now, therefore, we, the Loudoun County School Board, do hereby proclaim February 1st through February 28th of 2025 as Black History Month in Loudoun County Public Schools, be it further resolved that the Loudoun County School Board strongly encourages our staff and community to observe, recognize, and celebrate the culture, heritage, and contributions of black African Americans to our country, the Commonwealth of Virginia, our beautifully diverse county, and our schools.

[00:07:29] not only during Black History Month, but throughout the entire school year. In witness wear of the Loudoun County School Board issues this proclamation to honor and recognize the contributions of black Americans whose impact is evidenced both nationally and globally.

[00:07:44] Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Dr. Rasheed. I will now entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda. Motion to approve the consent agenda. I have a motion by Ms. Chernoff. Is there a second? Second.

[00:08:00] I have a second by Dr. Rasheed. it's been properly moved and seconded to approve the consent agenda at this time we will go ahead and vote to approve the consent agenda clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote and that motion passes six uh with uh mrs griffiths in abstention and miss donahue chair vice chair donahue and mr estruffy absent for the

[00:08:34] vote all right seeing that we will move on to the advisory committee update with the loud and education alliance of families presented by sherry colby leaf chair and hold on can you hear me okay okay it's on now we all right all right good evening chair mansfield uh school board members dr spence lcps staff and members of the community i am sherry colby chair of the loud education

[00:09:14] alliance of families also known as leaf i represent sickland creek elementary in the Central Loudoun District and have been involved with LEAF for three years, serving as the Alliance's chair for the past two years. This evening, I'm pleased to share LEAF's Alliance update for the 2024-2025 school year.

[00:09:32] Next slide, please. LEAF's purpose is to empower and inform parent leaders of students within LCPS per the LEAF charter bylaws. LEAF Alliance members as liaisons help to connect their communities to the school board and the division.

[00:09:48] Our representatives from schools throughout our division participate with the goal of supporting LEAF's two-way communication approach. This model allows parents and educators to work together to review challenges, explore options, and provide feedback to those making decisions in the best interest of LCPS's youth. Next slide please. As we enter year three of LEAF, we have representation from 56 of LCPS's 100 schools, including instructional centers. This year's schedule has just passed its halfway mark with five of eight meetings completed. All meetings

[00:10:26] continue to follow LEAF-led agendas. These agendas are created with the membership voice at the forefront, a collaborative approach to meeting planning shaped by our shared input, feedback, and discussions among Alliance members. This purpose ensures that our agendas reflect the diverse perspectives, priorities, and evolving needs of the group, fostering meaningful conversations and productive outcomes that align with the committee's goals.

[00:10:50] Next slide, please. We continue to follow an established communication cadence that supports reminders and feedback opportunities. We have meeting reminders sent three to five business days before the meeting. Our agenda is posted two business days before the meeting, and we provide a meeting summary five to seven days after the meeting.

[00:11:12] Since we focus on two-way communication between the division, the alliance, and members' prospective communities, LEAF's leadership values feedback as a key component of our communication loop, which includes policy reviews. Next slide, please. Understanding that each year varies, especially with policy review cycles, I am happy to share that 28 policies have been shared with LEAF members for feedback. In fact, several policies have been reviewed directly during meetings, allowing for real-time feedback to be submitted. This has enhanced engagement and

[00:11:46] ensure that member voices are actively considered in policy discussions. Next slide, please. As with the development of many committees, initiatives, and projects, I am proud of the evolution and progress the Alliance has made over this last year. This year's leadership includes an almost fully volunteer board. Vice Chair of Planning is Karen Miller, Vice Chair of Membership is Bradley McKinney, and the Vice Chair of Communications is Dimitri Briskin. Our goal next year is to have an Alliance member take over the secretary position, which has been supported by LCPS staff up to this

[00:12:21] date. Next slide, please. Now that we have entered the second half of the school year, the 2025-2026 membership drive will begin soon. LEAF leadership and staff will start reaching out to schools in March for member participation and will continue efforts to achieve 100% representation from schools. We review and adjust our outreach each year since our recruitment cycle differs from other committees. Our committee meets and supports schools according to the school calendar, August through June. Principals nominate a school representative with the endorsement of the

[00:12:57] parent organization where they exist. Then the names are shared with the school board for approval. This timeline is driven by LEAF's bylaws, which makes early recruitment essential before parent organizations have their final meetings in May. Next slide, please. There are several exciting updates to share, including the continuation of the collaborative conversations portion of our agendas, which we introduced last year, the implementation of direct feedback with policies, the development of working agreements, the inclusion of call to action goals as next steps

[00:13:32] before meeting adjournment. Each of these additions aligns with LEAF's practices with other advisory groups, enhancing our effectiveness and impact. Next slide, please. Our collaborative collaborative conversation agenda item and protocol is a structured framework designed to guide our group discussions in a way that promotes meaningful, inclusive, and productive dialogue.

[00:13:55] This approach ensures that all participants have a voice, discussions stay focused, and goals are met. It encourages thoughtful reflection, active listening, and constructive feedback. Each meeting features two to three guest speakers who share valuable, relevant insights from across the division. Topics are identified based on feedback from our membership, ensuring discussions remain timely and relevant. In fact, during our most recent meeting, we provided another opportunity for representatives to suggest new topics. We recognize that priorities shift throughout the year, which is why leadership actively seeks input to reflect the evolving needs and interests

[00:14:33] of our communities. Next slide, please. A standing part of our collaborative conversations rotation includes a focus on direct feedback with policies led by our dedicated school board member representative Lauren Chernoff. This rotation provides an opportunity to review both general and specific policies depending on the cycle. We heard from members that understanding policy language was a challenge. Many weren't sure what to look for, what questions to ask, or how to provide meaningful feedback. This rotation addresses those concerns directly. Lauren breaks down key

[00:15:09] components helping members connect with the what and why behind the policies. What's been especially impactful is the real-time feedback process. As policies are discussed, members can submit their thoughts through a feedback form, ensuring their voices are heard immediately. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Next slide please. Our alliance has grown in fostering collaboration, evolving from basic meeting norms to more intentional working agreements. This shift was supported by the implementation of an interactive process facilitated by renee dawson the director of family and community engagement also known as

[00:15:47] face it was a natural time to introduce miss dawson and the work of face to leaf members as the acronym suggests our leaf members are representing their schools in essence they are the face of their communities while serving leaf and its mission both during meetings and in conveying the information gathered and shared over the course of two meetings we explore the purpose and role of working agreements gathered member insights to shape the agreements and reviewed and refined drafts based on collaborative feedback the working agreements as seen here are now shared at

[00:16:22] the start of each meeting serving as a living guide to support respectful focus and effective discussions next slide please to strengthen connections between meetings we've introduced call to action goals as next steps these are small yet meaningful to do's design help members actively engage with their schools administrators and PTAs PTOs recognizing the diversity of our group we found that awareness and confidence and two-way communication varied by implementing these goals we encourage members to share key meeting takeaways coach members and gathering feedback and

[00:16:58] community insights and foster stronger connections within school communities these actionable steps keep communication lines open ensuring our work remains responsive to the voices we represent. Next slide, please. During each meeting, members receive materials with related links, flyers, and key information to share with their communities.

[00:17:19] For example, in our last meeting, we highlighted important spring dates for high school athletics, a flyer and reminder about a free webinar with LCPS athletic trainers and Inova concussion experts, free online family academy workshops, and links to budget presentations.

[00:17:37] To support continued engagement, members receive a recap email within 36 to 48 hours after each meeting. This recap outlines key points, important links, and contacts. Members have found this especially valuable, as notes that seem clear during meetings can raise questions when reviewed later.

[00:17:54] The recap helps bridge that gap. Next slide, please. In closing, as chair, I'm pleased to be a part of Lee's continued development and contributions as an established parent voice within LCPS. Moving a large group forward is always a work in progress.

[00:18:11] In addition, an essential element of moving a group forward in a positive and productive manner is trust, which is built through courtesy, kindness, honesty, and the habit of commitments. And this is why LEAF leadership has been intentional about asking for feedback, adjusting agendas to meet group needs, and communicating regularly with members.

[00:18:31] We will continue to do so moving forward. Thank you for the opportunity to share our LEAF update. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you, Ms. Colby. I was wondering, do you guys collaborate with MSAC or SEAC at all?

[00:18:47] That's an excellent question. I actually have had contact with MSAC and SEAC, and we are planning to try to meet as committee chairs and see where some of our work may overlap and we could work together. So that's something that we're working for in the future. I mean, one thing that SEAC and MSAC really, in particular SEAC as well, is that policy.

[00:19:06] Right. Looking at those policies and providing feedback. And that's, you know, that might be somewhere that you guys can come together and training or whatever. Yeah, absolutely. And we are really grateful to Lauren because she has really helped us break down what the policy looks like.

[00:19:23] Our members were really struggling with. They're looking at the policy and not understanding, well, what type of feedback should we be giving? And so moving to that collaborative conversation framework and having that policy rotation and Lauren there has really helped our members understand what the policy looks like, what type of feedback to give.

[00:19:42] So we're really grateful for her time and dedication to our group, as well as the LCPS staff that I work with, Joan and Christina and Kim and Renee. It really is a collaborative effort. I'd say with LCPS staff, our members, my committee, and then with Ms. Chernoff.

[00:19:58] And I think that's the only way you can work collaboratively to move forward with this work. So I'm really pleased with what direction we're moving into. Thank you. Any other discussion or talk? Yes, Ms. Chernoff. Thank you for your kind remarks.

[00:20:15] The feeling is mutual. It's one of my favorite evenings of the month. This hard work, even since the last time you updated us, I feel like has shifted into a really safe trust space. When we slide into these meetings, there's no real pretense or breaking down of walls.

[00:20:31] We've gotten very much comfortable with the process, and people know what to expect, and they're very open. And we've had some tough conversations within the policy. It's tough for the LEAF to really come with a suggestion from the whole group because it's so representative of diverse opinions.

[00:20:48] but we really have been able to ask those tough questions and it's been in my opinion really enlightening to learn what people are interested in and what's driving their thinking about policy and Sherry's leadership is just absolutely top-notch and she teaches here too in Leighton County Public Schools so no surprise there that she's excellent thank you thank you any other comments thank you so much thank you appreciate the opportunity all right with that we will move on to item 5 our work session Department of Business and Financial

[00:21:26] Services FY 25 second quarter financial review by Miss Sharon Willoughby our chief financial officer you know miss Willoughby can we wait a second and have mr. Struffy do his disclosure thanks as a member of the Loudoun County School Board I make the following disclosure the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees. Specifically as a school board member, I'm eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. These benefits, however, affect

[00:22:04] thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interest may also be affected, of which I am included. I can and will participate fairly objectively in the public interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Thank you, Ms. Treffy. Now, Ms. Willoughby, It's all yours. Thank you. So I'm here this afternoon to present the second quarter financial review of our funds. The full financial report is available in board docs, and I will present the highlights with a focus on the changes from the first quarter projection that was presented

[00:22:38] in the fall. Starting with our school operating fund, while revenues are still falling short of the budget, there has been improvement from the first quarter as a result of more favorable sales tax collections. Overall, the projected revenues are projected to fall short of the budget by $2.4 million, but is still an improvement from last quarter's $5.7 million projected shortfall. Expenses are projecting a surplus of $38.3 million, and that is primarily from personnel savings and is the same from last quarter's projection. This results in a fund

[00:23:15] balance projection of $23.9 million after deducting the $12 million for carryover into FY26 that was approved as part of the FY26 budget. The fund balance though is already changed from the school board action last Tuesday when the school board moved about $500,000 from the FY26 budget to FY25 year-end funding as part of the balancing and adopting of the FY26 budget.

[00:23:39] So technically we're closer to about a fund balance of $23.5 million. Typically around this time we start thinking about our year-end funding requests, however we will not do that this year for two reasons. First, with the uncertainty about our federal revenue streams, we want to ensure that there is no disruption to services for our students, so we want to hold our fund balance in reserve just in case any of our federal funding streams was interrupted as this reserve would offset any lost federal funding. Again, there is a lot of

[00:24:14] uncertainty of what any impact could be, and we are just being fiscally cautious to ensure our operations are covered. Secondly as described in the financial report we are allowed to transfer year-end funds to our health self-insurance fund similar to what we did last year to help shore up the health fund and that is our intention again this year. I'll go into more detail here shortly on the health self-insurance fund and why this is needed. Moving to our school nutrition fund the school nutrition fund is also showing improvement when compared to the first quarter

[00:24:51] projections with revenues and improving by about three and a half million dollars this is the result of increased meal participation where we are seeing modest increases occur month over month on the expense side we see changes within specific line items but overall the total expenses remain nearly the same as the first quarter this results in an improved fund balance of 18.4 million last quarter we were projecting 14.9 this is a positive improvement but the school nutrition program is still running a net loss and relies on fund balance to offset revenue shortfalls. We continue

[00:25:28] to review ways to increase revenues and decrease costs as part of the management of the school nutrition program. Three of our self-insurance funds, the workers comp fund, the short-term disability fund, and the Virginia local disability program fund are relatively stable with minimal changes from the first quarter projection. Costs continue to be in line with budget expectations and all three funds are projected to maintain its two-month minimum reserve balance.

[00:26:00] So now our health self-insurance fund. Last quarter, I shared concerns about the challenges facing our health self-insurance fund, and as we progress through the fiscal year, costs are continuing to rise, further straining this fund's financial position. While revenues remain largely in line with budget projections, claims costs continue to outpace them significantly.

[00:26:21] Pharmacy claims in particular have had a substantial impact with our overall claims projection increasing by an additional $6 million just from the first quarter. To help control these rising costs, we recently issued a pharmacy RFP aimed at achieving more effective cost management plan for both employees and LCPS as the insurer. As a result of these escalating costs, the fund balance is now projected to go negative by $933,000.

[00:26:50] As I noted during the school operating fund portion, we plan to transfer funds from the school operating fund to the health self-insurance fund to cover this shortfall and maintain a positive fund balance. However, these transfers are only temporary fixes, underscoring the need for long-term strategies to increase revenues and reduce expenditures.

[00:27:13] Key efforts include the pharmacy RFP I mentioned and the recently approved 12% premium increase that was part of the FY26 budget. Additionally, the proposed changes to the retiree health benefit to help control costs while preserving choice for retirees would be another strategy that we will discuss in more detail and seek school board approval at a work session next month.

[00:27:35] Managing a self-insured health benefit program for over 13,000 active and retired employees requires balancing comprehensive coverage with financial sustainability. This will be an important consideration as we discuss retiree health benefits during this March work session.

[00:27:56] Next, we have our capital funds. The first fund, again, is the Capital Asset Preservation Program Fund that holds funding from the county to address major maintenance and system replacement projects that exceed the value of $10,000 and have an expected lifespan of over 10 years.

[00:28:16] The CAP funding is flexible to allow staff the ability to manage emergencies and other high-priority needs. You will see in the report that the costs are categorized by work type, such as HVAC, plumbing, and electrical. And when compared to the first quarter report, there are some fluctuations of spending projections between these categories.

[00:28:35] However, all funds are projected to remain fully spent. Any surpluses that may occur in one area will provide funding for areas that are projected to have a shortfall.

[00:28:44] The other capital fund is the capital improvement program fund that accounts for the expenses related to construction and renovation of facilities land acquisition bus purchases and certain renovations the expenses and the report are by capital spending categories such as construction contract and land acquisition as I'm sorry we are projecting a cost overrun in this fund by about 42. 7 million dollars and this was part of the school board's request of county year end funds that the county approved on January 7th.

[00:29:19] So we will see, I think we've actually already received the $42.7 million, but since the second quarter projection is for activity through December 7th, that has not been reflected in the report. Once that additional appropriation is reflected, then that will clear the deficit that is being projected.

[00:29:38] And with that, that concludes the second quarter financial review presentation, and I'd be happy to take any questions. Thank you, Ms. Willoughby. Board members, do you have any questions? Okay, seeing none. Looking forward to that work session in March.

[00:29:57] We'll move on to 5.02, Department of Academics Program Evaluation Update, presented by Dr. Ryan Tyler, Director of Research, Assessment, and School Improvement, and Dr. Blakelock, Supervisor of Research and Evaluation.

[00:30:15] Oh, and Dr. Ellis. Thank you, Chair Mansfield. Good evening, board members. This evening, I am joined by Dr. Tyler and Dr. Blakelock, who were just introduced, we are going to walk you through the program evaluation process aligned to policy 3310. Most of the detailed conversations moving forward after this evening will happen in the Performance Monitoring Committee before summaries and full evaluation

[00:30:53] reports are provided to the full board and the public. So I'll turn it over to Dr. Tyler. Thank you, Dr. Ellis. So today we will be discussing continuous improvement as a core value of 1LCPS and how it's informed in the program evaluation work. We will be taking a kind of a three-year view of the program evaluation work, looking at some of the programs that were the topics of our focus for last year, including a highlight on one of the programs. There are programs currently in the schedule for this year, and there will be highlights of those, and the introduction of proposed topics for next year, according to Policy 3310, a discussion between

[00:31:33] the superintendent and the board. So I will hand it over to Dr. Blakelock to take us through continuous improvement and the role that it plays our program evaluation and some of the programs that have been our focus the last couple of years. Thank you, Dr. Tyler. Our approach to program evaluation is rooted in the 1LCPS 2027 strategic plan for excellence core value of continuous improvement. We encourage programs to engage in continuous improvement both to ensure the program is being implemented with fidelity, and that the program is achieving the results for which it is designed.

[00:32:07] Continuous improvement is a cyclical process that follows the Plan, Do, Study, Act, or PDSA process. During the planning phase, program staff engage in the design at the beginning of the program or modification of a program that already exists. This includes identifying the data that will be collected to measure the success of the program.

[00:32:26] The Do phase consists of implementing the program. The data that was collected is reviewed during the study to determine how well the program produced the desired outcomes, And the ACT phase consists of reflecting on the program and the outcomes to then inform the planning phase of the next cycle.

[00:32:42] So it's a circle, keeps on going around and around. So looking at a couple of the pieces that we have here, one of the research office's goals has been to use program evaluation to help create a culture of continuous improvement. In addition to the programs that have been on the schedule, we have had staff from other programs approach us to create a program evaluation design.

[00:33:05] We've also helped new programs develop evaluation designs during their planning phase. We take a collaborative approach to program evaluations so that the evaluation is done with, as opposed to being done to, program staff. This helps program staff understand how the program evaluation aligns with continuous improvement.

[00:33:24] The research office supports program evaluations by providing technical expertise. We walk program staff through the process of developing the logic model, creating the evaluation design, and collecting and analyzing data. We also serve as a project management function to make sure that everything stays on time and is moving forward.

[00:33:45] The role the program sponsors to serve is the subject matter expert. They provide the content for the logic model and the evaluation design in response to guiding questions from the research office staff. So the way these meetings typically look is we will look at a portion of the logic model, say, ask some guiding questions, give some homework, and then we come back together and we go through this process a few times until we have the logic model and the evaluation design.

[00:34:10] So, oh, sorry, apologies, I jumped ahead too fast. So I'm now going to turn it back to Dr. Ellis for a moment to talk about the role of the school board and the performance monitoring committee. Yes, so very briefly, as I mentioned, the bulk of these conversations are really going to happen with the performance monitoring committee as they monitor data division-wide.

[00:34:32] They will help staff determine the programs to be evaluated, and then we will bring summaries to the full school board in the future. So this is a relatively new process. The policy is relatively new. And so we hope to develop a regular cadence of these discussions in PMC and then reports to the full school board.

[00:34:54] And then additionally, I will say that all of the program evaluations will be posted publicly on the research website for anyone to view. Thank you, Dr. Ellis.

[00:35:12] There we go. There are four phases to a program evaluation. First one is to develop a logic model, and this helps program staff define the program. It helps them identify the connections between the needs the program is serving, the goals of the program, the activities the program engages in to meet those goals, and the outcomes these activities will yield.

[00:35:34] We look for a through line for these concepts to make sure everything is connected for each of the goals of the program. So when we think about that in terms of the PDSA process, the... Goals and needs piece is going to be the planning phase and the activities is going to be the do phase.

[00:35:51] Looking at the data from the outcomes is going to be the study phase. The evaluation design is informed by the logic model. So that includes research questions, what is needed to collect data on the research questions, who's responsible collecting the data, and the research office will work with program staff to develop data collection tools to make sure that the data is coming in on an ongoing basis.

[00:36:13] Once the evaluation design is collected the data is collected until the end of the school year and we analyze it over the summer so looking again more the study saw part of the set and then reports are written during this late summer early fall that allows for that reflection that you would see in the act and then again back into the planning side of it with the PDSA so when the report is done we take a look at all the data we analyze it we usually put it into some kind of graphical or chart format and provide some conclusions the we share it with the program sponsor and

[00:36:48] program staff or the subject matter experts, and it is their role at that point to take a look at the conclusions, take a look at the results, and develop some recommendations for the program for what a path forward for that program could look like based on whether it's a fidelity issue, whether it's an outcomes issue. We then present the reports to the PMC and the full board. We also, as Dr. Ellis said, post them on the research office website. So right here we have the programs that we did last year.

[00:37:22] As you can see, all of them have been published except for the alternative education program. That program just started this year. We have the evaluation designed for it, so we'll have data available for that one in the summer. The ones that are published, they are up on the website as well so that they can be viewed by anyone who would like to see how those programs performed, as well as the outcomes and the recommendations that program staff have made.

[00:37:51] So we're going to go into the professional learning one, little bit is just kind of an example of some of the structure of the reports so these reports the over the full reports include several sections it includes a description of the program the research questions the results from the data collection the conclusions and the recommendations so this slide right here shows the research questions for the professional learning program that we came up with at the beginning of last school year to study over the course of the school year the next slide shows the conclusions and we frame this in terms of both strengths and opportunities for improvement.

[00:38:29] We want to have a nice balanced approach to what that report looks like and how we've looked at the data. And so you'll kind of see a balance of both of those factors here inside of the conclusions here. And then we go to the recommendations.

[00:38:47] So these were the recommendations that were developed by the Professional Learning Office. So the report summary that is in the board packet provides more detail about these recommendations. But I do want to call attention to that last bullet, which is evaluation and adjust. This speaks to the program's engagement in the PDSA continuous improvement process because they're going to look at how they've done this year and kind of adjust as necessary.

[00:39:15] So for the programs that we have for this year, as you can see, most of them are in the data collection phase. We moved through the logic model and evaluation design to get them there. So we have those research questions as well. And I will turn it over to Dr. Tyler about the programs that are potentially slated for next year.

[00:39:34] Thank you, Dr. Blake-Lock. So that's taking you through the first two years of The View, looking at the programs that are on the schedule for last year, the ones that we will be reporting out on later this year on this year's schedule. About a year and a half ago, the previous board and staff had identified tentative topics.

[00:39:53] So what you see on this slide are topics from about a year and a half ago. And the staff now and the leadership will bring these forward as potential topics moving forward for 25-26. So Dr. Ellis is going to take us through more of an explanation of the different roles if needed as far as the role of school board versus the PMC.

[00:40:14] Thanks, Dr. Tyler. So we are happy to address any questions that you might have around the program evaluation process and certainly open to feedback. We will then share the program evaluation reports that were on a previous slide with the Performance Monitoring Committee.

[00:40:33] They already have a very full schedule, so we will try to squeeze in, working with Chair Estreffi of that committee, squeeze in those program evaluation reports as quickly as we can. We'll also have a conversation with PMC to finalize the final topics that are on slide 13.

[00:40:53] We'll get their feedback to see if there are any topics that we might be missing and have a conversation about moving forward. And then we will start the program assessment process. And by assessment, we mean that Dr. Blakelock and his team work with the program experts or the program sponsors to determine if the program is appropriate for evaluation.

[00:41:17] So, for example, if a new program is being implemented, year one is probably not an appropriate time to do an evaluation. And so we would have that discussion with the program sponsor and slate it for coming years. On the other hand, if there is a question that keeps coming up by board members or members of the public about another program, it may be time to evaluate a program that hasn't been evaluated or looked at in quite some time.

[00:41:44] And so we'll have that conversation with the Performance Monitoring Committee and keep the board updated as we proceed. And so with that, I will turn it back over to you, Chair Mansfield. Thanks very much. Thanks, y'all, for your presentation. I'm wondering if we do any curriculum review as a program.

[00:42:07] So thank you for that question. And we have recently done a curriculum audit. The Department of Teaching and Learning just completed a curriculum audit and is working through the recommendations of that audit. And actually, we do plan to bring that topic to you in, I think, maybe even the next, Dr. Spence, correct me if I'm wrong, the next work session, an overview of that curriculum audit.

[00:42:33] We do not typically review curriculum as a program, but doing the audit is a very important thing for us to do. I would just be interested in how N2 reading is coming along. Board members, any other questions, discussions, thoughts, nothing?

[00:42:55] Thank you so much. And with that, we will move on to Department of Support Services, Energy, and Sustainability Update, presented by Mr. Kevin Lewis, our Chief Operation Officer, and Clark Seift, is that correct?

