Coraggio Consulting
Loudoun County School Board, 2nd Tuesday School Board Meeting, Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Date: Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Place: Loudoun County Public Schools / School Board meeting (see BoardDocs / LCPS-TV)
Length: 5h 53m (video)
Official meeting video (Vimeo / LCPS-TV): https://player.vimeo.com/video/1081666340?rel=0
BoardDocs (School Board): https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/loudoun/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DFKRPK6EF80A

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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[00:00:39] Good afternoon. I call to order this May 6, 2025 Loudoun County School Board meeting. We will move to agenda item two, approval of the consent agenda. Board members, are there any changes to be made to the consent agenda? Seeing none, I'll now entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda.

[00:00:59] I move that the consent agenda be approved. I have a motion by Ms. Chernoff to approve the consent agenda. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second by Ms. Chandler. It's been properly moved and seconded to approve the consent agenda. At this time, we will take a vote to approve the consent agenda.

[00:01:15] Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote. That motion passes unanimously with Vice Chair Donahue and Dr. Rashid absent for the vote.

[00:01:36] Let's move on to our Advisory Committee Update 3.01, Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee Update, CTAC, presented by Dr. Michael Grubbs. Director, Career, Technical, and Adult Education.

[00:01:51] And I'll have him introduce everybody else.

[00:02:22] All right. Good evening and greetings, Chair Mansfield, board members, and Dr. Spence. I am joined here by colleagues from CTAE and our Career and Technical Education Advisory Council. I will have each one of them introduce themselves before we begin. Good afternoon.

[00:02:38] My name is Jennifer Alphurs, Supervisor, Career and Technical Education. Good afternoon. My name is Debasis Basik. I work for Northrop Crumman Corporation in the Tactical Space Division as a Manager of Mission Assurance.

[00:02:54] I have been with SeaTac for about four years. Good afternoon. My name is Lisa Marie Horvatinovich. I also work for Northrop Gremmen. We work on satellites and rockets and all cool space things. And I joined SeaTac about a year and a half ago.

[00:03:13] As we've been approaching our work this year, program expansion opportunities have been one of our top priorities. Our Advisory Council has been instrumental in guiding that work, and we have also been ensuring that their input and perspective includes how we can re-envision our approach to career development for all students.

[00:03:38] There are a few concepts that we've been embedding in our conversations with CTAC this school year that will inform future efforts to expand career development opportunities for all students. I'm gonna highlight a few of those concepts that we are trying to embed in all the work that we do moving forward.

[00:03:54] One of those concepts is that career paths are not linear, and we're really trying to adopt this concept of the career jungle gym. So traditional career development has been a very linear approach. What are you interested in? How do we work you along that pipeline? We're really the future of work is around exploration and transferable skills.

[00:04:13] And we wanna really embrace that concept of career jungle gyms, where students have multiple opportunities for career exploration and to adjust to those shifts that are gonna occur through their working lives. We're also trying to embrace experiential learning, which is a crucial aspect of career development opportunities for students.

[00:04:31] Through that and through our Advisory Council, we are focusing on increasing real-world experiences like internships, job shadowing, project-based learning, and community service to help our students develop those practical skills and to explore their career interests. Another area of focus that we're working with our Advisory Council on is really that individualized, personalized career planning where we recognize individual strengths, interests, and values, and how fundamental that is to the work of career development.

[00:04:59] We want to highlight some of the work that our Advisory Council has made possible throughout the school year. These are just three highlights, the links are clickable. One opportunity that we've leveraged through our CTAC, our Advisory Council, is partnering with Equinex on International Data Center Day, where we took 20 individuals, teachers, school counselors, our special education office, to learn more about what data centers really look like.

[00:05:23] That was a great experience with our Advisory Council and our community members to really debunk some of the work that is happening in data centers to better inform the career development opportunities that we provide our students. We also had many of our advisory council members attend our chamber forum that I participated in with Claude Moore Foundation that addressed our five-year plan and some of our workforce challenges that we are navigating moving forward.

