Coraggio Consulting
Loudoun County School Board, 4th Tuesday School Board Meeting, Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Place: Loudoun County Public Schools / School Board meeting (see BoardDocs / LCPS-TV)
Length: 6h (video)
Official meeting video (Vimeo / LCPS-TV): https://player.vimeo.com/video/1059923212?rel=0
BoardDocs (School Board): https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/loudoun/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DDMQHP696B54

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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[00:00:00] Policy 8230, procedures for student discipline appeals to the school board be moved as an action item and not on the consent agenda. Okay, thank you very much. So, Clerk, would you mind please moving policy 8230 from the consent to 12.01 on action item?

[00:00:21] And then move everything down. Let's see, it would be 8230, would be 2.12, yes, ma'am. Thank you.

[00:00:40] And I'm actually going to need someone to read a proclamation for me. So before Dr. Rasheed would, or actually, do you want to read a proclamation today?

[00:00:59] Okay. That's for a straffy. Is that proclamation for a straffy? Okay. All right. Hold on, Jim, just one second. Okay.

[00:01:21] So before we vote on the consent agenda, we have four proclamations to read. And our first proclamation recognizes 2025 as National Social Work Month in the Loudoun County School of Public Schools and will be read by Dr. Rasheed.

[00:01:37] My pleasure. Thank you, Chair. Whereas social workers are at the forefront of pressing issues, our nation is addressing, including increased needs for mental health care, especially for children and adolescents, substance use disorder treatment, and increased economic and political division.

[00:01:54] And whereas school social workers are employed in schools to enhance the academic mission by providing services to address barriers to learning and help students reach their full potential. And whereas school social workers are actively committed to helping students explore individual and collective abilities, strengths, interests, and talents, utilizing research-based interventions and promoting education equity.

[00:02:20] And whereas school social workers help parents focus on ways to further the educational, personal, and social growth of their children by strengthening the link between school, family, and the community. And whereas school social workers bring unique professional knowledge and mental health perspective to school personnel and families to aid in identifying students experiencing academic challenges due to social, emotional, and or behavioral difficulties.

[00:02:47] And whereas school social workers contribute to prevention and intervention services by providing comprehensive assessments and screenings, program development, individual and small group counseling services, as well as crisis intervention, consultation, collaboration, and restorative practices to reduce barriers to learning for students.

[00:03:07] and whereas school social workers should be recognized for the vital role they play as catalysts in helping to create an environment that is conducive to effective problem solving and learning for the whole child now therefore be it resolved that Loudoun County School Board formally recognizes March 2025 as National Social Work Month. Thank you. Thank you Dr. Rashid. Our second proclamation recognizes March 3rd 2025 as Social Emotional Learning Day in Loudoun County Public Schools, and will be read by Ms. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair. Whereas social-emotional

[00:03:42] learning is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions, and whereas social-emotional learning competencies developed throughout our lives and are essential to success in our schools, workplaces, homes, and communities and allow individuals to contribute meaningfully to society and whereas social emotional learning can be taught and developed throughout childhood, adolescence, and beyond

[00:04:21] and whereas schools, families, and the wider community must be engaged to enhance the strength, depth, and pace of acquisition of social emotional learning competencies and whereas supporting social-emotional learning is a wise use of public resources because there can be a long-term social and economic benefits to society from the implementation of evidence-based social-emotional learning and whereas the Loudoun County Public Schools continues to support students in their acquisition of the core social-emotional learning competencies of self-awareness,

[00:04:56] self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making and whereas LCPS continues to support students in their acquisition of foundational knowledge to support the profile of a graduate and career and workplace readiness skills and whereas LCPS continues to support students with community building and connections across the school environment to support student learning and whereas LCPS supports students learning environments that foster welcoming affirming and inclusive opportunities to promote equitable opportunities

[00:05:33] for academic and social success in school and in life. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Loudoun County School Board proclaims March 3rd, 2025 as Social-Emotional Learning Day in Loudoun County Public Schools and encourages all community members to learn about and share their knowledge of the importance and impact of integrating evidence-based social-emotional learning into our schools, organizations, and community.

[00:05:57] Thank you, Ms. Chandler. And our third proclamation formally recognizes February 2025 as Teen Dating, Violence, Prevention, and Awareness Month in Loudoun County Public Schools and will be read by Dr. Deans.

[00:06:12] Teen Dating, Violence, Prevention, and Awareness Month, February 2025. Whereas the Centers for Disease Control's Youth Risk Behavior Survey in 2021 indicated that among U.S. high school students who reported dating during the 12 months before the survey, about one in 12 experienced physical dating violence and one in 10 experienced sexual

[00:06:47] dating violence. And whereas intimate partner violence often begins in adolescence with 25% of male and female survivors identifying their first experiences of intimate partner violence as occurring during teen relationships. And whereas working with youth to help them build social emotional skills such as empathy, respect, healthy communication, and conflict resolution

[00:07:21] skills promotes the development and expectation of mutually respectful, caring, and non-violent relationships. And whereas engaging teens and adults to promote social norms that support healthy relationships has great potential to transform our communities so that teen dating violence is not acceptable and everyone has access to the tools to intervene when they witness teen

[00:07:56] dating violence. And whereas we must work together to create a world where every teen can live free of dating and sexual violence in their homes, schools, colleges, universities, and communities, and whereas Loudoun County Public Schools collaborates with Law's domestic violence and sexual assault services to provide prevention and outreach programming to bring awareness to

[00:08:32] teen dating violence and educate on the signs of healthy and unhealthy relationships to youth. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Loudoun County School Board formally recognizes February 2025 as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month in Loudoun County Public Schools.

[00:08:56] Thank you, Dr. Deans. No, sorry, no comment. Our final proclamation recognizes March 2025 as Arts in Our Schools Month and will be read by Ms. Chernoff.

[00:09:12] Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Madam Chair. Arts in Our Schools Month, March 2025. Whereas music in our schools month, youth art month, and theater in our schools month are integral opportunities for our community to celebrate the importance of fine arts in our schools. And whereas the purpose of this celebration is to raise awareness of the lasting positive impact of fine arts education on the academic, personal, and professional growth of our students.

[00:09:38] And whereas fine arts education shapes the way our students understand themselves and the world around them, contributing to deeper learning opportunities for all students. And whereas fine arts education develops students as global citizens, valuing diverse perspectives and beliefs.

[00:09:54] And whereas fine arts education develops students' creative thinking, expressive communication, collaborative spirit, and critical thinking as part of the profile of a graduate. And whereas fine arts education acknowledges the arts as a powerful tool to unlock the potential of the whole child.

[00:10:11] And whereas fine arts education empowers students to transfer skills across multiple content areas. And whereas fine arts education significantly enhances the morale and quality of the school culture. whereas our fine arts educators continue to demonstrate dedication to their students creativity and resilience providing quality and meaningful fine arts education now therefore be it resolved that the Loudoun County School Board proclaims March 2025 as Arts in Our Schools Month in Loudoun County Virginia thank you Ms. Chernoff I will now entertain a motion to approve the

[00:10:47] consent agenda yes Ms. LaBelle so moved I have a motion to approve the consent agenda do i have a second second i have a second by dr deans um it's been properly moved and seconded to approve the consent agenda at this time we'll take a vote to approve it uh clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote

[00:11:23] and a motion passes six with uh to zero with uh mrs griffiths and abstention in abstaining and Vice Chair Donahue and Mr. Streffi absent for the vote. Okay and we will move on to the advisory committee update 3.01 Loudon Education Foundation advisory committee annual update presented by Danielle Nadler Loudon Education Foundation executive director and we've provided

[00:12:02] a maze for her to get through. Thank you for the introduction Chair Mansfield. Thank you so much for having me, school board members.

[00:12:22] Danielle Nadler, executive director of the Loudoun Education Foundation. Thank you, Sherry, on the slides. It was the school board who started LEF a little over 35 years ago. And since then, in a lot of ways, LEF is similar to other education foundations.

[00:12:41] We provide classroom grants, we provide scholarships, but there's a secret sauce here in Loudoun that has school districts twice our size, calling me saying how are you all able to make such an impact and it really is it's because of you all the key is collaboration with school system leadership so I wanted to share a little bit about that today the school the collaboration starts at our board level we have our own small small staff that are not LCPS employees but employees of this of the foundation and then we have our own board as well that's large large board of trustees and that

[00:13:20] collaboration begins with school member and Donahue and Dr. Spence are voting members of our board and they serve alongside community volunteers and business leaders on that board of trustees and then that collaboration plays out day to day in our operations Neil Slevin is LEF's liaison and our neighbor up on the fifth floor and we have both himself and his team department leads throughout the school system we have ongoing dialogue about about needs of students and opportunities to serve the LCPF staff as well.

[00:13:57] Next slide, please. So that, I wanted to sit on this slide for a minute, even though it's a lot of words, but that unique collaboration, the relationship, that open dialogue that, frankly, I'm finding out is really rare among education foundations and school system leadership, that allows us, really positions us to open up public-private partnerships otherwise would not be possible. So I wanted to share a few of our kind of top partners, aka funders, is Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Jack and Cook

[00:14:32] Foundation, Cloudmore Charitable Foundation, everyone from Google, Amazon, there's, we really just have these incredible partners in our backyard who want to invest in the public schools but also meet needs and launch innovative programming next slide please so we raise that says 2.1 but that's for part of our part of our budget we raise about 3.4 million a year to and it really is focused in four areas curriculum enrichment scholarships first I want to talk about those two because these two slides align with it the these are

[00:15:11] pictures that you might recognize a propellant level up that's under our curriculum enrichment. What is the other one? Oh, K-12 computer science pipeline. Next slide please. We'll go through this pretty quickly. And then several of the summer camps that we fund also align with that curriculum and enrichment piece and I'm sure you are familiar with BEAM summer math discovery program and then this last year we were able to fully fund a brand new dual language immersion summer camp to ensure that those students who were brand new in that elementary, didn't lose some of their progress over the summer, and then also a

[00:15:50] health and medical science camp. So just to show a few visuals of those partnerships in action. Next slide please. And then the the third area of focus for LEF is really student health and well-being. Our FUELD program, formerly known as Backpack Coalition, we provide 2,000, we provide for 2,000 students each week through meal bags and in-school pantries and just a quick shout out to another partner Amazon delivers every week for us meal bags to 40 to more than 40 schools and that's an example of us calling a partner saying

[00:16:28] hey we have a need and them saying well we're kind of good at the logistics thing so why don't we take care of that so that's just and they they really they don't ask for a thank you they don't ask for it but just an incredible just getting good stuff done for students, which is awesome.

[00:16:43] Next slide, please. And then our fourth area of focus in our fundraising is teacher or educator encouragement and support. In many ways, we've grown that a lot. The Shine program, you've probably heard about. Our Innovation Education Grants, which are open now.

[00:17:02] April 5th is the deadline. Continuing Education Scholarships, also open now. And then our Outstanding Educators Banquet in May, which honors and celebrates any educators nominated for Teacher of the Year or Principal of the Year. Next slide, please.

[00:17:19] So this one might be take-home homework 'cause it's a lot of words, but I wanted to provide some sort of visual to kind of share how the life cycle of some of these grant-funded programs work. As I said before, the needs assessments and opportunities, we're talking with education leaders all the time, everywhere from getting classroom grants to help see where there might be needs opportunities to investment all the way to um sharing with dr spence hey vision coming down the road where are some either grant opportunities that we can go after or just partnerships that we can bring on board and then from there yes we invite partners we pursue private grant dollars

[00:17:59] and then a few years after the program has launched then we're working with school system leadership to measure impact and say how is this program going um are the educators seeing seeing results, seeing student progress, and for those successful programs, which thankfully has been most of them, then we gradually recommend public funding.

[00:18:21] And all of the programs kind of graduate to that public funding at different timelines. But one quick example I wanted to share that happened faster than I thought it would. The Health and Medical Science Academy that you all opened this year, that started, you may know as conversations over three years ago where I was working with this the leads of student or sorry of the teaching and learning department and they were sharing how can we take the increased student interest in health sciences and align that to the clear workforce need so LEF started hosting roundtable sessions and inviting health and medical industry leaders to quite

[00:19:01] literally the table with educators to help shape the vision for those future academies and help inform the curriculum and there were things like post-it boards on the on the wall where the ANOVA CEO said oh actually we don't need that credential anymore we need this one so it was real life impacts to what those academies might look like then from there we've got our partners at the table and then our director of development I go out and look for grant funding and and donations to help sustain that or to really help launch this Academy years earlier than would otherwise be possible and now you all have seen in your budget that that has now thank you is graduating over to

[00:19:39] public funding next slide please and I won't read this but here are where some of our other programs are in that life cycle bloom the the building learning opportunities and options in medical sciences is one of the newer ones propel and level up has been grant funded for a long time but is still it's we're gradually gradually moving that over to public funds so thank you for that HamSci Academy beam summer math program so just to share kind of trying to put together a visual of how some of those life cycles work slide please and

[00:20:16] that's my last slide so I just wanted to thank you for the chance to just say thank you for encouraging partnerships I think what dr. Spence and the school board have made it clear that partnerships are important and I've seen and I hope you all agree day to day that when the community feels invested in the local public schools the students win the staff wins the local economy wins and I think the London County as a whole win so thanks for helping us build those bridges thank you so much board members do you have any questions yes vice-chair Donahue thank you madam chair I was about to say I don't

[00:20:56] actually have a question I just wanted to say thank you but I do have a question. Hi, Ms. Nadler. Thank you for your presentation. I see Ms. Murphy's in the back. Thank you for being here. Thank you for everything that LEF does. I was wondering if you could tell us about the recent fundraiser at Old Ox Rocks for teachers. Oh, yeah, definitely. Part of our strategic plan is to increase the money that we raise for classroom grants, aka innovation and education grants. And we are now on track to raise $90,000 and to give out $90,000 to staff-based

[00:21:33] educators. And a big win for that was our Old Ox Rocks all-day music festival down the road. And it was a blast. You raised $18,000. We had a competition who, I know, yeah, I know. We had a competition among local celebrities of who could raise the most funds from their family and friends.

[00:21:58] And Bob Marple, Principal Bob Marple, and teacher Shauna Olofsson went to task. And Shauna won and raised nearly $2,000 and then got the mic to sing I Love Rock and Roll with the band. So it was a lot of fun. Good way to bring LCPS staff out.

[00:22:13] It was free with an LCPS badge. And now we have more money to give away to teachers, which is great. Thanks for asking about that, and thank you for coming to Old Ox Rocks. I was there. It was a great event, and if I remember right, I think it was the second year for that event, and how did your proceeds compare this second year from the previous year?

[00:22:32] Oh, good question. It's much better this year. I think it was seven the first year. Last year was 7,000, and this year was 18,000. Which is fantastic. And part of that idea is our biggest fundraiser is the LEF Golf Classic in September and October, And that's not everyone's way to give back.

[00:22:50] So it was fun to do a music festival where it's five bucks at the door and then everyone can enjoy. Thanks. I thought it was a great event. I'm looking forward to going again next year. And I just wanted to again say thank you for everything that you do to support our community. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you.

[00:23:06] Board members, any other? Thank you for all your work. Thank you so much. All right, and moving on, we'll move on to item four, work session, Department of Teaching and Learning Curriculum Audit Update presented by Mr. Neal Slevin, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning.

[00:23:23] And I think he has a whole lot more other people coming. Let's see Mr. Roundsley, and I guess Ms. Kim, right? Thank you, Chair Mansfield, board members, and Dr. Spence.

[00:23:49] I'd like to just take a quick minute to let my team introduce themselves before we get started. Good afternoon. Jeff Roundsley, Director of Teaching and Learning, K-12. Good afternoon. My name is Amanda Kim, Supervisor of the Office of Instructional Design and Innovation.