[00:43:16] Director of Sustainability.

[00:43:38] Really quick, Dr. Ellis, Dr. Deans, I just wanted to, Dr. Deans asked me a question, and I just wanted to be sure the board knew, even though it goes through the Performance Monitoring Committee, will still be coming to the board afterwards correct is that correct yes ma'am and we'll talk with the performance monitoring committee about the level of detail that is appropriate and again everything will be posted on the website and open to feedback on what that looks like moving forward thank you

[00:44:07] thanks chair Mansfield members of the board we are thrilled tonight to be here to talk to you about our program our history of our program some of the successes we had over time and to talk to you a little bit more about the journey we've had so far and where we're headed with our history of sustainability which has largely been focused on energy management and energy conservation over the last couple of decades. So we want to talk about that and then I'll go through a few slides and Mrs. Seip will

[00:44:46] follow that up with some of the future with the sustainability things. You know as any other sustainability program we focus on the triple bottom line which has an economical function, an environmental function and also a social function we hope to touch on each of those tonight to let you know how we are making impacts and on on each of those areas as we make decisions every day and that's going to be important part of tonight's conversation is we do make decisions every day and we have a large group of people and you all each of you are a part of that process we make decisions on how we manage our energy how we do projects and systems how we do

[00:45:24] policies and procurement and so those things have an impact on our natural environment our built environment and believe it or not the instructional environment and that's one of the things we want to talk about tonight is our buildings do have a significant impact on the instructional environment we're going to share our history and some of the successes we've had over time mostly we want sorry lost my place there we want you to go beyond what we've done so far and and talk a little bit about and go into and help you understand the how and the why and then more importantly than that is help you join us with

[00:46:02] understanding of why it's important why the things we do in our energy program in our building programs why that's important not only to the school system and our built environment but to the system as a whole I know that we've had a number of questions it's Manfield Miss Griffith you will both ask questions during the CIP about energy projects mr. Streffi and I visited a few schools to talk and look and see how those systems and how they operate and how they can affect that. Mr. Chernoff had the pleasure in the last few weeks of visiting the school and dealing with a system failure and so and that's important because those decisions as we build our

[00:46:39] CIP every year we talk about making sure that we have a system in place at every one of our schools that keeps that environment true and the system that we had the problem with one of our schools is being replaced this summer and we almost made it and unfortunately it wasn't a catastrophic failure. It was a failure of the control system, which gave us some hassles to get figured out.

[00:47:00] But some of the folks that are on our team are really, really skilled at doing that. But that's an example of how we can infect that. And the better prepared we are, the more projects we do, the better we plan our CIP and our CAP, the more or I guess the less impact we have on the classroom environment. So we are obligated to manage these resources. We have limited amounts of money but we want to do that so we have the most impact on the class every day our team of architects and engineers and scientists and energy managers make decisions through our energy program

[00:47:35] and also through our capital program for to help us build that that sustainable future we need to be on that leading edge but not the bleeding edge so we need to be careful we need to make sure that we make decisions that are smart we have had people trying to sell us solar panels and ground source heat pumps for 25 years and it wasn't until the last couple of years that they were able to convince our team that they actually work and they actually are designed and do what they say they're going to do and not just what the brochure says. So those decisions were made over a long period of time with lots and lots of thought. So we do want to be mindful of spending

[00:48:13] money in the classroom and so we do have that impact on there and so as we talk through this you know just picture those students in there if they're in the classroom and they're thinking about how cold it is or how hot it is then they're not focused on what they're supposed to be there same with the staff so i do want to talk a little bit about our fantastic team that i have with me tonight so i've had some folks join me here at the table um right beside me you'll see you'll hear from clark sype here in a few minutes and beside her you have don trainer is our executive director of uh facilities operations bill woehead is our director of facilities and one of our newest and

[00:48:48] most shining stars. We have Miguel Salupe who is our energy supervisor who has been here for a very short time but made a fantastic impact on our program and help us understand how we use energy and how we manage energy. We also have Joe Pascarelli and Kathy Devins.

[00:49:04] Joe is our director of construction and Kathy is our architect who should be waving at you right now from the back of the room. They're here with us as well and are part of those decisions we make every day on our our program a lot for an introduction but I think it's important to get a good handle on all the things that we are looking towards doing so tonight we are going to be working on some significant educational processes for our our background and context you'll see here we've had a long history of energy as a energy management as I mentioned we've

[00:49:43] been benchmarking every kilowatt hour and every therm of gas that we use since 1993 and we have a great history of that and we've also been able to track our energy avoidance based on the things that we could do and the things that we are doing and so today we've received or we've avoided 130 million dollars worth of cost that's more than it cost us to build Watson Mountain Middle School so we have saved enough money to build an entire school and that's pretty significant over the life of the program we're perfectly aligned we believe with the one LCPS strategy and we also believe that tonight you're going to see

[00:50:19] and that we have built an entire program over the last couple years around the school board's resolution in 2020 on climate action for climate change and that was to have asked us to reduce the carbon footprint integrate mitigation strategies in our student learning and you'll hear lots about that in a few minutes from is the site and expand our environmental education also part of this. Our long-term obligation is, you know, continue to keep these projects with an eye towards our emerging technologies as things change every single day and how we can make

[00:50:54] things better through that. So I want to talk about our energy program and what an actual energy program is. So it's divided into certain programs, and these are the things that Mr. Woehead and Mr. Saloupe are engaged with all day, every single day. We are, and it's broken down to three categories you see their energy management and that is how we manage the energy that's delivered to our our campuses and how we how we bring that into our buildings and in our campuses and use that the facility efficient facility efficiency management is you know how we do energy efficient building and design and those things are all done with our design team

[00:51:33] as i mentioned mr pascarelli and miss devins are back there and that's their team that goes through those designs every day in addition to the projects that Mr. Woehead and Mr. Salupé do in our energy program and our CAP. The energy management project portion of that is how we track and improve how we use our energy each day. So to dig a little bit deeper on that, you'll see there each of those buckets are broken down a little bit more. And, you know, utility management, I don't know if any of you have trouble reading your electric bill at home and how complicated that can be with all the riders and the different disclaimers that go in there but we have 110 of those to do every month

[00:52:12] and so that's quite a process to go through and we have staff that takes care of that and makes sure we're not being charged things for things we haven't done the bills are in line and it's amazing how much money you can save just by watching your bill closely we also have a and i'm not going to touch on all of them but you know the delant demand load management program We are part of a program that sheds load every so often when things get really hot or really cold, and we just participate in that two days within the last couple weeks with the cold spell, and hopefully no one noticed that, but we set buildings back a few degrees in the building

[00:52:47] to be able to shed that load and help the energy companies manage through those high-demand times without any impact on the interior environment at all. We also have a significant program with our energy management system.

[00:53:03] So every space in our building is monitored for temperature and humidity, and in some cases, CO2 levels. And so that's done centrally by Mr. Salupe and his team. And then so we can see when there's a problem, and we can adjust to that as well.

[00:53:19] And so those are all done remotely. Energy management process itself, you know, you see many accolades and awards from our buildings for getting those Energy Star awards. And so that's where you start to see the students get involved in that and get excited about that.

[00:53:37] And so we'll talk more about that as we go on this evening. You see example that here where on, you know, the couple pictures of where we have our school environment put in, engaged in this process.

[00:53:53] You know, we have 82,000 students and 13,000 staff as they grow and thrive in our schools. our buildings are a big part of that and this is what happens in our schools every day and you see on the left there we have an energy star actually the left and the right are both energy star presentations there when they get their plaque after achieving that goal and sometimes that's as simple as turn the lights off when you leave the room helps us conserve that energy and that's how we get the students involved and the one in the middle is a solar presentation at cardinal Ridge Elementary School so more programs and more exposure to our students and our staff are allow them to be a part of our program and to help us move it

[00:54:33] forward comes in a lot of packages we created the advanced energy task force years ago and that's a group of folks mostly the ones you see here tonight and the rest of our design team that go through and look at how we can continue to save energy on all of our campuses and with all of our systems and over time we've changed the systems that we've designed and managed As I mentioned, we've been tracking it since 1993, so we have great data to be able to figure out where we have successes and where we need to have improvement on that.

[00:55:08] But midway down, you see that design to earn the Energy Star. And that's a really important thing that Ms. Devins and her team take into account, what it would take to earn an Energy Star so that our designs are done so that they actually meet those standards once the building is installed. And so it seems simple, but it's one of those things from a planning perspective that allows us to know that when we open the building, It's going to meet those standards and save the energy, we say.

[00:55:31] And most recently, we've started incorporating the leadership in energy and environmental design. Thanks to Dr. Spence and his leadership, we are participating in that process, which is a way that we can help show leadership in our community, but also with our students and staff in those buildings. Why is it important?

[00:55:49] That's a big part of why we're here tonight. We know that we need to provide that safe and learning environment for the students and for the staff. We know we need to save energy, but we also know that we need to be leading by example in our community to show the taxpayers that we are making good use of their dollars and we're not spending things that we don't need and that we are concentrating on the important things and keeping that environment safe and warm or cool, whichever the case may be, and showing those students how important that is.

[00:56:20] So we have some examples of some of those things, and it's sometimes hard to relate to some of these numbers, And those of you without an engineering background, but 7 megawatts, MW is megawatts. That's a whole lot of watts. And so we have solar arrays at 17 of our schools.

[00:56:40] These systems will pay for themselves. And I mentioned earlier about making decisions over a long period of time. We waited until that was true, no matter what they said in the brochures. We waited until we could prove that from an engineering perspective, that they really do pay for themselves in 20 years, and they have a life of 35 years.

[00:56:57] So from $21,000 to $35,000, that's all free money, as they say. We are guaranteed $660,000 in savings in avoided utility costs, and we're applying right now. We think we qualify for $1.2 million in tax credits, which would end up being a check to the county of Loudoun or the schools, however that works out.

[00:57:20] So that will result in real money coming back to our pocket and hopefully be able to put back into our program. So projects have a guaranteed lifetime savings that we've done so far of $20.9 million. And I may have mentioned, I don't think I did, but the program we're using right now with our energy service contracts provide us with a guaranteed savings.

[00:57:44] And so if we don't meet those savings, the contractor has to pay for those. And in this particular case, over the first year and a half or so of tracking that, they have actually exceeded their promise to us. And so those are, you'll see there, $377,000 in addition to all the others that we saved so far.

[00:58:01] So it's been an extremely successful program. You see there one bullet is we are producing enough energy right now to pay the electric bill for 10 of our elementary schools. So it's a significant contribution to our bottom line and to our carbon footprint.

[00:58:19] We have 44 schools with LED lighting throughout the interior. We have to replace lights anyway, so now we're replacing them at the end of their life with the new technology. And we were kind of surprised at how well they've been received with the interior environment.

[00:58:36] Everywhere we go, we hear about how the improvement of the space is and how much brighter it is and how much it has impacted that learning environment. We're hearing that right here in this building with work that we've done with those same lights. We continue to work on that with a focus on making sure that we can get in those classrooms and make that impact there with this new technology.

[00:59:00] And a lot of that work's done over the summer, some of it's done during the year, but we do our best to have as little impact as possible. We now have four schools with geothermal well fields, and so we went through there. You see that, I think that's Ashburn Elementary, a photograph of that as we were out there digging those wells.

[00:59:18] And so there are a couple hundred of those each school. And so what that essentially is is that takes the place of the, if you picture your house, that air compressor, that compressor unit that sits outside making all that noise, that's where we're rejecting and gaining the heat.

[00:59:35] So we're using the heat from the earth and reversing that in a cooling system as well. Those are tremendous systems. It's really important that you note that first zero energy school is Ashburn Elementary School, and that means that that school is now producing more energy than we are using.

[00:59:54] And one of the reasons is we're using less energy because of this geothermal well, and we're making that energy off the solar panels on the roof. So that is the first one we've done, and I believe may have been the first school in the country, I think I've heard, or close to that, for an energy performance contract.

[01:00:09] So we are doing things that not many people are doing, and we're reaping the benefits from that in many ways, as I've described. So we also have a lot of work done on equipment selection, more efficient equipment.

[01:00:30] So you see there, one of the pictures, it's a chiller unit that's new at high efficiency. You also see the lights in one of the classrooms that we've done. The other thing that these LED lights do, we can use fewer lights to do the same space. So we have fewer fixtures and much, much less energy consumption and provide the same levels of light, but then the quality of light is even better.

[01:00:53] So there's many things that we're gaining from that program. So summarizing the energy stuff, and I promise to that miss a cycle talk, we are a national leader in Energy Star. We are the only school system in the country that earned this Partner of the Year sustained excellence for 13 years and growing.

[01:01:13] We have reduced our utility budget. We talked about that during the budget adoption. Our utility budget for this coming year is $2 million lower because of the programs we've done. And so as you walk away and want to know why and why it's important, right there is one of those. We are actually paying for that and reducing our costs and allowing that money to be spent in other ways.

[01:01:33] We've offset a tremendous amount, as I mentioned earlier, 10 elementary schools' worth of energy consumption with our solar panels on those 17 schools. And we continue to improve that indoor and outdoor lighting as we move forward.

[01:01:50] One of the things I didn't mention, our stadiums now have all LED, the new football, soccer stadiums that we produce have LED lighting on there, which allows us to zero that light better. So we have less spill in the neighbors, people don't complain about it, and it's a better light for the athletes as well.

[01:02:06] So it hits just about every function that we have in the school system, and we're happy to be able to share that information with you. And now I'm going to let Mrs. Seif talk. All right, do you need a breath? Because we just threw a lot at you.

[01:02:24] Take a whoo, right? We've spent this last little bit learning all about the LCPS Energy Program and its many remarkable achievements in many ways. And it's really those achievements that have laid the foundation for an expanding emphasis on sustainability division-wide.

[01:02:45] Our LCPS Office of Sustainability opened in December of 2023 And building on the last 30-some-odd years of really impressive energy management and efficiency work, this office is tasked with developing a comprehensive framework for integrating sustainability into who we are and how we operate.

[01:03:09] Just a very small task, right? The successful integration of sustainability into who we are and how we operate is clearly going to require collaboration across every single department and division in our system, and we're going to make sure that we're celebrating what's already happening.

[01:03:28] I know I was able to visit with Special Programs Committee back in September, and we talked about environmental science and all the cool stuff that's already happening in our schools. We want to keep building on that, and we want to keep inspiring and equipping all of us to do even more.

[01:03:43] So an important first step in that is us really figuring out what is sustainability. And because we have smart and thoughtful students, my first go-to is to always ask them, What is sustainability to you? And so up on the screen, you can see in some of our own students' words what they think sustainability is. And I call out the words balance, right? Balancing what we want right now and what we know is good for the future. Our ability to have enough, our ability

[01:04:19] to keep our planet going. They are planet warriors for sure. And I dig it, right? Because our kids need to have a say in this. And so inspired by, informed by our students' thoughts around sustainability, as well as countless hours of conversation, listening sessions, collaborative brainstorming. I love to throw things up on the wall and get people's feedback on it. We have come up with this working definition of how we as LCPS might define sustainability. I'm going to

[01:04:55] give you a minute to read through it on your own. So again, let me call out a few words for you. It's that holistic approach to mission and operations. And of course, we're talking about mission and operations now and in the future. We're integrating those three major emphases that Mr. Lewis has called out from the very beginning, that triple bottom line of the economics, the environmental

[01:05:29] aspects, and the social aspects of sustainability. Your color-coded pieces here are specific to LCPS, and we're going to go into those in just a minute, these are focus areas that have emerged in the last year as important to us and where we think there's the greatest potential for the most impactful change moving forward.

[01:05:50] I also want to make sure that we underscore that last line, right? Embracing sustainable practices, actually doing it, right? The behavior, we're modeling what we teach. We're leading by example in all that we do. And then you recognize that last line, yes?

[01:06:06] Those are familiar words to all of us. Sustainability is not something extra that's tacked on to our work together. It's not even part of what we do. Sustainability is a driving force that influences all of our work, and our work is our mission to empower all students to make meaningful contributions to the world. Now, I did mention that this is a working definition, So I want you as a board and everybody else who's sitting behind me, right, to think about this as a snapshot in time, okay?

[01:06:43] And that's what we've been doing for the last year. We kind of put these ideas up, we get feedback on them, and then we continue to refine them. And we're working actively to refine this, as well as the information on the next slide. And we're going to go there next so I can help you to understand where this working definition came from and particularly as we drill down into those three color coded emphases so I was going to release all of these piece by piece for you so as not to overwhelm you with all the text on this slide but we've captured all of it at once and so let me recognize that this is the most dense of all of my

[01:07:21] slides I promise there are pictures coming but I do think it's important for you to be able to take a look in this snapshot in time of this overarching shape that's starting to form when it comes to this framework for sustainability. And what this reflects is in the last year, there have been several priorities that have begun to emerge from our work with students, staff, and community partners. Let's take a look on the left first. These are the economics of sustainability, and this is where you recognize, you see that clear focus on building on

[01:07:57] and expanding the energy program that we just spent several minutes talking about, right? Much of this work, of course, is led by our dedicated facilities operations and design and construction teams, and you can see those strategies pinpointed down below. These are what are emerging as these top strategies to continue to focus on, to expand our efforts on. What we recognize is that when we conserve resources and improve efficiencies across the system through things like strategically managing our utilities and our buildings that accept those utilities and our use of those

[01:08:32] energies, by designing our buildings in really smart ways, by retrofitting and renovating those buildings in really smart ways, and in thinking strategically about how we operate every single day, we use less, and we avoid costs. And avoided costs save operational dollars, period. And you've seen the impacts of that that Mr. Lewis was able to summarize for you. Now look at the middle section, the environmental aspects of sustainability. So in addition to conserving environmental

[01:09:06] resources, there's also several efforts emerging as potential priorities in our division that all can be linked to this this desire to reduce our carbon footprint and what i mean by that is when you reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that your activities put out into the atmosphere whether that's so your transportation your buildings your waste whatever it may be your whole portfolio of buildings and activities when you reduce the emissions that you put out you reduce your carbon footprint and um you will remember um too from us highlighting and spotlighting that school board

[01:09:41] resolution, this has a direct tie to the charge there for LCPS to reduce its carbon footprint. The top strategies that are spotlighted at the bottom, these are ideas that have really begun to take shape and where we think we could potentially reduce our carbon footprint the most.

[01:10:01] Things like replacing high emission fossil fuels with electricity-based alternatives, integrating renewable energy. You've heard about solar. You've heard about geothermal again tonight. The green buses and fleet are really interesting because did you know that K-12 school systems across the nation operate more than 480,000 school buses?

[01:10:25] That's a lot of buses, right? And transportation overall is the largest source of greenhouse gases in America. We recognize that zero to low emission vehicles potentially can reduce emissions by considerable amounts.

[01:10:41] and that's why our transportation department is piloting things like electric buses, like propane-fueled buses and other electric vehicles. Reducing and recycling waste also offers great potential to save energy and reduce landfill emissions. Just recently, within the last couple of years, Loudoun County government released their own energy strategy, and they were able to report that 73% of county government operations emissions come from the landfill.

[01:11:07] 73%. How can we help, right? We technically, if you looked at all of our cafeterias, are one of the largest, if not the largest restaurant, right, in Loudoun County. How can we help? And you'll recognize that much of this is not new. LCPS is already a leader.

[01:11:25] But in developing a comprehensive sustainability framework, we're going to help ourselves set smart and bold goals and also measure progress towards achieving those. Now, finally, let's take a look at this third section, the social aspects of sustainability.

[01:11:41] which are also called out, I think, in our school board resolution around expanding environmental education and making sure that we're supporting student advocacy and voice. The best way that we think we can do that under the sustainability framework is by cultivating environmental literacy for all.

[01:11:59] And what do we mean by that? We mean integrating knowledge, skills, and experiences at every grade level and in every content area so that LCPS students not only understand all these things that we're talking about, but also are equipped and inspired to address environmental and sustainability challenges.

[01:12:19] And this is not work that's just for scientists, right? Or energy managers or hippie tree huggers. Maybe we've got some of those in the room too, right? This work is for all humans, right? Any human that relies on our environmental and social systems, right?

[01:12:38] And any human in our division that we want to prepare to be problem solvers and change makers. That's what this work is all about. How are we going to do that? You can see some of those emerging strategies there, right? We know we've got to get kids outside.

[01:12:55] The benefits are just countless. We know we've got to integrate into existing curriculum, and we've got to provide our educators with the support they need to make this type of learning happen. It can't be one more thing. Sustainability is not one more thing. It's a driving force.

[01:13:10] And we know we need to expose our students to those traditional and emerging careers in these types of field. Take a seat back, because I know, again, we're throwing a lot at you at night, but I want you to check this out. Can you spot the opportunities to align with the standards?

[01:13:27] Can you see how the five C's could be embedded here? Can you see the different pathways for learning, the different ways to inspire and equip our educators, and to collaborate strategically with community partners? Integrating sustainability division-wide helps advance the LCPS mission and our strategic plan.

[01:13:51] I hit the mic instead of the clicker. We're going to keep listening and learning. I told you this is a snapshot in time, right? We have had so much fun. I mean, some of this scratches the surface of what we've been able to do together over the last year, thinking about everything from sustainable design standards all the way to feedback on these emerging priorities.

[01:14:13] You see it here. We're also trying out a few of these ideas already because not only does that type of early effort provide platforms for early action, right? We need to celebrate some of those successes. It's what gets people excited.

[01:14:29] But we also recognize that early actions give us ways to ensure that we're engaging students, educators, and community members and that they have a voice in how our framework is shaping up. What's under this quote is a screenshot of our new green teams cohort.

[01:14:46] You can't see them, don't tell them we accidentally covered up their faces. But our new green teams program is a wonderful example of one of these early efforts. 25 of our 100 schools are participating this school year. Each of those schools has named a green team lead that is coordinating and facilitating activities on student inquiry and action for the environment in their schools.

[01:15:08] And there's a ton of flexibility on what that looks like. Sometimes it's native planting. Sometimes it's school gardens. Sometimes it's student-led recycling. I talked to somebody just the other day about potentially piloting reusable trays and cutlery, right?

[01:15:24] Cool stuff is happening in our schools. And you can see here, Hugh Brockway from up at Lovitzville Elementary is talking about it's good for our educators and for our students with lasting impacts on both. Another great example, we talked about curriculum integration.

[01:15:42] This curriculum cohort is a year-long effort. We have 11 educators from multiple schools in our division. This is a partnership with the Department of Science. They are meeting together and designing a series of connected lessons and activities for grades K through 3 that enables students to learn about their watershed, to identify a problem, to come up with their own solutions and then test some of those solutions.

[01:16:08] It's awesome, right? Community partners are engaged. Hanson Park, Loudon Water, Morven Park have all hosted us this year and provided training to our teachers. They're developing kits of supplies that will support our educators in implementing these lessons. All of this is funded by a grant from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, and these lessons and kits will be available next year for all of our educators.

[01:16:31] Cool stuff is happening in our schools. And finally, we don't have time to go into some of these statistics, But I tell you, if you throw this in front of these kids, they start to ask questions immediately. 30% of food grown in the U.S. is wasted. Every 10 seconds, 20 tons of food is thrown away.

[01:16:51] It's the equivalent of a school bus. Kids start asking questions. Why, if we have 30% of our food is tossed out, why do we still have people who are hungry? That's their innate curiosity that drives learning, and it's awesome.

[01:17:06] Student research. We're doing a food waste audit at Belmont Ridge Middle School at the end of this month where students actually sort waste and they're going to weigh it and they're going to collect data and they're going to analyze that data and interpret it and come up with some potential solutions. All of this is student-led. All of it is enriching learning.

[01:17:23] I'm going to end here and then pass it to Kevin for one more slide. I wanted to list out some of these additional collaborative activities. I want you to know that LCPS truly is leading by example at multiple scales, statewide, regionally, nationally.

[01:17:41] It has been a delight for me to represent. school division and many of these fora as a parent of three LCPS students I am so proud of us for having this desire to integrate sustainability into who we are and how we operate and I thank you for the opportunity to give you this update tonight okay so we invited you to join our journey on the why and the what and most importantly why is it most of why is it important we shared we have schools that generate more energy than it uses we share that we reduce the energy budget we're sharing that what's happening in the classroom and impact on

[01:18:19] our students and our staff and those are react resulting in in true learning opportunities the green teams are growing the enthusiasm is expanding in all of our schools so we've stressed throughout the presentation that we are making decisions every day that can either have a positive or a negative impact on that budget and that environment and by we I mean everybody in this room decisions from HVAC systems to students turning off the lights or staff turn off the lights when they leave the classroom the previous board made the the decision to give us guidance with the 2020 action plan for

[01:18:54] climate action reduction plan and so we are going to be back here in May with something for this board to consider our sustainability action plan that we're going to come and look into the future and look and see what things we can continue to do can continue to expand and work with the board for your endorsement for that to give us continued guidance on where we go for the future so i will apologize i know we talked really fast with a lot of information but we wanted to get all that to you and leave time for questions so at this point we are happy to take any questions you may have

[01:19:29] board members do you have any questions yes mrs griffiths um it's not really a question but um i do appreciate well i do have questions after this but i appreciate the conservation um and your excitement but we need to make sure the money that we are investing and this is very costly for long-term projects are not coming at the expense of much needed school repairs and renovations I've mentioned this before there are several schools in the Ashburn district as well as other district that need repairs renovations and building updates I brought up recently the training room at

[01:20:05] Broad Run High School at that's been pretty much been sitting empty for a a while since renovations were done is an example not to mention money that was spent on building privacy restrooms at broad run high school instead of much-needed renovations of that weight room i'm also concerned about renovations for hillsborough i bring that up a lot and guilford elementary school and other than phase one of replacing you know hvac units in fy25 and replacing the gym floor in FY26, there are no other interior renovations planned for Guilford.