[00:05:48] And then lastly, there was a recent Loudon Now article that really highlights the work that we've been doing with economic development and our advisory council around our five-year plan and how we are responding to career development and career opportunity expansion moving forward. We're going to highlight some of those opportunities tonight through the presentation. Great. We'll begin with CTE Month. This is a national public awareness campaign. It is held each February and supported by you, our Loudoun County School Board, in a proclamation that February 2025 be recognized as CTE Month. It's a time to highlight the importance of career

[00:06:25] and technical education and the positive impact it has on students' futures, particularly in preparing them for high-wage, high-demand careers. CTE is about experience. It's learning by doing. So instead of highlighting the program, we want to emphasize what students do, create, solve, and experience. So some of the things that we are doing, solving, creating, and experiencing here in way of continuous improvement. We are currently modernizing CTE labs and instructional spaces to

[00:07:04] align with current industry practices. This includes implementing refresh cycles to update equipment and technology, safety features, all that reflect real-world environments. CTE programs often require specialized materials for hands-on learning, like ingredients for our culinary programs, and we are providing support for those consumables and course fees to minimize financial barriers for students and families. We brought specific professional learning to CTE through the RIASAC framework. RIASAC standing for Realistic Investigative Artistic Social Enterprising

[00:07:42] Conventional is based on John Holland's theory of career choice and is already embedded in current career investigations and counselor-led lessons around course selection. This framework helps students identify their strengths and interests and guides them toward educational and career pathways aligned with their values and skills.

[00:08:02] Our goal is to embed career exploration in every student's experience. And CTE without CTAC, the CTE Advisory Committee, and industry partners is kind of like a puzzle with a missing piece.

[00:08:19] It's frustrating, it's incomplete, it might be on the bottom of someone's shoe. So through partnership, we are working to align our programs with current and emerging workforce trends to ensure students gain relevant and in-demand skills.

[00:08:34] We're using data and stakeholder feedback to work together to enhance our curriculum, instruction, and resources across CTE pathways. And we're expanding partnerships and real work experiences, such as internships, mentorships, and industry engagement to help students make connections and support them confidently in career choice.

[00:08:59] - Okay, I'll take this slide. This slide is on the purpose of CTAC. The purpose of CTAC is multifold. As you can see, one of the major purposes is to evaluate and identify the job needs and the career trends in the business and industry and then work or advise LCPS on an implementation plan that aligns with those career needs and also aligns with the mission and vision of LCPS so that LCPS students are better prepared for the job market.

[00:09:39] So that's one of the major ones. Followed by that is participate in development of priorities and strategies. And in an ever-changing environment, those priorities and strategies are changing, needs to be evaluated and re-evaluated so that we are in sync of the trends in business and industry.

[00:09:59] next is submit periodic reports and recommendations to the superintendent and the school board what we are doing right now is an example of that I think we do it at least two times a year sometimes more at number four we have reviewed the policies and procedures of CTAC much of which can be found found in the bylaws the members of CTAC are knowledgeable on the bylaws in some meetings we have discussions on certain sections of the bylaws especially if we think that certain things need amendment and finally at number five participate in

[00:10:36] the review of the Perkins plan federal monitoring and civil rights review just a few weeks ago at CT CTAC we reviewed and signed the Perkins plan it has been submitted for approval I think for next year there are very few changes and currently it's with the Virginia Department of Education for review and approval. And then on the left, as you can see, CTAC, we meet, we have monthly meetings based on preset agenda, and we have discussion topics pertaining to those agenda, but there's a lot of

[00:11:10] open discussions and exchange of ideas as well. So I think that summarizes this slide. Anything you want to add? Okay, bright spots includes me. Just kidding. So you can see my face. But, you know, CTAC is really trying to become more and more involved within the school system across the county. Dr. Grubbs has been doing a Workforce Wednesday highlight, and so we picked mine to