[00:24:07] So, this afternoon, we are presenting on the findings of our recent curriculum audit. We will be sharing key results, recognizing our strengths in curriculum development, and showcasing the initial steps that the Department of Teaching and Learning is taking to address the audit's recommendations and further support our teachers and students in the classrooms of Lyman County Public Schools.

[00:24:31] In August of 2024, LCPS initiated a curriculum audit conducted by Insight Education Group in collaboration with the staff of Teaching and Learning. While curriculum audits can address various areas, such as inclusivity and accessibility of instructional materials, to narrow the scope of this project and meet our timelines, this audit focused on assessing teacher access to materials, implementation of provided materials, and alignment to our instructional framework.

[00:25:00] This audit builds upon previous work done with our elementary literacy curriculum, expanding to a sample of curriculum materials across English, math, science, social science, and global studies, health and PE, fine arts, oral languages across elementary, middle, and high school.

[00:25:19] In consultation with LCPS staff, Insight Education Group developed these statements to define the purpose of our project. The audit aims to understand the current state of our curriculum materials, specifically with their alignment to Virginia SOLs, best practices, and our instructional framework.

[00:25:37] We also examined the systems and structures that support curriculum development and implementation, including how our curriculum materials are developed and professional learning provided to teachers and administrators in the use and implementation of the resources provided. Finally, the audit provided a picture of the experience of various partner groups in LCPS developed curriculum materials.

[00:25:58] While it's important to communicate what our goals were in this particular audit, it's also important to name and reiterate some exclusions that while important were not the focus of this particular audit for example recently we have completed a review of our literacy curriculum to ensure alignment for the science of reading over the next school year partner in partnerships with student services we will be reviewing our instruction materials within our curriculum to ensure they are accessible and we regularly review our curriculum for inclusive practices, representation of our community, and our focus on student-centered

[00:26:35] learning environments. This curriculum audit was focused on the items that I had mentioned earlier. Ultimately, the curriculum audit we are presenting was to support in identifying pain points or barriers that prevent teachers from fully utilizing division-provided materials through focus groups, surveys, and interviews, analyzing the gap between our current curriculum resources of what teachers need or want to effectively support their daily instruction and then deliver recommendations for next steps for our content offices to improve curriculum material development

[00:27:08] and implementation. This curriculum model directly supports the goals of the 1LCPS strategic plan empowering students. Specifically it aligns with the action to enable core academic excellence by providing rigorous instruction for all of our students. We recognize that high quality aligned curriculum resources are foundational to deliver rigorous instruction and ensure equitable opportunities for every student. The curriculum audit was initially identified in the superintendent's entry plan underscoring it's important to our work in Loudoun and the post-entry plan ongoing work with our curriculum and resources is crucial in our development of the

[00:27:48] instructional framework. The instructional framework sets the vision for effective teaching and learning and the curriculum audit is a vital step in ensuring our resources are fully aligned to that vision. The curriculum is the foundation or the what that we teach. Our curriculum serves as the essential guide, providing teachers and administrators with clear directions on what to teach. It effectively communicates the standards of learning covered within each unit, ensuring alignment with state requirements.

[00:28:16] Furthermore, it offers a comprehensive overview of the materials, resources, and assessments that LCBS provides to support teachers in achieving learning goals in our classrooms. The instructional framework is how we teach. A critical connection exists between our curriculum resources and the instructional practices outlined in the instructional framework. The framework defines how we aspire for teachers to deliver instruction and our curriculum must directly support those methods. For example, if the framework emphasizes providing opportunities for students to develop knowledge and understanding through varied reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities, our curriculum should then include resources and

[00:28:55] learning experiences that enable those practices. And finally, the portrait of graduates are why. Why is this important? That our curriculum and our instructional framework align. It serves as a shared vision for success of our students. Both the instructional framework and our curriculum resources are designed to align with the portrait of a graduate. This means that the skills and competencies we aim for every LCPS graduate to develop, such as critical thinking, collaboration, and communication, are embedded through our instructional approach. By ensuring alignment through these three resources, we create a cohesive and effective educational experience for all of our LCPS students. At this point, I'm going to

[00:29:33] turn it over to Mr. Brownsley to go into a little bit more detail on our audit. Thank you, Mr. Slevin. And on the next slide, we have kind of a high-level timeline that Amanda Kim and I are going to walk you through in terms of what has happened with the curriculum audit thus far and our initial steps moving forward. So first, as Mr. Slevin referenced, we had a curriculum audit conducted by Inside Education Group from August through October of 2024. They met with teachers and focus groups. They delivered surveys to different teachers as well. They had interviews with our instructional staff in the Department of Teaching and Learning, and they also had the

[00:30:13] opportunity to examine a variety of different instructional materials. Each instructional supervisor submitted a sampling of lessons across different grade levels to provide their teams at Insight Education Group with access and to look at the materials that we provide to teachers. Those included unit plans, assessments, formative assessments, classwork, a real sampling of what we provide to our teachers to be able to use. In November they delivered our audit report which was given to our curriculum instruction committee we had a during one of our meetings shared the results of that audit along with the people from insight who conducted the audit who are there as well and then we have since then

[00:30:49] started working through what some of our response to that audit has been. So one of the big recommendations that I'll get to in a second is that we achieve some level of clarity and a shared understanding of what we mean by curriculum, what we're doing with those documents, what we expect teachers and administrators to do with that. So we've had a number of sessions with our Department of Teaching and Learning staff to go over that. They also talked about achieving some level of consistency. Our documents look a little bit different. We use some different terms. We want to kind of have some agreement around what we're providing to teachers and how it looks and how we're presenting it, the platforms we're using to present it. And finally, moving from February on, we're

[00:31:26] really kind of taking the next steps to take all of this learning that we've done and the thought that's happened and put that into action and to have some measurable gains for teachers and to make sure that we are moving forward with the audit starting now and moving forward into the next school year. And this is probably a phased implementation over a number of years to achieve what we're trying to achieve. So on the next slide, I've kind of already gone over this a little bit, but this is again how the audit was conducted. It was a number of a review of our materials. There was lots of teacher input into this. I think over 500 teachers took our survey that went out about this there were nine different focus groups conducted

[00:32:04] subject specific to gather information from teachers there again there were interviews with our instructional staff both at the beginning and the end of the process to kind of first gain an understanding of how they feel about this and then to share recommendations with them and then they developed a report to share with us which was which was uh included in tonight's item on the board agenda it's 200 light pages of reading if you want to stop by and read that but includes in there all of the rubrics and scoring and everything that happened as a result of that. On the next slide they did the insight group did come up with a

[00:32:39] number of celebrations of the work and really recognizing the hard work that goes into this these documents and resources every time. So first they did find a high level of alignment between our instructional framework key components of design engage assess and using their rubrics almost all of our materials that we provided were highly aligned to the Virginia standards of learning. They also highlighted the number of engaging multi-day projects, performance assessments, they'd be called in our curriculum documents that are really run through all our different content areas, which speaks to a number of years of hard work around enhancing rigor, around giving students authentic

[00:33:18] ways to show their learning, and so there's lots of different ways that we showcase what students learn. And I especially agree with this last one, that the Department of Teaching and Learning staff and our content offices displayed throughout this transparency positivity and really a deep willingness to engage in this process and think about what more we can do to support our educators and help them in the work that they do every day in their classrooms and that's continued since then of I think everyone in teaching and learning the Amanda's team our content supervisors really working to be thoughtful about this and think about what we can do to help our teachers who are who are doing this work every day in schools so these are our five recommendations that we've kind of

[00:33:56] held on to as a team that we are pursuing and trying to align all of our work to, and they're kind of our own version of the five C's here. So the first one is clarity, around taking a clear definition of what curriculum means, around how we develop it, around what we want people to do with it.

[00:34:14] Consistency is establishing some division-wide consistency, again, cohering around a common template that we're using, a common set of resources and language that we're using to gain some clear definitions of the work. Curation is how we organize it and present it.

[00:34:30] So currently, we have our curriculum in Schoology, and I'll talk about that a little bit later with some limitations that that provides to us, but making sure that the way that we are presenting it to teachers makes it easily accessible to them. Collaboration, I think, is a huge one. So they highlighted in the audit report lots of examples of trying to help teachers, and especially our teacher leaders, have discussions across schools around how they're using curriculum, But I think it also highlights making sure that our staff in special education, our staff in English learners, all of them have a role in the development of our curriculum and have the option and the ability to kind of put in important pieces of that and talk about

[00:35:08] how we serve all students through the curriculum documents that we provide. And finally is communication. So this is really aimed at our school leaders and being clear with our school leaders around what we provide to teachers, how they might leverage that in their own schools around professional learning that happens in their schools and how we can make sure that everyone is aware of the materials and the high level of materials that we provide. What Insight told us multiple times was we have a wealth of resources here in LCPS almost bordering on too many resources and that it makes it difficult for teachers to know the direction that they should move in so we should do a better job of communicating what resources we provide and how they

[00:35:46] might be best used in our classrooms. So we have an opportunity here we'd love to here's some feedback that you might have on those recommendations around having clear definitions, consistency in what we provide, how we organize and present materials, how we provide people with opportunities to collaborate and work together, and then our communication out to our school leaders and our families.

[00:36:08] If any of these stand out to you as board members based on either what you've heard from teachers or your constituents and families, and then maybe what you think would be the leverage point that we might wanna really consider as we move forward on this and really honing in on and trying to support and grow.

[00:36:31] - Board members, do you have any questions? Thank you for your presentation. - So this is an opportunity for dialogue. - Oh, feedback? - We still have a couple more slides, but as a work session, we wanted to get a little bit of feedback on this particular question before we talk about next steps.

[00:36:48] - Okay, feedback, anybody? Yes, Mrs. Griffiths. - Thank you, Madam Chair. Data, numbers, I'm looking for data only in this presentation, do you have it?

[00:37:06] - What specifically would you like us to provide data on? - I'm looking at clarity, consistency, curation, collaboration, communication, and how it helps our students. So do you have data on curriculums that you go through and that sort of thing?

[00:37:27] Just numbers, not just a presentation with stuff I'm having trouble following. - I believe there could be summaries within the curriculum report itself that may be helpful.

[00:37:44] Most of the feedback was anecdotal. For example, we provided hard copies and electronic copies of our existing curriculum documents and an outside source came in to give us a perspective based on the rubric that was provided. So we didn't do any surveys or did we do a survey?

[00:38:03] - We did do surveys and that data is included in the report as well as all the rubrics and the scoring that happened as a result of this. So you'd be able to go in and see where we did have a high level of alignment to our standards and where there might be room for enhanced growth.

[00:38:19] So there's, in this report that's provided, you'll see many pages of scoring. They did it on a 3-2-1 scale or a one through five scale. Each subject area was a little bit different depending on the rubric, but it kind of points towards where we had some areas of strength and some areas of potential need for growth.

[00:38:36] - The report, not this presentation, correct? Yeah, the report that's included along with this presentation in the board item tonight. All right, thank you. Ms. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you so much for the presentation and for, I know, right, for engaging in this conversation with us.

[00:38:55] As a feedback point, I will say it really resonates with me what you just said about having so much information, but almost to the point where it's overwhelming. And I think based on some of the conversations I've had with teachers in my district and throughout the division, having easier ways to access that information in alignment with what they're supposed to do on a day-to-day basis would be really helpful.

[00:39:21] So I'll just leave it at that. Dr. Deakins. The comments that I have gotten feedback on was the consistency across the county from one school to the other and whether or not there could be some basic resources that every teacher will pull versus giving all the resources and every teacher has choices.

[00:39:59] So I think it's consistency is what I've heard from the teachers that I've spoken with. Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Madam Chair. And this is the second time we've gotten to do a deep dive because we did in CNI. But one of the things I agree with my colleagues, I mean, I think that's one thing we have like every resource here, we really do, which is a positive, but also we hear a lot from teachers that there's just not enough time in the day.

[00:40:26] And so sometimes the pressure of having to use all that resource leads to inconsistencies because certain fidelity pieces get dropped in different places based on the constraints of just the physical school day. And I know we've talked about that before. One thing we talked about in our committee that I wanted to highlight, and you might bring this up and I think you touched on it was this desire for teachers to really and you did say something about it to get in touch with each other across different clusters or even across their own cluster and just have some time and space that's not directed with any sort of guidance but just a place to come together and talk about their students talk about the curriculum

[00:41:03] to really just find a place to bounce ideas off one another what works for you what's a challenge and for me I think if we could open up those spaces that are less structured for teachers that could lead to some more consistency because maybe they'll be able to encourage each other and we can listen to that and find some common ground there so those kind of tied together for me but I definitely think the curation of resources and really what each purpose is and also being willing which this was in the report too which being willing to name when it's something is had its time and that it's time to roll away from that resource because sometimes I think we keep adding more resources to the plate

[00:41:42] and we don't roll them off and so then it's am I still doing that am I not I don't get PD on that anymore I think that leaves a lot of confusion so I was happy to see teachers speaking freely in the report about those kinds of things and I think that those are things that we can lean into so I'm excited to see that work um i'm the big broken record um but about so i see that you have like you know curation and a physical and digital resources and one part that i want to make sure about is that the resources

[00:42:15] that our teachers are using are evidence-based right as well as accessible to our students and um there's going to be you know there's a new law in place for accessible materials that everything has to be accessible by April 2026 and so I'm wondering if that's any part of this conversation I know you weren't really totally looking at content but if we're talking about accessibility to teachers have you thought about accessibility to students we are having internal dialogue around

[00:42:52] the pending requirement related to accessibility of instruction materials It would probably be a good conversation to have at a future committee meeting or possibly full board meeting when we're ready to articulate the steps we'll be taking to move towards that plan.

[00:43:10] But the emphasis on accessibility is an important one. We've had conversations before in adopting textbook materials, and while we've had the accessibility review as part of the process we've made we've taken steps to formalize that process to make sure it's in the regulation and the standard procedures for how we make selections for example for text textbooks and so that's that's how I would answer that particular question and I believe you had mentioned the review of best practices this curriculum audit we're

[00:43:49] sharing today obviously some top-line recommendations really what you're saying about evidence-based practices and best practices and what's being recommended through the curriculum for the state is the work of those content offices every day you know while we have a big lift when new standards are published for example for redoing our curriculum we consistently have curriculum teams that are revising taking a look at our approach what are we recommending to teachers and that's not done in a vacuum we have expectations of having experts in

[00:44:25] the room whether it's from our el team or our special ed team on those curriculum teams to provide that that perspective and so if there is a particular concern or a highlight from our community that's something we're going to be responsive to like we we we try to be responsive for our community and feedback but where we're not hitting it appropriately yes mrs gris um thank you so much for pointing out the, uh, surveys are paid. They start on page 24 of the 196 page document. So I just want, in case anybody missed it, I just wanted to point that out. Um, so thank

[00:45:04] you so much. I'm also wondering, was this just for gen ed or was this for special ed as well? The curriculum, the looking at all the resources for special education as well, because we have a plethora there as well. So this was really rooted in our content offices it was not our special education specific courses were not but these would be materials that would be shared with our special education teachers who might be teaching a self-contained class or a in a co-taught section these would be the resources we provide to them it would not include resources specifically

[00:45:42] to special education courses. Thanks anybody else no okay. In this next section we would like to offer some additional details and steps that we are taking to address the first three recommendations around clarity, consistency, and curation. First, clarity. We must locally define what we mean by the term curriculum and get clear on our expectations for curriculum development, revisions, and implementation. Before making decisions about defining curriculum and our expectations, it was

[00:46:22] important for the Department of Teaching and Learning to engage in some common professional learning from experts in the field. On November 6th, Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs, author of many books, including her most recent book titled Streamlining the Curriculum, offered the Department of Teaching and Learning a workshop on what is curriculum and guidance on ways to think about modernizing and streamlining the curriculum. Dr. Jacobs' presentation was also intentionally aligned to the LCPS instructional framework key component design. Next, Dr. Chris Garris, author and professor

[00:47:00] from the College of William & Mary, who specializes in assessment, came to LCPS in January and offered a professional learning experience to the Department of Teaching and Learning. His workshop was aligned to the instructional framework key component of assess. During this workshop, Dr. Garris spoke to the importance of aligned assessments in our curriculum. This continues to come up as an area that needs our attention as we streamline our curriculum. Next slide, please. The curriculum audit has shined light on the need for consistency and better curation of materials across all

[00:47:38] content areas. Content offices are currently talking or taking steps to address the following areas. First, clear terminology. The curriculum audit revealed that there is some confusion regarding terms in our curriculum. Teachers and administrators are asking for a unified common language. Content offices are currently analyzing our existing terminology and making decisions about consistent terms for curricular components. Next, we know that curricular materials and resources need to be easy to use and accessible for

[00:48:16] our teachers. When making decisions about how to improve the usability, we need to account for the differences between elementary and secondary education and provide clear guidance on pacing and timelines. A third area in which we need to focus some attention is assessment alignment. There is a need to improve assessment practices aiming for greater consistency, especially in high schools.