[01:20:42] Why do these repairs, these renovations, get continually overlooked or kicked down the road when we have millions to spend on solar panels and geothermal well fields? Parents should not have to come to school board meetings begging for inclusive playgrounds and renovations to their children's schools when we have millions to spend on solar panels. Repairs and renovations to our aging schools should always take precedent over our carbon footprint. So I'm in the now here basically and you're looking ahead but I know as of right now a lot of repairs need to be done

[01:21:20] and with that I do have some questions for you. Once the solar panels are up and running at all 21 schools where solar panels are currently in service or under construction Is this about $17 million?

[01:21:39] Is that correct? Can you give me the cost that we've invested in the solar panels at all the schools? I don't know the total cost off the top of my head now. I thought I saw somewhere that it was about $17 million. How much money will we save in energy costs per year once all 21 schools are up and running?

[01:22:00] How many years will it take to recoup our total investment? When can we expect to see $1.2 million in pending tax credits for FY24? That's already, you know, we just passed 24. What is the life cycle of these solar panels?

[01:22:17] When will we need to be replacing them? How long do they last? That's one question. I don't know if you want to answer it. And I realize we're running up on 6 o'clock, so this was a very long presentation, and others might have questions. So I can also send these to you.

[01:22:34] But I think my point is, me personally, I care more about the renovations of our schools first before sustainable conservation, energy and conservation. So if you can answer this first question for me about the solar panels and how long we'll be waiting to see money coming back on our investment.

[01:22:57] Yes, ma'am. The information on the solar panels was on one of the slides, and I didn't flip to to find it, but they have a 20-year life cycle. I mean, they have a 35-year life cycle and a 20-year payback. So they will pay for themselves in 20 years, and then from that point on, I think I called it free money after that, where all the energy savings that we have from years 20 to 35, so there will be 15 years of that period where those will be generating power that is free to us after they're paid for.

[01:23:25] I think some parents are concerned now, and people that work at the schools, the teachers, are concerned now about renovations. so that they're not thinking ahead as far as you are. And also, we've spent over $14 million on LED lighting at 32 schools.

[01:23:44] When will we see the money back? 32 years? These numbers are still accurate? I'm just asking. Yes, ma'am. So that all plays into the reduction in one of the slides we talked about that we've reduced our energy budget for next year by $2 million.

[01:24:02] So you're seeing those numbers, and you're seeing that savings right now. And if we have time, and I can also send these to you, you also said with geothermal systems that have been installed at three schools with six under design and construction, the cost savings over 60-year life cycle of all schools is projected to be $140 million.

[01:24:28] How much have we invested to date into geothermal well fields for these schools, and how much are we projected to spend on an additional six schools? can you also explain geothermal and how that works? Absolutely. We'll take that down as a question so we get all the numbers and can make sure they're accurate and explain all the facets of the program. And I do have one more. The 2020 school board resolution on action for climate change needs to be reworked. Not really a question, especially since none of the school

[01:25:04] board members that were involved in drafting the resolution and signed the resolution are sitting board members. So I would be happy to work with my colleagues to draft a new resolution on that. Thank you. Are there any other questions? Yes, Ms. Chandler. Thank you so much to your team for this very informative presentation. I have to say your enthusiasm is infectious and I can't imagine having had the opportunity to work in the schools in the past that this is something that's very

[01:25:40] accessible to our students one of the things that I remember from many many years ago in sub training is just a little tip that they gave us which was if you've lost control of the classroom start talking about global warming because these kids care about it a lot and I did have some experience with that being true you know I think this is a I just really appreciate innovation and I I also am so grateful that you outlined in your presentation all the ways that LCPS is working to save Loudoun taxpayers money.

[01:26:18] And it is really an innovation. We are going to have to pay the light bill anyway. But if we can save money doing it, that means that that's money that we can spend somewhere else. So thank you for that. Thank you, Ms. Chandler. Any other questions? Thank you very much for your presentation.

[01:26:37] I learned a lot, and there's a lot of exciting things going on here. So with that, we will go ahead and recess for dinner, and we will reconvene at 6.30.

[01:26:57] The board's now in recess.

[01:59:57] Good evening. The board is coming out of recess at this time, and we will continue with the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem. The Pledge of Allegiance is going to be, I guess, Madeline, Fiona, and Reese are leading the Pledge of Allegiance from Leesburg Elementary School.

[02:00:19] The students are involved in Girl Scouts, and they are part of Mrs. Sarman's Fusion DCI program. At this time, I'd like for everybody to rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

[02:00:43] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[02:01:05] Thank you for coming on such short notice, Girl Scouts and Leesburg Elementary.

[02:01:22] I appreciate that. At this time, I'd like to take a moment of personal privilege and recognize two individuals whose work behind the scenes is essential to the smooth operation of this board and our school division.

[02:01:39] In honor of School Board Clerk Appreciation Week, we want to express our sincere gratitude to our school board clerk, Sherry Byrne, and Deputy Clerk, Hope Casserly, for their outstanding service and dedication.

[02:01:57] Sherry has served as our clerk since 2019, ensuring that every meeting runs seamlessly, Every record is accurate, and every detail is handled with professionalism and care. Her knowledge, patience, and organization keep us all on track, and we are incredibly grateful for her leadership in this role. Hope joined as deputy clerk in 2023 and has quickly become an invaluable member of this team. Her support, efficiency, and attention to detail make a tremendous impact, and we are so fortunate to have her alongside Sherry. On behalf of the entire

[02:02:36] board we thank you both for your commitment hard work and all the many ways you contribute

[02:02:43] to the success of lcps because y'all are the best come on up here and get your now we'll get back

[02:03:34] to the agenda and item nine our student staff recognitions um and i think this will be presented by john peterio oh thank you for that because i had derek perry but i appreciate that okay and I will let him take the lead. Thank you so much. Good evening, Madam Chair, Dr. Spence, and members of the school board. Tonight presents an opportunity to extend our heartfelt recognition to the outstanding individuals and teams from LCPS who have exemplified excellence by clinching

[02:04:09] state championships in VHSL athletics. Their unwavering commitment, relentless dedication, and tireless efforts culminated in remarkable achievements in this past fall. We would also like to recognize the county champions in our newly expanded middle school intramural program.

[02:04:25] That's where we'll start. Our first recognition extends down into our middle schools. This year's expansion of the middle school intramural program to all 18 schools means a lot more competition in each of the four sports in order to garner a county title. And this year's LCPS intramural

[02:04:38] champions in flag football are the Harmony Hornets.

[02:05:38] Thank you guys. Congratulations. And now we have the pleasure of recognizing our high school programs in the fall of 2024. LCPS high schools captured five VHSL Team State Championships this past fall.

[02:05:56] Our first team being recognized tonight is the Briarwoods Competition Cheerleading Team, which captured the VHSL Class 5 State Championship. It is the school's eighth championship in competition cheerleading. Congratulations, Falcons.

[02:06:20] Great, thank you, ladies.

[02:06:40] The Loudoun County High School Competition Cheerleading Team is the next team to be recognized tonight as they captured the VHSL Class 4 State Championship. With the victory, the program achieved back-to-back state titles, And they also got to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade this fall.

[02:06:58] Congratulations to our captains.

[02:07:28] Congratulations, girls. The Loudoun Valley High School field hockey team is the next team to be recognized tonight as they captured the VHSL Class 4 state championship.

[02:07:53] The program has achieved back-to-back state titles as well.

[02:08:16] Congratulations, Vikings. Our next team to be recognized tonight is the volleyball team from Riverside High School which captured the VHSL Class 5 state championship.

[02:08:35] It was the school's first volleyball championship.

[02:08:48] Congratulations.

[02:09:11] The last team to be recognized tonight is the golf team from Independence High School for capturing the VHSL Class 5 State Championship on the Lansdowne Golf Course. This is their fourth state championship title in a row.

[02:10:10] Thank you and great job, Tigers. Next, we'd like to move on to our VHSL Individual State Champions. Ben Baker from Briarwoods High School emerged victorious in the VHSL Class 5 Golf State Championship with an exceptional performance.

[02:10:27] He shot an impressive 67 at the Lansdowne Golf Course to secure his second straight state title. Congratulations, Ben. Let's move on then.

[02:10:52] Riverside High School's Thomas Ray triumphed in the VHSL Class 5 State Championship for Boys Cross Country. Clocking an impressive time of 15.57 on the challenging Oatlands 5K course. Congratulations to you, Thomas.

[02:11:12] Next up, Loudoun County High School's Michael Tate triumphed in the VHSL Class 4 State Championship for boys cross country as well he clocked an impressive time of 1554 on the challenging

[02:11:34] oatlands 5k course congratulations michael our next recognition goes to a school that has accomplished a first in lcps history by winning the 2023-2024 vhsl national guard cup presented

[02:12:08] by the virginia army national guard independence high school earned the highest point total in vhsl class 5 athletics the national guard cup is the equivalent of winning a state championship as an entire athletic department. Congratulations to Independence High School on being the first ever

[02:12:24] Loudoun County High School to achieve this honor.

[02:12:51] Congratulations to the Tigers. Our next recognition is for schools that exemplified great sportsmanship throughout the 2023-2024 school year and achieved the VHSL Stay in the Game Award. Not an easy thing to do. This year, Riverside High School and Broad Run High School were recognized at the VHSL Fall Membership Meeting as two of only 47 member schools

[02:13:15] to receive this honor congratulations to the spartans and to the rams great job guys in closing we extend our congratulations to each and every individual and team for their outstanding achievements your dedication perseverance and unwavering commitment have brought honor to

[02:13:54] yourselves your schools and the entire lcps community congratulations once again all right

[02:14:38] And I think we are now at 9. 03, one LCPS spotlight, Loudoun Education Foundation Innovation in Education Grant at Leesburg Elementary School, presented by Sean Lacey, principal, Leesburg Elementary School, Gail Sarman, the gifted resource teacher, Leesburg Elementary School students, and Leesburg Elementary School.

[02:15:02] That was a lot of Leesburg Elementary School. Thank you so much for spotlighting our school, our students, and our project.

[02:15:18] Tonight you will hear briefly about the three phases of our LEF-funded school store project straight from some of our students, our previous and current DCI and Fusion gifted students. First off, Lila Overson will tell you about our problem identification and idea generation phase, which involved the students identifying a problem, defining the problem, and coming up with a solution, helping to write, revise, edit, and actually submit the application for the LEF grant.

[02:15:54] So, Lila, if you would come on up.

[02:16:05] Next slide, please. We can come back to the video at the end, if that's possible. Way too embarrassed to use a stool, so I appreciate that. All right, please. Thank you.

[02:16:35] It started with a single idea. The idea was to fix the shortage of pencils, missing supplies, lack of fidgets, and lost glue. Ms. Sarman and the 4th and 5th grade Fusion students decided to fix it. They researched solutions, persuaded decision makers, and founded the school store.

[02:16:51] After almost a year of work, they applied for and received a grant to start the school store. Now they're selling cool new items like slime at cheap prices and are doing great. Some of the profit went to Make-A-Wish Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, and St. Jude's. That's how it was started. When we first started this school store, it was the 2022-2023 school year.

[02:17:12] When we were first starting, we were figuring out where the school store would go, when students could shop at the school store. So then opening a school store that students could actually purchase items from, it seemed like a far-off goal, like something that was never going to happen. But when we were writing the application to the grant, it was like it was right there in front of us.

[02:17:33] and we were actually going to be able to open the store and do it. It was really an authentic way to learn in that we were able to take the wheel, I guess, in our own project and make our own mistakes and learn from them and learn about marketing and starting a business with actually doing it.

[02:18:02] That's what made this project special. Thank you. Thank you, Lila. Second, you will hear from Edward Akuna about the development phase, which involved extensive research and planning.

[02:18:21] Edward, come on up. Next slide, please. Next slide. Thank you.

[02:18:44] Okay. The idea generation planning phase was very helpful in preparing us for the development phase, which was a bit cumbersome, but we learned so much. We learned about capital and intermediary resources, operating expenses.

[02:19:07] We also learned about scarcity, and we also learned about profit and managing and marketing a small business. We also experienced a fabulous struggle while we were in the process of doing it.

[02:19:27] Thank you, Edward. Good job. Thank you. Our third student to speak tonight is Colin Everhart who will discuss the third and current phase of our project, the implementation phase.

[02:19:42] Come on up, Colin. Next slide, please. We spent so much time on both the idea generation and development phases that implementation went pretty smoothly.

[02:20:03] Our flyers, ads, and commercials helped build excitement. The fourth and fifth grade fusion in DCI students loves helping the young customers count their money, add up their costs, and receive change. The younger students seem to be learning from us. They love the school store, don't we all?

[02:20:20] I will now speak to you briefly about how the Eagle's Nest has completely exceeded our expectations.

[02:20:36] Next slide. Next slide, please. Thank you. The authenticity of the Eagle's Nest project has provided a highly motivating, engaging, real-world retail experience, which is preparing all of the students in our whole school with much more than just money math skills.

[02:20:54] The retail environment is teaching all of our students firsthand a lot of new vocabulary about the economic realities of spending, saving, earning, opportunity cost, and scarcity. As employees, the Fusion and DCI students have experienced the law of supply and demand, marketing strategies, profit margins, and distribution, philanthropy, and so much more.

[02:21:22] The curriculum has definitely been enriched and enhanced with rigor and challenge and fun. So in addition to growing as leaders and innovators, creative thinkers, collaborators, communicators, and critical thinkers, the Fusion DCI students have grown as contributors.

[02:21:39] The students themselves researched and selected St. Jude Children's Hospital as their first charity, which they were able to make a charitable donation of $497.19 after only four months of operation.

[02:21:55] So I am so proud of the Leesburg Elementary students here. And I am so grateful to the LEF for their generous grant. Our presentation will close tonight with a few words from our leader.

[02:22:11] Leesburg Elementary Principal, Mr. Sean Lacey. Next slide, please. Madam Chair, to the board, to Dr. Spence and the school board, as well as those that make up Loudoun County Public Schools, Leesburg is just proud. We're just proud of this opportunity. Many times we could write about what our students can and cannot do, but we just wanted to put it on display tonight.

[02:22:31] I want to thank Ms. Sarman, as well as our entire staff that participate in this program. The students talked about convincing some of those decision makers. I think that was me. So it was easy because these students are well impacted by it. When we talk about one LCPS, we look at our school improvement planning.

[02:22:49] We wanted to find ways to create quality oral student interactions. This impacted our core instruction. These are the type of things that we bring to Leesburg. These are the type of things that Loudoun County does, and we're thankful for the Loudoun Education Foundation for supporting us. Thank you for having us tonight. Thank you very much.

[02:23:17] And thank you all for coming and joining and speaking with us today. Y'all did a great job. Okay, we will continue with item 10, student school board representative comment. Tonight, our student school board representative is Angelo Sion, a senior at Broad Rand High School, who is very excited to be the school board representative.

[02:23:44] He is on the executive board of the Student Council Association, the president of ROCAPA, social studies honor society vice president of the national science honor society and holds leadership positions in various clubs angelo found his passion in varsity swim team he loves everything about swimming he's a swim instructor and goes to the pool in his free time angelo has big plans for the future he plans on attending college mostly and i think he got accepted into

[02:24:20] a college that maybe he'll tell you a little bit about when he gets it. So he's excited to be Broad Run student school and having a successful career in business. Angelo said I'm excited to be a Broad Run student school board representative for the 2024-2025 school year. Welcome Mr. Sion and the floor is yours. Thank you for the introduction and for this opportunity to speak here. Good evening. My name is Angelo Sion. To introduce myself I'm a senior at Broad Run High school and have been very involved with the school. I'm a part of the Executive Board of the Student Council, President of the Social Studies Honor Society, Vice

[02:24:56] President of the Science Honor Society, and Captain of the varsity swim team. Over the four years that I've been a Spartan, I've gotten the opportunity to witness the magic that Broadwine has to offer. Broadwine has a very diverse student body. Clubs like the Black Student Union, Asian Student Association, and Hispanic Student Union allow students to express their cultures freely. At the end of February, the Black Student Union and Survey of African History class will hold an in-school assembly to honor and celebrate Black History Month.

[02:25:24] Looking at the other clubs at Broadrun, we have many clubs devoted to giving back to the community. Clubs like Key Club, Interact, and NHS allow students to volunteer. Key Club has recently run winter clothing and food drives to collect goods for those in need. With hundreds of hours of volunteer work completed by students every semester, it has united Broadrun and helped the Ashford community during hard times.

[02:25:47] The Broadrun Student Council has also hosted events to keep school spirit up. We had a successful 2024 homecoming, several pep rallies that hyped up the whole school, and some wacky spirit days like Minion Monday and Anything But a Backpack Day that shook up the average school day.

[02:26:03] Broadway has earned many awards over the past year. Theater became regional champions and earned a Cappy Award for Best Stage Crew. DECA sent over 20 competitors to compete at the International Development Conference and had nine teams placed in the top 20 in the world.

[02:26:18] Finally, our marching band won first place in our class at the Parade of Champions, winning best color guard, percussion, music, and general effects. Looking at broad run athletics, we won many different titles over the past year. Our golf team became district champions, and this past weekend, the varsity gymnastics team won the district championship for the first time in 26 years.

[02:26:40] Most impressively, we had two huge wins in tennis. Huge congratulations to Neil P. for becoming state runner-up for boys' tennis singles and to Lexi R. for becoming state champion for girls' tennis singles. Our girls varsity tennis team swept the season, having a 21-0 season in winning states.

[02:26:59] For being founded all the way back in 1969, Vaudevan has a very rich history with many school records that haven't been touched in a while. However, our varsity track team broke two of them in the past season. Tariq B broke the 3,200-meter school record that was set in 1974, and our 4x800 relay also broke the school record with personal bests from the team members.

[02:27:22] Broad Run has a tradition called Spartan Seminar, a time designated for club meetings during the school day. I have found this 30-minute monthly tradition extremely helpful. Many students, like myself, have sports, jobs, and other outside activities that interfere with club schedules.

[02:27:39] Spartan Seminar provides an easy and valuable way for students to get engaged with clubs at their school without the outside of school commitment. I highly suggest Utterlani County Schools to pick up a similar tradition. It's been an honor to be a Spartan at Broad Run for the past four years, and I'm sad to go.

[02:27:55] However, I know our school has a bright future ahead. I would like to thank the board members, SCA faculty, and especially my amazing principal, Mr. Spage. Thank you so much for having me.

[02:28:12] - Thank you, Mr. Sion, for being here and for your comments. We'll now move on to item 11. Actually, before that, Vice Chair Donahue, would you like to go ahead and do your disclosure?

[02:28:28] - Certainly, thank you, Madam Chair. As a member of the Loudoun County School Board, I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection the item on tonight's agenda regarding employee salaries, the budget, and/or health insurance, and any other discussion that may include or affect salary and benefits for LCPS employees.

[02:28:43] Specifically, my spouse, my minor children, and I are enrolled in LCPS health insurance that may be affected by any potential changes to employee salaries, the budget, and/or health insurance. Additionally, my sister-in-law is an LCPS employee who does not reside with me and is not dependent on me. These subjects include thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interest may be affected, of which my spouse, my minor children, my sister-in-law, and I am included.

[02:29:07] I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Thank you, Vice Chair Donohue. Now we will move on to the superintendent's report presented by Dr. Aaron Spence. Thank you, Madam Chair and members of the board.

[02:29:25] I guess since he didn't tell you, I'm going to brag on him because it's my alma mater that Angelo got accepted to the University of Virginia. Congratulations. so it is my pleasure to also share other good news from around the school division this evening and i'll start with this i know that we recognized our school board clerks this evening but i also want to acknowledge that february is school board appreciation month and i'd like to thank our school board members for your work and your dedication to the lcps community and to our students the work that our school board engages in as i think our community understands is a vital impact on our students and our school and our community and your actions and decisions ensure

[02:30:05] that our students have access to a high quality education so again sincerely thank you for all that you do and for your dedication to this work and i think they deserve a round of applause next more than 90 student equity ambassadors and minority student achievement advisory committee student delegates participated in a skill building workshop on monday february the 3rd this event which was organized by the division of diversity equity inclusion and accessibility was designed to foster collaboration between these student leaders and their school communities and to promote inclusion in their schools.

[02:30:39] The students represented all of our secondary schools. Trey Baker, who is an Emmy-nominated and award-winning spoken word artist, was a special guest at the event, and he led the students in a poetry and storytelling workshop, encouraging them to elevate their voices and connect with their community. Student Equity Ambassadors are student leaders who strive to help ensure that their schools are welcoming and inclusive and affirming environments for all of our students, and the MSAC student delegates support the mission of MSAC, which is to help ensure that all of our students the opportunity to thrive and succeed in lcps schools next the u.s department of agriculture's food and nutrition service in partnership with action for healthy kids has honored lcps's school

[02:31:18] nutrition services with the innovation and nutrition education award this recognition highlights lcps's commitment to educating students about nutrition through initiatives like the taste it Tuesday and Fear Factor Friday promotions, LCPS showcases scratch-made recipes utilizing locally grown produce, along with educational posters designed by the Academies of Loudon graphic design students that emphasize the health benefits of the produce item being featured. Additionally, LCPS School Nutrition Services was celebrated for hosting its first ever food show in October, where students and parents had the opportunity to provide

[02:31:57] feedback on new menu items while learning more about nutrition and available community resources next we want to congratulate jeff shuddy the student activities coordinator of woodgrove high school who was selected as this month's shine award winner mr shuddy was recognized for his work in creating an innovative and efficient system for monitoring and improving woodgrove's attendance rate since the pandemic woodgrove like many schools in the region and nationally have struggled with absenteeism but mr shuddy recognizing this and working with a team created an attendance tracking system that has significantly reduced absenteeism at Woodgrove.

[02:32:33] His dedication extended beyond his school as he shared this process with other schools, helping them streamline their attendance system. SHINE, which stands for Spotlighting Heroes in Education, is a joint LCPS and Loudoun Education Foundation initiative, which recognizes our LCPS staff members who go above and beyond in support of our students and the community.

[02:32:53] SHINE Award recipients receive a gift coordinated by the Loudoun Education Foundation, and this month's prize was sponsored by Cigna. For more information about this, you can see the Shine website, which is shown right there on this slide, for details on how you can nominate, and nominations are welcome from any member of our community, students, parents, and faculty.

[02:33:13] Next, we want to congratulate Adam Odenwelder. He is a guitar teacher at Belmont Ridge Middle School, and he was recently featured as Yamaha's 40 Under 40 for 2025. Mr. Odenwalder was nominated for his student-centered approach.

[02:33:29] For example, he invites his students to request many of the songs that the guitar ensembles perform, and then he arranges those songs, allowing students to showcase their talent. Yamaha launched the 40 Under 40 Music Education Advocacy Program in 2021 to celebrate and recognize outstanding young music educators who are making a difference by growing and strengthening their music programs in their communities.

[02:33:53] Congratulations to Mr. Odenwalder. Speaking of music, Parkview High School recently received a Cordoba Fusion guitar as a donation from Loco Music, a local nonprofit that celebrates local music and raises funds to help support local musicians.

[02:34:09] The donated guitar is a handmade Spanish-style guitar, and Parkview music teachers Claude LeGrand and Miroslav Lankar selected this instrument to help round out the musical opportunities available to their students. Last year, Loco Music presented the guitar program at Freedom High School with a guitar, bass and two amps. And since 2017, Loco Music has provided over $60,000 in grants to local musicians and music programs, and we want to share our many thanks with them for this donation.