[00:11:42] highlight. But, you know, we've partnered with a lot of different companies to support job for a day, also for STEM-related, well, all STEM-related companies, you know, anyone who wanted to participate in engineering week that was earlier this year so our vision is to really try and continue those and multiply that as much as possible to get students involved and interested in STEM across the county. Next slide. Increasing CTAC so Dr. Grebs had sent out a survey and then

[00:12:17] also I guess a sign up in a way to to solicit folks who are interested in joining the CTAC Advisory Committee. And so with that, almost 90% of the folks that submitted their responses are part of the workforce, which is wonderful. And then as well as 118 responses in only two weeks.

[00:12:39] And SeaTac isn't just STEM specifically. He's grown and the vision is to grow and include agriculture, hospitality, the police force, etc. And so yeah, he has a big vision and we're doing really really well in my opinion okay I think I'll take this one and on the last bullet I might add there are eight returning members the reason that's important is that's how we maintain continuity you know the more experienced members can advise and guide the new members so what we

[00:13:13] are trying to show with this pie chart is a quick visual of the different zones of residence of the prospective members that are interested. And as you can see, it's pretty well rounded.

[00:13:28] There are six zones, and definitely when we select the members, we are gonna make sure there is representation from the different planning zones of residence. Next slide, please. And in this pie chart, we are showing a similar thing, but the distribution on this chart is the different career clusters.

[00:13:50] There are 17 career clusters. The legend on the right just lists a few. I think from this pie chart, all the clusters, almost all are represented. And of course, we are not expecting it'll be very similar because certain career, because of career trends or certain geographically, there could be certain employers that are more active in the area.

[00:14:16] So certain clusters maybe stand out. But again, when we select those members, we are going to make sure that all career clusters are represented. I think that's it on this one.

[00:14:31] - Thank you. We're going to take a little bit of time and we're going to talk about future considerations and opportunities for growth for next year. Some opportunities for growth, we've spent a lot of time this school year in front of the school board and with our advisory council talking about our five-year plan. We've made significant progress in terms of how we're going to go about those expansion efforts and we're looking forward to coming back May 20th and talking through some updates around our five-year CT program expansion plan.

[00:14:56] Where we need opportunities for growth are deciding on what programs is only half the challenge. We need to come back and work collaboratively as a school system and with school board members on what is the budget that is gonna go along with those requests, what is the time, what are the on-ramps, and what's the scope of work for bringing those programs on board to LCPS through either special programs or within our comprehensive high school.

[00:15:22] So we are looking forward to leveraging CTAC next year and with a greater breadth and depth of advisory council members. But we wanna make sure that again, as we're bringing you all the programs that we're looking to expand, that we are thinking through these three areas, both scope, time, and budget.

[00:15:43] - Just a continuation here as we are talking about opportunities for growth. And in partnership with CTAC, these are a couple of our sort of the key areas that we have identified as opportunities for growth and have begun to unpack with CTAC and/or are digging into even deeper with them as we close out the '24-'25 school year and begin the next.

[00:16:12] - So last slide, just additional future considerations. We've been spending a lot of time, as I mentioned, on CTE five-year plan expansion, but as a result of feedback from the Career and Technical Education Advisory Council, we wanna make sure that we're constantly evaluating current and existing practices and especially CT coursework to ensure that they are continuing to align with the superintendent's post-entry plan and one LCPS strategic plan for excellence.

[00:16:36] A lot of the work and the number one predictor for success of CT programs is the teacher in the classroom. We wanna make sure that we're investing in our teachers to enhance the curriculum, the instruction, credentials, and those work-based learning experiences. So we will be devoting a lot of our time and funding next school year to professional development with our teachers and make sure we're giving them the skills needed to respond to the changing workforce.