[00:48:40] This is raising the question for us of whether we should include common assessments or a shared pool of assessments. Next, we know that streamlining and in some cases editing are necessary. It is recommended to implement any changes in phases. We're exploring the idea of beginning a phased implementation with beginning with middle school followed by elementary and some targeted high school courses such as Algebra 1 and Geometry while potentially addressing AP and IB courses later. It's also worth noting that when

[00:49:20] creating a phased implementation plan we need to take into account the differences between K through three and four to five grade levels for language arts. And finally, significant attention has recently been put into managing attention between consistency and flexibility. There is a need for consistent formatting and language across our content areas and grade levels, and we need to balance that with the flexibility required to address subject-specific pacing assessments and specialized courses like music ap and ib so given some of this information

[00:50:00] on clarity consistency and curation we'd appreciate to hear from you again and consider this for curriculum assessments learning experience and resources what areas require consistency across our school division and where might flexibility be important any comments for members to the question? Yes, Dr. Deans. In response, I just think that even though the teachers talk about

[00:50:37] consistency, I think that flexibility is of high, should be of high priority because it depends on the student learning. What they do next should be based on the assessment they gave and how many students passed that assessment. And I don't mean that unkindly, but you can't just keep going if you have half of your students left behind so i think that flexibility would take a higher priority than consistency see i think it's more measured i think that in the foundational instruction like

[00:51:17] k-3 i think that you need more consistency to get that foundational instruction and understanding and then once you get that then you can be more flexible later that's that's my thought about you know something like that um because once if they miss that we want to make sure that they don't miss that foundational instruction because if they miss it then they're going to be behind as well as trying to keep up at the same time that's just some of my thoughts anybody else okay ms shurnoff yeah i mean i think again and this isn't super helpful i don't think for you

[00:51:55] all but i do think it's a mix of both i mean we're kind of grappling with this with the grading policy right now you know thinking about how do we ensure that things are consistent but also allow for teacher autonomy and making sure that every student is seen and supported because every student is unique and every student is learning at a different pace and so if we can solve that puzzle I mean that would be awesome but I do think it has to be an ongoing conversation I agree with Ms. Mansfield with chair Mansfield that there has to be some kind of marker that says that's solid but I also think maybe those checkpoints along the way to kind of tailor the needs is where you can have

[00:52:33] more flexibility and I'm thinking specifically in seventh grade with the history the US history there's like a problem of practice or it's an assessment but you can tell me what it's called I forget what it's called but it's a nice way but there's a lot of different medium mediums and different ways for kids to approach that problem of practice and then they can show their learning so that's a standardized assessment across seventh grade but then there's multiple ways for kids to access that.

[00:53:01] So for me, I'm looking for more things like that, I think, that allow for teachers to kind of turn the levers underneath but still have that foundational piece of knowledge. Dr. Rashid? Thanks for the presentation. Just out of curiosity, I just wanted to know how LCPS utilizes, and maybe you mentioned this, utilizes instructional coaches to help guide or direct things like the Cs you mentioned across the division.

[00:53:32] I can start, and then I'll ask Mr. Ranzier and Ms. Kim to jump in. But where I see the biggest impact of our instructional coaches is happening in our collaborative learning teams. There are many tasks that our teachers perform during those collaborative learning teams, including lesson design, developing assessments.

[00:53:56] But then, as Dr. Deans mentioned, they also spend time unpacking what their assessments are telling us, about their student experience and how they need to respond and what they need to do differently next time they're in front of that particular student. And what the instructional coach is able to do is to first and foremost facilitate that conversation, but also they're providing division support without it being that division support.

[00:54:23] Like they're embedded, they're part of the school culture, they know the teachers, they've been working with them on what they're trying to experience in their classroom. And so the more alignment we have with those particular positions, the more impactful those teachers are going to be when they're in front of our students I don't know if you all would add anything I think I would just second that those individuals are critical in our schools and speaking as a former principal you rely on them heavily to impact instruction I do think an area where we could probably grow to though is making sure that those instructional coaches know the resources that are included in the curriculum it can point our teachers towards them and let them know what's helpful to just let them know that those

[00:54:59] supports exist and I think that also goes along with our increasing work in in kind of making sure they have a deep understanding of our instructional framework and that they're using that along with really aligned curriculum to help support teachers. So they're really critical people and I think there's probably room for us to continue to bring curriculum into the professional learning that they're providing to schools.

[00:55:24] Yes, Dr. Deans. And when I was referencing flexibility, I mean, if you have a group of kids who didn't master the subject, could you not use, and you know, in different systems, you use different words but that um morning homeroom time and you know you don't call it homeroom anymore I know I'm dating myself but uh could you use that time and have um like um the math teachers if they you know if you have three math teachers then one can sort of be available

[00:56:02] on Monday and Tuesday and the other one Wednesday and Thursday to bring those kids up to par of that learning that they have missed or that they did not just quite get. So I look at using the time and also lunchtime.

[00:56:22] I mean, you know, I just think all times of the day should be tapped to bring a child who is not up to par in learning up to that. I would agree with you, and I think we have schools doing a phenomenal job with that.

[00:56:40] I had an opportunity to visit Sully Elementary School last week, and I was blown away talking to their reading specialist and their IFT, talking about the amount of coordination they do to meet the needs that are put in front of them. And those schools need that support, and we need to articulate a model and a vision for what they might look like, spotlighting where there's strengths and giving feedback where there's opportunities for growth.

[00:57:01] And an opportunity for, for an example, my child doesn't go for the math help on the day that her teacher is available. She goes on the day that a different teacher is available, saying that she understands that teacher better than her own teacher.

[00:57:19] So I just think, you know, teachers can help kids to understand how to use their free time as well. Not free time, but school time during the school day. So we have two more quick slides if you'd like us to.

[00:57:34] Go, go. Thank you. Yeah. - So one of the items that's come out of a lot of this work and discussion is thinking about how we are presenting this information to our teachers. Currently our curriculum is housed in Schoology, in different Schoology groups.

[00:57:53] And so there's an advantage there. One advantage is that that's the tool that teachers use as their learning management system all the time. They're used to accessing and going there. But there are some limitations with that. So if you think about our elementary school teachers, Really this discussion around consistency and flexibility, a lot of this really hinges on our elementary school teachers who are accessing English, math, science, social studies.

[00:58:15] They have to access all the curriculum. And so we want it to be really easy and consistent for them, especially because they're crossing all the subject areas in the course of the day. Currently our system requires them to belong to multiple Schoology groups. It doesn't really provide us with a lot of analytics in terms of how much the curriculum is used.

[00:58:33] It doesn't allow an easy, timely knowledge of what's been updated and what's been changed. And so there are some limitations in the way that we're currently presenting and using our curriculum. And a lot of the conversation has turned towards the possibility of implementing a specific curriculum management system, which would give us some additional benefits.

[00:58:54] As I mentioned, we'd be able to easily track and analyze what pieces of our curriculum are being heavily used by teachers and which aren't for the purpose of trying to figure out what can we do to make this better and how can we support teachers better with this information. It would also allow us to make certain portions of the curriculum easily public and viewable to parents and families to know what is happening in our classrooms and what is out there.

[00:59:19] For administrators, we would provide them with some enhanced tools. Many of these platforms provide sort of a map of the year that a curriculum map of the year and kind of show you in a line like where the teacher ought to be if you go into a classroom, not by day, but a rough idea of what should be happening in that classroom when you walk into it, which I think would be a really positive benefit for principals and others who are conducting observations and walkthroughs into schools.

[00:59:46] The downside to that is there's a learning curve there. We would have to help our creators of this content learn how to use the system and navigate it well. There's a lot of work that would go into that streamlining as we load new information into the system and for teachers as well.

[01:00:02] There are ways I think that we could make this work easily in conjunction with Schoology, but we want to be mindful of not providing an overwhelming amount of information for teachers or new systems that they have to use, but being thoughtful around how we can do it in a way that's helpful and supportive of the work that's happening in our schools. This final slide is meant to articulate three questions that are currently driving some of our decisions and our actions in response to this curriculum audit. First, the scope of our refinements. We must determine what is a realistic and achievable scope for this work. Second, how do

[01:00:39] we systematically and intentionally connect our curriculum and the instructional framework. And then finally, we see the need for some consistent curricular templates. We must design templates with a core set of required components while also including an optional section that content areas can customize and meet their specific needs.

[01:01:01] With that, we appreciate the opportunity to share some updates. Thank you very much. Board members, any final thoughts? Share? Okay. No? lot it's a lot to digest we appreciate the dialogue and feedback thank you very much thank you okay um we have it's 532 and i think we could go and do go ahead and do some um information items

[01:01:36] if that is okay with you all we could start with uh information item i think it's what 13 Is it 13. 01?

[01:01:56] Let's see. Yes, 13. 01. Let's see. Finance and Operations Committee. Of course, he's not here right now. Actually, they're all, yeah. Finance and Operations Committee, revision of policy 6340, disposal of surplus personal property.

[01:02:19] Ms. Willoughby, could you give us some information about that since Mr. Straff or Mr. Lewis, would you mind please giving us some information about that? The chair of F&O is not here tonight. Certainly. Thank you, Chair Mansfield.

[01:02:36] So tonight we bring to you from the Finance Committee the recommendations for edits to the policy on surplus materials. And essentially this is, you know, things that would be at the end of life that we would be disposing of, office furniture, maintenance equipment, those types of things.

[01:02:52] tires, buses, all of the above. So this policy sets the ground rules for how we dispose of those things. The policy's up for its five year review. There's very minimal edits to that. You can see those in red on the red line process or in the red line version of the policy.

[01:03:11] We've just made, as I mentioned, a couple of minor edits. And so we are happy to take any questions you may have. - Board members, are there any questions? - No. - Is there some appetite to put this on consent for the next. Okay. Ms. LaBelle. Okay. That will go on consent for our, what, 311 meeting, I think.

[01:03:40] Is it 311? Okay. Next one, again, Finance and Operations Committee, new policy 6460, buildings and ground management and maintenance. Is that going to be you, Mr. Lewis? Yes. Thank you, Chair Mansfield. So this is a brand new policy. It really is not changing any of the operational methods that we have in place today essentially it codifies what we're already doing and just directs the superintendent to have a process to to manage our facilities through the capital budgets and we did have a comment from one of our when we sent it out from our SEAC

[01:04:18] friends who recommended we add a reference to the Americans with disabilities acts which we have done and so I'm happy to take any other questions you may have board members are there any questions seeing none okay um would you guys be up for having this on consent for the march 11th yes yes okay it goes on consent for march 11th okay we're going to skip that attendance zone real quick and for right now and then we're going to move on to finance and operations contract award

[01:04:58] ifb 24 537 administration building third floor renovation mr lewis do you have anything that you could add to that to present only that this is a part of our project from the FY25 CIP we have this running item in each year CIP for support service spaces and that includes spaces anywhere from this building to the transportation facility central distribution center the Western service center the Western distribution center so any projects that we would do come under this project and

[01:05:34] we have put this out to to bid and this is for the third floor renovations mostly involving the department of HRTD and business and finance and these are spaces that were built in 2005 when the building opened and really haven't been renovated since then so they're in much need of some reconfiguration to accommodate staff we're also accommodating the division council office in this renovation so we're making room and so that's one of the examples where we've taken a floor that has two departments in it and now adding a third department to try to better manage our space and so that's the intent of the

[01:06:13] project and we are recommending to move forward with the the record the award of contract for the IFB as you see there to see GCS Segal construction hey is there any quite yes miss Griffiths thank you madam chair this came through our F&O meeting and I did not see the need to put 1.2 million towards third floor renovation. I was

[01:06:47] actually up there today and without even voting on it I see furniture missing. So what I had asked was that we move money, we table it for now or we move money to renovations that are much more needed I know this is cap and I had mentioned items that would be part of the CIP program but I'm very interested in moving money around for renovations of our schools that's 1.2 million on the administration building that I don't

[01:07:22] believe we need I would like the public to know that we spent 16,000 on renovated school board suites that wasn't necessary 500,000 for the second floor of the admin building. I'm here all the time and I don't understand that. Carpeting was done, painting. I'm guessing you will say the maintenance was planned before I was on the board and I think that's what you have said. So I did not, I'm not okay with this. This was the board previous, not this current board. We are all here to approve it today or actually it's an

[01:08:02] info way to move to info we're not here to approve it but I wanted to discuss it because the optics are not good on this when we have schools that need to be renovated I mentioned there was a wait room it brought run that needed to be fixed it's the optics just do not look good that we are renovating the third floor this admin building so I want to have further discussion about that or move it to areas that need this money and I have been over to the transportation

[01:08:34] building and I believe Mr. Lewis you said that this money could go to the transportation building I was over there and I could see renovations there more so here so could you discuss that and let me know or let us know rather when you plan on doing renovations there I think they would be much more needed than here on the third floor. Thank you. Board members, is there any other

[01:09:06] discussion? Mr. Lewis, did you want to respond to that? Just only that we have done a number of renovations in the transportation building over the years in this same area. We do have things that are planned for all of our buildings over time with the end of the life with different systems and equipment and those types of things in all those buildings that I mentioned.

[01:09:31] - Thank you, Mr. Lewis. Board members, do you have any other discussion? Yes, Mrs. Griffiths. - Thank you, Madam Chair. At this time, I just don't think the 1.2 million should be going to the third floor of this building. There are many other areas that money could be moved to.

[01:09:49] And I just wanted to bring it to everybody's attention. Again, just repeating, this was done through the previous board. So that's it, thank you. - Thank you, Mrs. Griffiths. I'm assuming this will not go on consent for next for next time yes i don't think it's going to go on consent we have to have unanimous um yeah that's not unanimous okay um i think we could go ahead and uh rather than get get into the

[01:10:24] school attendance zone change at this point i think we should wait and at this point um we will

[01:10:30] go ahead and go to dinner and then we will be back at 6 30.

[02:01:07] the board is now in recess yes all right the board is coming out of recess at this time let me do it yep it's all good oh my god it's all good holy cow yay um okay so um the board's coming out of recess this time and i want to take a little point of privilege um because we got something super special in the back

[02:01:44] earlier and i wanted to um so this this month i guess is national school board appreciation month And I want to say that we got these pottery bowls made by Ms. DeMarc's students at Harmony Middle School.

[02:02:02] And then they also researched each of us and gave us little personalized piece of art. And so, like, handmade bowls, and then, like, I was a Girl Scout leader.