[02:34:42] Next, the second annual Better Together Community Dinner allowed our LCPS families and staff the opportunity to connect, enjoy a meal together, and celebrate students. This was hosted by the Minority Student Achievement Advisory Committee and the DEIA Division, and this event also featured an exhibition of student art. During the meal, which was a potluck of dishes showcasing our community's ethnic and culinary traditions, participants viewed the artwork submitted by students, and some of the students were present for the event, including students from LCPS's newest school, Henrietta Lacks Elementary School, who were displaying the books they'd written about their school's namesake. All students who shared artwork were presented with certificates of

[02:35:22] appreciation. United for Wellness, LCPS's seventh annual mental health and wellness conference and resource fair was held on saturday january 25th at watson mountain middle school and provided approximately 400 lcps community members with the opportunity to learn about and better understand mental health and wellness strategies nearly 40 sessions provided parents and community members with guidance to help them be more aware of youth trends and tips to support their families and dr michelle peace of virginia commonwealth university's department of forensic science provided the keynote presentation where she presented highlights of her research into the

[02:35:57] dangers posed by e-cigarettes and vapes throughout the event participants visited the resource fair which featured over 100 local businesses non-profits local government agencies and representatives from various lcps offices we also had student volunteers there to help guide visitors and the event was organized by the office of student mental health services with much appreciated support from the department of student services and other lcps departments madam chair that concludes my report this evening. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Spence. And that brings us to item 12,

[02:36:31] public comment. Thank you for engaging with the school board through the public comment process. The school board welcomes comments from Loudoun County residents and believes that strong community engagement and outreach are important components of a successful school system. Speakers must limit the comments to the time allotted. Based on the number of speakers and the agenda this evening, All speakers have been allotted one minute each for public comment.

[02:37:01] Please be advised that speakers who miss their time slot will not be called at a later time. All audience members shall maintain civility, decorum, and respect for the functioning and dignity of the school board at all times. Please remain seated unless arriving, departing, speaking at the podium, or during a break.

[02:37:19] Violations of civility, decorum, and respect include shouting, heckling, jeering, applause, or other noise which disrupts or delays the meeting obstructing speakers from being able to see the school board and vice versa interrupting speakers attempting to speak when not called to do so by the chair and approaching a speaker or otherwise attempting to intimidate disparage or distract a speaker staff member or other meeting attendees speakers should refrain from vulgarity, obscenities, defamation, profanity, and other like breaches of respect, nor may speakers

[02:37:56] target, criticize, or attack individual students and or individual division employees during public comment. As a reminder, school board policy 2520 states, speakers may not target, criticize, or attack individual students during public comment. Speakers should communicate those concerns to their school principal or an appropriate school official. The school board requests that the comments on an individual student or employee related matter not be shared at public meetings where the disclosure could violate applicable confidentiality requirements. Speakers should

[02:38:30] face the dais and direct their comments to the school board. Per LCPS policy 2520, members of school board will not answer questions or respond directly to the public during public comment period. Violations of decorum or civility by any meeting attendee may result in the chair directing staff to remove the attendee for from the remainder of the meeting repeated or persistent violations of decorum or civility by the audience may result in on the decision of the chair public comment being tabled until a later point in the meetings agenda limiting the number of attendees in the meeting room during public comment for safety reasons or the public comment

[02:39:10] period ending for the evening copies of materials for board members should be given to the public information officer in the media box at the back of the boardroom before the start of the meeting please provide 12 copies of the materials under no circumstances may a speaker approach the dais the public is reminded that access to school board meetings is available through lcps tv on camcast channel 18 and 1070 hd and verizon fios channel 43 the live stream of the meeting may be viewed on the website we look forward to hearing your

[02:39:43] comments. We will now start with our virtual comment, public comment. Our first speaker is Brenda Bankson, and the second one is Laura Colossi. According to DEIA, while Project 2025 is targeting it. Thanks for not canceling Black History Month. Thanks for promoting thinking in

[02:40:13] in different world. Great minds like a think. Thoreau saw a future. When brains rot, truth fades. Social media's algorithms for profit undermine cultural diversity, says Kionpur of Toronto Metropolitan U. Project 2025 is fearful of independent critical thought, enough that they targeted LCPS of all the districts in the U.S. Project 2025 is clueless about Loudoun's support

[02:40:50] for public education. Stay strong. Thank you. Our second speaker is Laura Colossi, followed by Harold Colossi. I am the parent of an LCPS student with disabilities. I stand in support of banning seclusion in LCPS schools. This is not just my personal opinion. Ms. Randy Weingartner, president of the american federation of teachers said in a statement to the hearse newspapers in 2022 quote physical restraint should be used only when there is imminent danger of injury

[02:41:29] and only when imposed by trained staff secluding students should never be allowed nor should mechanical restraints end quote seclusion is disproportionately imposed on students with disabilities like my child there is no research to support its use it is time for lcps to ban seclusion in our schools and utilize alternative approaches like those used in Fairfax County to reduce restraints and eliminate seclusion. Thank you. Thank you. Harold Colossi followed

[02:42:00] by Alex Bennett. My name is Harold Colossi and I'm a parent of a, my name is Harold Colossi and I'm a parent of an LCPS student with autism. I'm speaking out against seclusion in LCPS schools.

[02:42:20] Back in 2011, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration conducted a study entitled The Business Case for Preventing and Reducing Restraint and Seclusion Use in the Context of Inpatient and Residential Facilities for Kids. In this study, the agency found that, quote, restraint and seclusion are very expensive, violent, and potentially harmful procedures that prolong recovery and raise the cost of care.

[02:42:46] Reducing and preventing their use can yield significant savings, enhance the quality of treatment, and result in increased inpatient and residential providers who have reduced their use and changed their organizational culture and practice. Many of them report that the benefits and savings exceed the costs associated with their use.

[02:43:04] The agency concluded, quote, the status quo is no longer acceptable and cannot be tolerated any longer. The same is true for our public schools. Thank you. Alex Bennett, followed by Carrie Hish. Collective bargaining is the foundation of a fair and just workplace.

[02:43:26] It ensures that employees have a voice and that their concerns are heard and that agreements are reached through mutual respect and transparency. But for collective bargaining to work, both parties must act in good faith, negotiating honestly, sharing information openly, and honoring their commitments.

[02:43:42] Unfortunately, Loudoun County Public Schools and representatives have continued to act in bad faith with the LEA, which threatens to undermine the very process that is meant to strengthen our schools. They are trying to limit the topics of negotiations before we even start. It's about trust and respect for educators and students that they serve, and Loudoun County must do better.

[02:44:01] We demand transparency. We demand accountability. And I would like to close that when teachers in the county email the school board, which I have emailed all of you multiple times, I would appreciate if you would email me back. Ms. Chernoff has, but I've yet to hear back on multiple instances from...

[02:44:21] Thank you. Carrie Hish, followed by Marsha Kelly. Good evening. My name is Keri Hisch, and I'm the parent of two LCPS students, as well as a special education teacher within the county.

[02:44:37] A 2018 study by Grafton Integrated Health Network, a Virginia-based facility for individuals with intellectual, developmental, and psychiatric disabilities, published in Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, found that a trauma-informed approach to challenging behavior all but eliminated restraint and seclusion, while also reducing staff injuries and helping patients meet goals.

[02:44:59] Grafton's model focused on comfort over control, used response blocking, understanding behavioral intent, and creative alternatives to restraint and seclusion. It also saves $16 million in lost time, turnover, and workers' compensation costs.

[02:45:15] LCPS already uses the tools developed by Grafton, such as the UCARO map. It is time to implement the full model and ban seclusion in our schools. Thank you. Thank you. Marsha Kelly? My name is Marsha Kelly.

[02:45:33] I'm the parent of two LCPS students, and I urge the school board to please ban seclusion now. There are safer and better ways to support students with interfering behaviors. Three years ago, in response to a lawsuit over its use of restraint and seclusion, Fairfax County Public Schools partnered with Lives in the Balance to implement Dr. Ross Green's Collaborative and Proactive Solutions, or CPS, model. Data shows that Fairfax went from over 600 restraints and over 1,600 seclusions in each of the two school years before intervention

[02:46:09] to less than 200 restraints and nearly zero seclusions in the three years following CPS implementation. As a parent, I want to know that every child in LCPS is safe, supported, and treated with dignity. The data is clear. There is a better way, and it is time for LCPS to follow suit. Thank you for your time. Thank you. And now we'll start with our in-person, starting with Jordan Nugere, followed by Michael Kolonicki. Good evening, Jordan Nugere. I'm an

[02:46:48] athletic trainer and parent here for LCPS. I just wanted to make sure I showed up tonight to thank each of you for your support in prioritizing student health and safety by adding 11 athletic trainers to the budget. I want to thank Ray Mitchell. I want to thank Derek Ferry, Zara Ismaili.

[02:47:04] Again, we're very appreciative of the parents, students, administrators, coaches, teachers, other medical professionals, including doctors at the National Sports Medicine Institute, Dr. Blackstone of Virginia Concussion Initiative at George Mason, the Director of Cardiology at Inova, the Senior Associate Athletic Trainer at the University of Michigan.

[02:47:23] They all came out, spoke on our behalf the last couple of months. Again, as the only medical professional having to make potential life or death decisions after school, decisions that could have legal ramifications affecting the entire district, Unlike any other position at LCPS, it's reassuring to see you all value the health and safety of our students.

[02:47:40] So again, really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Michael Kodanicki, followed by Daniel Brubaker. My name is Michael Kodanicki, athletic trainer at LCPS.

[02:47:57] Simply thank you, and we are excited as a group to be able to provide a service for our students. So I know there's a lot of discussion behind the scenes, so simply thank you guys. Thank you. Daniel Brubaker, followed by Ava Talley.

[02:48:23] As President Trump pointed out this week, the United States are ranked highest in the world in cost per pupil for education, but we're now number 40 among the nations in performance. Soon, God willing, the travesty, the fraud, the crime against the American people that is known as the Department of Education will be no more.

[02:48:42] You all have sought to add $176 million to the already inflated LCPS budget in 2026, a 7% increase, more than 400 new full-time employees, even as LCPS enrollment is flat or in decline. The Democrats among you are approving a budget spending 2.8 million of our tax dollars pushing DEIA priorities throughout the LCPS organization in outright defiance of President Trump's order, inviting even more legal cost and negative press to Loudoun County. You Democrats are allowed to share racist, misogynist, and anti-science views

[02:49:19] with your superintendent. However, an election is coming this year, and the citizens like myself are going to make sure that the people know how you are using our money. Thank you. Thank you. Ava Talley, followed by Brayden Willis. We're all on the list, but if it's okay, we decided to all come up together because we're all speaking about the same thing.

[02:49:54] I'm sorry, are you each going to be doing a minute each? No, we're all doing it. No, just a minute together? Yeah. Okay. Hi, my name is Ava Telly, and I go to Tuscarora High School. I'm Sarah Lufkin, and I go to Briarwoods High School. And I'm Rachel Zarega, and I also go to Briarwoods High School. We just wanted to say thank you for approving a second athletic trainer.

[02:50:18] This will make a huge difference to all of the athletes across the county, and we appreciate you all very, very much. And we thank you for taking the time and being willing to hear our voices, which allows us to be the best athletes that we can be. That's all. We just want to say thank you thank you can I ask Kel's name again so that if it's on here so I can yeah thanks Ava Talley Ava Talley okay Sarah Lufkin okay and Rachel Zarega thank you thank you Brayden Willis

[02:50:57] followed by Layla Abu Saleh no Brayden Willis Layla Abu Saleh and then that will be followed by Jackson Smith hello my name is Layla I'm a George Mason athletic training student and I was

[02:51:33] prior Rockridge high school student athlete. When I was at Rockridge I sustained a concussion and through my recovery and later volunteering I worked with Cole Powell where I saw how hectic and busy the athletic training facility can get. Thank you so much for adding a second athletic trainer to the high school settings. They not only evaluate and rehab injuries they also do administrative tasks and they work with other health care practitioners and they respond to medical emergencies. Thank you so much. Thank you. Jackson Smith followed by Chris

[02:52:10] Countryman. No, Jackson Smith. Chris Countryman followed by Nasia Davis or Nasia Davis. Good evening. Tonight, I am not as optimistic as I was last time I spoke here. Tonight, we're faced with LCPS administration trying to stop collective bargaining before it's even begun yet again. You, school board have adopted a resolution dr. Spence has stated that collective

[02:52:49] bargaining is a strength of the school division so now it's time that both the school board and superintendent direct the rest of the school division to follow through LEA has been empowered to bargain on behalf of the employees we continue to stand ready and able to bargain in good faith but we will not sit by being treated with the same disrespect that has brought us to the need for collective bargaining in the first place so make no mistake we also stand ready if forced into battle. Our goal should be the same. I know that we will not agree on everything but we are

[02:53:25] all empowered. Let's engage with with each other in good faith to enrich LCPS. Thank you. Nassiah Davis followed by Matt O'Donnell. Good evening. My name is Nassiah Davis and I am a senior at John Champ High School student body president and a proud member of varsity field hockey and lacrosse teams. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. First and foremost, I want to sincerely thank the school board for approving the crucial role of a second athletic trainer for all LCPS

[02:54:04] high schools. This decision is a monumental step towards ensuring the health and safety of student athletes across our county, and I deeply appreciate your commitment to prioritizing our well-being. However, while this approval is a significant milestone, it is crucial to see it through by keeping it in the budget and ensuring implementation in the next school year. Lives truly depend on it. To Sarah, on our behalf of every athlete at John Champ High School, thank you. Thank you for your timeless dedication, your patience, and your unwavering commitment to our

[02:54:41] health and safety. We see you, we appreciate you, and we know that without you, we will not be able to do what we love. Now it's time to ensure you get the support you need. Let's keep the commitment in the budget and make it a reality next year. Thank you. Thank you. Matt O'Donnell, followed by Brianna Hernandez Barrientos. Good evening. I, like most parents, want a school year that starts and adheres as close to Labor Day and Memorial Day as possible. Don't pick one of the choices

[02:55:16] that the administration has given you. First, you don't have to. Secondly, be careful. It's a little bit of a sales trick. I call it a dual alternative close in sales. I give you two choices. Neither are particularly great, but I hope you fret over the decision and forget to say no. The confusing part for me is we elect you to tell the superintendent and this administration what to do. You say, give me a budget. He hands you a bit of a mess. Make sure our kids are getting an effective education and our test scores are not so great. Give me a good schedule. Here, two bad options

[02:55:51] that require no imagination on our part, just to prove it and don't ask any questions. So be very people with effectiveness issues always ask for more time and more money. So and congrats to everyone that was recognized tonight. Thank you. Thank you. Brianna Hernandez Barrientos followed by Zachary Sheehan. Good evening school board. My

[02:56:27] name is Brianna Hernandez Barrientos and I'm a senior of Parkview High School and a track athlete. Sincerely I would like to first say thank you for considering into the new budget of next year to track athlete at two athletic trainers. This new proposal is definitely going to help many athletes in all the counties to succeed in their goals and into their dreams. Mr. Lucas, our athletic trainer, has always had a long line of athletes waiting for him either to get injuries checked out or to do their exercise or check over with him a recovery injury. Additionally, with the renovation of our new school building, he is also

[02:57:07] required to go to two far places in order to check through games. This new proposal has definitely and will definitely help him out in protecting us and also checking over us in any case of emergencies or injuries that may happen in any game or practice. I once again would love to say thank you for considering this proposal into the next year budget and good evening and thank you.

[02:57:29] Thank you. Zachary Sheehan followed by William Hooper. Good evening. I'm a senior at Parkview high school and a track athlete and thank you for having a second of accepting the second athletic trainer last year i had an injury and every time i went to the trainer's room it was always filled with a bunch of people and uh our athletic trainer coach lucas was out of his head

[02:58:08] like struggling trying to get people out and in and i had to work outside uh on my stuff and like since our we since we don't have a field and a lot of soccer and like lacrosse it's going to be at different places it's going to be better if we had two athletic trainers to one one go to lacrosse one go to soccer or whatever but I like to say thank you and for everyone that accepting the

[02:58:41] proposal for the second trainer thank you Kristen Washington followed by Corey Brunet Skip someone? Did I skip someone? I'm sorry, did I get, I had William, okay, that was Zachary Sheehan, and now, I'm sorry, and William Hooper.

[02:59:07] Hi, good evening. My name is William Hooper, and I'm the parent of two LCPS students. I appreciate the opportunity to speak tonight. I wanted to bring to your attention that SchoolLinks, as a college planning tool, is failing to provide adequate and effective information to the students, counselors, and families.

[02:59:28] As evidenced by the materials that I believe each one of you has, there are an unbelievable number of problems. And it's not just me as a single end user. I've actually managed to confirm this with other users in other states, as well as here at LCPS. The information that is being messed up is unbelievable.

[02:59:47] It's showing things, for example, that MIT or Harvard has admittance rates over 30%. It identified a school district in upstate New York as being a degree-granting institution. And one example I have for Dominion High School, 16 out of 18 students had identical weighted and unweighted GPAs, unweighted GPAs that were, correction, unweighted GPAs that were in excess of 4.3, which is mathematically impossible.

[03:00:13] So I'd like to encourage the school to pay. Thank you. And so now it's Kristen Washington, correct, followed by Corey Brunet. I just want to say before I say what I came here to say that seclusion is barbaric.

[03:00:42] Those students aren't giving you a hard time, they are having a hard time. And what they need is connection and not isolation. What I came here to say is dyslexia, I have been fighting for three years for support for my two children with dyslexia, which by definition needs specialized instruction.

[03:01:08] I have been lied to by the assistant principal telling me they haven't used Lucy Calkins in years. I FOIA'd the request in 2022 and 23, 23, 24. It was units of study for reading and writing authored by Lucy Calkins.

[03:01:24] Like, I don't understand why it's so hard to get support for my children who struggle to read, especially when 50% of our students in fourth through eighth grade in 2023 were reading at low perfection.

[03:01:41] - Thank you. Corey Brunet, followed by Laura Camacho. Good evening. My name is Corey Brunet, and I'm an English learner teacher at Broad Run High School. LEA won the election to be the exclusive bargaining representative.

[03:02:01] And while LEA is eager to get going, LCPS is already committing an unfair labor practice, and we haven't even started. Section 1 of the resolution is like the glossary, where all important terms are defined to make the rest of the resolution make sense.

[03:02:17] For example, collective bargaining is defined as to negotiate in good faith with respect to wages, benefits, and working conditions. According to Section 1, we are only allowed to negotiate for working conditions for this first contract.

[03:02:35] Benefits and wages are not part of that number four, but LCPS wants to pretend they are. By the way, the first five words of the definition of collective bargaining are to negotiate in good faith. hmm, LCPS will never outperform its educators.

[03:02:53] Thank you. Laura Camacho, followed by Heidi Bunkua.

[03:03:06] No, Laura Camacho. Heidi Bunkua. Erin Kunkel, followed by Isabella Ortega.

[03:03:29] Hello, and good evening. My name is Erin Kunkel, and I serve as the current chair of MSAC. MSAC strongly supports Policy 1040 because it affirms LCPS's commitment to equity, inclusion, and equal opportunity for all students.

[03:03:47] This policy must be unambiguous in its language, explicitly stating where LCPS stands and upholding the rights of every student. A strong, well-defined policy ensures accountability and reflects our shared responsibility to create learning environments where all students feel safe, valued, and empowered to succeed.

[03:04:06] MSAC urges the board to adopt policy 1040 as a clear and unwavering commitment to equity in education. Thank you. - Thank you. Isabella Ortega followed by Liz Crotty.

[03:04:24] - I'm sure others will address more frivolous spending. My issue today stems from the 2.8 million dollars you insist on wasting on DEIA or more accurately division erasure intolerance and anti-american policies in our schools. As pointed out by one of your own, this money could go to special needs, more trainers, or increases in teacher salaries. Instead, you continue to waste our money and abuse your power to keep racism alive in our schools. These policies you fund tell my friends they are racist and me that I'm incapable because our skin is different. Let me tell you as a so-called

[03:05:01] brown woman, because that is all you seem that seems to matter to you, that I have worked every second of every day to get to where I am, but with these policies you are telling me and all students that we are worth nothing more than a melanin deposit. DEIA at its core ensures that every student regardless of background, ability, or identity fails at the fundamentals of life by being too preoccupied with the color of their skin, only then to abandon its targets in a and never-ending cycle of victimhood.

[03:05:28] I implore you to set the proper example at any-- - Thank you. Please yield the mic. Liz Crotty, followed by Sophia Whitwood. - Good evening, members of the school board.

[03:05:45] My name is Liz Crotty, and I'm the chair of our special education advisory committee. Policy 5345, restraint and seclusion of students, is a very difficult policy. It is one that our community has wrestled with intensely for over seven years, when the story that led to Gigi's law came to light.

[03:06:02] Since then, SEAC has continuously advocated to end seclusion in Loudoun County Public Schools. This year, our SEAC members voted unanimously to recommend banning seclusion. We would not be paving the way through unchartered waters. Fairfax County Public Schools banned seclusion in 2021.

[03:06:21] The state of Maryland banned seclusion in all of their public schools back in 2022. We want our students and our teachers to be safe. Seclusion does not accomplish that. Research tells us that it leads to increasingly dangerous behavior and that it is not an evidence-based practice.

[03:06:39] Please vote to take this step forward for our school community and end seclusion in LCPS. Thank you. Thank you, Sophia Whitwood, followed by Sarah Plattenberg. Hello, my name is Sophia Whitwood, and I'm a senior at John Champ High School.

[03:07:02] First, I would like to say thank you, school board, for approving additional athletic trainers in our high schools. My peers and I believe that it is important to have two athletic trainers for better coverage over sporting events, especially with the upcoming spring season. There will be many events happening simultaneously, and having two athletic trainers ensures the safety of all the teams.

[03:07:23] As an athlete, the athletic training room can be very hectic, and having another athletic trainer will make a big difference. Again, thank you for your support of athletic trainers and student-athletes. Thank you. Sarah, am I, am I Sarah Plattenberg? No. Sophia Whitwood, that was Sophia Whitwood, right? And then we had Sarah Plattenberg, followed by Brianna Graves. No, Sarah Plattenberg.

[03:08:01] Brianna Graves, followed by Shanaz Khan.

[03:08:16] Can you hear me? Okay, great. Hello and good evening. I am Brianna Graves, a special education teacher and a Native American. I'm here today in regards to funding DEIA. Quoting Dr. Spence, I'm committed to ensuring that every student in our school division has the opportunity to thrive, learn, and succeed.

[03:08:34] My question is, what does the data show when defending DEIA? Since not every student in LCPS had the opportunity to be successful in the case from last year, I continuously reached out to Dr. Spence regarding discrimination towards the special education CAST students at the academies.

[03:08:50] Do you remember what you did? You did nothing after my numerous attempts, including seeing you in person for support. I'm not the only one. So don't pretend that you support inclusivity because you don't. What is your agenda in defending DEIA? Is it because you don't like the president, as seen on your social media?

[03:09:07] Or to make teachers like me, who see something, say something, be silenced, including a horrible teacher review that still follows me to this day? I look forward to hearing from you all regarding my inquiries, including supported data for your stances. However, thank you. Thank you.

[03:09:24] Shanaz Khan, followed by Sandy Sullivan. Good evening, school board members.

[03:09:39] In response to the seclusion incidences that occurred in 2018 that led to the passing of Gigi's law, the Special Education Ad Hoc Committee was formed by the Loudoun County School Board to address community concerns relating to these incidences.

[03:09:56] The final recommendation number two from this committee was clear. Expand interventions, increase de-escalation training, and implement the UCIRO restraint-free crisis management approach. The plan was to first provide better tools, then eliminate seclusion. Seven years later, despite implementing all these recommendations, LCPS still hasn't ended seclusion.

[03:10:19] Seclusion is not a solution. It is not a tool. If a child is repeatedly secluded, it means their needs are not being met. Instead, we must create supportive spaces and provide resources, especially for vulnerable students like non-vulnerable children who can't advocate for themselves.

[03:10:36] And we need to provide evidence-based tools for our teachers and staff. Thank you. Sandy Sullivan, followed by Matt Redding. It is time.

[03:10:54] The school board adopted the collective bargaining resolution. LCPS employees voted for Loudoun Education Association to bargain for them. It is time to move forward and bargain in good faith. The resolution states bargaining will include four working conditions and salaries and benefits, not just four working conditions.

[03:11:13] Our employees are being shut down before bargaining can even begin. This is a disrespect to the collective bargaining process. LCPS is missing the critical opportunity to make LCPS stronger. It's time to move forward to engage in collective bargaining over working conditions and salaries and benefits.

[03:11:31] Thank you. Matt Raddick, followed by Linda Larson. Good evening. I'm a parent of a student athlete at Rockridge High School and also a volunteer coach.

[03:11:48] I want to thank the school board for voting to approve the budget last week for 11 additional athletic trainers. And I'm presenting tonight to emphasize the importance of continuing to support this measure. As a parent and coach, I've witnessed firsthand the hard work and long hours of the athletic training staff for our students and children. One trainer does the work of many people.

[03:12:05] Without fail, at the end of each day, there is a line of students outside the athletic training room waiting to receive whatever service they're in need of so they can return to the field court or mat as soon as possible. With this demand, an athlete can wait up to 45 minutes to get his hand taped.

[03:12:21] That should only take 30 seconds. It gets far more complicated when the trainers are split between different facilities out on the football field or in at volleyball practice. I want to emphasize the continued support for this budget measure as it gets ready to go up to the Board of Supervisors.