[00:17:00] And then just lastly, we wanna, and our advisory council members mentioned this, the workforce is constantly changing and we just wanna make sure that we're constantly adapting to make sure our students, such as job for day opportunities, are responding to the ever-changing workforce needs of the local community.

[00:17:18] On that note, I wanna thank you for your time tonight on our update from our CTAC Advisory Council and we wanna open up for any Q&A or feedback for the work that we've done this school year. Thank you. - Thank you, Dr. Grubbs. I have, so, you know, you knew I was gonna bring this up.

[00:17:36] We had the Transition Center Roundtable today, and I was wondering if CTAC had ever worked, like had a joint meeting or something with SEAC at all, or if that was anything that could be in the cards sometime, just to get that started, to start talking a little bit more?

[00:17:58] - I think we're trying to grow as close as possible to special education. I think today reiterated, I think CT and workforce education was probably mentioned throughout the day by every single member in attendance. We do have Jenna Arndt, she attends all of our CTAC meetings.

[00:18:14] And I think one change this year was for Perkins, I met with special education to think how we can better leverage Perkins funds for special education moving forward. So we had a really productive meeting around setting some Perkins funds aside for next school year to support special education initiatives.

[00:18:30] And I'm really looking forward to that partnership growing. I'm also, I help with SEAC as well. So I try to attend meetings when I can, but we can continue growing that partnership moving forward. Sometimes what happens is MSAC and SEAC get together, like the chairs will get together and talk.

[00:18:47] And I think that's a good partnership to leverage a little bit. We would love to leverage that moving forward. Yeah. Board members, any other questions? Yes. Ms. LaBelle. I have to be careful. I haven't got Samara here today.

[00:19:03] So, is there any move or plans to move the vocational type classes back into high schools so that more students can access them?

[00:19:21] I think it's part of that five-year plan. We're definitely looking at what programs are at MATA. It's just what I believe you're referring to. And looking for opportunities, and maybe we could move those throughout the county. No definitive adjustments are being made, but we're definitely talking through what programs maybe make sense in the future of spreading out around the county.

[00:19:39] To also allow for new innovation and expansion to occur at ACL and MATA. One of the things we've shared a few times is really trying to make sure that we're not focused so much on having every program everywhere, but allowing students to see the connective fiber. Just because you didn't get into an HVAC program in Academies of Loudoun, if you can get into a business education program in your local high school, you can still learn valuable skills around career development and maybe start a business one day.

[00:20:06] And so we really want to sell students on, doesn't matter what program you get into, just get into a program moving forward. But we are looking at opportunities to look at our programs and get them spread out around the county. Thank you. Yes, Mrs. Griffiths.

[00:20:21] Thank you, Madam Chair. I had mentioned a great idea that somebody from the academies of Loudoun had brought up, the CAST program, to have them maybe twice a year go to the different schools, do inspections, HVAC, playground, whatever it is.

[00:20:41] I was just curious to know if that's a possibility or, you know, we can eventually move forward with something like that to have these kids in that program also get out there and learn about the structures of the schools as well. Yeah, I think just speaking to the special education roundtable discussions today, I think that got brought up a lot.

[00:21:02] And I think through that work and that committee and those roundtable discussions, I think more opportunities to bring that to fruition are going to be occurring over the next few months. Thank you. Thank you. Tell me a little bit about job for a day, what that would be, because I knew, you know, there was take your kid to work day, and I don't think we do that anymore.

[00:21:25] So as far as CT, we didn't have involvement in take your child to work day, but we were in job for a day. We doubled our numbers in terms of students participating for job for a day, doubled our number of our businesses this school year. In terms of job for a day, to the first part of your question, we are looking to move that down into the lower grade levels.