[02:02:18] So, like, it was just really special, and I thank them very much. It touched each of our hearts. And it was Margaret Starch's broad-run high school students who researched us and made the personal piece of art.

[02:02:38] Okay, thank you. All right, we will now continue with the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem. Stephanie Swift will perform the National Anthem, I think. Yes? Ms. Swift attended Loudoun County High School and studied music at Christopher Newport University.

[02:02:59] After graduating college, she worked with Walt Disney World with Festival Disney and Disney Performing Arts. She's in her second year of teaching music at Dominion Trail Elementary School. She is an example of how the impact of music education can have on the trajectory of students' lives.

[02:03:16] And if you can all go ahead and rise for the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem. 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.

[02:03:40] Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed the twilight's last gleaming Whose broad stripes and bright stars Through the perilous fight O'er the ramparts we watched

[02:04:20] Were so gallantly streaming And the rocket's red Oh, say, star-spangled banner

[02:05:23] Go ahead. Thank you very much. We'll go ahead and go to item nine, student staff recognitions and community and, sorry, I had to put my glasses on, Communications and Community Engagement Office 2024, Virginia School Boards Association Business Honor Roll Nominees, presented by Ms. Stacey Metcalf, Chair, School Business Partnership Executive Council.

[02:05:51] Or is Ms. Dawson going to introduce? Okay. Ms. Dawson will be introducing. Good evening, Dr. Spence, Chair Mansfield, members of the board, and Loudoun families and community.

[02:06:07] I'm Renee Dawson, Director of Family and Community Engagement, and I am incredibly excited to introduce Stacy Metcalf, the chair of the School Business Partnership Executive Council, to give you some information about our VSBA award recipients. Good evening, Dr. Spence, Chair Mansfield, school board members, and the Loudoun community.

[02:06:34] My name is Stacey Metcalf, and I am the executive director and CEO of the Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation, which owns and operates Morphin Park. But my deep commitment to LCPS brings me to tell everybody that I am humbled and proud to be the chair of the LCPS School Business Partnership Executive Committee.

[02:06:58] Next slide, please. Oh, you got it. Never mind. Stay there. The LCPS School Business Partnership Executive Committee was established by the school board action in 1990. So for over 20 years, its primary mission has been to strengthen connections between business industries and the school division while recognizing business partners who are dedicated to shaping Loudoun's future through students and providing students with real world experiences.

[02:07:33] sorry, through, sorry, my glasses are kind of wonky right here. Okay. Through such initiatives, such as Job for a Day, which provides students with real world and career experiences, and the School Business Partnership Awards Breakfast, which is coming up in three weeks, which celebrates outstanding business contributions to our schools, the Executive Council fosters meaningful engagement between education and industry. Since the launch of the Virginia School Boards Association, BSBA Business Honor Roll, the Executive Council has proudly nominated businesses that go above

[02:08:11] and beyond to support the division's mission, earning them statewide recognition as valued education partners. The Virginia School Board Association Business Honor Roll helps divisions say thank you to businesses for their vital contributions. The BSBA Business Honor Roll is a way for local school divisions to recognize local businesses for their support, especially as schools face increasing budget uncertainty. Businesses large and small, corporate-owned and family-run, play a key role in supporting our communities and local schools. They contribute

[02:08:50] to our school divisions in many ways, including helping schools with in-kind financial contributions, donating to scholarship programs, supporting extracurricular activities, offering internship opportunities, volunteering in schools, and sponsoring field trips.

[02:09:08] This type of support, I know you will all agree with me, is invaluable. The School Business Partnership Executive Council Nomination Committee reviewed submissions earlier this year from schools and selected these three businesses and community partners to be the 2024-2025 school year nominees.

[02:09:28] This evening, I'll be sharing the nominees with their corresponding educational partners, and then at the end of the presentation, we'll present each with a plaque and a chance to have a picture up here at the dais with everyone, Dr. Spence, Chair Mansfield, and the school board.

[02:09:45] So this is the best part I get to share, I get to talk about the three nominees. The first one is Ridgetop Coffee and Tea. For the past seven years, Ridgetop Coffee and Tea has been a committed partner to Dominion High School, providing students with special abilities, meaningful work experience.

[02:10:08] Through this partnership, 14 students have gained employability skills by volunteering at Ridgetop with four earning part-time positions. More than just a workplace, Ridgetop fosters a welcoming and inclusive environment where students feel valued and supported.

[02:10:26] Their dedication extends beyond job training, as demonstrated by a manager who helped a student access necessary dental care, then covering the cost when his single mother was unable to do so, and a co-worker who stepped up to provide transportation, ensuring that a student could continue working without barriers.

[02:10:48] one student, the opportunity to work at Ridgetop became a milestone toward independence. Growing up, he watched his older brothers play sports, attend prom, get jobs, wanting to follow in their footsteps. When he was offered a role at Ridgetop through Dominion High School, his excitement was immeasurable. He took great pride in telling his brothers about his job, and his family was deeply grateful for the opportunity. His mother recalled a moment that perfectly captured the impact of Ridgetop. When heading to meet family at the cafe, he ran upstairs and he put on his work shirt

[02:11:27] and proudly announced, let's go mom, I work here. Ridgetop has also participated in Job for a Day and other programs that support LCPS community. This deep commitment to student success, inclusion, and community engagement exemplifies why Ridgetop Coffee and Tea is a deserving candidate it for the VSBA Business Honor Roll. At this time, I'd like to have Ridgetop Coffee and Tea, along with the Dominion High School nomination team, come up for their photograph and to receive

[02:11:59] their award.

[02:14:08] Next slide, please. Our next nominee, the Oak Spring Garden Foundation has been an invaluable partner to Banneker Elementary School, providing in-school workshops, field trips to the farm and summer camp scholarships that enhance students' learning experiences.

[02:14:29] In 2024 alone, 107 Banneker students participated in OSGF programs, engaging in curriculum-based workshops and hands-on field trips. Beyond student experiences, OSGF supports educators by providing curriculum materials, instructional support, and assistance in maintaining the school's gardens.

[02:14:52] Their impact extends into the community through after school enrichment and outreach programs, furthering their mission of environmental education. This strong partnership was initiated by Neville Bossie, a retired second grade teacher, and has since been expanded to multiple grades through summer camp sponsorships.

[02:15:13] Teachers at Banneker, including Laura Alls and Christy Urban, praise OSGF for its engaging hands-on science experiences that align with Virginia's science standards of learning, SOLs, and foster meaningful connections between students and staff.

[02:15:31] Additionally, Krista Lynch highlights OSGF's role in developing innovative free educational programs and their commitment to high-quality learning facilities. OSGF's dedication to academic enrichment, community engagement, and environmental education makes them a deserving recipient of the Virginia School Boards Association Business Honor Roll, recognizing their outstanding contributions to student learning and educational excellence.

[02:16:01] At this time, we'd like to have Oak Spring Garden Foundation, along with Banneker Elementary School, their nomination team, come up for their photograph and their award.

[02:17:01] All right, next slide, please. Apple Federal Credit Union, AFCU, has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to supporting the Loudoun County Public Schools through financial services, educational partnerships, and community outreach, making them a deserving recipient of the Virginia School Boards Association Business Honor Roll.

[02:17:36] AFCU has played a critical role in assisting LCPS ambassador teachers providing essential financial services, such as establishing bank accounts and personal loans to ease their transition. Their partnership with the Loudoun Education Foundation has been instrumental in supporting initiatives like Fueled Food Security Program and the Shine Program, which recognizes outstanding LCPS staff members.

[02:18:02] AFCU has also made substantial financial contributions to LCPS programs, including a $300,000 donation to the Reach Foundation, which supports teacher mentoring and a $12,000 investment to establish the Diversifying the Teacher Workforce Scholarship.

[02:18:22] Beyond financial support, AFCU employees have generously volunteered their time assisting with LEF programs by delivering food to in-school pantries and packing meal bags for students in need. Through their dedication to financial education, workforce development, and community service, AFCU continues to be a vital partner in advancing the success of LCPS students and educators, making them a well-deserving honoree of this recognition.

[02:18:51] At this time, we'd like to have Apple Federal Credit Union, along with the Loudoun Education

[02:18:55] Foundation nomination team, come up for their photographs with the board.

[02:19:53] As we bring this presentation to a close, I want to take a moment to reflect on the true power of partnership. The work of the LCPS School Business Partnership Executive Council is not just about programs and recognition. It's about a shared commitment in investing in the future of our students, our schools, and our community.

[02:20:14] To our 2024-2025 BSBA business honor roll nominees, Ridgetop Coffee and Tea, Oak Spring Garden Foundation, and Apple Federal Credit Union, your dedication to education is more than just support.

[02:20:31] It is a testament to what happens when businesses and schools come together for a common purpose. You are not only shaping today's classrooms, but you're inspiring the leaders, the innovators, and the change makers of tomorrow. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to Loudoun's students, your belief in the power of education, and for standing with us in this important work.

[02:20:58] Together, we are not just building partnerships, but we are building a legacy of opportunity, excellence, and hope. Thank you all for your time this evening, and this concludes our presentation. Thank you very much. And now we will continue with the school board, student school board representative comment. Tonight, our student school board representative is Ava Rotel. Ava

[02:21:37] is a senior at Riverside High School and the SCA president. She loves running varsity track during the winter and spring seasons and is captain of her team. Ava is passionate about leading the improv troupe where she is captain. She loves serving her community and is the National Honor Society admin secretary. Outside of school, you can find Ava on runs in the neighborhood or serving from the Chick-fil-A drive-through window with a smile. Welcome, Ms. Rotel. The floor is yours. Thank you, and good evening, everyone. As a senior, I can say it has been

[02:22:15] my pleasure serving the Riverside community. It truly is an outstanding school to both teach and learn in. This fall semester at Riverside has been an especially rewarding one to note. Firstly, our student council was able to organize and execute a dazzling Mamma Mia-themed homecoming dance for students to enjoy. Abba tunes filled the air for weeks as decorations were constructed and hand-painted along the Riverside halls by our rams working hard overtime to bring to life an event which exceeded any of our previous visions. On the topic of music, our very own marching band had the opportunity to travel over 3,600 miles overseas to march in the London New Year's Day

[02:22:50] parade and brought the house down with Bruno Mars, making Riverside very proud. Our very own band director Mr. Smith was also nominated for Teacher of the Year, representing Riverside, and we all wish him luck with his nomination. Our theater department brought magic to Riverside's theatrical stage as well. Our department applied and was chosen to be the first school in the state of Virginia to put on J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The fall play was a success, featuring our talented thespian rams, along with other successful productions this year, including Beauty and the Beast Jr., Brothers Grimm, Little Women, and in the spring, Footloose the musical. In regards to athletics, our girls varsity volleyball team earned the title state

[02:23:29] champions along with our cross-country individual state champion Tommy Ray. Recently, our girls swim team secured their place as district champions along with boys varsity basketball. We could not be prouder of our Rams. Riverside is also home to one of the largest DECA chapters in the state of Virginia and is currently preparing 131 members to travel and compete in their 2025 student Leadership Conference. We wish them luck. Academically, our Rams never cease to amaze us.

[02:23:55] Every year, our students are celebrated with a ceremony and awarded with an academic letter for earning a grade point average of 4.3 or higher. Over 400 total students from all grades attended this year's ceremony, and approximately 60 of our current seniors were awarded academic letters for all three of their four full years so far at Riverside. And this year, Riverside also celebrates its four National Merit finalists. In regards to service, our National Honor Society Chapter is currently organizing a beautification project to plant new trees and other greenery to make Riverside's outdoor spaces as inviting as the indoor classrooms and enhance our campus's grounds. This event brings together our students to give back to the school and community which

[02:24:33] gives so much to us in forms of education, opportunities, and the connections we form with friends, classmates, and mentors every day. I can truly say that I will carry the mantra of being a Ram with me into my next steps of college and beyond to always respect, advocate, motivate, and serve others through positive actions thank you thank you so much mr hotel for being here and for your comments um we'll now move on to the superintendent's report presented by dr aaron

[02:25:07] spence thank you madam chair members of the school board it is my pleasure this evening to share good news from around our school division and i'll begin with the following courtney jones i think you are here if you could please stand up miss jones has been selected as the next principal of Buffalo Trail Elementary School. Most recently, Ms. Jones was the Dean and then the assistant principal of Sickling Creek Elementary. She joined LCPS in 2004 as a third and fourth grade teacher at Sugar Land Elementary and has served as a teacher at Buffalo Trail

[02:25:47] and Liberty Elementary Schools. And we welcome Ms. Jones and congratulate her in this new role. Congratulations. Next, I'd like to ask Ashley Tyson to please stand up. Ms. Tyson has been selected as the next principal of Goshen Post Elementary School. Most recently, Ms. Tyson was the assistant principal of Greenwood Mill Elementary in Frederick County, Virginia. Then she saw the light and returned to Loudoun County, having previously served as the dean of Discovery Elementary School here in LCPS. She also began her career here with us in 2016 as a first grade

[02:26:25] teacher at Arcola Elementary School, and we congratulate you and welcome you to your new role. We'd like to remind the board in our community that the LCPS Annual Family Survey launched yesterday we encourage all parents and guardians to take a few moments to share their feedback families listed in parent view received an email with survey links for each school their children attend and we want our community to know your input is truly invaluable it does help our schools celebrate what's working well but also identify areas for improvement to better support students

[02:27:01] and families to learn more you can visit the website shown on this slide and please complete the survey by Friday, March 21st. Your voice matters, and thank you again for helping us make LCPS even better. Next, I'd like to congratulate Kabi Prasana. He is a senior at Light Ridge High School in the Academies of Loudoun and has been selected as one of the nation's top 300 teen scientists by the Society for Science. He and his fellow honorees were selected for their achievements in STEM innovation. All 300 honorees were selected from nearly 2,500 entrants. Scholars

[02:27:39] were chosen based on their outstanding research community involvement and their exceptional promise as stem leaders we congratulate mr persona next we want to congratulate loudon county high school students who raised four thousand dollars for special olympics of virginia by participating in a polar plunge part of the polar plunge experience was a costume contest which the lch's team won their costume thing was where's waldo at the beach suffice it to say these students were very enthusiastic about their experience and also about raising money for a good cause.

[02:28:17] We also want to recognize that two very important student conferences are taking place over the next few days, the WILD Student Leadership Conference and the Peer Conference. Both of these conferences bring together student leaders to help them cultivate their leadership skills. WILD, which stands for We're Intentional About Leadership Development, is designed to help students develop those leadership skills, share ideas, and foster connections between student leaders from different LCPS schools. At this conference, which is actually being held tomorrow, more than 80 students will be presenting in over 30 breakout sessions for their peers on a variety of topics, including redefining

[02:28:52] school spirit and boosting positivity through unity. Approximately 325 students are anticipated to attend the event, which is supported by the Office of Athletics and Activities. The peer conference, which stands for Positive Experiences and Relationships, is a specialized LCPS high school class designed to develop students mentoring skills and help teach them how to assist their classmates emotionally socially and academically at this year's peer conference which will be held on march 5th the students will focus on the topic of mentoring panels of students from all levels elementary middle and high school will share about their experiences with mentoring and approximately

[02:29:29] 330 students are anticipated to attend this event supported by the office of student mental health services. And then finally, LCPS recently hosted an appreciation event to thank the businesses and organizations that participated in this year's Job for a Day program. The generosity of these businesses and organizations in welcoming more than 600 high school juniors and seniors into their workplaces provided invaluable real-world career exploration experiences, and I'd like to extend my appreciation to the School Business Partnership Executive Council and the Division of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, and the Division of Communications and Community

[02:30:09] Engagement for their leadership and support in coordinating this program. Everyone's commitment to creating impactful experiences for our students highlights the strength of our community partnerships as we prepare the future workforce of Loudoun County. We're grateful for their continued support, and we look forward to another successful job for a day in the next school year.