[03:12:39] Thank you. Thank you. Linda Larson, followed by Valerie Schoenfeld. Hello. I'm a parent of an LCP Rockridge High School student athlete and a former student athlete.

[03:13:01] Thank you for the vote to have two athletic trainers at each school. My daughter had one of the worst concussions at Rockridge, from what the athletic trainer told me. With the help of the trainer, Mr. Cole Powell, she was able to get the support she needed to recover. The experience affected her so much so that she is now in school to become an athletic trainer.

[03:13:17] My son is in the football program at Rockridge and has used Mr. Powell's services and other school trainers when the team has traveled to help rap so he doesn't get injured himself during play. However, because of the volume of people that may need help or the trainer is busy elsewhere or dealing with an urgent matter, sometimes his warm-up is cut short or he is late to practice. Having two full-time trainers will go a long way to enable coverage at multiple sporting events when they happen at the same time. Again, thank you for voting to increase the number of athletic trainers in the LCPS. Thank you. Valerie Schoenfeld followed by

[03:13:51] Carla Sola. Hi, I'm a parent and I'm here tonight because my family has been living through a nightmare, one that no child or parent should ever have to adore. Last school year my job was repeatedly secluded without my knowledge. Staff surrounded him forcing him to a wheelie chair and pushed him quickly down the hallway into a small windowless room with only a desk and a chair. You should all have a picture of this room.

[03:14:32] Staff stood in the doorway blocking his exit while he was expected to somehow be able to self-regulate, alone, scared, and without any tools or support. My child wasn't being helped, and he was being punished for struggling instead of receiving care and understanding.

[03:14:51] He was isolated and traumatized. This toll was taken on. It's devastating. He has stopped eating. He lost six pounds in just one month. He became consumed by anxiety. Thank you. Carla Sola, followed by Daryl Dawson.

[03:15:09] I'd like to continue with Mrs. Schoenenfeld's further remarks. The repeated seclusion of her son didn't just push him out of the classroom. It shattered his sense of safety and robbed him of his ability to feel secure around adults.

[03:15:29] He's not been able to return to school since February 7th of 2024. Mrs. Schoenenfeld cannot begin to describe the heartbreak of watching her child suffer like this. She is pleading with you. I am pleading with you also as a member of SEAC to not allow seclusion to continue.

[03:15:49] It must be prohibited so that no other child would suffer this harm. We also ask you to inspect the use of cool-down rooms to ensure that they aren't informal seclusion spaces. Staff need better training to prevent crises before they happen.

[03:16:06] resources like the CPI's Reframing Behavior and Sensible Solutions Y Toolkit offers trauma-informed alternatives. Investing in proactive strategies will not only protect students, but will also support staff. Thank you. Thank you. Daryl Dawson, followed by Melissa Waugh. Good evening. I am Daryl Dawson, middle school teacher at Seneca. In the spirit of fairness and equity, LEA is advocating for collective bargaining to begin forward, to move forward without delay. We strive for fair

[03:16:40] wages, compensation benefits, and improved working conditions. However, it has become apparent that LCPS are making efforts to stonewall and stymie. I'm in the business of the five C's, not the two S's. Accountability and transparency are core tenets to negotiating. Together, through collective bargaining, we can create a workplace that respects and supports every educator. Let's stand united for

[03:17:07] a brighter future. Thank you. Melissa Waugh, followed by Andrea Weiskopf. Good evening, everyone.

[03:17:25] On January 8, 2025, the U.S. Secretary of Education, Dr. Miguel Cardona, released a dear colleague letter to inform governors and school officials that the department, quote, remains concerned that children continue to be subjected to restraint and seclusion practices, even though these practices are harmful to children, and despite lack of evidence that these practices are effective, end quote.

[03:17:55] Failing to ban seclusion is inconsistent with LCPS's One LCPS 2027 Strategic Plan, which says, Every student should have the support to feel safe, happy, and cared for in school.

[03:18:11] You may hear staff say that they still, seven years later, need this tool of seclusion in their toolbox, but it is past time to keep this rusted, broken tool that harms children. We need to substitute it for a shiny new tool that's research-based.

[03:18:27] Thank you. Andrew Weiskopf.

[03:18:40] To Dr. Spence and the board members who voted to protect DEIA, Chinamonda Adichie has words for you. Racism never should have happened, so you don't get a cookie for reducing it.

[03:18:56] To the board member who supported adding to the budget before voting against the budget, I listen, I judge. To the administrators who claimed that collective bargaining would cost $3 million, that figure was not in the budget.

[03:19:14] Are you incompetent or a union-busting liar? To our LGBTQ students, you belong. To our students who are not American citizens, no one can steal your humanity. Finally, Black Lives Matter.

[03:19:33] Thank you. And with that, we end our public comment. We are going to go ahead and go into recess for 10 minutes. The board will be back around at 8 o'clock.

[03:32:02] All right, the board is back from recess, and we will continue with item 13, our action items. Our first one is 13.01, Human Resources and Talent Development, 2026-2027 Student School Calendar Options.

[03:32:23] um miss boland before any motions are proposed would you please provide since it's been a couple weeks um us with a little synopsis around the calendars please is she not here i'm right here sorry i already oh there you are oh you already came up yes i couldn't even see you through this thing i'm sorry sorry i was trying to be proactive i know we're all very excited for calendars okay so good evening as you may recall one of hrtd's goals is to provide staff and families

[03:32:56] with multi-year school calendars to support long-term planning. As such, HRTD brought before the board four calendar options for the 26-27 school year as an information item at the November 12, 2024 meeting. Tonight, after receiving stakeholder feedback, we are bringing back those options with additional information in the hopes that the board will take action to approve a school calendar for the 26-27 school year. Oh, sorry, I forgot I have the clicker. LCPS is

[03:33:36] committed to supporting every student in pursuing and reaching their full potential and empowering them to make meaningful contributions to the world. Establishing a thoughtfully crafted school calendar is a foundational step toward fulfilling this mission. The student school calendar serves as the foundation upon which we build an effective teacher work schedule. Together, these two calendars establish the standard that guides the development of all of our other staff calendars. Before moving forward with the survey results on preferences for the 26-27 school

[03:34:13] calendar, I'd like to take a moment to remind you of the school calendar development process, including the guiding principles reflected in our current calendars. The development of the school calendar follows LCPS Policy and Regulation 7040, as well as Virginia Code and other relevant laws. Policy and Regulations 7040 provide guidelines for student and teacher calendar development, school holidays, staff development days, inclement weather procedures, and other scheduling considerations. Virginia Code requires all school divisions to offer either 180

[03:34:51] instructional days or 990 instructional hours each year. LCPS exceeds this requirement as our students receive 6 hours and 15 minutes of instructional time daily, 45 minutes more than the state minimum. Another important factor in calendar development is House Bill 1148, which moved the Virginia June primary election from the 2nd to the 3rd Tuesday in June. This change could impact the last day of school and other student-related events. In addition to the

[03:35:31] laws and policies that guide school calendar development, we have established a set of guiding principles based on extensive stakeholder feedback. This feedback gathered through surveys, discussions with advisory committees, insights from the school board members, and public comments has played a crucial role in shaping these guiding principles which continue to inform our calendar drafts. The guiding principles include a school year that begins two weeks before Labor Day and ends in the second week of June, a two-week winter break and a full week for spring break,

[03:36:06] a target of 180 instructional days, recognition of one holiday for significant religious observances from major world religions. Along with these guiding principles, HRTD has also heard and responded to feedback regarding gap days, school days that fell between existing student holidays, creating disruptions in continuity.

[03:36:30] To address this concern, we removed those gap days from the 24/25 and 25/26 calendars and hope to continue that practice. As you can imagine, developing a school calendar that meets the needs of more than 80,000 students and their families is a complex and multifaceted process.

[03:36:53] This calendar must not only comply with LCPS policy and Virginia code, but also serve as the foundation for approximately 26 additional staff calendars, impacting more than 13,000 employees. At the same time, it must align with our core values and the goals of the 2027 Strategic Plan for Excellence. We recognize the weight of this responsibility and the number of lives affected by these decisions. Before we discuss the draft 26-27 school calendar options, I want to briefly highlight the key factors that shape their development.

[03:37:28] As a reminder, HRTD continuously gathered feedback to inform the development of the 26-27 school calendar options. This process included ongoing engagement with the school board as well as input from student, teacher, and principal advisory committees.

[03:37:46] This year, we also introduced a new calendar committee with representatives from across the division to ensure a broad and diverse perspective in the development process. In addition to these discussions, we conducted surveys with staff and families. Five distinct surveys were distributed to our student, teacher, and principal advisory groups, the calendar committee, and staff and families.

[03:38:10] These surveys gathered input on key factors such as the start and end date of the school year, length of breaks, school holidays, quarter lengths, alignment with neighboring counties, and total instructional days for students. This slide provides a snapshot of the survey results broken down by key areas.

[03:38:32] School calendar structure, breaks, and alternative calendar options. As you can see, no single option represents a clear majority, reflecting the diverse preferences of our stakeholders. It is important to recognize that adopting a school calendar is a decision that will not achieve unanimous satisfaction.

[03:38:53] However, the feedback gathered through this survey has been instrumental in shaping our approach. We received 20,987 survey responses, which have been aggregated here to provide a comprehensive view of stakeholder input.

[03:39:11] These insights were pivotal in shaping the draft calendar options, ensuring that stakeholder input was thoughtfully considered throughout the development process. Following the initial presentation of the calendar options to the school board, HRTD received several questions regarding the proposed start dates and compliance with Virginia Code.

[03:39:35] I am happy to confirm that all four calendar options fully comply with state regulations. This compliance has been verified through direct confirmation from VDOE. LCPS was granted a waiver to open prior to Labor Day for the 2011-2012 school year, and with that waiver, it remains in effect today.

[03:39:57] As a result, LCPS may begin the school year more than 14 days before Labor Day without requiring an additional waiver. Additionally, we have also confirmed that this waiver does not require LCPS to close schools on the Friday before Labor Day, which we previously thought we did.

[03:40:18] Following our presentation of the draft calendar options at the November 12th, 2024 school board meeting, HRTD sent a follow-up survey to families, staff, and the teacher, principal, and student advisory committees. We asked them to rank the draft calendar options based on their preferences.

[03:40:36] In addition, the survey gathered input on the potential future consideration of a year-round calendar and provided an opportunity for open-ended feedback on the proposed calendars. Now let's move on to the survey results. Over the next few slides, I'll walk you through the key insights that we gathered.

[03:40:56] For the next few minutes, though, I would like to take a moment to remind the board of some key details of the four draft school calendar options for the 26-27 school year that were originally presented to the school board at the November 12, 2024 meeting. All options presented have a two-week winter break and a one-week spring break, and all options maintain the current number of holidays. Option one, being the most closely mirrored to our current calendar structure,

[03:41:31] maintains a 180-day instructional year for students, with a first day of school being Monday, August 17, 2026. The main change in this calendar is the shift from a Thursday start to a Monday start.

[03:41:49] While Monday is not the preferred start day based on feedback, this adjustment is necessary to accommodate Election Day on June 15, 2027 and ensure that sufficient instructional days occur prior to that date.

[03:42:07] This calendar option includes a last day for students of Friday, June 11, 2027, and provides teachers with 194 assigned work days, a start date of Monday, August 10, five days prior to students' first day, the Friday off before the Monday Labor Day holiday, 14 professional development days, and a last day for teachers of Tuesday, June 15th. Options 2 and 3 both sought to address a key

[03:42:42] concern raised by various stakeholders, the desire for an earlier end of the school year that aligns more closely with the completion of SOL and AP exams, and include a last day of school for students of Friday, May 28th. In both cases, some compromises are necessary to accommodate these requests while maintaining a balance of instructional time. In option two, we maintain 180 instructional days for students, have a first day of school starting Tuesday, August 4th,

[03:43:19] which allows for two A days and two B days, and the last day of school for students, again, would be Friday, May 28th. However, for teachers, this option still maintains 194 assigned work days, however, has a significant earlier start date, which is Monday, July 27th, and is six days before students start. They have a last day, or they have off the Friday before the Monday Labor Day holiday, 14 professional development days, and a last day of Tuesday, June 1st. If selected,

[03:43:58] we recognize this would be a significant shift, and the first year of this calendar would provide for a shorter summer break, which is why we are also including another variation that may be more palatable. Option three reduces the number of instructional days from 180 to 174, has a first day for students as Wednesday, August 12th, 2026, and a last day of Friday, May 28th. This provides

[03:44:31] teachers a start date of Monday, August 3rd, which is seven days before students, and reduces the number of assigned work days by one to 193. It provides for 19 professional development days and a last day of work of Friday, June 4th. Again, with either option two or three, we acknowledge that adopting an earlier start will result in a shorter summer break in the first year. However, if maintained, future years will see a return to a more typical break between the school years.

[03:45:10] Option four is similar to option three in terms of the number of instructional days with 174 instructional days for students. The main difference in this option is the shift of spring break to the week after Easter. This change was a committee recommendation aimed at slightly decreasing the number of instructional days between spring break and the end of the year school year, focusing on a more balanced break schedule and potentially creating the same week for spring break each year. This option reduces the number of instructional days, has a first day

[03:45:49] of school as Thursday, August 13th, which is aligned with our current practice of starting on a Thursday, and a last day of school for students of Friday, May 28th. This option does reduce the number of assigned workdays for teachers by 1 to 193, has a start date for teachers of Monday, August 3rd, which is eight days before students start, 19 professional development days, and a last day for teachers of Friday, June 4th. And I would like to point out that the work days at the beginning of the school year could be used for multiple items, such as the completion of

[03:46:27] required professional development, classroom setup, planning, and more. This would not necessarily require that teachers are in the building the entire time. Based on the results of the LCPS school calendar option survey, this slide highlights the top two preferred options for the 26-27 school year based on a weighted score. For all groups combined, option four was the top preferred choice. Staff and advisory committees ranked this option as their number one, and

[03:47:01] families ranked this as their option two. For all groups combined, option one was the second preferred choice, while families ranked this option as their number one, staff ranked this option as their number two, and advisory committees ranked this as option three. Option four was the least preferred choice by all groups. An additional survey question asked whether LCPS should consider developing a year-round school calendar option in the future. To help respondents visualize this

[03:47:38] possibility, the survey included a draft illustration of a potential year-round calendar. As shown on this slide, 49% of all respondents did not express interest in pursuing a year-round calendar. However, the difference between those in favor and those opposed was not as significant as we initially anticipated. This indicates while there is no overwhelming support, there remains a level of interest worth considering. Moving forward, we will continue to explore alternative calendar structures and assess their potential benefits, ensuring that future calendars align

[03:48:14] with the evolving needs of our students, families, and staff. This slide reflects a summary of the feedback received from the survey where respondents were offered the opportunity to share any additional feedback about the calendars.

[03:48:32] Based on the responses, the comments received were summarized into four different categories: year-round school, calendar concerns, suggestions for improvements and general sentiments. The categories do not necessarily represent that these are recommendations, rather a summary of written feedback received from survey respondents.

[03:48:53] I would like to note that the open-ended survey responses may at times diverge from the results of close-ended questions as feedback tends to be disproportionately provided by individuals who are dissatisfied, while those with neutral or positive experiences are often less inclined to comment.

[03:49:12] This pattern is evident in the survey where out of a total of 14,152 respondents, only 26% of respondents or 3,744 submitted open-ended comments.

[03:49:28] Two examples where this trend is evident. Early start dates. The comments reflected a strong preference for starting school closer to Labor Day. However, the survey results indicated that the majority of respondents, 61%, preferred an earlier start in early August, or two weeks before Labor Day, while only 31% expressed a preference for starting after Labor Day, or only one week prior.

[03:49:55] And alignment with neighboring districts. The comments indicated a strong preference for aligning with neighboring districts. However, the survey results showed this to be a relatively neutral topic, with 49% of responded stating it was not important or expressing no preference, while 51% indicated it held some degree of importance. I know that was a lot to digest, but it is my hope that we have provided the board with well thought out and researched options and the information necessary to confidently discuss and ultimately decide how to move forward as a division to support our

[03:50:35] students and staff for future years. We are hoping that tonight you will adopt a student school calendar for the 26-27 school year. We recognize that these options will not please everyone, but have made great efforts to listen and respond appropriately to support our staff and students and set them up for success. Once adopted, HRTD will work collaboratively with the Department of Academics on the allotment of non-student working days to meet educator needs and will provide clear definitions of identified days and communication regarding flexibility

[03:51:13] and availability of remote work on some of those days. Further, HRTD will begin the work to draft the 2027-28 school calendar options to bring to the school board in the spring. These options will be modeled off of feedback received during this latest development process and ultimately the calendar you adopt.

[03:51:33] And we'll further support our goal to provide staff, students, and families with advanced school calendars so that they can plan their lives appropriately. Thank you for your time and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you, Ms. Boland.

[03:51:50] Board members, typically we, after something, typically for our action items, we go ahead and have a base motion. Yes, Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[03:52:07] I would like to make a motion for the Loudoun County School Board to adopt a calendar for the 26-27 school year. I have a motion on the floor. Do I have a second? I have a second by Mr. Estruffy. The motion's been properly moved and seconded.

[03:52:27] Is there any discussion? Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Madam Chair. And I wanted to thank Ms. Boland and her team for their work, for the extensive feedback that was taken, and for all of the effort that was put in to bring four options that are in compliance with all the different requirements that we have.

[03:52:51] After receiving significant feedback indicating that none of the four initial calendar options received a majority of the combined stakeholder support and that options one and four were the most favorable, I began this week to seek an alternative solution. While I recognize there is no perfect calendar, as Ms. Boland pointed out, the feedback prompted me to look into adjustments that could maybe better support the community's requests. In my view, shifting the school board, shifting the school year to the end of the Friday before Memorial Day weekend would benefit LCPS in the long run by allowing for more instructional days to be maximized before testing in may

[03:53:29] this change would support maximizing that instruction earlier in the year however i understand that this transition will result in a shorter more challenging summer for for a year if we choose that path with that in mind and with the gracious help of the hrtd staff they helped me develop a hybrid option that still moves the end of the school year earlier while also aiming to to minimize the impact on that first summer.

[03:53:55] My goal was to maintain as close to 180 instructional days as possible, avoiding the trend of shortening the school year, which is of personal importance to me. We were able to reach 179 days in the hybrid model. Creating a calendar is indeed, as Ms. Boland says, turns out a complex task.

[03:54:14] She's telling the truth. Adjusting one element often impacts many others, with limited options to modify. I'm grateful for the opportunity have done a deep dive into this process with her and her team to learn the intricacies of calendar design. My top priority, as I expressed, is always to maximize instruction. I am pleased with the result and hope to gain the support of the board and the support of our community. Additionally, my proposed option asks for various compromises to accomplish this unique transition. I've outlined my rationale for those in a crosswalk chart which I've posted on my

[03:54:52] social media pages and I understand that these have an impact on various different stakeholders in various different ways. I want to remind the public that we are only voting on the 26-27 school year at this time. Once this calendar is set we will be looking at subsequent year options in the spring.

[03:55:09] With your permission Madam Chair I'd like to walk through my crosswalk chart and proposed options and I also would be open to answering any questions about the proposed calendar look forward to your thoughts and I am eager to listen to both my colleagues and the public you wanted to do that right now your crosswalk or did you want to wait it's up to you guys if you think that would be beneficial to walk through those it's similar to what miss Bolin put out for each option explain ahead and do that right now yeah okay so like I said we

[03:55:45] kind of looked at option one and option for sort of tabling option two and three since those seem to be the least palatable. So for what we're calling, I guess, the Chernoff hybrid option is a start date from option one.

[03:56:01] So teachers would report on August 10th and have five workdays before the students report on August 17th. The compromise there is that we are starting on a Monday. And I will admit, even after lots of feedback in the last 24 hours, this is definitely not the most popular option.

[03:56:19] and we saw that in the survey results as well. But it would allow us to finish on a Friday rather than lump over into a Monday and keeps us at 179 instructional days. The rationale there is that option four had teachers reporting August 3rd, and this gives them an entire extra week of summer.

[03:56:38] The next piece would be a shift for us. This is taking our current religious holidays, the four extra religious holidays from the main religions that we support and turning them into cultural observance days. That would make them school days that would be excused absences, and we have policies that outline those requirements for attendance for students and teachers, and I will defer to Ms. Boland after this to possibly answer those questions.

[03:57:09] This allowed us to move the last day from option one from June 11th to June 4th, paired with the subtraction of one instructional day, which got us to the 179. So like I said, instead, the rationale for the compromise here is that instead of having these days off for everyone, they will be excused absences for all who observe, and per policy and regulation, staff will be directed not to have any major summatives, projects, and due dates, and I believe there's a list of other things that are included in that.

[03:57:40] I truly believe that this is the solution to get us to 179 instructional days and minimize the impact of a shortened summer. It also changes three four-day weeks to five full-day weeks and one three-day week to a four-day week, which gives maximum routine consistency and instructional time.

[03:58:00] These four days seem to be very impactful for various options. They create shorter instructional weeks throughout the year, as well as make the school year a week shorter minus one day. So additionally, converting those into instructional days allows more flexibility with teacher work days and still honors their contracts.

[03:58:20] Without this, I think teachers would need four additional work days to lengthen their year for their condensing summer. I acknowledge that this will require families who observe these holidays to take their students out for excused absences when they have had these holidays off in past years, and I know that that is not an easy decision.

[03:58:39] But I'm asking for honest feedback, and I truly want to listen from these groups. The last piece was to keep spring break that is not tied to Easter and become a fixed week each year based on when the third quarter ends.

[03:58:55] So spring break would be tied to the end of the quarter and not the Easter holiday, which also draws on the cultural observance philosophy. And again, this comes from option four. And I do want to point out that it is the week after Easter in this calendar, but in other years it would not necessarily be based off of where the third quarter ends and where Easter falls because it is a holiday that jumps around a lot.

[03:59:20] So with that, I am happy to address different concerns. I have certainly seen a lot of feedback this week on the four options and additionally in the last 24 hours been bombarded with a lot of different feedback. So, I am hopeful that we can navigate this conversation together.

[03:59:39] Appreciate you listening. Yes, Dr. Rossi. Thank you, Chair. And thank you, Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Ms. Boland. So, I was looking at option one all the way to four. Ms. Chernoff, you said you worked on this calendar option with Ms. Boland.

[04:00:00] So, Ms. Boland, is this option, like, five? Is it safe to say this is another option from LCPS? No. - No. - So this is strictly only from Ms. Chernoff? - That's correct. So any board member has the ability to work through an alternative option, but given the complexities, it's often difficult for them to do it without our assistance because changing one thing could impact so many other things.

[04:00:33] So it is not necessarily one that staff put forward. it would be Ms. Chernoff's option, or not really a fifth option. It's separate from the original options. Okay, because I was going to ask you, I guess I'll ask Ms. Chernoff then instead, if you can explain the holiday replacement in terms of all the religions that you had said.

[04:00:55] I guess you said the major religions, and then you said excused absences, if you can clarify on that. Yeah, and I'll lean in with Ms. Boland on some of this also, because a lot of it is in policy as well. So the real impetus for this conversation started with how do we sort of create a transition year for that very short summer?

[04:01:19] Because if we switch to a very early end at Memorial Day, then we're starting very early. Well, an option two was July, and then early August, especially for teachers. So how do we help to maximize summer in this transitional year?

[04:01:35] And there's really only so many days that you can play with. And so for me, it was important that we sort of got to option one by moving that week down and moving the summer up one week. So we had to get a couple of weeks there. And so for me, the days that seemed, because people seemed to really want a two-week Christmas break or winter break in the schedule and also given all the other circumstances really the only other holidays to play with are the four other holidays that we celebrate. Additionally in the survey data

[04:02:12] there was 7,411 people that wanted to maintain holidays and there was 7,633 people that wanted to decrease. I realize that that's close and I realize that this is you know a sensitive shift But we also have provision in policy for religious excuse to absences.