[00:21:44] not lower grade levels right now it's a senior experience largely if you're doing job for days a senior a junior it's too late and so for next year we're really trying to push that more down into the grade 10 to give those students those job shadowing experiences earlier in their high school career so they're better informed as they make decisions but to date I think it's something we could look into in terms of take your child to work day but we haven't we haven't had any discussions around what that looks like for next school year I remember when my kids were in middle school they actually took a bus to different places like some people got like the kids who

[00:22:19] were interested in art got to go to the um the airplane hangar art place and then someone else got to go to the engineering are we still doing any of that as we put i think there's a lot of opportunities at the schools that they're kind of self-leading in terms of career exploration getting students out of the building and doing tours i think as we look july 1st with our new five work-based learning resource teachers i think we're going to have better conduit to the workforce those individuals are going to be regionally placed and i think they're going to be a little bit better in terms of let's get kids out of the building let's get them better connected to the workforce i think schools sometimes struggle you know they're they're they don't know where to

[00:22:58] begin in terms of who to contact i really see our work-based learning resource teachers as doing those check-ins with the career center assistants and our ct teachers to say hey did you ever want see a farm? Did you ever want to go and see an aerospace? Did you ever want to go see Northrop Grumman? And I think they're going to really help. I think we're going to see a real growth in those types of opportunities moving forward. Thank you. Anyone else? For the Northrop Grumman one, of course, we have already done that. It was a half day long visit by students where one of our astronauts interacted and answered curiosity questions for the students, then a visit to the manufacturing facility and mission

[00:23:37] control lisa was also a big part of that yeah during engineering week we worked with um one of our colleagues christina lee to to kind of reproduce that that experience that some kids didn't and that was open to all high schoolers you know we were only able to take a handful of them but um a lot of the defense contractors you'll run into the issue non-issue but you have to be a u.s citizen to attend these facilities or go to these facilities and and tour so that was one of the

[00:24:13] stipulations you know for us specifically that that kind of prohibits other students from attending which is unfortunate so trying to find other ways you know one of the things is udvar hazy museum there's a lot of space and a lot of aviation there have you know have somebody do a tour and kind of get down in the engineering about the what they see there or things like that but I think job-free day was a real success for us it was our first time really participating our resident astronaut loved it he could talk for hours and the kids the students seemed to really enjoy they were very engaged

[00:24:52] asked a lot of great questions so so yeah it's a great experience yeah and so this when I remembered it was the whole class like the whole school class went in different buses to different things so I think it depends I'm sorry to interrupt I think it depends on the facility you know our facility can only handle so many students at a time and you know perhaps a construction site might be able to if it's safe can handle a larger group you know we can only handle 10 to 12 students at a time on a any given morning or afternoon so but I do appreciate the you know a whole class being able to go like a field trip I do appreciate

[00:25:31] yeah they broke them up they broke them up like our okay yeah just one day and they all went a lot of different buses to different things which i know transportation yeah but but it was a great experience um and they and whoever you know one of my kids because they're twins one did an art project the other one did like origami talking about engineering like it was it was interesting it was it was i just didn't know if we still did that but i'm glad to think if we don't it's something to start back up again and it was middle school so yes mr. Bell thank

[00:26:06] you madam chair another question I'm I have is where in this program are we integrating career assessment and exploration is that happening at middle school can some of the exploration be done at elementary levels where they start to look at different types of jobs obviously it should be career interests and you know let them start looking at different things how is that working into the program great question and that's something we're going to unpack a little bit at the May 20th board meeting we're really excited to take you through the RIASAC model that we're hoping to bring to Laudan County Public Schools

[00:26:43] that is a k-12 career development model I think for CTE's perspective we are infusing things like the RIASAC model career interest surveys and all of our coursework that's only touching a small portion of our population I do know school counseling with rolling out school links all of our students are are taking career assessment surveys.

[00:27:04] And that career assessment surveys, those are actually tied back to the Holland Codes and the RISAC model. But what we're trying to do with the RISAC model is taking a career interest survey and just finding out what careers match is not enough. It's the conversations that happen after that.