[02:30:28] Madam Chair, that concludes my report. Thank you, Dr. Spence. And that brings us to item 11, which is the public comment. I'll be reading the procedures for 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.

[02:30:52] Speakers must limit comments to the time allotted. Based on the number of speakers and the agenda this evening, all speakers have been allotted two minutes each for public comment. Please be advised that speakers who missed their time slot will not be called at a later time. All audience members shall maintain civility, decorum, and respect for the functioning and the dignity of the school board at all times.

[02:31:12] Please remain seated unless arriving, departing, speaking at the podium, or during a break. 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 speaker, staff member, or other meeting attendees.

[02:31:42] Speakers should refrain from vulgarity, obscenities, defamation, profanity, or other like breaches of respect. Nor may speakers 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.

[02:32:05] Speakers should communicate those concerns to their school principal or an appropriate school official. The school board requests that 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 face the dais and direct their comments to the school board.

[02:32:24] per lcps policy 2520 members of the school board will not answer questions or respond directly to the public during the public comment period violations of decorum or civility by any meeting attendee may result in the chair directing staff to remove the attendee from the remainder of the meeting repeated or persisted violations of decorum or civility by the audience audience may result in on the decision of the chair public comment being tabled until a later point in the meeting's agenda limiting the number of attendees in the meeting room during public comment for safety reasons or the public comment period ending for the evening copies of materials for board

[02:33:01] members should be given to the public information officer in the media box at the 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 comcast 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 comments. And we'll start with our virtual comment. Our first one for the night is Chris

[02:33:34] Stevenson and second, Brenta Bankston. Good evening, Chair Mansfield, School Board, and Dr. Spence. First, I want to thank each of you for your significant sacrifice of time and energy to serve the community as School Board members. Our country is currently in a state of chaos because the president lies unremittingly about the 2020 election. He lies about January 6th and is trying to rewrite that history and has lied about who started the war in Ukraine and has lied that

[02:34:12] Zelensky is a dictator. He is also a convicted felon and sexual predator, and he treats people with whom he disagrees with contempt. While I do not want LCPS to become political, and I'm sure you do not as well, I think it is also very important that you issue a statement that helps shore up the foundation of honesty in society. Teachers and staff must be protected when they state the truth about the 2020 election, the president's illegal behavior and convictions in a court of law, the January 6th insurrection, and the convictions of the rioters in a court of

[02:34:48] law, which have now been pardoned by the president. It is critical for students to feel that there is a foundation of truth-telling and honesty in society, which is now being dismantled. I don't want LCPS contributing to the normalization of uncrued and harmful things very much.

[02:35:11] Thank you. Brenda Bankston? America's foremost DEI shareholder activist warns that anti-diversity groups force companies to underperform, writes Lila McClellan in Fortune.

[02:35:34] Companies are actually holding strong, with shareholders voting against anti-DEI resolutions because they're bad for business. Headlines suggest two weeks to ban DEI is not that simple.

[02:35:51] Schools in at least 46 states face loss of federal funding. A Dear Colleague letter was described as overreaching, skewed, and ambiguous. We are not waste. Researchers slam cuts that shut down studies on student learning and school data. To quote Rachel Dinks, cutting the one independent agency that helps improve student outcomes is ridiculous. Legal experts suggest they're over-reading a landmark decision to target DEI by canceling graduation ceremonies,

[02:36:30] clubs, and scholarships for marginalized groups. Sunny Hostin says, it's not really about saving money. There's a nefarious reason. They want a cheap workforce because educated workers cost more. That ties in with Chuck D's comment, scrolling is not reading. Social media poses truth and trust issues, while Project 2025 seeks to traumatize. I don't recall a time in my 31 years of teaching or in retirement where threats, tip lines, or discrimination worked out well.

[02:37:06] Support DEIA and SEL. Stay strong. Thank you, and we'll continue with in-person speakers, starting with Nikki Corson and followed by Joanna Herlich.

[02:37:33] Hi, I'm Nikki Corson. I'm an LCPS teacher, mom of two LCPS grads. I am sponsor of my school's Jewish Student Union and the founding member of Loudon Jewish Educators. I'm here to speak about the Chernoff hybrid plan that would remove the cultural holidays that have only recently been added to our school calendar.

[02:37:55] This move would be a step backwards for our district. Minority students in LCPS have reported feeling seen and celebrated when the Muslim, Hindu, Asian, and Jewish holidays were first granted. Taking them away now would be even more exclusionary than never having had them in the first place.

[02:38:13] Replacing them with cultural observance days is problematic in many ways, including varying degrees of enforcement at different school locations. Before we were given the holidays, my sons were among the few who did stay out of school on those days, allowing them to be part of our Jewish community.

[02:38:32] But many of their Jewish friends felt pressure to stay in class because they feared falling behind by missing instruction, sports, or other activities, even if the teacher did abide by the no test rule. The plan also does not address the needs of teachers and staff who observe these holidays, requiring them to take leave.

[02:38:51] I understand the difficulty in creating a calendar for such a large and complex school system. And I also very much appreciate that LCPS has stood strong against forces that would eliminate equity from our schools. In that vein, I ask that we continue to support and honor our diverse population by keeping cultural holidays as a day off for students and staff.

[02:39:15] Thank you. Thank you. Joanna Herlick, followed by Bill Wells. Good evening. My name is Joanna Herlick. I'm a freshman at Heritage High School, and I am a member of my school's Jewish Student Union, sponsored by Nicole Corson.

[02:39:40] I was a former Equity Ambassador in 8th grade, and I represented Riverbend Middle School. I value my heritage, and I'm sure everyone here values their heritage as well. Whether it's religion or ethnicity, heritage is important. Loudoun County Public Schools already does a great job of maintaining a culturally diverse and educated community.

[02:40:01] But if we take away holidays that can be spent celebrating with our families, including Jewish holidays such as Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, then it could crack this connection. Having holidays off helps the minority students feel included, and observing and understanding these traditions also helps minority students feel welcomed, including me.

[02:40:20] While I was in 8th grade, I experienced anti-Semitism from some of my classmates. We don't have a lot of members in JSU, and it might be because Jewish students may be hesitant to share their religion. Giving these holidays off of school and supporting student minorities could help us show our real heritage and eventually we can let it shine.

[02:40:40] The LCPS commitment to equity is a promise to provide comfort and support to minority students. However, if we take away holidays, then this is a violation and could be seen as turning back on their promise. Keeping promises fulfilled helps students to feel included and allows them to share their heritage without fear.

[02:41:00] Thank you. - Thank you. Bill Wells, followed by Chris Countryman. Hey, Chris Countryman, followed by Liz Crotty.

[02:41:30] Good evening. I'd like to start with a thank you, not only to the board and the superintendent, but also to staff. This past week, I had a meeting, and it set the tone for a cooperative relationship, and I am very thankful for that.

[02:41:48] It's only through cooperation that we can make LCPS the world-class school district that we're all striving for. As LEA president, I delivered a request to negotiate to Dr. Spence per the collective bargaining resolution yesterday. I look forward to the next steps to lay the groundwork and preparation to meet at the bargaining table in April and perhaps even sooner. But I also stand here before you as a parent of two LCPS students, a Loudoun County taxpayer, a teacher, and as the representative of the very diverse LCPS employees. Each night I have to be able to justify the work

[02:42:26] I do on behalf of one of these roles to myself while wearing these different hats. No hat to night. Sometimes we all talk at the same time and it just I'm just kidding. So I would also like to thank the board for your efforts to listen to all the folks wearing their different hats. It's no small task but your efforts to listen to employees is noticed and appreciated. The most recent instances that stand out in my mind are the work of Ms. Chernoff with the school calendar that was discussed last week. And tonight Mrs. Chandler will propose amendments to the restraint and

[02:43:02] seclusion policy. I support these amendments and the thoughtful effort that went into adjusting the policy with both the students and staff in mind and I encourage you all to support them as well. I do not mean to slight any of you by not mentioning your other efforts here so I want to reiterate thank you for genuinely caring and listening. Thank you. Liz Crotty followed by Corey Brunet. Good evening. Policy 5345 is a policy that applies to all students but we know

[02:43:42] from the LCPS data that seclusion has only been used as a tool for our students with disabilities which is why SEAC feels so strongly that it must be prohibited we appreciate that our district has prioritized training our staff to better ensure both staff and student safety we also are appreciative of the amendments that have been put together so carefully and thoughtfully so thank you for that and then because there's so much time this evening i just want to give a shameless plug for our SEAC awards that are coming up.

[02:44:14] We just released the call for nominations. So if you all could take time to push that out to your communities, we really want to hear about all the exceptional, inclusive educators and students and programs that are going on in each of your schools.

[02:44:31] So please, we have stuff on social media that you can share out or you can direct people to our website for more information. Thank you. Thank you. Corey Brené followed by Andrea Weiskopf. Good evening. My name is Corey Brunet and I'm an English learner teacher at Broad Run High School.

[02:44:55] One of the four foundational goals in helping LCPS achieve our mission and vision is exemplary staff. I have mentioned to you before that you should dig deeper into schools or departments with high turnover rates because exemplary staff are leaving. Not every person is willing to tell you the real reason they are leaving, but if we are serious about attracting, growing, and retaining exemplary staff, we should target the highest turnover. What's an acceptable turnover rate? 10%? That's a little less than 1,500 employees district-wide. That sounds like a lot, but listen to this. We have

[02:45:32] schools that regularly lose over 40% of their teachers. There is no consistency for students in schools with high turnover. Here's another idea. Pay employees more for their unused sick leave upon retirement. Right now, the policy states that any retiree with 10 cumulative years of full-time service will receive 25% of their final daily wage for each day of unused sick leave, the total amount not to exceed an index of 25% of the previous year's average teacher salary for LCPS, blah, blah, blah. Basically, it's not worth it to hold on to a bunch of unused

[02:46:09] sick leave. I am convinced that employee absences would decrease if the payout were higher. I would go so far as to say that some exemplary staff might even delay retirement if the payout were higher. I think that the idea of increasing this to 50% was floated just two years ago.

[02:46:27] Some districts pay 100%. So number one, ask the right questions to the right people. Where is the highest turnover and how can we fix the localized hemorrhaging? And number two, increase the unused sick leave payout to a respectable level. LCPS will never outperform its educators. Thank you.

[02:46:47] Andrea Weiskopf. First, I invite all LCPS employees in the room and those watching to join the LEA. The LEA is the reason that I continue to speak despite attempts by HR to intimidate me. The union makes us strong. Though I appreciate Ms. Chernoff's attempt to create a

[02:47:20] better calendar, there are issues. The board needs to decide what to do about holidays such as Diwali, Rosh Hashanah and Eid. Observe them or don't. There is no in-between. Optional cultural observances will not work for a system as large and diverse as LCPS. At schools with a high number of students out for a particular observance, the rest of the school will come to a standstill. But some schools will feel little impact, yet that entire school would be forbidden from testing or teaching

[02:47:59] new material because teachers are not capable of running a compassionate or equitable classroom without county mandates. Are the cultural observance days in the calendar the only days for which a student may be excused?

[02:48:18] If a student misses a day to celebrate the Lunar New Year, which is not in the calendar, will they be excused? If the answer is yes, then is it necessary to specify cultural observance days in the calendar?

[02:48:36] Additionally, culture and religion are not synonymous. The realization that calendars go beyond academic schedules show that there is continued need for understanding issues of diversity. Thank you.

[02:48:51] Black Lives Matter. Thank you. And I believe that ends our public comment. Normally I take a short recess, but I don't think we need one at this point because we're going to close, just going to be coming up too.

[02:49:10] Okay, so we'll move on to our action items and we'll start with student behavior and accountability, which is what I moved earlier from consent. review policy 8230 procedures for wait did i move that one no we moved one of them yeah that was it uh student uh procedures for disciplinary appeals to the school board um that was taken off consent

[02:49:43] per uh vice chair donahue's uh request so um i would like to have a a motion for that does anybody have a motion okay so the motion would probably just uh that the loudon county school board approve revised policy 8230 procedures and student disciplinary appeals to the school board i'll go ahead make that motion do i have a second i have a second by vice chair donahue it's been properly

[02:50:18] moved and seconded um do i have uh would you is there any discussion yes miss donahue thank you very much madam chair um and thank you to my colleagues for uh giving me an opportunity to address this um this policy again when we discussed it as an information item at our last meeting i expressed some thoughts that I had about moving this policy forward, ultimately agreed to have it be on the consent agenda for tonight. However, subsequent to our last board meeting, we had

[02:50:55] our meeting of the Legislation Audit and Policy Committee during the new business committee meeting. During the new business portion of that meeting, we brought up the idea of potentially looking at revisions to policy 2310 that governs the structure and type of school board committees that we have including how student discipline appeals are conducted with an eye towards potentially making some changes to that process and it was decided at the end of that meeting by the chair of that committee that we will be placing policy 2310 on for discussion at the next

[02:51:34] committee meeting for LA&P and because we are looking at making potential changes to that and if we make changes to that policy that would impact the way that student discipline appeals are conducted I am suggesting that that we table this the vote on this policy until after LA&P recommends whether or not to make revisions to policy 2310 are you saying tabling or are you postponing I I don't I guess I didn't think that there was a difference mr. Allen do you want to

[02:52:13] thank you I believe the distinction in Robert's roles is that postponing is to a date certain whereas tabling is kind of tabling the matter indefinitely so if there's a proposed date or contingency you could say postponing until and then fill in either the date or that contingency Well, I guess at this point, my proposal would be to, well, sorry, Ms. Chandler was raising her hand.

[02:52:44] I want to hear her motion first. I move that we table the vote on this policy for now. Okay, there's a motion on the floor. Do we have a second? Second. I have a second by Ms. Chernoff. Now, is there any discussion about the proposal?

[02:53:00] Yes, Ms. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for the clarifications. I would seek further clarification, given that this policy was on the consent agenda. Do we feel that it's necessary to table it and come back to it, or is it possible that we could pass it now?

[02:53:25] Perhaps staff would want to weigh in on that, whether staff feels there are items in this policy that need to be passed. Yes, and I think our team could also jump in if I don't get this completely right.

[02:53:42] but I do think there are a number of changes in the policy that clarify for our parents some of our procedures with regards to behavioral appeals. Two that come to mind, the clarity that only non-unanimous decisions of a three-person committee can be appealed to the full board, and then clarity around the specific reasons that a decision may be reviewed with an appeals panel.

[02:54:10] And so I think my understanding of this conversation and committee revolved around the fact that there were some needed changes to provide clarity to the public on what those appeals processes look like. Of course, there's clarity that hasn't previously existed and doesn't currently exist until the policy changes.

[02:54:28] And so I don't have a specific answer to does it have to pass tonight, but I do think it would be helpful if it passed tonight. and do believe we could come back to it and make the administrative changes inside of that to identify any specific committee change.

[02:54:45] That was going to be my question to Mr. Allen. If there are policy changes to another policy, and it's just very slight to this, could we do that administratively or technically?

[02:55:02] Thank you, Madam Chair. To the extent, let's say hypothetically, the SBAC committee is replaced by another policy update to be called something else, that would be a technical or conforming change that wouldn't require the whole policy review from the outset that you would go through committee to input to you all as the full board.

[02:55:29] So the short answer is yes, that would be considered a technical or conforming change. Dr. Deans, did you have a question? I have a comment, I guess. related to the policy. The SBAC committee has in the past heard the suspension appeals and I think for consistency purposes the same committee should hear the appeals or there would be inconsistency in carrying out the

[02:56:05] policy. So I think one committee and chair Carrie if you have some other thoughts but I just wanted to share that I think that we have to think about the consistency of implementing a policy and having the same committee to do the appeals would be consistency.