[04:02:32] So, Ms. Boland, I believe that we had reviewed policy 7730 and policy 8110. Could you help clarify on that? Yes, thank you, Ms. Chernoff. So staff policy is 7730, religious accommodations, and student policy is 8140, student attendance requirements and procedures, which both provide the opportunity for staff and students to observe a religious holiday without their absence being non-punitive so what were the major holidays that that you're including yes versus the ones that you're not that you're excluding i i kind

[04:03:08] of lost track so it's the four additional holidays beyond what we would call i think federal holidays correct miss bolan so it's eid diwali learn lunar new year and yom kippur or rosh hashanah based on where they fall. Actually, that's not, we have to, the regulation actually is Yom Kippur, but we actually voted this last time for Rosh Hashanah, and that is in our regulation 70-40. Yeah, and I do recognize that in the regulation that we have now for our calendars in policy 70-40 and its

[04:03:44] subsequent regulation, that if this was a shift that we made, there would have to be staff-directed changes and then with the um you said the other holidays you had mentioned i don't know if i'm if i heard you wrong i don't know if i you said those were the main holidays and then you said something about excused absences yeah so there's the holidays the rest of the holidays are the federal holidays so it's indigenous people day it's president's day martin luther king day so these are those four additional holidays that we have recognized in the past in lcps from the main

[04:04:19] four main religions, I think is how we've classified them, that we have added in as four additional days. So the other day, the federal holidays would remain. Okay. Is there any other discussion? Yes, ma'am. Dr. Deans. My thoughts, my thoughts are that the, Ms. Bolin and her staff have already vetted the full options with all of the different groups that we would not venture

[04:04:58] away from those options that have already been given to the public and to staff and to principals and to student groups. I think that venturing away from what Mrs. Boland and her staff have legitimately vetted with the different groups would be something that would be not be as acceptable as those that have already been vetted. I don't know if that's a question or a state

[04:05:36] meant mrs. Boland but my thoughts are that if we venture away from what they what what those groupings have already said yes or no to even though none of none of them prevailed over the other that that that would be problematic on our part that we've taken their power away from having the opportunity to vet versus at least going with one of the four options that the staff has already

[04:06:07] presented to the public. Ms. Boland, do you want to speak to that first? So I think there's no easy answer. I do know that Ms. Chernoff did post for feedback on Facebook, I believe. I'm not sure how many people responded. We have in the past had additional options presented or requested by

[04:06:45] board members when we brought forward calendar options. So this board would have an opportunity to pause this as an action item, which is not my favorite, would pause this as an action item, allow for additional feedback or responses if they so chose to move forward with considering Ms. Chernoff's option and allow for additional time for constituent feedback to then bring back as an action item once again at the February 25th

[04:07:21] meeting. Yes, Dr. Deans. I would say that the audience that might have seen the option on Mrs. Sharnoff's Facebook page would not be a large audience, the people from Broad Run, the people from other communities so therefore i i don't think that the facebook option would be

[04:07:54] one that should be considered for the entire county and i'm not suggesting i'm just providing information yes mrs grievous uh thank you madam chair um i would like to make a motion to pause this put it on pause and have further discussion um i think further discussion has to be had with the constituents as far as whether or not we want to start after Labor Day and Ms. Chernoff's

[04:08:27] suggestions for the holidays to be excused absences. I think, you know, we should put that out there to our constituents. And I understood what you meant by the Facebook. Not everybody sees that, but it would probably have to be another survey. So I would like to make a motion to put this on pause and and get that out and get that done second wait excuse me vice chair donahue what was your motion exactly i'm sorry i'd like to make a motion uh to put this on pause

[04:09:00] um and do another survey or have further discussion on these calendars um so are you postponing this action item for further discussion and action yes ma'am postponing thank you and and so then this would be taken up for action again February 25th? I think we need to get the feedback. We need to get more feedback, possibly doing another survey with Ms. Chernoff's amendment. Would you call that

[04:09:34] your amendment, Ms. Chernoff, with your amendment? First of all, I think the motion that you're wanting to make is that we postpone this action item until further discussion and action and taken again at action item on February 25th and we'll have more information at that time I hope to have more information on a survey or Ms. Chernoff's amendment okay that would be a separate motion

[04:10:05] for our survey but so I'm just trying to get that that motion exactly so are you wanting a survey or are you wanting to put this on action I think we should bring it back for an info item that's what i think we should do thank you all right so we're gonna postpone this action item for tonight and then we'll have more discussion as an action item on february 25th you want it on information

[04:10:45] on the 25th excuse me miss mansfield yes can i just add something yes please so i just touch base with the team and we would need at least 10 days to turn around a survey bringing if if the intent is for us to send out a survey and get the results back having it come back on the 25th is really not possible okay does that change your motion mrs griffiths um it would still be an info item for further discussion um it would not be an action item till a later uh a later

[04:11:22] board meeting okay we have a motion on the table do i have a second you have a second yes unless i can amend you can but wait you need to second it and then we have discussion you can make an amend to the amendment is that correct mr allen thank you madam chair um yes if there is a second then that would need to go to discussion there could be an amendment to that amendment or if

[04:11:57] there's no second then that motion would fail and then you can make another correct second okay that motion has been seconded um okay now is there any discussion on this and on this motion for to the amend the base motion to go to to postpone this action item to information on february 25th

[04:12:30] okay is there any discussion no there's plenty of discussion okay let's go with uh chair donahue i mean vice chair donahue and then we'll go down the line thank you madam chair i move to amend the motion amend me amend the amendment thank you to continue this item for action at the next

[04:12:59] meeting okay uh do i have a chair by i mean oh my god i have a motion on the floor by vice chair donahue to postpone this action item from further discussion and then take it up again as an action item on February 25th. I have a second by Vice Chair, I mean by Mr. Estreffe. Boy, I need more water. Okay, so is there any discussion on that motion? Yes, Mr. Estreffe and then Ms. Chernoff.

[04:13:34] Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll hold my comments on Ms. Chernoff's amendment once we get back to that, but on the topic of postponing it, I agree with Vice Chair Donahue's assessment that we should take this back to action in the next meeting.

[04:13:53] I think we have done an exhaustive amount of data gathering and getting feedback in the survey. I think that a lot of the points that were brought up in Ms. Chernoff's amendment were really well thought out. They bring out a unique perspective.

[04:14:12] And they allow us to look at the first four options in a way that's more thorough, even. And so I think that delaying it past, you know, action at the next meeting or potentially issuing a survey, I think, just delays the decision-making process.

[04:14:29] I think HRTD and Ms. Boland have given us a lot of support in crafting our own versions or flavors of these options. I don't know that we would need another survey or a significantly more amount of time.

[04:14:45] Thank you, Mr. Streffi. Ms. Chernoff. Thank you. I agree with Mr. Streffy in giving us a couple more weeks. And I just want to clarify that that would be because we do want to hear back for feedback.

[04:15:01] And I just feel like I need to a little bit clear my name and clarify my intentions. This was based off of the feedback that I did put out on my socials. And an effort to acknowledge that maybe a compromise between one and four could be reached.

[04:15:19] And I do feel very strongly that that was driven out of all the things that were given to us through the feedback, through the surveys, through the committee, and then through additional feedback, which I did personally ask for and solicit from.

[04:15:38] And so I don't, while that may not be enough to move the needle to get you to support it, I respect that. but i do want to be clear that i stayed within the parameters of what staff had given it was not to undermine the work that staff had done it was to kind of work to see if we could find something in between the two most popular options given that there wasn't majority support i absolutely support giving people two weeks to digest all of this especially since i'm throwing this in the mix but i wanted to make sure that that intention was clear these things were driven solely out of community feedback from various levels to try and get to the best solution. Thank you.

[04:16:18] Ms. Chernoff, I have to speak for myself. I understand that you're not, you're doing this with good intentions. It's not to undermine staff in any way. Dr. Rasheed. Just for clarification, this will come back as action at our next school board meeting. Am I correct? For this, amend the amendment. Yes. Okay. Thank you. If we pass it. Ms. LaBelle. Thank you, Madam Chair. I was just trying to second motion when i was jumping up and down but thank you miss shirnoff for the

[04:16:51] effort that you made i appreciate it very much thank you okay seeing no more discussion let's go ahead and vote on the amend the amendment which is to postpone this action item to make it action on february 25th okay um all right so let me get this all right clerk please open the vote board

[04:17:25] members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote that motion passes unanimously and so because this passes unanimously that would amend this amendment here but we need to go back to the base motion as amended so clerk this clerk please open the vote board members

[04:18:00] please um you have to so we have amended the amendment right so then we have to go back up and vote on the base motion as amended by that amendment it's to go ahead and postpone this action item to make it to be taking to be taken again you know mr allen do you want to go ahead and just explain this to people sure thank you madam chair um essentially you're casting your

[04:18:37] votes on the base motion as amended just confirming the vote you just took for the record clear yeah good okay he said it so much better than i could all right let's go ahead and vote on the amend i mean yeah okay clerk please open the vote board members please vote clerk please close

[04:19:11] and display the vote that motion passes unanimously great okay and my computer just messed up so you're going to have to wait a second while i get situated again sorry all right let's move on to the second action item 13.02 the legislative audit and policy committee revision

[04:19:46] of 1040 equal opportunity for equitable safe and inclusive environment um presented by ms chandler do you want to go ahead and make a motion yes thank you madam chair i move that the Loudoun County School Board approved the recommended revisions of Policy 1040, Equal Opportunity for Equitable, Safe, and Inclusive Environment.

[04:20:09] I have a motion. Do I have a second? I have a second by Vice Chair Donahue. The motion has been properly made and seconded. Is there any discussion? Do you want to speak to your motion first? That would be nice. Go ahead and speak to your motion. Thank you. This policy, which dates back to 1976 and is considered a foundational policy, was brought forward for updates because of changes to the Virginia code.

[04:20:34] The updates that are presented tonight include staff suggested changes and changes made in committee and changes made to incorporate parent advisory committee recommendations. Parent advisory committees are so important to us at LCPS, and they are made up of parents and community members who advocate for the rights of their students.

[04:20:55] We also know that Virginia's laws reinforce a parent's fundamental right to make decisions with regard to their child's upbringing and care. These parents, as I mentioned when we brought it forth for information, are telling us exactly what their children need to be successful.

[04:21:11] They are giving voice to what they need from us to improve their children's education. It's our responsibility to empower their voices and ensure that all students have access to a quality education. This policy puts parents at the head of the table, shows deep respect for the individual, and ensures everyone has a chance to succeed.

[04:21:31] this policy is about students it's our responsibility as a board to ensure that we meet the needs of all of our students providing them with opportunities that ensure everyone has a shot access and belonging are the end goals here reaffirming our commitment that we are one LCPS reinforcing that we as a community have a commitment to our students and that our students can receive a commitment from our community we have a stake in them and they have a a stake in us. And with that, I would like to ask Mr. Allen to share his thoughts or to share

[04:22:08] thoughts with us on the appropriateness of the school board proceeding with the approach recommended by or coming out of the LAMP committee. Thank you, Ms. Chandler. As I shared when its policy was considered as an information item, it's within the board's will and purview to precisely articulate or memorialize its commitment to an equitable safe and inclusive environment and what that might look like for this school division it's my understanding that typically it has been

[04:22:46] recognized as permissible for a locality to afford more protections where they wouldn't be inconsistent or counter to applicable law thank you mr allen is there any discussion yes mrs griffiths thank you madam chair and thank you mr. Allen as far as this policy goes I feel like the terms are undefined it doesn't match the law that was passed so I do have an amendment but also

[04:23:20] corrections go with the amendment I move to strike everything in this version that has been presented but the first sentence which is on line six and seven to add the following this school board affirms a commitment to this principle for all persons in accordance with the Virginia Human Rights Act VA code section 2.2 3900 it should read as follows the Loudoun County School Board is committed to providing an equitable safe and inclusive learning and working environment the school board affirms a commitment to this principle for all persons in accordance with the Virginia

[04:23:58] Human Rights Act, Virginia Code Section 2.2-3900. Because of this amendment, we would be removing the following lines, 17 to 20, which says, regardless of perceived or actual race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, citizenship or immigration status, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression socioeconomic level military status or disability with that

[04:24:32] we removed the following from a line 27-28 particularly particularly if directed at the personal characteristics listed that i just mentioned i have a motion from mrs griffiths for an amendment oh do i have what is that well your amendment a little bit more but we could start with that is so this isn't your whole amendment i have some more amendments to it

[04:25:03] can i continue okay okay so let me let me see where i was now uh so the line that reads mistreatment bullying harassment and otherwise harmful actions are prohibited remove the following from lines 28 to 31 the school board and lcps acknowledge inequity on the individual level such as biased speech and harassment and injustice at the institutional or systemic level, such as discrimination, have a harmful impact on the community historically and today.

[04:25:36] From line 40, replace the word codifies with affirms. From line 41, remove the words intentionally, comprehensively, and systematically. Remove the following from lines 43 to 48.

[04:25:52] This makes the school board's commitment more stable and sustainable for the future. This policy is intended to be a dynamic document responsive to present the future needs relative to the goal of maintaining an equitable environment for all students, staff, the division, and the community it serves.

[04:26:10] To that end, the superintendent is authorized to develop implementing regulations and school procedures to operationalize this policy. The paragraph should then read, and I know this is a lot, the policy affirms the school Board's commitment to education, equity, and to look at barriers and resource allocations which may be creating disparate experiences regarding access and opportunity. So I know that's a lot, but I felt like this policy didn't match the Human Rights Act and previous law that was passed.

[04:26:47] Thank you. Do I have a second? Yes, Ms. LaBelle. I second Ms. Griffith's motion. Okay, it's been probably moved and seconded is there any more is there any discussion oh yes I would like to thank Ms. Chandler for bringing this forward and the entire legislation audit committee as I look at

[04:27:22] the first part of this document it does mention restraint and seclusion which is a big issue not the document we're writing but the introduction that you have there and I'm glad to see that we are actually looking at restraint and seclusion and getting rid of that I can't find it again I've got too many tabs open inclusive learning yeah and safe work safe and inclusive learning

[04:27:58] okay thank you yeah thank you for bringing it forward Ms. Chandler that was all I was saying Okay, any other discussion? Seeing no more discussion, we will vote on Mrs. Griffith's amendment.

[04:28:19] Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote. And that motion does not pass 2 to 7 with Ms. Chandler, Dr. Deans, Ms. Mansfield, Vice Chair Donahue, Mr. Streffi, Ms. Chernoff, and Dr. Rasheed in opposition.

[04:28:45] All right. We go back to the base motion. Is there any more discussion? Yes, Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Chair Mansfield. I feel like we've been working on this for a long time. I just want to express, again, I still have some concerns about a regulation. I don't mean to drone on it, but I'm looking into how we can address that before I vote on a policy. I struggle with that when especially when it's new. I think when there's an existing regulation it's easier sometimes because you can see the red line changes and how they're going to implement that but

[04:29:23] with this being from scratch I do struggle with that. I also just wanted to clarify what Mr. Allen had told us because things are in flux and so while we are still following the Virginia Human Rights Act should the Virginia Human Rights Act change due to a federal mandate or federal law change, would then this policy have to go back through revision process in your understanding? Thank you, Mr. Chernoff. So I'm going to answer that more broadly. To the extent any applicable law changes, then we'd bring it into conformance with law. And just as context,

[04:30:01] this is back before the board and before the LAMP committee, because as of July 1, 2024, the General Assembly passed an amendment to the Virginia Human Rights Act to add ethnic origin as a protected class.

[04:30:16] So to the extent applicable law changes, that would prompt this coming before the board again. I appreciate that. Thank you for that clarification. Any other discussion? Seeing none, we will go ahead and vote.

[04:30:36] Clerk, please. This is on the base motion. Can you repeat the base motion again? Sorry, my apologies. The base motion is just to approve the staff, the recommendations for 1040, Equal Opportunity for Equitable, Safe, and Inclusive Environment.

[04:30:53] The red line copy. All right. Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote.

[04:31:09] That motion passes with 7 to 2 with Mrs. Griffiths and Ms. Chernoff in opposition. All right, we will move on to 13.03, Legislative Audit and Policy Committee, revision of policy 2420, meeting procedures presented by Ms. Chandler.

[04:31:37] Ms. Chandler, do you have a motion? Thank you, Madam Chair, I do. I move that the Loudoun County School Board approve the recommended revisions of policy 2420, meeting procedures. I have a motion, do I have a second? Second. I have a second by Dr. Rasheed.

[04:31:53] It's been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Oh, actually, Ms. Chandler, would you like to speak to your motion? Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. This policy also was brought forward for updates in response to changes made in the Virginia Code. The policy ensures that the board's meeting procedures are clearly articulated and follow the law.

[04:32:13] Changes made to this policy primarily relate to establishing quorum for a virtual meeting in the event of an emergency with the expansion to allow a person with disabilities or their caregiver to participate remotely but count towards the quorum. Thank you, Ms. Chandler.

[04:32:30] Is there any discussion? Seeing no discussion, we will move forward with the vote. Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote, and that motion passes unanimously.

[04:32:53] Okay, we will now continue with our information items, starting with 14.04, The Finance and Operations Committee revision of Policy 6140, Free and Reduced-Priced Meal Services, presented by Mr. Estreffi, Chair of F&O. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[04:33:10] Board members, we have Policy 6140, Free and Reduced-Priced Meal Services, coming out of the Finance and Operations Committee. These changes are, the summary of the changes are related to VA code updates, for the most part.

[04:33:29] And I will pass it on to Miss Willoughby to share any details related to the policy change. Thank you. I think you have summarized the change as well. I'll just add that what we are adding in the language is, in addition to being requirements to comply with the Virginia Code, is reflective of what our practice had been and continues to be.

[04:33:54] So there's not any substantial changes to the process. It's just being more transparent in what that process is and the information associated with the free and reduced application program. Thank you, Ms. Willoughby. Board members, do you have any questions?

[04:34:12] No? Would you like to put this on consent for the February 25th school board meeting? That will now go on to consent for the February 25th, 2025 school board meeting. We're moving on to 14.02, Student Services Committee, revision of policy 5345, Restraint and Seclusion of Students, presented by Vice Chair Donohue, Chair of the Student Services Committee.

[04:34:38] Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Revisions for Policy 5345 first came before the Student Services Committee last spring in order to make amendments on our five-year cycle to update with changes to the Virginia Code.

[04:34:54] The policy revisions first came before the committee in April and then were put on hold pending community feedback until the fall. It was on our agenda multiple times, most recently as an information item in December, after which we scheduled a work session in mid-January.

[04:35:23] And then the policy revisions were scheduled as an action item at our January 24th monthly meeting. There are several documents on BoardDocs, so I would like to walk you all through it so that you know what you're looking at.

[04:35:44] There were staff proposed revisions presented to the committee at the January meeting and multiple sets of amendments that were proposed and voted on. So the documents that are available in board docs, one is the redline version that came out of committee by non-unanimous but majority vote.

[04:36:04] There is a clean version of that policy. Chair Mansfield has proposed additional amendments, which are a separate board document. There is the community feedback, specific MSAC feedback, and specific SEAC feedback on these recommendations.

[04:36:24] And there is an additional set of proposed amendments as comprehensive amendments as well. So there are, that is a basic outline.

[04:36:40] I would like to ask Madam Chair's indulgence for me to invite Ms. Richardson to add whatever background she thinks is appropriate. Yeah, and before we do that, I want to remind everyone that for as a foundational matter for recommendations, we go with what has the version that is voted on out of committee and not proposed amendments.

[04:37:10] Ms. Richardson. Good evening, Chair Mansfield, Vice Chair Donahue, members of the board, Dr. Spence and my distinguished colleagues. Mrs. Donahue, you did a wonderful job of summarizing all of the actions taken by the committee since April 2024 to date with the final red line copy coming out of committee January 24th, 2025.

[04:37:38] I think the largest substantive changes to the policy as it now stands is the complete removal of seclusion and making it a prohibited practice in LCPS. That is what is before the board for consideration, coming out of committee.

[04:38:01] Board members, do you have any discussion? Yes. Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I have had many conversations with members of SEAC, with parents in the community, and with others who have a very vested interest in how we ultimately come out on this policy.

[04:38:28] and I am aware that there are high emotions, understandably, when we are having these conversations. That being said, while I am not going to sit here and say I think that seclusion is good or something that we should be using in our schools, I don't. I think that we should be doing our best to minimize it as much as possible. But that being said, I have some concerns that if we recategorize seclusion as a prohibited practice, that there may be some unintended

[04:39:06] negative consequences for our staff. And for those reasons, I did not support those amendments in committee. And I have proposed a different version of the policy to go forward. And I invite my fellow members to read all of the versions that are available. And one of the things that I had hoped to ask everyone to keep in mind is we have a very specific definition of what seclusion means

[04:39:43] and we have that and I assume Mr. Allen will correct me if I misspeak here but we have this very specific definition of seclusion in our policy because that is how it is defined under federal law and regulation and we must we must keep track of reported instances of restraint and the use of seclusion as defined by federal authorities and report it to the federal government.

[04:40:07] That is the reason why our definition is so narrow when it comes to seclusion. I have heard from many people some very troubling circumstances that they have learned their children have faced in our schools.

[04:40:26] And it is concerning and it is upsetting. But when I have discussed those instances with those families and also with our staff, My understanding is that many of them would not meet our definition of seclusion. One of the parents who spoke during our public comment today, who described a very traumatic, a series of traumatic incidents with her child, in which he was placed in a room with a staff member in the doorway, that does not count as seclusion as we currently define it.

[04:41:01] I think that that needs to change. I have had that conversation with Ms. Richardson. I have asked her, we've discussed it in committee, and we have asked Ms. Richardson and her staff to prepare a draft policy that will cover other circumstances that don't quite meet the definition of seclusion as it is defined by the federal government, but will still provide guidelines for the exercise of such situations and parental notification, acceptable

[04:41:34] circumstances, acceptable actions, etc. And I had requested that while understanding why there is a movement to remove seclusion altogether or to turn it into a prohibited practice under this policy, I had proposed that we hold off on making that change until after the student services staff draft a new policy to address what we're temporarily referring to as isolation and exclusion

[04:42:09] and see how that policy plays out in our schools. I also know that our instances of seclusion are very low in numbers and I have concerns, as I said, if we recategorize seclusion to a prohibited practice that it is likely still going to occur and I believe one of the other districts that has banned it that has been referenced was happy that their number of seclusion instances was reduced

[04:42:47] but not completely eradicated and my fear is if our staff is in a situation where they are dealing with students in crisis and this policy applies to all students. It does not, it is not specifically for special ed students and it is not a behavioral intervention. It is their emergency safety procedures for when our staff is dealing with emergency situations and students in crisis.

[04:43:14] My concern is for staff who have to make the split second decisions of how to respond to keep themselves and everyone else in the room safe. And what I fear is that they may be thinking in their heads that they want to take a certain action and then fear that they shouldn't because it is a prohibited practice. And if it becomes a prohibited practice, my understanding is that that could lead to HR investigations if seclusion does still happen and potential adverse employment action to staff. Those are my concerns. Those are the reasons why I do not support recategorizing

[04:43:54] seclusion as a prohibited practice at this time thank you for your thoughts chair vice chair Donahue so we were talking about training of staff and we're talking about seclusion seclusion is a very little very specific definition I think that there were other there were other things that we were putting in there as well like physical restraints or physical restraints shall be discontinued as soon as intermittent risk of serious physical harm or injury to self or others

[04:44:30] presented by the emergency situation had dissipated. There's some other items in there talking about augmentative communication as well and sign language during restraint. So it's not just getting rid of seclusion. I think that the interesting part about seclusion is that there is on 8-VAC-27-50-50, Seclusion Standards for Use. It talks about a specific room designated by the school to be used for seclusion. My understanding is that here in LCPS, we do not have seclusion

[04:45:09] rooms. Is that correct? Yes, Chair Mansfield, that is correct. LCPS does not designate specific rooms for the use of seclusion. Seclusion can also be when you are at the door, but you put a mat in front of the door is that correct yes if there is a barrier between you and the person being held in that room contained in that room then that would meet the definition of seclusion

[04:45:42] as far as notification and reporting we have to by law 8 vac 27 50 60 no matter what when any student has been physically restrained or secluded regardless if it's in our in our policy we still have to put together an incident report.

[04:46:00] Is that correct, Mr. Allen? Thank you, Chair Mansfield. That is correct per 8VAC 20-750-60, but I'd defer to Ms. Richardson as well to confirm.

[04:46:20] Ms. Richardson. Thank you, Mr. Allen and Ms. Mansfield. Yes, that is correct. We are required to report all instances of restraint and seclusion. So it doesn't, you know, we do have the opportunity, we do have the election whether or not to use seclusion or not use seclusion, same with restraint.

[04:46:44] And then even if we do not use, do not elect to have seclusion, well, first of all, we don't have any seclusion rooms, so I don't know that it could really be seclusion. and then secondly we have to notify and report anyway according to code my understanding was that during our committee meetings that we were talking about training and that there was a a fear or for lack of a better word that we would not be able to train people if we did not have

[04:47:23] seclusion if seclusion was a prohibited action and I don't know that that is specifically true because again in code we have to train people and then also that was one of my amendments was to make sure that everybody was trained I my now my understanding is that perhaps Miss Lisa Boland Ms. Boland has some thoughts about that.

[04:47:55] - Thank you, Chair Mansfield. I think the number one concern or thought is regarding the conflict in those two items for staff members, making them aware that they're being trained on the use of seclusion, but then identifying it as a prohibited action in policy that could potentially cause confusion on the staff member, especially in a moment when, my guess is it's going to be a heightened moment where they are responding and reacting

[04:48:35] in regards to the situation in front of them. And so they are not going to have the time to think through, I've been trained on this, but it's a prohibited action. Those two seem to conflict with one another. Additionally, it is concerning, as Ms. Donahue stated, because if they do then use seclusion as a way to respond in one of these situations, based on the fact that it is prohibited by policy, HRTD would be required to take some form of action in regards to a violation of policy.