[00:27:19] And so we're trying to really push what are the conversations that are happening after that interest survey? How are we identifying students' skills, interests, and values? So, and we're leveraging that data much better. we could pull up data right now that shows healthcare is our number one student interest across the school system right now.

[00:27:36] And so we're starting to unpack that data more, but I think School Links has the potential to be a very powerful tool that all of our students are having an opportunity to participate in. - Thank you. Mr. Straffi.

[00:27:52] - Can you find my mic? - Thank you very much, Dr. Grubbs and everyone. Appreciate you all being here for the presentation. I've heard you talk a number of times now about career connected learning and this idea of embedding career exploration all of students experiences, which I find very exciting.

[00:28:09] And I'm looking forward to kind of hearing how that begins to kind of trickle down. But I love the vision. I think from my perspective, you just mentioned connecting it back to those conversations, really the value that reaches the student is gonna come from those.

[00:28:26] I'm curious about how we're connecting all of this back to the teachers and counselors specifically. Are they connected at all to CTAC? Are they, where are they plugged into the workforce conversations that are happening? So they build up that muscle. Obviously, they have it already, but things are changing constantly.

[00:28:44] So how are they plugged into all of this to make sure that it's getting all back to the student and things adapt day to day? Yeah, that's a great question. I think Christina Lee and our team, our coordinator for work-based learning, is doing a really amazing job this year of, for example, when we did our workforce summit in the fall, we invited counselors, teachers, our work-based learning folks, our career center assistants.

[00:29:09] We've had a monthly focus group where we've been talking to them about how we're better preparing our students for the workforce. So Christina on my team has been inviting teachers and counselors in the special education office to those meetings. I think we're trying to leverage teacher externships more. So I mentioned the international data day where we get our counselors out of the building. And it's a two-way conversation. What I loved about our Equinex visit is that we had time where they shared with us the future of data centers and what it looks like and then they listened to our counselors our special education folks and our teachers on what their students are asking to make sure that our workforce is equally engaged in that conversation

[00:29:47] I think there's a lot of work to be to be done but I do think the power of those new work-based learning resource teachers are going to better pull in our teachers and our counselors into that conversation. Just a month ago, we had our professional learning day and we offered all of our teachers an opportunity to get their own headshot. So we're making sure that we're taking them through the same career development opportunities that we expect them to teach our students. So trying to be a little bit more innovative moving forward. Thank you. Yes, Dr.

[00:30:20] Deans. Are there any student clubs or student groups, elementary, middle, and high, that kids who are not taking the classes for career and technical education could still have access to some of the interaction?

[00:30:41] Yeah, great question. Just this school year, the opportunities for CTSOs, career technical and student organizations, it used to be very limited to students had to be in CT classes. Effective this school year, the opportunity for students to participate in those CTSOs, whether they're in those courses or not, has opened up across the state.

[00:31:02] And so I think that's a really great opportunity for students to get more involved in CTSOs. I think we have seven CTSOs that we offer in Loudoun County Public Schools, from SkillsUSA to FBLA to Educators Rising. And there's other things like robotics clubs and coding clubs and FIRST Robotics that I think we need to continue leveraging down into the elementary and middle school level moving forward.

[00:31:24] And just last week, Dr. Spence connected me with a student that really wants to expand robotics, for example, Gavin. And so we're gonna connect with him on how we can expand those opportunities outside of just academies for Loudoun across the school system. So definitely an area that we need to focus on, but there are opportunities that are out there that we need to better communicate. Thank you. Oh, Ms. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you so much for the presentation. Thank you for being here. I'm very excited about this expansion. I love the idea of giving students more of an opportunity to do career exploration

[00:32:00] at earlier ages um i i hear um i and i my ground my initial question really was how does student voice and choice play in um to this process and i in reflecting on some of your recent answers you know you mentioned the data and the surveys um but are there other ways that students um can express or share their interest so that we can direct um opportunities that way and i'd love to hear a little bit more about how ctac is bringing in businesses i mean one of my favorite things about loudon is that almost anything that exists in the world is available here and really want to