[02:56:34] Okay. Yes. Ms. LaBelle. Yes. Thank you. First of all, thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Dr. Rashid. This was brought up without anybody talking to the Student Behavior and Appeals Committee.

[02:56:55] This is the first time we've heard anything about this. Now I had talked with Ms. Scanlon, who is the OSA for Loudoun County Public Schools. We talked about whether it would be helpful or harmful to the committee and their dealings.

[02:57:19] it's not about us it's about the decisions that we make about student behavior and punishment because that's literally what we're looking at you can get expulsion you can get long-term suspension you can get a variety of different retributions I guess is a good word for the egregious behaviors that we see come before us I think that when Ms. Scanley and I and I spoke

[02:57:53] we talked about having the same people were was important because we may have at some point several students that are all on the same misbehavior and to have other people or another committee come in rotate through they may not get the same consistency in decisions that was

[02:58:27] something we thought about the history of what we've done with past students that maybe back in September something happened and now we're in February and a similar situation happens and we come up with the same we recall because we've been there and we know what's going on we recall what happened, how we decided it, and what we need to do for this one.

[02:58:52] Now, a lot of times, I know Ms. Scanlon told me that in Fairfax, they had at one point four different SBAC committees, and they would be given, perhaps there were two or three students that were all involved in an incident, they would be given two, three different SBAC committees, with the result that they were getting different punishments.

[02:59:18] Now, kids talk. We don't do it, but, of course, what happens then becomes community knowledge, and what the result is also becomes community knowledge. So we felt that it was important to keep the core of the SBAC committee together.

[02:59:36] Now, one thing I have done is, as we go through the year, if some of our members have a date, because there's only the three of us, a conflict on a certain date, I ask someone else on this board to rotate in so they can start to get a feeling for what it is that I do. To date, there are only two people that I have not rotated through because they've been unavailable at any of the times that I've asked. So most of us have

[03:00:08] been on this committee and are aware of the nature of behaviors that we deal with. okay so miss labelle right now the um so the what's on the floor right now is not that particular part that would be contemplated in lanp it's just whether or not um we would hold this uh postpone this in order to get that pros and cons in lanp so that's that's all we're doing right now

[03:00:44] So the motion on the floor right now is whether or not we want to hold this policy for a period of time until it's another policy on committees is worked on in LANP. So if there's discussion about that holding it, then we'll continue to have that conversation.

[03:01:05] If not, let's just go ahead with the vote. I would prefer to see it go through today because we have our schedule set up. Okay. So is there any other discussion? No. So let's go ahead and vote on Vice Chair Donahue's motion to hold this in, to hold this, or to table it until, well, she just said table it, actually.

[03:01:35] That was the, just table it. Okay. All right. So let's, Clerk, please open the vote. And this is Vice Chair Donahue's amendment to table.

[03:01:52] Open the vote. On the side. Oh, okay. board members please record your vote oh everybody else takes up for me clerk please close and display the vote that motion does not pass two to seven with miss Chandler dr. Deans Ms. Mansfield mr. Streffy Ms. Chernoff Dr. Rasheed and Ms. LaBelle in opposition so now we go back to the original motion to approve

[03:02:27] the the amendments that came out of committee of SBAC which is the Loudon County School Board approved revised policy 8230 procedures for student disciplinary appeals to the school board. Is there any other discussion? Let's go ahead and vote. Clerk would you please open the vote. Board members please put in your vote. Clerk please close and display the vote and that motion

[03:03:05] passes 8 to 0 with Vice Chair Donahue and abstaining. Okay let's move on to 1202 Student Services Committee, Revision of Policy 5345, Restraint and Seclusion of Students.

[03:03:21] Vice Chair Donohue. Thank you Madam Chair. This policy 5345 was on for information at our previous board meeting. It had been considered within the Student Services Committee beginning last April and was voted out of committee with recommendation to this board to approve revisions at our January 24th 2025 committee meeting. You will have seen in board docs there are several documents there which include the red line version that was voted out of committee and a clean version as it

[03:03:59] was voted out of committee, amendments from several different sources as well as the public and Advisory Council feedback related to related to the proposed changes to the restraint seclusion policy. I would defer to Ms. Richardson if she has any background to add at this point. Ms. Richardson. Thank you Mrs. Donahue and Chair Mansfield. At this time I don't have any additional information to add as Mrs. Donahue has shared you all do have several amendments which you must

[03:04:38] contemplate this evening okay with that i'll entertain a motion i can make you okay then i move that the loudon county school board approve the revisions to policy 5345 restraint and seclusion of students do you have a second second i have a second i'll go ahead and take um by miss chandler it's been properly moved and seconded now is there any discussion yes miss donahue Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you. I was not actually expecting to get called on first.

[03:05:17] Thank you. So I made a lot of comments at our previous meeting about where I stand with these policy revisions. This is a very difficult subject that engenders a lot of emotions.

[03:05:40] And my concerns had been that reclassifying seclusion into being a prohibited practice under our policy could lead to negative impacts on our staff. For that reason, I had proposed a set of amendments, but my understanding is that there have been some other language proposed that address the concerns that I had.

[03:06:11] Yes. Okay, so there's anybody else? Any other discussion? Yes, Dr. Deans. There has been a lot of discussion, but according to documented research, and we generally try to make our decisions based on policies that are researched thoroughly, and all the recent research says to get rid of it, but I want to say that while I might

[03:06:48] vote because of the research, my experiences tell me that it should not be deleted. Thank you, Dr. Deans. Ms. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair. And I will echo the sentiments of my colleagues on the board.

[03:07:04] I have found this to be one of the hardest policies to tackle in my tenure on the board. I do like to rely on academic research and evidence-based best practice. It is clear that new thinking on these practices have found that it should not be a typical practice, although, as Dr. Deans mentioned, it used to be a standard practice.

[03:07:31] But I think we have an obligation to look at what's best for our students, and I'll refer to a couple things that really resonated with me. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the use of seclusion can cause or worse than mental health symptoms. Brookings Institute found that being secluded is physically and psychologically traumatizing and presents the potential for serious physical injury. The US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, stressed that restraint and seclusion should only ever be used if a child's behavior puts themselves or those around

[03:08:11] them in imminent physical danger. All of these organizations recommend banning these practices except in that one particular instance where there's a threat of imminent physical danger. Like so many of my colleagues that's the piece that I've been worried about and I want to offer two amendments which certainly have been an effort by many many parties to bring together clarity

[03:08:44] in our procedures and offer some definitive definitions and exceptions to give teachers the ability to not second-guess themselves in the moment but to understand what's appropriate and to focus on safety when faced with the imminent threat of physical harm and so to that end I will ask if it's appropriate would you like me to offer one at a time or to offer them one at a time would be better okay so please note the line notations match the SSC

[03:09:20] approved amendment from 124-25 policy 53-45 on the clean copy amendment one i move to add the following language to line 113 under b definitions related to permitted and prohibitive actions number seven would be h removal of students and staff in the face of imminent danger in a classroom space where the student in crisis is not left alone in the classroom thank you i have a motion on the floor do i have a second second i have a second by ms shirnoff is there

[03:09:59] any discussion yes dr rashid um i'd like to echo uh miss chandler's sentiments and in i i believe she mentioned i i'd like to offer yes so i'd like to offer a revision to the second amendment i don't know if she has gone over the second one okay yeah so this is the first amendment that she's going to do um this this was never going to be i mean this is just a clarification because always when a kid is not left in the room it's never seclusion so this is just a clarification so I have no problem

[03:10:35] with this amendment anybody else have any discussion okay so let's go ahead and vote to on this amendment to amend the base motion well amendment so I have a second is which let's see okay so board clerk would you please open the vote this is April's first amendment or Miss chandler's first amendment sorry board members please record your vote clerk please close and

[03:11:08] display the vote and that motion passes eight with vice chair donahue abstaining so now we have a base motion as amended by miss chandler's first amendment is there another amendment miss chandler thank you madam chair for my second amendment i move to add the following language to line 265 eight exceptions. As number five, similarly, LCPS staff members will not be subject to adverse employment action on the basis that those LCPS staff members who are determined to have had

[03:11:44] in good faith remove students and staff in the face of a reasonable belief of imminent danger in a classroom space where a student in crisis may have been left alone in the room until the student no longer presents imminent danger to self or others and who have done so in accordance with the training staff members receive on the definition use of and procedures of the appropriate use of seclusion in the accompanying regulation to this policy. Thank you. I have a motion do I have a second? Second. I have a second by Ms. Chernoff. Do you want to speak to this motion? I feel that

[03:12:23] this offers us a definition that will give teachers an understanding of what is appropriate when faced with an imminent danger situation. And I hope that that empowers teachers, if they're faced with this terrible, terrible decision, to understand that they can rely on the training that they've received. And I've heard wonderful things about the training that they've received, that they can rely on that and not have unnecessary worry in the moment that would cause them to pause and perhaps endanger our students.

[03:13:03] Thank you, Ms. Chandler. I also say that, you know, the code is kind of inconsistent. I mean, there's, so 8VAC 275070 School Division Policies and Procedures on 5C says, continuous visual monitoring of the use of any physical restraint or seclusion to ensure the appropriateness of such use and the safety of the student being physically restrained or secluded, other students, school personnel, and others. These provisions shall include exceptions for emergency situations in which securing visual monitoring before implementing the physical

[03:13:38] restraint or seclusion would, in the reasonable judgment of the school personnel implementing the physical restraint or seclusion, result in serious physical harm or injury to the persons. So for me, in the code, there are exceptions that you can put in.

[03:13:54] And we are just making it more clear here. There will still be an investigation, just like you always have to have an investigation when there's a seclusion or restraint per code. That also includes when your training was, when you received your training, and what that training was.

[03:14:12] And so this is, I think, an appropriate carve-out. Dr. Spence, do you want to speak to that? No, ma'am, I think you're exactly correct based on the exceptions in code. Yes, Ms. Chernoff.

[03:14:27] Thank you, Chair Mansfield, and thank you to a lot of my colleagues up here and Ms. Chandler for working on this language, and I know that a lot of people have been involved. I think from the onset, with this being such a sensitive topic, we all, or I'll speak for myself, know that we needed to move towards prohibiting seclusion.

[03:14:50] That was never not where I was. I think my one reservation about it was we're talking about when you do the investigation, you talk about when you were trained. Well, this is a policy for all teachers and all students.

[03:15:06] It's not just for special education. So when you can't answer that question, when were you trained, that literally means we're giving you what I, in my opinion, thought we were giving them a consequence for something we did not equip them for. So if we couldn't deescalate, if they don't have the skills to deescalate, so they secluded, that would be a last resort.

[03:15:27] But it also makes sense to me that that would cause some issues for our teachers. And so I think we were all moving towards the same goal, coming at it from different places. And I'm very grateful for the collaboration across this board, behind the scenes, and with SEAC.

[03:15:46] really heartfelt conversations hard conversations conversations with lea different groups that have come to us special ed teachers i've talked to and others i've talked to multiple facilities and i really do feel like this is sort of threading the needle of the middle ground and it makes me feel better that teachers will have a chance to to talk through what what happened and and if there was imminent danger and so i'm very grateful for this amendment i will absolutely support it And I think it helps us move to a place where this can be prohibited, which I know was the goal.

[03:16:23] And to that end, I just hope that staff and Dr. Spence will work with staff and continue to make it a priority to get this training because it's really important. It's really great training. And so if we can roll that out, I know we're moving in the right direction with MANT trainers and stipends.

[03:16:39] And I feel like we're getting there with alternative settings and different things. But if that could remain a priority as we move forward, I know that that would also make our teachers feel better that they're equipped. Thank you, Ms. Chernoff. Is there any other discussion? Oh, yes. Vice Chair Donohue.

[03:16:59] Thank you, Madam Chair. I absolutely appreciate and am grateful to my colleagues who have been looking at concerns and trying to find a middle ground. And in particular, this issue of potentially negative impact to staff, which was one of my significant concerns.

[03:17:19] I have a couple of questions about Ms. Chandler's proposed language here. First, because it says LCPS members who have had to make this decision, this situation, who are determined to have had in good faith, dot, dot, dot, in the face of a reasonable belief, I was wondering who makes that determination if the employee was acting in good faith and upon a reasonable belief in those circumstances?

[03:17:57] If I could ask Dr. Spence or Ms. Richardson. Certainly, I'll take that question for you, Mrs. Donoghue. So the debriefing process includes everyone that is involved in responding to the crisis incident.

[03:18:16] The debriefing is led by the building principal, and of course with any other leadership members that were present, teachers and support staff members, and then there are members from the procedural support team as well as the Office of Special Education that go through the process of debriefing and making sure that MANT was implemented correctly or the utilization of UKERU was implemented correctly.

[03:18:42] And thank you for that, Ms. Richardson. And if the conclusion of that inquiry is that the employee acted in good faith based upon reasonable belief and therefore the division is satisfied, What would happen if a family disagrees?

[03:19:04] Then the family would have the opportunity to access the grievance process through HRTD. So employees could still be subject to HR investigations? That would be correct if a family wanted to file a grievance. Thank you for that clarification. And the MANT and UCARO training, are those currently provided to all staff or all classroom staff?

[03:19:25] They are prioritized trainings for specialized program staff. So those are our staff members that are working with students with disabilities with our most in intensive needs. And then the training is provided at each LCPS school location based on staff that are designated by the building principal.

[03:19:47] Thank you, Ms. Richardson. So in light of that information, again, I appreciate trying to find a compromise and making the efforts to protect our staff. I do still have concerns that even if we adopt this amendment, that there could still be negative impacts on staff because they could still be subject to HR investigations.