[04:49:09] So that was going to be my amendment. Yes, Dr. Deans. I have more to say, but yes, Dr. Deans. You can go ahead and speak. My concern is with Ms. Donahue in terms of saying it is prohibited.

[04:49:27] And also, as I read in the policy, it says that it cannot be put in an IEP even if that inclusion of that information would be from the parent. Having worked in a mental hospital for adolescents, having worked in a residential facility for adolescents, there are students who have shown in their history of being runners, and there

[04:50:02] are times that to prevent a runner from leaving the facility and or leaving the campus, that restraint is one of the options. And the parent actually has written that within the admission papers to the staff. And I know we are a public school, but we receive some of those same students from those facilities back into our public school. And if you have a runner and you know that that

[04:50:41] child may run and run into an area that is dangerous, then it can't be prohibitive to restrain the child. It can be recommended, but not prohibitive. So I think that making seclusion and restraint prohibitive would, as Mrs. Boland said, put employees in dire straight situations in their efforts to protect a child's safety.

[04:51:22] Dr. Deans, it's only for seclusion, not restraint. It was only prohibiting seclusion, not restraint. When a principal and an assistant principal are investigating something in a school, a child is sat in the office and kept separated from the other child to get the facts of the matter, that is seclusion.

[04:51:44] He is not allowed to leave the principal's office or the dean's office In that investigative process, again, it is the same thing, seclusion. Yes, ma'am, but at the same time, according to code, that is not seclusion.

[04:52:02] By definition. By definition in code, it is not seclusion. I think that you're putting your employees in a predicament that they will not be able to get out of.

[04:52:24] Does anybody else have any other questions? Yes, Dr. Rashid. There was a picture, I don't know, that was publicized, taken by another picture, by another student, so by accident, of a child in seclusion.

[04:52:42] Is that current practice at LCPS, does anybody remember the name of that famous picture? Yeah, TG, that's her. I hate to forget that name because that picture really resonated. Is that current practice, according to the definition of seclusion with LCPS, is that how it is?

[04:53:03] I think I'll let Ms. Richardson answer that. Thank you, Dr. Rasheed, for your question. No, what you saw in that picture was not and is not. It is not our current practice in LCPS.

[04:53:21] As you have heard some of our public commenters say, that terrible incident led to changes across the state of Virginia with restraint and seclusion in schools. Our practices now are certainly more student-centered and only used as a last resort.

[04:53:43] Okay, thank you. Oh, yes, Ms. LaBelle. I would like to read what is at the beginning of page policy 5345.

[04:54:00] Maintaining a safe and productive environment for student learning is a high priority of Loudoun County Public Schools for both students and staff. A multi-tiered systemic approach to include positive behavioral interventions and supports, or PBIS, shall be used to address the needs of students with behavioral challenges.

[04:54:29] Physical restraint and seclusion safety procedures shall only be used consistent with this policy and associated regulation. LCPS recognizes restrictive emergency procedures are used as a last resort.

[04:54:48] The intent of this policy is to ensure that every effort is taken to eliminate the use of restraint and seclusion, which shall be permissible only as a last resort after consideration of every other available alternative course of action.

[04:55:10] Now, having said that at the very beginning, our goal is to eliminate both seclusion and restraint. We, in our budget the other night, put in for more behavioral specialists to work with teachers.

[04:55:28] if there needs to be restraint. We also have, besides our staff having been trained in the use of restraint, we also have SROs in the building if they are large students, and I have wrestled with a few of those. I have been 52 years working in education, and I've only had to use restraint four times and never had to seclude a child. So if we really mean to remove restraint and seclusion,

[04:56:07] we need to get on with it. We have the training, we have staff, additional staff that we've put into place, and we know what positive behavioral interventions are, PBIS. And we just, seclusion is like putting somebody in solitary confinement. Aren't we beyond that? Think about this. It's not helping the child. It's causing more anxiety, more stress, and that's part of the reason that that child may not be able to deal with the situation in the classroom. But putting him

[04:56:46] in a solitary confinement situation is not the answer. I'm sorry. Thank you, Ms. LaBelle. I have to say I've worked inpatient as well as well as non-public schools with they were used to be calling in California with dual diagnosis kids I've done seclusion I've done restraint one and it it traumatizes you as well as the kid and I can tell you that even in a seclusion room if you when you shut the door and you're still looking it's harder to get to the kid when they go and

[04:57:25] they bang their head on the door and have a bloody nose and they harm themselves so um it's it's it's harder to go back in there it's this is not an easy um thing to think about uh and i don't know that we have any evidence about um increased harm to staff on on in maryland when they took it away from all all schools um so anyway i belabor the point any other questions yes miss donahue thank

[04:58:05] you madam chair i would like to ask dr spence or miss richardson if they have an opinion i think um generally speaking and i think mr richardson would agree with me on this we view seclusion as an absolute measure of last resort. I think the numbers in LCPS, the reported numbers to the state

[04:58:41] of seclusion would support that view. And I think we share similar concerns that have been expressed tonight about how our staff would be trained and then would handle situations that arise in the moment that in the past have, in those very rare instances, led to seclusion for the safety of staff and or the students in that situation. I don't know, Ms. Richardson, if you want to add anything to that. Thank you, Dr. Spence. I absolutely agree with you. I do believe that

[04:59:20] our numbers in LCPS certainly reflect that it is the absolute, the absolute last resort when students are in crisis. We make sure that we exhaust all lesser interventions to return students back to baseline so that they can re-engage with instruction. I hear that people say that restraint and seclusion is intended to limit energy injury and danger to the student and teacher. I just don't see the data that supports that. In fact, I see the opposite when

[04:59:57] we're given new tools and we're given the tools like Ukeru and Mance training. So we can move on if anybody else has any questions. Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Madam Chair. I too have spent probably more time engaging different folks on this policy than anything so far in the last year and a half.

[05:00:26] It's a sensitive issue. It's serious. It's obviously emotional. And so, and I think listening back, there was definitely those sentiments brought through. I also share concerns about staff and really what I think has been highlighted for me most in this process is that we have as we always do but especially in these areas and I think there were strides with the behavior specialists and the different alternative centers in the budget and different strides that are

[05:01:04] happening we have some tightening up to do we especially maybe on the professional learning side and the training side of all of this I I get concerned that maybe someone wants to remove that maybe feeling like removing that from our policy and prohibiting it would set a chain reaction in motion for more supports to go in place and that makes me wonder that shouldn't we have those supports in place so that's kind of where my thinking is on that end and then I suppose if

[05:01:38] if seclusion is removed and is a prohibited practice, what would or is there any way to have in a regulation or in policy, God forbid, a teacher or someone else, another student get hurt that then seclusion was felt that it was needed, that there would be a review process in place or a protocol for educators to be able to unpack all of what has happened and why um this is just not

[05:02:15] as black and white as sometimes policy wants it to be and so that is my question and then I do have one further question on your amendment about training chair Mansfield but if you looked like you wanted to respond to that first part well I'll let miss uh Richardson respond but but there is a report that is by code that has specific language talking about why you did it who did it their training all the rest of that as well as debriefing afterwards and things but Ms. Richardson

[05:02:51] can you speak to that I guess just to clarify would that report be received looked at or received differently if we make it a prohibited practice for the educator piece Ms. Richardson thank you Mrs. Chernoff for that question. Chair Mansfield is correct. We do by code. As a school division already have practices in place which require us to document all of the incidences. We document who is involved, the time frame in which the incident is taking place, and then we go through

[05:03:26] a debriefing. So we debrief on the implementation of MANT and OU-KERU, and if there was an instance of city occlusion. Then we discuss all of the factors around that situation. We talk about it as a team. We also make sure that members of our unified mental health team are there for staff members as well as the student following an incident and the same protocol is followed for restraint. Would it cause us to look at those things differently? I think we would have the

[05:03:59] same lens. We're still looking for the antecedents that lead to crisis behaviors in some of our students. How might we as the educators make adjustments to our instruction, to our physical environment, from the layout of the classroom to the flow of the students that are in the space, maybe a reduced number of transitions. So we're always using that opportunity to reflect on our practices and our interventions. Might it have a different layer and might we need to

[05:04:33] add some additional questions? Should seclusion become a prohibited practice and it is implemented so that we are able to then provide human resources and talent development the correct information? That is quite possible and that is something that we would certainly need to consider depending on the action of the board. Thank you. I have taught with students that had significant

[05:05:06] behaviors and where rooms were evacuated to keep the rest of the kids safe, and there were plans in place and all of that, and I can tell you the last thing you're thinking about in those situations is what did the policy say? What's going to happen to me, right, if I violate this policy? It happens quickly. And as Ms. Boland said, it's heightened. And so I'm just trying to think through if there's some, if we are going to head in that direction, if there is some provision that would need to be put in place to put, to make sure that that report includes those things. So maybe further discussion

[05:05:43] with you and even Ms. Boland might be appropriate in the next couple of weeks, should we feel that that could be a provision that could help support, make sure that teachers don't feel like if they violate a policy to keep themselves or others safe that they that there would be a chance to express that. Should I ask my question about your amendment? So my question did you say are you sticking with the amendment that's online for the training? So would that be would you see that training as separate like a separate seclusion and restraint training or could that piece be

[05:06:22] tucked in? I know you and I offline talked about really understanding what that definition is and understand you need to understand what it is if you're not if you're going to be prohibited from doing it for sure so I guess just a little bit more clarity about how you would see that operationalized in terms of what Ms. Bolin said also about training on something that's prohibited how could we help make that more efficient for our teachers and to ensure that the best outcome is there I guess is my question. So first to your training in a heightened moment that's what

[05:07:01] training is for in practice um and and giving them more tools as far as proactive positive behavioral um but my um so it would be while the use of seclusion is prohibited practice under this policy staff will receive training on the definition use of and procedures for the appropriate use of seclusion outlined in the accompanying regulation to this policy and the current regulation does have if you look at it it does have some criteria there under seclusion so I

[05:07:41] also look at it as okay so we train people we in people's education they look at three queuing to make to do the literacy but that's a kind of a prohibited practice nowadays but you got to know what it isn't what it is in order for you to stay away from it as well and what are the positive techniques in order to not have to use the 3Qing. It's a yes, Dr. Deans.

[05:08:11] A question, I guess, for Mrs. Richardson. Is homebound considered seclusion when the student can no longer be served in the public classroom and has to go on homebound? Thank you for your question, Dr. Deans, no. Homebound, and please do keep in mind, we have homebound instruction, which is more medically based, and then we have home-based instruction, which is either an

[05:08:46] administrative determination or an IEP team or Section 504 team has made that determination. Because the student is in their home and always under the supervision of an adult, and either a staff member from LCPS is coming into the home or working with the student virtually, that does not meet the legal definition of seclusion.

[05:09:12] But during homebound, there are days that the parent may say, this is just not a good day. You're not safe to be here, so come back tomorrow. So it is a type of separation in addition to the instruction.

[05:09:34] And the instruction may not take precedence because of the child's behavior for that day as determined by the parent. I just wanted to just put some exceptions so that the word prohibitive would be considered.

[05:09:56] Thank you, Dr. Neens. Any other questions? Yes, Vice Chair Donoghue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I was hoping to ask Ms. Richardson if she could share with us the most two or three years, most recent statistics on use of seclusion in LCPS.

[05:10:17] Sure. Thank you for the question, Vice Chair Donahue. And please do note, school board, we do have a formal report forthcoming on restraint and seclusion, which is our annual reporting to you all that comes up next month, which is more comprehensive and includes data on our students in private day and residential facilities.

[05:10:42] For the 23-24 school year, there were four total instances of seclusion. Three of those instances belonged to one student. For the 22-23 school year, there was a total of three instances of seclusion.

[05:11:08] For the 21-22 school year, there were five instances of seclusion with three instances belonging to one student.

[05:11:26] For the 21-22, you said? Yes, that is correct. The information that I got from you before, there was nothing on 21-22 because I have the paper here.

[05:11:46] Is that from our presentation from last year, Mrs. Mansfield? It was when we were having a discussion. Well, I'm certainly happy to send the board the data that I'm looking at right now for 21-22.

[05:12:07] Any other questions? Yes. Ms. LeBell. I noticed that we have one student that had three instances in two years.

[05:12:23] It's probably not the same student. but one of the things that we should consider if we have a child that repeatedly needs seclusion that perhaps we need to look at whether a public school is the proper placement form and I'm sure that that is done in the discussion after when when you are debriefing the situation Also, I'd like to point out that if you're going to seclude someone, you're going to need to get

[05:12:59] them to the place where they're secluded or to be secluded. That might involve restraint. At that point, you should have the SROs there, the behavior specialists there, all of those people making sure that everything goes properly.

[05:13:17] So looking at the intent of the emergency having to seclude a child, you will have witnesses, you will have all sorts of people to support the staff member that is making that decision.

[05:13:35] So I think you need to, again, remember that three instances is something that needs to be looked at, But the rest of the numbers that we have are so low as to be almost non-existent.

[05:13:55] Obviously, they were non-existent during COVID. And that kind of covers what Dr. Deans was trying to point out with children having a bad day. It could also account when you have the students coming back into a public school and not being able to cope with being with a large group.

[05:14:12] So that is another thing that might come up when you're having your debriefing. Any other discussion? Yes, Vice Chair Donoghue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to ask Ms. Richardson to respond to Ms. LaBelle's point about three instances with one student and what that means as far as whether that student should continue in public school or not.

[05:14:42] Thank you, Vice Chair Donoghue, for that question. Those are standard questions that we ask, certainly during the debriefing time. If a student is already eligible under the IDEA for special education, that could be something that a team is already contemplating whether or not the public school setting continues to be the student's least restrictive environment.

[05:15:11] Please also note that when we are looking at private day placements for students with disabilities, and we are fortunate in LCPS to have very few placements because we do have a nice replication of the continuum of special education services within our school division.

[05:15:31] We are sort of at the mercy of those private entities looking over the admission packets. And, of course, they are getting requests from the school divisions across Region 4, some of whom are not as robust in their staffing and resources as LCPS.

[05:15:52] And so sometimes we do have to be creative and provide additional supports to maintain school-based placements while we are working with families to secure private day placements. But certainly that can be a consideration for students along the continuum.

[05:16:12] Thank you, Ms. Richardson. Any other questions? Seeing, yes, Ms. LaBelle. Thank you, Madam Chair. Just one more brief reminder. We were talking in our last little conversation, I'm supposing mostly about special ed students because we were referencing IEPs and that kind of placement.

[05:16:35] We also have our general ed students sometimes have meltdowns, motions, et cetera. And we do have other options. We have virtual distance learning.

[05:16:52] We have our alternative programs. And if it's just a really bad thing, I hate to say it, there's also the option of expulsion. But that's very rare as well. So when we're looking at seclusion, there are so many other options.

[05:17:10] It shouldn't even come up. It's just the last resort. As we say, we recognize that sometimes it's an emergency, but it should be a last resort. So I don't think that it really needs to be there.

[05:17:31] Are there any other? Yes, Mr. Straffi. Thank you, Madam Chair. In hearing all of the back and forth and all of the information presented and the various viewpoints, I think both sides or both arguments have been really well articulated, and this is a really difficult topic altogether.

[05:17:54] The only thing that I keep thinking about amidst all of the information that was presented and all the viewpoints is that when you look at restraint, You have lots of tools for restraint at your disposal and you have, you can consider whether the student is a special education student.

[05:18:15] You can consider so many different ways to make that restraint least restrictive as possible. You can use communication throughout the process. There are techniques that you can use within restraint to de-escalate, but the issue I have with seclusion is you don't have that. Obviously, it is a last resort, but it is a practice with which we know is just to, in its final moments, the purpose is to remove harm,

[05:18:50] either from that student or from others. But you don't have, and this is an assumption that I have, maybe you can clarify, Ms. Richardson, what is the spectrum of practices within seclusion that you could utilize? How do you restrict seclusion and what are the decisions that an educator can make when utilizing seclusion? Maybe you can elaborate a little bit on that. I'm just trying to compare the two and whether we can just remove this practice altogether and just rely on the other practices to

[05:19:28] include restraint as a last resort and just remove seclusion altogether. What would be some of the arguments around some of the points that I just made? Thank you, Mr. Istrafi, for those questions. I will tell you, as a practitioner of 28 years, having been a teacher of students with emotional disabilities, that's what the state of Florida referred to them as, I spent two years of my teaching career with a padded room inside of my classroom. And so what are some of the things that you think about in the moment? Certainly, it is knowing the student.

[05:20:07] it is knowing what their antecedents typically are. That lets you know whether you can verbally continue to engage with the student. That lets you know sort of the timing in which you can enter their space. That lets you know whether or not you can offer some of their preferred items. That lets you know whether maybe it is just they need their preferred snack or a break, these decisions that we are making as educators when students go into crisis,

[05:20:42] you're making split-second decisions. And it does require knowing the student. And these practices are implemented with a team because no one person should bear this responsibility when someone goes into a crisis within our school setting. And so that team model affords you the opportunity in real time to assess the situation and to make decisions truly in that moment that could best benefit the student, whether it is a seclusion situation or a restraint. I will tell you,

[05:21:21] as a practitioner for 28 years, restraining students is much more traumatic than affording someone's space. Again, it is will talking to someone heighten them? Will touching them heighten them? Or will it calm them down? These are all the things that we have to know. For some of our students, we have that data, right? Because some of them have very prescriptive plans.

[05:21:50] For others, we don't. Because again, this policy is applicable to all 82,000 plus students. And so we have to be prepared and our school-based teams are prepared for any type of crisis event.

[05:22:07] Thank you for sharing those thoughts. I think sometimes it also has to depend on the kid, the student, whether or not restraint is more, certainly physically more harmful, but whether

[05:22:33] or not it's emotionally more harmful as well for seclusion. Any other questions? No. Thank you, Ms. Richardson for coming. Oh, Dr. Rasheed. Oh, Carrie. I was just, thank you, Madam Chair and Dr. Rasheed for helping me get my words out here. I was just thinking of your last statement about which is more harmful for this student. They're both harmful. If you're going to seclude, you have

[05:23:13] to restrain first. So that's two strikes that you're making on that student's emotional state as opposed to just one and that's something you should consider if you can do anything walk him up and down the hall let him remove himself from the room with supervision that is so much better than taking him and putting him in a secluded place you talk about him harming others or the

[05:23:43] staff he can also harm himself in that room and as as mrs manfield has pointed out he could be banging his head against the wall he could be hanging banging his head against the window if it's the classroom he can be throwing furniture around if if you remove the class as a seclusion task solution so the child can get hurt in salute in in seclusion yes he can also get hurt during

[05:24:15] restraint but chances are the people have been trained in how to restrain a person the staff that will be there. You're not doing this alone. You just have to hang on momentarily and help will come because you will send somebody to get it. I know that. Thank you. Yes, Chair Donahue.

[05:24:44] Thank you, Chair Mansfield. I don't think that my understanding, and I would like to ask Ms. Richardson to confirm, is that it is not necessarily the case that an individual who is subject to seclusion in all circumstances is always going to be subject to restraint first Because I asked that question in our committee meeting, do they always go together?

[05:25:08] And I believe your answer was no, they don't. That is correct. They do not. You could find yourself in a situation where you can safely seclude a person and never have to physically touch them. And sometimes just the act of being alone is calming.

[05:25:25] It's important to know that in the instances that we have gone over that have met the threshold of seclusion, we have always had sight sound supervision. and it has not always been a linear process of if restraint does not calm the student down, then you go to seclusion. Again, I go back to split-second decisions, knowing the student, knowing the setting, knowing the other students that are around, knowing the next closest adult, being able to get to the radio or to the classroom phone to call the BIT team. Those are multiple

[05:26:03] decisions that have to take place in a very short time frame for the safety of all involved. Thank you, Ms. Richardson. I would just like to point out also Ms. LaBelle's example of a student who is in crisis and may end up throwing a chair across the room. Yes, that could happen. And if we are saying we're going to ban seclusion and therefore the staff cannot leave the room, cannot leave the student in that room, we're putting our staff in danger. We are taking away a tool that is going to help keep them safe in an emergency situation and could subject them to physical harm and adverse legal employment consequences. And I'm not comfortable with doing that.

[05:26:43] Ms. Donahue, should there be any furniture in a seclusion room? Madam Chair, my understanding is we don't have any rooms that are designated as seclusion rooms, but if a circumstance arises where a child or a student is in crisis and the rest of this class needs to be evacuated there may have to be an occasion where a where a classroom is used for seclusion purposes is that seclusion i mean i am asking because according to code there should be a seclusion room with and there's different criteria definite criteria for the room mr allen

[05:27:26] thank you madam chair and miss donahue you just give me a moment please according to 8 vac 20-750 50-50, it references any seclusion room or area, so theoretically, it does call out a seclusion area that's separate and apart conceivably from a seclusion room.

[05:28:00] If I can, is there a certain criteria there? Yes, Madam Chair, I'm happy to read this section for the board. Under 8VAC 20-750-50, Seclusion Standards for Use, that's the title.

[05:28:17] Section A, school divisions electing to use seclusion as permitted by this chapter shall meet the following structural and physical standards for rooms designated by the school to be used for seclusion. Subsection 1, any seclusion room or area shall be free of any objects or physical features that may cause injury to the student.

[05:28:39] subsection two any seclusion room or area shall be of sufficient dimensions and shall have sufficient lighting heating cooling and ventilation to comport with the dignity and safety of the student subsection three windows in the seclusion room shall be constructed to minimize breakage and otherwise prevent the occupant from harming himself and subsection four all space in the seclusion room shall be visible through the door either directly or by mirrors so mr allen do

[05:29:16] you mean that if there is a chair in the room that that means it does not the practice does not qualify as seclusion thank you miss Donahue so to the extent the chair could be conceived as an object or physical feature that may cause injury to the student arguably it could be dr. Rasheed and then I think we can

[05:29:51] discuss it's almost it's 10 o'clock so if you could just remind me how did this come out of the committee it passed right it passed with Miss LaBelle and Ms. Mansfield in support of that this version. Okay and what is the procedure as to when it when it passes and it comes up here to the to the board if you if you can remind me I'm not sure what happens then. It's on for information tonight. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Let's move

[05:30:28] on. Thank you Ms. Richardson for your time. We'll move on to the next item 14.03 student behavior and accountability committee review policy 8230 procedures for disciplinary appeals to the school board presented by Ms. LaBelle chair of the SBAC committee Ms. LaBelle forgot to turn that on again thank you chair Mansfield we went through the procedures we went through the materials from

[05:31:06] SEAC and MSAC we made changes and one change we did not make that MSAC asked for because it had to do with time and constraints. And I see that Mrs. Scanlon's here.

[05:31:23] If you would like to talk about this, we didn't have a whole lot of comment back from people. Yes, thank you. Good evening. I would be happy to. There, you will see on the red line document that there is a lot of red.

[05:31:44] So there is an appearance that there were a number of changes. I will state that the vast majority of the changes were made to provide clarity, context, and more precise alignment with the Code of Virginia. Some of the changes that were made in the revised policy, or at least recommended, are as follows.

[05:32:07] The revised policy does name the SBAC committee as the three-member committee, which will consider student disciplinary appeals, which is in accordance with policy 2310 committees of the school board. In order to align with the code, we also made clear in this policy that a family or a student can appeal a reassignment decision or an exclusion decision to the school board that is provided in code but had not been previously included in our policy.

[05:32:45] We also added to the policy a parent's ability or a student's ability to appeal a reassignment to a different comprehensive school. While that type of appeal is not required by code, we do wish to recognize the seriousness of that sanction and believe that it would be appropriate to allow for an appeal.

[05:33:15] We provided that I am the director of the Office of School Administration. The current policy does state that I would be present during SBAC deliberations. The recommended revision to the policy is that I would not be present during SBAC deliberations simply because I think that could create an appearance of impropriety as I do sit on the side of the administration during hearings.

[05:33:44] And then finally, we made the change that in the event of a non-unanimous SBAC decision, an appeal to the full board would typically occur on the written record rather than in a hearing unless the school board chair decides that a hearing should be held.

[05:34:07] Thank you, Mrs. Scanlon. I think that it is very clear now, or should be, hopefully. That was our intent.

[05:34:24] And I'm open to anybody who wants to ask questions. Before we ask questions, really quick, we have to, per our policy, take a temperature check if we want to end now or if we want to continue.

[05:34:46] So thumbs up to continue or thumbs down? Thumbs up to continue the board meeting? Yeah, the whole board meeting. It's 10 o'clock. It's unanimous.