[00:32:39] make sure that we're taking advantage of those opportunities sure i'll take a stab and then if our advisory council members want to talk about the employer participation i think some of the work that we got to do moving forward we talked a lot about high school level expansion just a month or two ago we went and visited the school system in Maryland and some of the work that they do around junior achievement and they are doing a lot of career development at the fifth and eighth grade and seventh grade level I think that's an area that we need to start focusing on in terms of it's very similar to chair Mansfield's concept where every single year a fifth grader is allowed to get out of the building to go job shadow or to observe a workplace and so some of

[00:33:17] the work that we are looking at next year is how do we do some more programming around grades five around grades seven and eight so there are models out there I think just laying out the timeline and the on-ramp to bring those types of programs into Loudoun County Public Schools but we had a great tour just a few months ago with Loudoun Education Foundation Neil Slevin and just kind of forecasting how can we move this beyond the high school level so definitely work that we need to continue moving on but I think just starting small just we have elementary schools that are starting to reach out more around hey I'm doing a career fair I need better connections and so they'll reach out and

[00:33:53] And I'm seeing a real increase in terms of us helping them saying, hey, you're in Eastern Loudoun, but you don't have a connection to ag. We have a connection for ag. We can help you. I think that ecosystem is a great place just to start. And I don't think people know where to begin. And I think that's the best next step for us. Mr. Struffy, let me get Ms. Griffiths and then Mr. Struffy.

[00:34:15] Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going to throw this out there. The FAA, do we do tours there so the students can see the inside of the control rooms? And maybe think about going that route as well.

[00:34:32] I think just a few weeks ago, we met with our partners in economic development. And we shared that aerospace and aviation is an area of focus. And we've mentioned this a few times in terms of our expansion effort. I think those things are happening individually at the school levels. I know some schools are reaching out and they're doing tours of Leesburg or Dulles.

[00:34:49] I think we need to be a little bit more strategic and equitable in terms of those opportunities for students all around the county versus the champion in their high school. And again, I think those work-based learning resource teachers, I think they're going to come into next year very strong and saying, hey, this month, if you want to go visit Dulles, here's our partner.

[00:35:08] They're going to host you this week. And I think that's going to open up the floodgates a bit in terms of getting students out into the workplace moving forward. Mr. Streffi. I love that thought, by the way. My last question is really around what you think the barriers are to creating more experiential learning opportunities.

[00:35:31] Outside of just the tours that we'll do, as a division, my understanding is we're really positioning ourselves for some of these fields that are lending themselves for our students to be kind of workforce ready. Where we're building that on-ramp to a job, some of these non-traditional routes to a career, whether that's a technical career or not.

[00:35:51] The idea is for them to have some credentials, to be workforce ready in some of these fields. What do you think some of the barriers are to doing that? I've seen, for example, that some of this really needs to be coming from industry and the inertia isn't quite there yet for them to hire from these nontraditional pools, even when these positions are trainable and hireable directly from high school or some other program outside of a four-year degree.

[00:36:24] So I know it's a loaded question, but I wanted to put it out there. I think it's a great question. I think shortening the bridge. I think sometimes we approach employers and, you know, hey, hire a kid for the whole school year, right? What's the student schedule look like, A day, B day?

[00:36:41] I think, and I think you see this in the employer toolkit that we've shared and we've presented on. We have a checklist in there. You know, just start where you're most comfortable. Just host a kid for a job for a day one day. If you're not ready for that, be a guest speaker in our HamSci guest speaker series, right?