[03:20:12] And I also worry a little bit that the language here that says employees who have in good faith upon reasonable belief based on the training they have received on the use and appropriate use of seclusion, I just frankly feel like is confusing because we're saying the proposal before this board right now is to say that the use of seclusion is never appropriate and not all of our staff receive training in it so I have concerns and for those reasons I'm not going to be supporting the amendment. Thank you. Any other discussion? Yes Dr. Rashid. Thank you Chair. I'd like to make an

[03:20:50] amendment to Ms. Chandler's current amendment specifically her amendment to. So this is an amend the amendment oh and uh with it just to eliminate um in what she had mentioned line 265 with the exceptions um i believe the phrase of a reasonable of a reasonable belief and just to eliminate that phrase because i it was just a little bit um i guess you could say redundant because the previous if you go a few words before that says in good faith i think mr allen say would say duplicative

[03:21:25] duplicative oh it's late um okay so we have a motion on the floor do i have a second i have a second by miss labelle i second thank you um okay the motion's been properly moved and seconded is there any uh discussion about the amend the amendment no okay so um let's go ahead and vote on amending the amendment which would be dr rasheed so this is april 2nd amendment and it would just be taking out in the face of reasonable belief because we have good faith so that's

[03:22:02] that would be the amendment that's amend the amendment all right clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote that motion passes with seven to one with Ms. Chernoff in opposition and Vice Chair Donahue in abstention okay now we have we have amended the amendment and we're back to the to Chandler's second amendment as amended

[03:22:37] i know right okay so um any discussion for that no okay let's go ahead and take a vote on that clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote that motion passes um eight to zero with vice chair donoghue and abstention abstaining for

[03:23:07] the vote now um just to move this along um i have an amendment i have two amendments um i move let's see okay so mine would be on the red line oh and we're going back to the base motion as amended i think that's right so this is an amendment back to the base motion as amended crazy okay so i'm going to be on the red line copy of the student services amendment miss chandler did it on the

[03:23:41] clean i'm going to do it on the red i moved that on line 227 to replace all of the number eight language with the following if physical restraint is used upon a student whose primary mode of communication is sign language or an augmentative and alternative mode aac the student should be permitted to have a hand free of restraint with access to their communication device for a brief period of time unless staff determines that such freedom appears likely to result in the harm to the student or others this amendment came from a court case in Fairfax where they needed to

[03:24:21] the student was unable to communicate and so that is why this motion is here and in talking with Mr. Allen he the we wanted it to be clear that staff had the you know if it was a real dangerous situation we they would have that opportunity and choice but first of all we wanted to make sure that the language communication support was there if needed um okay is there did i have that was second a second did i move it second okay and dr rasheed seconded it okay so it's been probably

[03:24:58] moved and seconded i just spoke to my motion so is there any discussion no okay seeing no more discussion we'll move forward with a vote clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display your vote and that motion passes um with vice chair Donahue and abstaining from the vote. The second amendment that I will bring forward is there was

[03:25:28] some thought that if we prohibited it completely in this language that prohibited it that we wanted to make sure that you were that teachers were still trained and so my amendment is again under that red line policy that i move under section e line 246 we delete that semicolon at a period after the word seclusion and then add this following sentence while the use of seclusion is a prohibited practice under this policy staff will receive training on the definition use of

[03:26:07] and procedures for appropriate use of seclusion outlined in the accompanying regulation to this policy so um do i have a second i have a second by miss chandler it's been probably moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Yes, Ms. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair. I wanted to share how impactful it was for me personally in doing my research to talk to educators who are using the training that they have received. And I have heard incredibly positive things, especially

[03:26:45] about UKERU and the belief that it has been a very successful policy in terms of de-escalating in these situations that could get out of hand and to that end I think having training only think it strengthens our practice and and the fidelity with which that we continue to serve our students and you know although I certainly would not ask for a mandate. I would ask staff to consider bringing in that training

[03:27:20] and perhaps expanding who has the opportunity to receive it, because it does seem very impactful. Any other discussion? The thought is more training you have, better off you are, and the more practice you get. I don't think that often in universities that you get that kind of training to actually de-escalate situations or not even get to that point so let's go ahead and

[03:27:55] move for the vote clerk please open the vote this is my second one board member please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote and that motion passes with vice chair donoghue abstaining for the vote now we will go back to vote on the base motion as amended by all of these

[03:28:23] amendments um okay so any discussion yes ma'am vice chair donahue thank you madam chair um uh i just wanted to say again that i'm i wanted to take a moment to explain why i have been abstaining and why i am going to abstain in the vote uh in in this vote on the base motion as amended as well because even though i i know that this policy is extremely important and i am very pleased that

[03:28:59] there has been a lot of progress made to a compromise situation that will hopefully protect our staff. I am not, I don't feel comfortable supporting the proposed provisions as they are right now. And the reasons for that are some of the ones that I've already identified. I still have some questions and concerns about these issues with training and protection of staff from adverse HR actions. I am also concerned that even though this policy started out in my committee last April the amendments that we are now voting on have come together very

[03:29:36] recently within the last month some of some of them as recently as yesterday I have not had a great deal of time to process the proposals there has been almost no time to gather public feedback on some of the specifics I am also concerned about I'm concerned about setting a precedent here where we are for the first time requiring training on practices that we are prohibiting I am also concerned about setting the precedent where we are now saying if

[03:30:11] staff violates policy there will be no adverse action and if staff has to engage in seclusion I don't think that they should be punished for it but I am at the same time concerned about setting the precedent of saying staff who violates policy there will not be adverse HR actions and I am bringing all of this up because I have already requested as mentioned before that staff put together a new policy to address isolation and exclusion which I think factually capture far more of the circumstances that we hear about from

[03:30:46] parents families and staff than instances of seclusion as it meets our current definition of seclusion and I have also asked Ms. Richardson if we can review this policy again next year to see how it was going with the hopefully by then we will have implemented a policy on isolation and exclusion and we can see how that is working I had requested that this board not reclassify seclusion as a prohibited practice at this juncture for all of those reasons and I still I still would prefer that that be the outcome tonight it's clear that the will

[03:31:25] of the board is in a different direction and I hope that it is a good outcome for our division but for those reasons I didn't feel like I could support it at this time thank you thank you vice chair Donahue any other discussion no let's go ahead and move on the base motion as amended clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the and that motion passes with vice chair Donahue and abstaining from the vote okay we are

[03:32:03] now moving on to student behavior and accountability committee review policy 8235 weapons miss LaBelle do you have a motion yes madam chair I would move that we pass the weapons policy that is has been displayed for us in the clean copy with the amendments that have been made in it.

[03:32:38] - I have a motion on the floor, do I have a second? - Second. - I have a second by Ms. Chandler. Is there any discussion? Yes, Ms. Chernoff. - Thank you, Madam Chair, I have an amendment to the base motion, if that's permissible.

[03:32:57] I would like to propose adding the following language to line 195 and a new sentence, which will be the final sentence of section G1A, and it will read, for the school board's awareness, OSA will notify the school board of all instances where OSA deems special circumstances apply and where OSA has determined that no disciplinary action or another disciplinary action or another term of expulsion is appropriate.

[03:33:26] - I have a motion on the floor, do I have a second? - Second. - I'll take Mrs. Griffith's second. So is there any discussion? I do have a question.

[03:33:41] Is OSA defined in any other part in this policy so that people know what OSA is? I don't think we actually have it there. We could add that it's the Office of School Administration.

[03:34:00] Is that correct, Dr. Spence? Okay, so I'm trying to find the first part, first time that it's said that. Madam Chair, if I might. I think it's line 180. Yes, Ms. Chernoff beat me to it.

[03:34:15] On the redlined version, it's line 187 is where it's defined, Office of School Administration, and then parentheticals, OSA. Okay, great. Thank you. Thank you for that. Okay, so we have any other discussion for Ms. Chernoff's amendment?

[03:34:34] Yes, please speak to it. Thank you, Madam Chair. This one's just really simple. I spoke about this a little bit last time. As a school board, we get notified of a lot of things, and we try to stay in the know in terms of communication about what's going on in our communities and with our students and especially as it relates to category a weapons which in my opinion are the most serious there is a section where osa might find that there are special circumstances to basically waive disciplinary action and i feel like we should just know when that happens we know when other disciplinary action is taken so when

[03:35:09] it is not taken i think that that is of note and the code is clear that it says that the school board may be notified and so I'm just kind of solidifying that and saying we will be notified thank you miss Chernoff any other discussion okay let's go ahead and take a vote seeing no more discussion clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote and that amendment passes unanimously we will now go back to the base motion as

[03:35:48] amended is there any discussion yes mrs. Griffiths while I like the idea of this policy i'm going to vote no on it today only because i feel like it's too broad um so i just wanted to let everybody know that so thank you thank you miss griffiths um okay so any other discussion no yes mrs chandler thank you madam chair i i really just have a question um at line 152 in the clean copy copy um g penalties for violation um number one category a weapons

[03:36:24] violation a special circumstances. I'm just curious why there's a carve out in this category and I was hoping to learn a little bit more about why an exception is made at this weapons category but not in the other categories and if there are any examples that might help us understand it better. Ms. Mitchell would you like to to talk to that to speak to that? I'm going to refer to Ms. Scanlon director of OSA who's here. Oh I didn't see her sorry Ms. Scanlon.

[03:36:55] Good evening. Thank you for your question. It is a very good question, and I do appreciate it. The carve-out is there pertaining to the Category A weapons because the Code of Virginia requires for that subset of weapons only that a student be expelled unless the school board, the division superintendent, or the division superintendent's designee makes a finding of special circumstances.

[03:37:26] So that is there to align with the Code of Virginia. - Thank you so much. - Any other discussion? Okay, we'll go ahead and vote on the base motion as amended. Clerk, please open the vote.

[03:37:41] Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote. And that motion passes eight to one with Mrs. Griffiths in opposition. All right, moving on to item, oh, 12.04, human resources and talent development hrtd 2026 2027 school student school calendar options

[03:38:10] all right do i have a motion on the floor yes uh vice chair donoghue thank you madam chair i move that the board adopt the schernoff calendar for the 26 27 school year i have a motion on the floor for to adopt the schernoff calendar do i have a second second i have a second by mrs griffis um is there any uh vice chair donahue would you like to speak to your motion yes thank you madam

[03:38:47] chair um so we have again another topic that engenders a lot of uh big feelings and a lot of conversation and input from the community uh and i i want to say i have heard it i i i hear the people who have said um that they don't like well any of the calendar options that we're proposing, including this one. But I also wanted to say when Mrs. Chernoff first mentioned to me that she had this idea for this particular calendar configuration, my first question to her was

[03:39:23] what about our religiously inclusive holidays? Because that was my number one reaction was I did not feel comfortable with the idea of doing away with them even for one year. But when she walked me through the start date, the end date, the overall number of instructional days, the fact that this calendar would, for the first time in Loudoun, disconnect spring break from the week leading up to Easter, that constellation of factors made me feel more okay with this proposal.

[03:40:00] And as we talked about it more and as I looked at the proposal, I said, I think I can get behind this, but my support would be contingent on the non-observance or non-holidays making the religiously inclusive, diverse holidays, not observed school holidays, only for this one transitional year.

[03:40:27] Because the options that were presented to us by HRTD, I was not totally satisfied with as far as moving incrementally towards the goal of starting our school year earlier, ending our school year earlier, still having a large number of instructional days for our students without having us start on the 1st of August or giving our staff only a month-long break in the summer.

[03:40:55] So I don't love not observing the religiously inclusive holidays, but I think on the circumstances of this calendar option, to me, I am thinking that it is an acceptable trade-off for one year to be able to accommodate our adjusting schedule to meet those goals of instructing our kids and not having too severe of a transition with the calendar on the beginning or the end of the year with the understanding that it would only be for that one year and we will add

[03:41:32] back the religiously diverse holidays starting in 27-28. Thank you. Ms. Chernoff. To that end, I would like to amend the base motion and add that after the Loudoun County School Board adopt the Chernoff option as the 26-27 student school calendar with the acknowledgement that such option will require a one-time exception to LCPS regulation 7040 school calendars specifically with respect to section a holidays to further clarify while the

[03:42:09] proposed Chernoff option necessarily calls for an exemption that will not include all the days designated as holidays that are listed in regulation 7040 a for the 26 27 school year okay so I have a motion to amend the base motion do i have a second second i have a second by uh vice chair donahue any other discussion would you like to speak to your motion i would um i appreciate it um i've prepared several comments because i do just want to take the time to address many of the concerns that came to me

[03:42:46] because you all took the time to reach out so i want to start by saying that dialogue is vital it's vital to the work that we do it makes us better it opens us up um to consider other perspectives. And as far as the calendar goes, this is pretty much people's daily lives. So this one to me really matters. And I really do count it a blessing that we live in such an engaged community. As I sifted through over what turned out to be over a thousand combined comments, emails, and phone calls, I reached one clear conclusion. Compromise and change are really

[03:43:20] hard. The very definition of compromise says to reach an agreement by making concessions or giving up part of what you want in order to find a resolution and let's be real nobody really wants to do those things all the time and I get it and while I try well I sifted through and found that most of the feedback on this calendar option was positive there the concerns of those other groups should not be dismissed and my goal when I share which I shared last meeting is ultimately to increase the purposeful instructional time before testing in May. I think that

[03:43:57] this is a vital shift that we need to make for our kids. It would require us to end the school year Friday before Memorial Day, and if we can successfully do this, I believe that we are buying back weeks of meaningful instructional time for our students. With the lack of growth and dips in achievement that we have seen particularly in our subgroups, which I know I've talked about a lot, this is an absolute top priority for me. Time in school matters to moving the needle for kids. And that alone eliminated option one for me as it would support staying status quo.

[03:44:28] The second thing I absolutely wanted to avoid was teachers walking out of their building on June 18th, 2026 and returning to their building on August 3rd, 2026, leaving virtually a six-week summer and eliminating almost completely summer for any 10-month-plus contracted employee, as well as creating challenges with sports and marching band, which I had not originally considered.

[03:44:49] We have talked endlessly about teacher burnout and retention and morale on this dais. But talking about it and taking action to fix it are very different. I just can't see that any of those other options support our teachers if we shorten their summer that much.

[03:45:06] So that eliminated choices two, three, and four. I felt we needed a compromise option. One suggestion from last meeting was to simply go with staff's preferred options. But I wanted to clarify that only a board member can propose the option I put forward. This is due to the regulation that I mentioned in my motion that mandates four major religious holidays as days for all students off, which staff can't change, our administration staff, they can't change that as they have to follow the direction of our policies and our regulations.

[03:45:35] Additionally, religious groups outside of those four represented came forward asking why only those four have been holidays as a result of this ask. And also, families reached out and expressed challenges in finding child care on non-federal holidays.

[03:45:50] So in essence, it highlighted that it can be tricky to ensure that all groups always feel equally valued and seen. I want you to hear my heart on this. Please understand that if I felt that there was any other way to achieve all of these goals, I would have done it.

[03:46:06] I have tried every possible option, but each one either involves starting on a Friday or ending on a Monday, extending a school year, reducing teacher contracts, which is something I would absolutely never consider. The compromise I'm presenting is a result of careful consideration and feedback and ask that many groups compromise.

[03:46:24] Teachers, generally, I hear you, you don't wanna start on a Monday, especially for our primary grades where the stamina is not there and it makes for a difficult first week. For the 26, 27 school year, it's a compromise. 179 days instead of 180 instructional days.

[03:46:40] Maybe it sounds silly, it's just one day, but, But to me, it is a value statement about instruction for all students. So for the 26-27 school year, it's a compromise. Moving spring break to the end of third quarter, no longer tying it to Easter.

[03:46:56] This is a big ask as well, as it turns out, especially if it does not align with other counties where people might live and work in different places. This change could pose significant challenges, and we will need to keep evaluating that in future calendars. So again, for the 26-27 school year, this is a compromise.

[03:47:14] and the most sensitive one. As I sincerely heard tonight and have been hearing, making holidays cultural observance days. It's clear to me that as a community, transitioning these holidays for all students to excused absences is something we are not wanting to commit to in the long run.

[03:47:30] I hear that. In the world we live in right now, it can feel like any movement against something we have or want to keep feels significant. In speaking with these groups, that was definitely the sentiment, which is why I am proposing my amendment I am outlining an exception, not the rule, for the 26-27 school year.

[03:47:50] It's a compromise. I tried to find a reasonable ask for the 26-27 calendar where we could come alongside one another and all be willing to accept a little bit of compromise for what I believe will be a very beneficial shift for instruction and learning for many years to come.

[03:48:08] Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Chernoff. I kind of got lost now. So we're voting on the one-time exception. Is there any other discussion? Yes, Ms. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair. I would like to acknowledge our community, which is thriving, is just beautifully diverse.

[03:48:31] And the holidays that we offer are reflective of the students we serve. And I understand and hear your heart, but it's not a compromise that I'm willing to make at this time. I think we heard from students how it impacts them, and it's just not something that I can do.