[05:35:04] I mean, it's not unanimous, but it's maturity. We're going to continue on. Does anybody have any questions? Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I had some big picture thoughts that I would appreciate input from our colleagues because I was curious why this policy has the student discipline appeals being heard only by SBAC. And I understand it is the well-duh answer is because that's what it says in policy

[05:35:39] 2310. But I was trying to ascertain if there's a particular reason why the appeals are assigned to be heard only by SBAC in policy 2310 in comparison to 2350, which provides for the administrative appeals to go before the standing committee or select appeals committee or whatever it is that we rotate through to hear vhsl appeals and special permission appeals um and i i can envision that there might be compelling reasons why it would be better to keep the student discipline

[05:36:13] appeals only with sbac um you know but i also thought that is to me somewhat of a surface inconsistency i wonder why we're doing them differently and i also uh i know ms labelle has made efforts to incorporate other board members into being able to sit on SBAC appeal panels when possible.

[05:36:36] But it also struck me as a somewhat disbalanced division of labor and also an important aspect of the student community that most of us don't have much access to what's going on.

[05:36:56] And so for those reasons, I wondered if my colleagues had any interest in considering potentially making some sort of change to the way that the appeals are heard. Yes, Ms. LaBelle.

[05:37:15] I was going to see if Ms. Scanlon has any idea why SBAC always has the same three people for all the appeals. Thank you for the question. I really do not have insight into that.

[05:37:34] as i've been in my position now for approximately 14 months so i just don't have the institutional history to be able to explain why that decision was made i think we would have to bring it back to for another we would have to do that other policy not this one the committee policy yeah we'd have to amend that so does anybody have any questions and you know that's what would that be

[05:38:07] la and p yeah i think la and p okay um so there's chair here from la and p and so maybe she can take a temperature check of that sometime yes mrs griffiths um i have the same issue with this policy and i'm hoping um to work with you on revisions uh the second paragraph on the clean copy um is similar to the other policy i'm sorry you know what i'm in the wrong policy i guess i'm

[05:38:37] getting tired sorry I think we're all getting tired Mrs. Griffiths okay so is there any other any other questions for this policy no okay do we want a thumbs up to place us on consent action for the February 25th school board meeting and

[05:39:04] that is not okay if you don't okay that's unanimous it'll go to the consent action item for the February 25th school board meeting. Okay, Ms. LaBelle's 14.04 review policy 8235 weapons presented by Ms. LaBelle chair of SBAC. Thank you madam chair the committee reviewed the weapons policy the biggest change that I

[05:39:39] can tell you about is that prior to us reviewing this there were only two classes of weapons, A and B. We now have four, which clarifies what weapons are really the dangerous weapons. Some are required to be reported by policy, state law, and some of the others are just kind of things that might be used as weapons but are technically not weapons. Like, oh, if you're working with a bottle and then you turn around and hit somebody over the head with it,

[05:40:18] is bottle of weapon. I mean, that's what we were clarifying, things like that. And then you have things like toys that are considered weapons. So I think that mostly this policy was to clarify and give an opportunity for administrators on the C and D policies to have a little bit more leniency rather than to have to treat everything as an A or B level weapon. Do you have anything to add, Ms. Scanlon? I think that was a very good summary. Thank you for that. I guess I would add

[05:40:54] just a couple of things for the board's knowledge. First of all, in revising this policy, we did keep safety forefront in our minds in the revisions. The weapons categories A and B, each of which our statutory weapons under the Code of Virginia continue to require a 10-day suspension and a referral to the Office of School Administration. There is no change there, again, with safety in

[05:41:26] mind. We did allow flexibility with what we're calling our Category C and D weapons. However, Even with those weapons, a principal always would have the discretion to suspend for up to 10 days and refer to the Office of School Administration.

[05:41:47] So really the only weapon, as defined in the current policy, that would no longer result or could no longer result in a referral to the Office of School Administration is a toy.

[05:42:03] This policy does recognize that toys are not weapons, with two important exceptions. One is a toy that would be classified as a look-alike weapon, a toy that has the appearance to a reasonable person of an actual weapon.

[05:42:23] Under this policy, a toy that looks like a weapon is a Category C weapon. The other exception for toys would be a spring-loaded or battery-powered shooting device. You might be familiar with Orbeez.

[05:42:41] Orbeez are exactly that. They're sold in the toy department, but sometimes they find their way into our middle schools. And while they are toys, if they are used to threaten, intimidate, injure, or harm another person, An item like that would be a Category D weapon.

[05:43:03] Finally, I would share with the board that this was a very collaborative process. Before undertaking the revisions, we surveyed all of our principles. We invited 15 principles, three, or excuse me, five, from each of the three levels to participate in a focus group to look at recommended revisions and make changes or edits to that.

[05:43:30] Of course, we sought feedback from our colleagues in the Department of School leadership. I sought feedback from Mr. John Clark in safety and security to make sure that their views were considered as well.

[05:43:46] Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Gallen. Any other questions on this policy? Board members, would you, oh, do you have a question? Yes, Ms. Chernow. Sorry, I'm late.

[05:44:02] I just wanted to let the board know that there was one section of the policy that just sort of gave me a little bit of pause and it was section lines 193 to 200 in the red line version that's on board docs. When it talks about category A weapons, so those are your guns and your bombs and your, I think, pneumatic weapons and anything air, sorry, I'm really tired.

[05:44:28] Yeah, that. So it talks about special circumstances here. So with the discipline, you're given a 10-day suspension and then, you know, decided whether or not you would have expulsion, and that would usually be knowledge of the school board.

[05:44:44] But the special circumstances, it says OSA may determine based on the facts of a particular case that special circumstances exist and no disciplinary action or another disciplinary action or another term of expulsion is appropriate that they can make that determination.

[05:45:02] My concern with that, and I'm thankful to Mr. Allen and Ms. Gallen and Ms. Mitchell, who jumped on a call with me to kind of talk about this process, those are likely to never, we're never informed of those as a school board. And so I have a little bit of pause with that.

[05:45:20] It's not that I'm questioning what the decision was or that I don't trust that that wasn't based on facts of the particular case and that special circumstances were granted. But I think that these weapons are serious enough that I would like at least to know about that. And in the code, it does say that the school board may be informed or may know about it.

[05:45:40] But I will likely be bringing an amendment that will require that we be informed of that. And so I'm working on language with Mr. Allen and the team to kind of make sure that there's a distinction, that we're not questioning the decision or that the school board is not deciding those special circumstances.

[05:45:56] it still stays with osa but at the very least i feel like in these circumstances with the severity of these weapons we should at least know that that was decided so just putting that on your radar i'll have it on board docs with the next agenda thank you miss shernoff any other questions no okay so that is the answer to my next question which this will not be going this will be going to action on February 25th, not consent. Okay, next we will move on to 14.05 Department of

[05:46:31] Academics Access Academy final operational agreement presented by Dr. Ellis and Chief Academic Officer and Mr. Allen, our Division Counsel. Thank you, Madam Chair. This evening we are sharing with you the final organizational agreement between George Mason University, Loudoun County Public Schools, and Northern Virginia Community College. I want to extend And a huge thank you to Division Council, specifically Mr. Allen and Ms. Ewing for their efforts

[05:47:06] over the past several months to get this agreement to this point. Because it has been so long since many of you have talked about Access Academy, we wanted to provide a brief overview for you as you review the agreement before approving.

[05:47:24] So Access Academy or Accelerated College and Employability Skills Academy is a VDOE-approved College Partnership Lab School in partnership with George Mason and Northern Virginia Community College. The Access Academy application submitted to VDOE specifically states that it's a lab school on supporting the transition of at-risk learners into college and high demand careers in the field of information technology. An announcement, as announced back in August at our special programs and centers committee meeting, Potomac Falls will be our host site for the

[05:48:02] Loudoun County location. The academy will be open to all students in Virginia and students will be selected through a lottery. So I want to clarify quickly that the lab school is intended to be accessible for at-risk students but is required by the Commonwealth to be open to all students.

[05:48:19] The ACCESS team plans to address this through an open lottery process and targeted outreach and recruitment to students such as students attending our campus program and AVID. The program is designed for students pursuing a standard diploma. The program is on track to begin in August of 2025, enrolling 30 students per grade level from grades 9 through 12. This slide shows a roadmap of where we've been on this journey beginning back in March of 2024 when LCPS was first approached

[05:48:52] by George Mason. VDOE approved the Access Academy in April of 2024, and we began planning in earnest with their team we've presented to the special programs and centers committee throughout this process but as I mentioned it has been a couple months we are excited to have the operational agreement for you this evening this slide shows just a couple of celebrations and program accomplishments we've been working on in addition to creating the operational agreement they we have been having weekly planning meetings we have visited the fuse center that's coming along quite nicely and is almost ready to receive students.

[05:49:32] We have an access director and access coordinator, and the planning has been ongoing. This next slide is the proposed admissions timeline. This timeline for this current year, for August of 25, is not the typical timeline.

[05:49:51] Once we complete this first round of admissions, we will then get on track and align this timeline with all of our other special program admissions timelines so it won't be it won't be separate in the future but because of the development of the operational agreement we we are delayed a little bit in our outreach efforts so those efforts will begin in earnest after the agreement is signed so very quickly next steps are as follows first each organization lcps mason and nova are working

[05:50:25] to obtain signatures from their leaders. And we plan to bring this back to you for potential action on February 25th. The team will begin outreach and recruitment efforts immediately and initiate the admissions lottery process. And we will also continue to finalize all of the logistics for the program and provide updates through the special programs and centers committee. And I'll ask Mr.

[05:50:49] Allen if he wants to speak specifically to the agreement or just turn it back to you for questions. Thank you, Dr. Ellis. I'll be brief. Our legal team and specifically Assistant Division Counsel Janice Ewing spearheaded drafting and negotiating the operational agreement for the Access Academy with legal counsel of George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College to ensure defined roles and responsibilities and to ensure the interests of the school board are safeguarded.

[05:51:19] The finalized operational agreement and its relevant governing documents attached as exhibits consist of over 120 pages. They're posted to board docs for your review. Happy to entertain any questions. Mr. Estreffi.

[05:51:36] Thank you very much for the information. I'm also super excited that we'll have students at the Fuse Center. I think that's going to be incredible. Just a quick question on the admissions. it's so you mentioned that we it's eligible for all students but this program is specifically for at-risk students could you clarify that yes thank you mr. Streffy for that question so originally in the application George Mason was intending to target at-risk students the Virginia Board of Education

[05:52:13] indicated in the lab school applications that universities with k-12 partners were completing that enrollment must be open to all students in the Commonwealth and programs could be tailored to meet the needs of particular students or particular community but again it's open to all students so rather than so we are having an open lottery process rather than having specific criteria for a lottery that would limit the lottery to certain applicants we will make sure we

[05:52:49] are using recruitment and outreach strategies to target students that would typically be underrepresented in special programs such as TJ and the academies and things like that but the selection process would not would not focus on at-risk students correct when did we find out about that because I I don't remember that coming out in committee.

[05:53:11] It's been an outcome of ongoing conversations that George Mason has been having over the past several months. Okay, because it changes really the nature of the program. I mean, what made this exciting, I can only speak for myself, what made this exciting for me is that we were targeting at-risk students for these types of opportunities where the opportunity itself, giving them access to these opportunities is that they might not have had access to.

[05:53:42] So that's kind of, I'm sorry that I'm just recognizing this now. I wish I would have caught it sooner before the media would have asked you about it. Yes, no, I appreciate that. I will also add that our colleagues at Mason have assured their board, they have put together an advisory board and are required by the lab school application to have an advisory board.

[05:54:07] They are still continuing to focus on employability skills. They are focusing on providing financial support, so students will earn many dual enrollment credits in this process. They are providing career counseling support and networking, really supporting that transition to higher ed or employment, so students will have the option.

[05:54:30] So the focus has remained the same, but they are required to have a lottery open to all students. I will also add that the program leads to a standard diploma, which is a significant difference compared to other special programs.

[05:54:46] So I think that will help as well. I believe it is an amazing program. It's a wonderful opportunity. And I do remember that the program is open to students outside of LCPS, obviously. Is there, do we know how many LCPS students this would be open to?

[05:55:07] Or is this opportunity coordinated by GMU and LCPS, but it's completely open? We don't control the numbers or anything. It's just we are facilitating this program for the state almost.

[05:55:23] Thank you for that question. So in writing, it is open to everybody in the Commonwealth. They would apply through the lottery process. They would then become LCPS students. They would become Potomac Falls students and graduate from Potomac Falls High School and the Access Academy.

[05:55:43] It is likely that most of the students will be Loudoun County Public Schools students because of the location. So we have not designated a certain number of seats. Again, based on guidance from BDOE, we are required to keep it open to any student in the Commonwealth.

[05:56:02] But I'm confident that the majority of students will come from LCPS. Understood. And then the transportation is specifically for LCPS students? Thank you. Dr. Deans. So if all students can apply, what about transportation? What about living arrangements?

[05:56:27] Would they live on JMU's campus? No, thank you for that question. Transportation will be provided by LCPS. Students outside of LCPS will pay tuition, or actually the school division from where those students come from similar to our partnership with Fairfax County for TJ LCPS pays the cost of tuition for LCPS students to attend TJ it would be very similar it is a traditional high school day program so students will attend Potomac Falls High School in 9th and 10th grade five days a

[05:57:04] week and then students will attend school on a normal school day actually it's adjusted so that students can come back to Potomac Falls to participate in after school activities but they will participate in 11th and 12th grade at the Fuse Center at the Mason Fuse Center five days a week and we will provide transportation to the Fuse Center. Although for clarity it is not an expectation that we provide transportation for students who reside out of

[05:57:34] district. Yes thank you. For the 10th and 11th graders I'm sorry for the 10th 11th and 12th graders, what prerequisites are in place for them to go into the academy if they haven't gone through the first year of the Access Academy?

[05:58:00] Thank you for that question, Dr. Deans. So the prerequisites include a conversation with a school counselor to make sure that the students can participate and meet all of their graduation requirements for a standard diploma. And there is a summer bridge program that will happen for students participating in the 11th and 12th grade. Thank you. Mrs. Griffiths. Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess I'm not quite

[05:58:35] understanding. If it's a lottery, you can still get rejected. I mean, you can get chosen, but then you're going to look at their academic record. And if they're not, if they don't meet the, what was the um they have an issue or they're something with their being a learner i'm sorry it's not in front of me at the moment but um at risk learner sorry so basically um there's a lottery and then you somebody wins the lottery and you're going to analyze them to see if they're at risk is that

[05:59:12] how it works it i'm kind of not following how this is going to work with a lottery system No, thank you. Thank you for that question. Sorry if I confused things. I'm also a little tired. So the only we want to make sure that students are able to graduate from the program in in their four years of high school.

[05:59:35] And so if a student is able to do that and is selected through the lottery, then there are no there are no other checks and balances. it is a pure lottery so we are not identifying students as at risk we just want to make sure that any student who participates in the lottery and earns a seat through the lottery process meets graduation requirements so it's really not at risk correct okay so i would remove that from this presentation understood and we were using language from the application that george

[06:00:14] mason submitted to vdoe mrs griffis it kind of changed over time which is during the presentation i don't know if you heard that but what is the cost for this so george mason received funding through vdoe for the lab school so we have paid for a partial fte for a lcps coordinator to work

[06:00:50] directly with the Access Academy staff. But LCPS is not covering additional costs. Dr. Deans.

[06:01:16] I'm sorry. I thought I was on. I'm sorry. On slide number six, it says program hiring. JMU access director, LCPS access coordinator. Where does NOVA fall in terms of the administration of the Academy?

[06:01:39] So Northern Virginia Community College will provide the credentialing for many of the dual enrollment courses that students take at the FUSE Center in their 11th and 12th grade year, which is great. We are quite familiar with and really strong partners of NOVA and their dual enrollment courses.

[06:01:57] Any other questions? No? Okay. Board members, can I get a thumbs up for this to be placed on consent? That's not unanimous.

[06:02:18] Okay. Yeah, it's not unanimous. okay um all right we'll continue thank you very much mr allen and dr ellis okay moving on to item 15 our closed meeting vice chair donahue do you have a motion yes thank you madam chair i move that the loudon county school board recess this public meeting and enter into a closed meeting pursuant to 2.2-3712 of the code of virginia for the following discussion and consideration of the

[06:02:54] acquisition of real property for a public purpose or of the disposition of publicly held real property where discussion in an open meeting would adversely affect the bargaining position or negotiating strategy of the public body as authorized by virginia code section 2.2-3711 sub a sub 3 and consultation with legal counsel pertaining to actual or probable litigation where such consultation or briefing in open meeting would adversely affect the negotiating or litigating posture of the public body as authorized by section 2.2-3711 sub a sub 7 of the code of virginia and consultation with legal counsel employed or retained by a public body regarding

[06:03:29] a specific legal matter related to a former public employee as authorized by section 2.2-3711 sub a sub 8 of the code of virginia vice chair has made a motion do i have a second i have a good i have a second by mr streffi it's been properly moved and seconded that the law and county school board go into I'd like to just say a discussion if I could if I can is there any discussion thank you chair Mansfield sorry about the interruption I'd like to discuss not to go into closed session and that's because and I say this in all seriousness that it's late and it's 1035 and we're going close

[06:04:07] to 11 so I'd like to propose going with this closed session at the next school board meeting if that's okay and I'd like to verify that if I could do that with Mr. Allen thank you Dr. Yes, if that's the will of the board, the board could vote to either postpone the closed, if it does.

[06:04:32] Let me consult. - Maybe consult with Mr. Lewis. - Just to see if there's any time-sensitive matter. Yes, give me a minute, please, thank you.

[06:05:01] Thank you for bearing with us. Neither is relatively time-sensitive or crucial that it would have to go forward tonight, so it's the will of the board. if it wants to entertain Dr. Rasheed's motion.

[06:05:17] - So, thank you, Mr. Allen, Chair Mansfield. - Board members, is there any other discussion? 'Cause we have a, what'd you call that? An amendment to the motion? - Substitute motion.

[06:05:32] - Substitute motion. - I'd like to make a substitute motion to postpone the closed session for today. - Motion or motion? - I'm sorry? - Emotion or motion? - Emotion. - Sounds like a dance, I can do it.

[06:05:51] - All right, do you have a second? I have a second by Vice Chair Donahue. All right, we're voting to not go into closed session. Does it need to be?

[06:06:10] It just has a majority, no? Mr. Allen? That's correct for a motion to postpone. It's a majority. So if you vote yes, then we do not go into closed.

[06:06:28] If you vote no, we go into closed. So if you vote yes, you don't go into closed. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Clerk, please open the vote.

[06:06:44] board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote that motion passes we're going into closed i think right no we're not going into closed we're not going closed okay thank you okay so we're not going into closed and all of these go to it's five four

[06:07:15] with miss chandler miss mansfield mr streffi and miss shurnoff in opposition um okay so then we we'll be skipping all the way up to and all of those issues will go on to the February 25th school board meeting before we get to come into a Saturday night all right let's go on to six

[06:07:46] item 16 board member comments and committee reports three minutes Ms. LaBelle Dr. Rashid this month the special programs and centers committee received an update in the academy of Global and Linguistic Studies Proposal.

[06:08:09] AGLS would be a new special program offered in Loudoun County with two tracks. The Global Leadership Pathway would feature partial immersion in the Arabic language and the Global Business Pathway would feature partial Chinese immersion. Each of these career focus pathways fit with Loudoun's proximity to the government, military and private sector hubs around Washington, D.C.

[06:08:30] SPCC will consider whether to bring this proposal before this full school board in the coming weeks. Additionally, the committee indicated to staff that we support a special programs interest survey to go out later this school year. It's been three years since the last survey, and we believe that it's time to once again get perspectives and feedback about what LCPS currently offers and could offer in the future.

[06:08:51] Thanks. Thank you, Dr. Rashid. Ms. Chernoff. We had our curriculum and instruction meeting last Wednesday. We did discuss Lexia Core 5 in elementary school and its uses and Lexia Power Up after extensive feedback was collected.

[06:09:07] lots of Q&A if you're interested in either of those platforms I would take a listen and then we also talked about credit through testing for the state seal of biliteracy if you want to receive the seal and you are literate in two languages currently we do all that testing in-house in LCPS so we're looking to adopt a testing platform to meet the demand as well as expand the languages offered which was totally fascinating and really cool that's all I Thank you, Ms. Chernoff. Mr. Struffy. Thank you, Madam Chair. Next week, the Finance and Operations Committee will meet on Tuesday, February 18th at 4.30 p.m.

[06:09:46] We'll also have our Performance Monitoring Committee on the same day, 6 p.m., and on Thursday, February 20th, we'll have the School Business Partnerships Council meeting Thursday morning at 8 a.m. February 20th. So no other updates. Vice Chair Donohue. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[06:10:03] The Loudoun Education Foundation had their fundraiser, Old Ox Rocks for Teachers, on February 1st at the Old Ox Brewery to benefit some of LEF's initiatives. And they raised $18,000, which is more than twice what they raised last year.

[06:10:19] It was their second year doing the event, so it was very exciting to go and observe. It was a lot of fun. Ms. Chandler was there and a number of other luminaries from our local community. So it was a great event.

[06:10:36] I was very excited to be part of it. Looking forward to next year. And the Student Services Committee next meeting will be a week from today on Thursday, February 20th at 4.30. That is a time change from what was our normal meeting time last year, 4.30, not 5.30.

[06:10:53] And I have no idea what we're talking about. but hopefully it will be slightly less weighty than restraint and seclusion or special permission, which has been dominating our meetings the last few months. That's it for me. Thank you. I have nothing new to report. Dr. Deans.

[06:11:09] The Equity Committee was able to bring in Dr. Robert Greene, who worked at some point in his career with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and he and his family came to share their experiences with the Equity Committee.

[06:11:28] And Dr. Ellis also presented to the equity committee and indicated that she can share more about the special programs at our next meeting. Thank you, Dr. Dean.

[06:11:45] Ms. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair. The legislative season has been very exciting and has offered many opportunities to visit Richmond. I think I've been every week since this session started. That trend will continue next week when we are going with some of our school business partners, which is a very exciting opportunity for those partners not only to meet our Loudon delegation, but also to meet with some members of the governor's administration.

[06:12:19] We are also looking forward to having our LAMP meeting next week. And I will just say, again, to add to Ms. Donahue's, the LEF event was wonderful, just a fantastic experience. I'm so happy to hear that it was a financial success, and it was delightful to meet Dr. Green and hear his experience.

[06:12:41] Mrs. Griffiths? Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm just excited to report that I'll be attending Light Ridge High School this weekend. They're having the Loudoun Symphony Youth Orchestra in concert at 2 p.m. on Saturday. So if you can make it, that would be great.

[06:12:58] Please support the arts. Thanks. Thank you. Okay, we'll move on to item 17, new business. Any new business? Seeing no more business, we will move on to item. Yes.

[06:13:15] Yeah, Mrs. Griffiths. Thank you, Madam Chair. I have two items. It has come to my attention, and I'm sure the school board, that agenda documents, when agenda goes up for school board meetings or for any meetings, documents tend to to get posted uh later than they should be and we need to get a head start on those documents so per our retreat um we hadn't we had a situation where the presentation was presented like an hour before um they presented so what i'm asking as far as new business is that

[06:13:50] um we discuss um the agendas and make sure that this is not continuous that we can get a start a head start as school board members to take a look at documents with the agenda when they're posted so um for a long time and i believe wes had mentioned the policy for a long time that's how it used to be and now all of a sudden i noticed it'll be an hour two hours before presentation when they're when documents are uploaded onto the agendas also i'd like to also get back to uh 10 to 15 slides for presentations if we could do that as well so i'm certainly

[06:14:29] hoping we can discuss that because it would make it easier on us and we wouldn't be here so late so having the items ahead of time to give us a head start and then slides going back to 10 to 15 slides per presentation that's number one number two regarding um this is separate regarding the vsba ruling and executive orders i am hoping that 80 40 may be discussed uh miss donahue at your next student services meeting on january i'm sorry february 20th at 4 30 here in the admin building i think it's time that we bring it uh we have a discussion and we eventually bring it

[06:15:06] onto the agenda um so thank you thank you mrs griffiths yes dr just for new business i'd just like to have a discussion i think we already mentioned this in the retreat about um the sharing of districts so that would be great to have that just as a discussion or an information item. Thank you. Discussion during an information item? A discussion. I'm not sure what it would be suitable for such a topic like that. Okay, I'll talk to Mr. Allen. Okay, thank you. Ms. Chernoff,

[06:15:44] do you have new business? No, I just, I believe that at the LAMP meeting, we are going to discuss a communications, our communications policy with that sort of lens in mind, discussing sort of the newsletters, and we're going to have a sort of a conversation around jumping off what we talked about at our retreat so maybe that might scratch the itch but we'll maybe see so that's next week yes so that is going to be a sidebar conversation I believe as part of one of our agenda items for LAMP Ms. Allen I think there might be two separate issues because for example Dr. Rashid I think she

[06:16:23] said had 44 schools that she represented versus Algonquian having 20 that's not something that we can tackle with our specific policy because you do have overlap at certain schools just based on how the districts are drawn so I do think that probably be more of a a different board slash legal question okay any other new business no okay seeing as there's no more business the February 13th 2025

[06:16:59] London County School Board meeting is now adjourned please drive safely home

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