[03:48:54] And I want to also acknowledge the fact that our teachers and staff are also reflected in these inclusive holidays and would be impacted if they were expected to work. We're here to honor and respect all of our families, and although I appreciate the intention to have it be a temporary situation i just can't get there and i won't be able to support the amendment or this calendar option any other discussion okay seeing that um let's go ahead

[03:49:29] and vote on this uh amendment to the base motion um clerk please open the vote board members please so this is to sharnoff's calendar and then she made another amendment to the base motion so um clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote that motion does not pass with uh three to five with uh miss chandler dr deans

[03:50:09] miss mansfield or uh mr estruffy and miss rasheed dr rasheed in opposition and miss labelle uh absent for the vote okay we go back to the base motion for shirnoff's amendment shirnoff the her calendar um any other discussion seeing none uh clerk please open the vote if we're sure and off the calendar yes ma'am uh board members please record your vote clerk please close and display

[03:50:44] your vote that motion does not pass three to five with miss chandler dr deans miss mansfield mr streffi and dr rasheed in opposition and miss labelle absent for the vote do i have another motion for the calendar yes dr. Rashid if I may I don't know if this is appropriate I'd like to make a motion to adopt calendar option four there's a motion on the floor to adopt option four do I have a second I have a second by Ms. Chernoff would you like to speak to your motion dr. Rashid

[03:51:24] no okay any other discussion seeing none we'll move forward the vote clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote that motion does not pass with uh miss griffiths miss chandler miss mansfield vice chair donahue and miss shirnoff in opposition and miss labelle absent for the vote is there another option calendar on the table yes

[03:52:00] miss chandler i move that the loudon county school board adopt uh calendar option one i have a motion to adopt i'll just go ahead and second it i'm going to or dr deans can second it um all right clerk please uh any discussion seeing none uh clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote and that motion passes with uh vice chair donahue and miss shirnoff in opposition and miss labelle absent for the vote okay uh it looks

[03:52:39] like the calendar option one has been approved by the school board okay now we move on to 12.05 department of academics i think it's let's see yes um access academy final operational agreement do i have a motion yes vice chair donahue thank you madam chair um i recommend that the loudoun county school board approve the access academy operational agreement i have a motion by vice

[03:53:15] chair Donahue do I have a second second I have a second by dr. Rashid the motions been properly moved and seconded is there any discussion yes mrs. Griffiths thank you madam chair after reviewing this from the presentation last week well I appreciate me getting back to me on lotteries I don't feel like lotteries are fair to our students I have asked for data on programs where students have been accepted, and who is not accepted. Actually, they're accepted, but who's actually attending,

[03:53:53] and I don't believe I've gotten that full data. We are going on guidance here only. This is not a requirement to follow VA code 22.1-349.3b. I want to see requirements, not guidance so this program is unacceptable to me we can vote no on this program and revisit the program per the verbiage the video we guidance guidance echoes this requirement stating lab school enrollment is open to any school

[03:54:28] age student who was a Virginia resident on a lottery space available basis while open enrollment through a lottery is a requirement lab schools may provide a a unique and innovative programming appropriate for certain students.

[03:54:43] The VDOE guidance further provides while enrollment must be open, lab school models can be tailored to meet the needs of a particular community or designed to serve certain student populations like those receiving special education services, gifted education programming, or those with certain disciplinary aptitudes.

[03:55:04] Because of the innovation and results-driven approach lab schools mean to improve outcomes and support achievement. These schools are often well-equipped to serve and support at-risk students. So again, I did ask how this lottery is fair to all students.

[03:55:23] It's not. So the guidance from the VDOE informed George Mason's decision to focus on at-risk learners when designing the Access Academy. While the program is open to all students, it is intentionally designed to provide coursework resources and unique experience that particularly benefit at-risk learners, supplementing what is available in a traditional standard diploma program.

[03:55:50] So my issue is really the lotteries, if we're opening it up to everyone, because you have said it's for at-risk learners and it should be open to everybody, not one group of people. The other part I have, the other problem I have is regarding transportation.

[03:56:10] The LCPS Academic Programs Office and Access Academy staff are actively collaborating with LCPS transportation team to develop a plan for providing transportation for LCPS students enrolled in the program who opt in for transportation.

[03:56:27] Students resigning outside Loudoun County will be responsible for their own transportation. My issue is you might not be filling buses, I understand you might have hubs. I just recently got a complaint that we changed transportation for the Academies of Loudoun.

[03:56:46] We're having severe transportation issues as it is. We are struggling with transportation, general school buses to our elementary and middle schools along with TJ and AOL. Per the budget, we just added free transportation for after school care as well.

[03:57:03] We are looking to add additional transportation to George Mason in Fairfax. I'm not quite sure how we can do that. We are looking at a student here, a student there, maybe not filling buses, not having full buses to go to George Mason.

[03:57:19] Not a good business decision, and the lottery system as I see it is not fair. So basically, I'm going to vote no on this today. Everybody's welcome to vote how they see fit, but we must take these issues into consideration.

[03:57:36] The lottery system does not come across as fair, and we would be struggling with transportation, trying to figure all of that out when we already have transportation issues. So I am going to vote no on this today. Thank you. Any other discussion? Great. Let's go ahead and vote.

[03:58:04] Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote. That motion passes, 7 to 1, with Mrs. Griffiths in opposition, and Ms. LaBelle absent for the vote.

[03:58:25] Okay, we blew through many of our information items, except for one, and that is the attendance zone change process, spring 2025. I know Mr. Lewis is biting at the bit to come over here and talk about attendance zone change.

[03:58:46] Mr. Lewis, would you please come up and give us some information?

[03:59:09] Thank you, Chair Mansfield. Mr. Lewis? Yes, ma'am. Vice Chair Donahue didn't get all of hers. We have all of them for you. I'm not sure where they are, but we have all of them for you. Yes, we have one of each for you.

[03:59:30] Thank you. Yes. So tonight, we have for you the beginnings of the process to begin the secondary change, attendance zone change for the Dulles South area, and we are presenting tonight for simply just the schedule the calendar to go forward to begin that process so we have a little bit of the justification the idea here is and I've met with a number of you over the past couple of

[04:00:09] weeks to if you look at the chart in the item you see that Mercer and Willard are overcrowded and that begins in the 25-26 school year which is this coming year actually already that way and so what we realize is that those two schools would likely lose some students to HS14 when it opens in 2028 but we do not believe it is fair to have those schools suffer between now and 2028 so our proposal was to give them relief beginning in the fall of 2026. So because it's secondary those

[04:00:44] those students have to you know plan ahead for their schedules and whatnot and so we believe we need to do this take this action this spring to be implemented not this coming fall of 25 but the following fall of 26 and so what you have here that with the attachment to the item is the calendar that offers what the dates are that would be for the information item the work sessions and then the action process that would begin after spring break on April 22nd with the overview at regular school board meeting and then we would go through the April May in June

[04:01:21] and have action on June 10th in time for folks to be notified of that before the summer break and then so the other thing of note here is at the bottom of that schedule the calendar you'll see or all the schools that would be notified that this process has taken place because those schools are ones that would either be affected in the middle school or high school level but also we have identified all the elementary schools feeding those schools which could also be affected when their child or children rise to the secondary level and so it may make a difference to what

[04:01:55] secondary school they go so tonight is fairly simple and begins the process for that secondaries yes and it's easy to say it's simple right because the simple part is the calendar right and then the work begins after spring break so I'm happy to take any questions you may have So, Mr. Lewis, I am getting a lot of questions.

[04:02:15] Why don't we just rip off the Band-Aid and look at all of it comprehensively? I know that that might take more time is my thought, but are they looking, if we do all of that, is there a possibility that we wouldn't have to build that HS-14 or that needs to happen?

[04:02:36] HS-14 absolutely needs to happen because if you just think about it right now, we have independence high school which is overcrowded with modulars we have lightridge with overcrowded with modulars freedom all those schools need relief at the high school level as well as the middle schools right now we have the watson mountain middle school and brambleton middle school that are sharing students because all those students won't fit in in one building so we need to have relief from that and so hs14 will be paired with watson mountain and then what our recommendation would be is to do this now do this interim step to just affect these these schools

[04:03:14] to mainly get relief with the middle schools that are suffering the most right now and then when hs14 opens in the fall of 28 then we could do a more comprehensive plan to do a larger area and so that would involve you know you know the dullest north areas and you know we know we have some extra capacity at rock ridge we know that we will be able to move students out of independence out of Light Ridge, you know, so there might be a northern shift, for lack of a better term, of students to be able to fill up HS14 and then spread out that capacity in the rest of the schools in that area.

[04:03:51] So we'd be happy to have the conversation about, you know, a larger event, so to speak, but we do believe the timing of that would be best to do it when HS14 opens, when there has to be a change anyway, because you wouldn't want to do a change now and then do a change again when HS14 opens up.

[04:04:08] So when you're taking that second step, because I agree we need relief now, because this is my area, the Willard and Mercer and Light Ridge. Can we go ahead and start that process before?

[04:04:28] So we'll do the interim that you're proposing, but then not wait until the high school opens. but can we start looking at it before the high school opens like start that process because i'm assuming it's going to take a long time it will and absolutely we can start whenever the board's ready to begin at a the latest date we would do that is in spring of 2027 so that students would have time to be prepared for the fall of 2028 but we could start that process especially if the board you know and it's possible we just need to have some some in-depth conversations to get some

[04:05:07] guidance from the board but we could start if if the board wanted to do a larger event and involve more and more schools we believe that there would be a need for some help with that from consulting bases and try to get a study going and and see what some recommendations would be we would need to have probably a number of outreach meetings with the community so we can get the community on board so it's not a surprise to them so that could start at any point absolutely um so i think how would we get that started earlier we just would have

[04:05:47] conversation because i know in fno i'm considering an amendment to that so that we look every five years very comprehensively at everything um and do a boundary look at to make sure that you know some schools don't everybody's at capacity kind of a thing like everybody has an equal amount you know what I'm talking about so I just am wondering when we should start that five-year process with this like if we start next year with the process you're talking about comprehensively and

[04:06:23] then that would start that five-year process sure and so it's not a surprise and we've had conversations with many of you over the past several months about this and so we've already begun working on and what we would consider a long-range plan to do that and I think what we would do is further develop that as a staff and bring that to the board as a long-range plan for you to consider and then we can make tweaks to that as the board wants to do that. I know we're just voting on the calendar tonight though. Okay yes Dr. Rasheed. I just had a question so the when is this and my apologies you probably had already mentioned the HS14 is planned to open

[04:07:01] when when will it accept students literally in the building? In the fall of 2028 fall of 2028 okay um so i'm assuming just like with you know many communities like uh heartland or or anything like that um communities are still being built in in a couple of areas will these communities where families are now moving into will they be notified um perhaps through i don't know um the real estate or however way they're buying their homes will they know that you know my child might have to, you know, attend one school and then they'll have to then leave in,

[04:07:40] let's say, one or two years time. Is there a way to find out about something like that so that there's no surprises later on? Yes, ma'am. So the list of schools that's at the bottom of the chart on the calendar is our best attempt to know that all the schools that could possibly be affected by that change. And as we move forward that, we'll come at the first meeting in April, we'll come with a staff plan and part of the staff plan is going to be to do our best to consider trying to move students that would be moved in this interim process that hopefully wouldn't be moved again when we do it in the fall of 2027 and so there are areas that are closer to one school than the

[04:08:18] other there's not a guarantee that we could do that but that would be our hope that we could minimize that impact so students wouldn't have to move a second time thank you chair um i just wanted to avoid uh you know how when some parents say well you know i um my my child will be leaving one school and then leaving their friends would it be like an entire like you said watson is now obviously it's in like the backyard of hs14 and i believe they're not are they at full capacity in terms of they're just with sixth grade seventh grade i don't think they're they're minus one

[04:08:54] grade like they're not they're vacant in one of the grades i forgot which level that was Right. So they have 6th and 7th grade, and the 8th grade is at Bramilton. Right. So one of the concerns I had is a lot of parents say, well, my child will have to leave this school, and let's say perhaps a sibling was there, or let's say their friends were there.

[04:09:12] Will it be that the entire school, like 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, all of Watson will go to HS14 even when it opens? No. And so part of that is, if you can picture, if we would have two pairs of schools, Bramilton and Independence, and then watch the mountain in HS14.

[04:09:31] So those two areas are going to have to be divided up in some way. So the folks, the students at 6th, 7th, 8th are now in that total area that will then be divided up in some way. So there will be some change to that, but it also, as we were just talking about, if we open up that area to even wider area, there could be more changes to that to try to do our very best to have the schools as equally filled as possible and have no one in an overcrowded school.

[04:09:57] So we would try our very best to minimize that. And one of the things we will have for you when we bring in the plan is we're going to have a planning zone by planning zone list for you of which schools are in the staff plan that you all could edit. But we also have the student enrollments in each of those planning zones so you would know which students are going to go.

[04:10:16] And then we can try to look at and answer that question. It will be easier to answer that question once we have a plan in front of us. We can say this plan it does or this plan it doesn't. And then maybe somebody proposes another plan that minimizes or changes that. Would you happen to know the current grades, the current students at Watson, which high school or high schools do they go to?

[04:10:36] I thought it was Independence, but I wasn't sure. Right. So all those students right now will go to Independence. I mean, their zone, the Independence zone right now includes Independence or Brambleton and Watson Mountain students. So they're all one attendance zone, and then they go to two buildings right now.

[04:10:54] any other questions okay um let's go ahead and vote on this calendar and then uh oh it's just oh oh we're not voting on the calendar oh no it was information i'm sorry yeah thank you um and then mr lewis if we could discuss when you think it would be a good time later to and how the process we would start that other process of a more comprehensive look earlier rather than later

[04:11:32] like 2026 or because it's supposed to be open 2028 right the high school that's correct and i think what we'll do is we'll just spend some time and we need to think it through and provide a good plan and we'll bring it back to the board at some point in time but understanding that's something that the board wants to look at so we understand the urgency so to speak and we'll we'll put that together and and vet that through the rest of cabinet and then bring here to the board do we we need a board action for that to direct us to do that mm-hmm no we're planning to do that okay sooner rather than later okay great thank you all

[04:12:10] right um all right Vice Chair Donahue do you have a motion for our closed meeting thank you mr. Lewis yes thank you madam chair I move that the Loudoun County School Board recess this public meeting and enter into a closed meeting pursuant to 2.2 - 3 7 1 2 of the code of Virginia for the following discussion and consideration of the 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. Consultation with legal counsel pertaining

[04:12:46] 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 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 donahue has made a motion do i have a second i have a second by mr astreffy it's been properly moved and seconded the loudon county school board go into closed session is there any discussion

[04:13:25] seeing none clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk clerk please close and display the vote that motion passes with uh eight and miss labelle in absent

[04:13:52] absent for the vote we are now enclosed the uh board is now back um in session uh vice chair

[05:58:07] donahue do you have a motion yes thank you madam chair i move that the closed meeting be adjourned that the loudon county school board reconvene its public meeting and that the minutes of the public meeting reflect that no formal action was taken in the closed meeting i have a motion by Vice Chair Donohue, do I have a second? Second. I have a second. Any discussion? Seeing none, we'll go ahead and take a vote. Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote.

[05:58:39] Clerk, please close and display the vote. That motion passes unanimously with Mr. Estreffi and Ms. LaBelle absent for the vote. Vice Chair Donohue, do you have another motion? Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the following resolution certifying the closed meeting be adopted and reflected in the minutes of this public meeting resolution number 25 - 24 / 25 whereas the Loudoun County School Board has convened a closed meeting on this date pursuant to an affirmative recorded vote and in accordance with the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Freedom of Information Act and whereas section 2.2 - three seven one two sub D of the Code of Virginia requires a

[05:59:17] certification by the school board that such closed meeting was conducted in conformity with Virginia law now therefore be it resolved that the Loudoun County School Board hereby certifies that to the best of each member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully accepted from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which this certification applies and only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed meeting were heard, discussed, or considered by the Loudoun County School Board. I have a motion by Vice Chair Donohue. Do I have a second? I have a second by Ms. Chandler. Is there any discussion? Seeing none,

[05:59:53] we'll go ahead and take a vote. Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote. And that motion passes unanimously with Mr. Estreffi and Ms. LaBelle absent for the vote.

[06:00:09] We'll now move on to board members' comment and committee reports. Board members, do you want to forego this? Yes. Can I have a thumbs up? Okay, majority. And so we'll move on to new business.

[06:00:24] Board members, do you have any new business? Seeing none. We'll move on to adjournment. And the February 25th, 2025, Loudoun County School Board meeting is now adjourned. Please drive safely home.

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