[00:36:57] I think just bringing people in and just you're not ready even to come into a classroom and talk to kids bring in 20 of our counselors and 20 of our teachers I think we need to really start there with a lot of our folks and some folks are ready to say hey I'm I got I got 10 positions that have to hire I'm ready to jump in but I think really meeting our employers where they are and customizing the approach for where they're most comfortable to get involved I think our employer toolkit is a great start because it's a 10-step process for you to start wherever you are in your journey

[00:37:31] to move forward. Great question. May I ask a question of the board? Sure. So going back to what Dr. Greb said about like the different schools having, you know, career counselors or people that kind of lead that way, is there a mechanism that ties all the individual elementary school career counselor or not career counselors but um uh elementary middle or high school career counselors is there a mechanism that ties them together because for me i love um going and

[00:38:05] speaking at schools and i and i go and participate on many panels across the county um whether it's elementary middle or high school at some point they're going to get tired of seeing my face right and so how I tease but um you know but it to me from an outsider's point of view it doesn't seem like the schools themselves are connected or there's a mechanism for them to connect you know so I'm presenting at Sterling Middle School in a couple weeks but that Sterling Middle School point of contact doesn't know the Newton Lee contact that you know and so how do we create

[00:38:43] um a community path or communication effort amongst those i think dr spence what do you think well i think it's a it's it's good food for thought i mean i do think there are opportunities through our principals forums and through our school counseling meetings to have that conversation and bring ct in and talk about like what's the sort of unified thinking around these opportunities at elementary schools i know that's something that mike and i have talked about um and i also think engaging with the school business partnership council on that as a way to

[00:39:21] kind of create a unifying body around that conversation that can then be made available to our schools kind of like we do with job for a day but maybe like pressing down into the elementary schools with different opportunities did that help at all I think so I mean you know because it's a lot of word of mouth at this point you know and so if somebody is looking for someone in construction well we have Amanda on our CTE board that I reach out to to say hey hey, do you know somebody or would you like to talk to somebody, right?

[00:39:53] And so the CTE board, I think, as far as I'm involved, has been really great for networking and getting other folks involved in the community. However, I'm one person, and I know there's a lot of other people that like to talk about space and satellites and rockets, right?

[00:40:11] So, you know, just kind of trying to bridge that communication. It's kind of like when you go to the pediatrician's office and they're like, you can go to this, you know, we have these referrals and there's the specialists.

[00:40:21] kind of thing. Maybe something along those lines. Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Dr. Grubbs, and to your team for the presentation, which I was listening to in the car while I was driving here. I was wondering if you have a plan in place or current practices in place to get the word out about the vocational and trade opportunities and also to try and increase enthusiasm for an interest in those paths as opposed to the, there's, I feel like in Loudoun, there's a pretty heavy emphasis on

[00:40:59] academics. And so I was just wondering what y'all are doing to, or plan to do to kind of garner interest in those paths instead. Yeah, that's a great question. I know this spring, Academies of Loudoun, for example, we partnered with them back in January on a trades fair.

[00:41:17] I think some of the work that we're looking at next year is, is how do we make that a little bit more countywide? How do we maybe do multiple opportunities in the fall and the spring? How do we turn it into a hiring fair that's really connected to the trades so just tomorrow morning we have a school business partnership workforce development committee where we're gonna be talking through some some planning for next year around what are the career fair events that we need to do how do we better connect our trades specifically our trades to our students to show our rising juniors and seniors about the alternatives to post-secondary success so definitely work to be done but I think we got a good on-ramp for next school and a good framework to provide more of those opportunities.

[00:41:57] Thank you, Dr. Krebs. Anybody else? I think we picked your brain a lot today. Thank you so much for coming. Like a second defense, yep. And I appreciated your presentation, so thank you very much. Thank you all. Thank you again.

[00:42:13] Thank you. And with that, we'll move on to our item four, work session, Department of Support Services, LCPS Sustainability Plan, presented by Clark Seiped, Director Sustainability.

[00:42:30] And I guess Mr. Kevin Lewis is coming up too.

[00:42:46] Thank you, Chair Mamsfield. I'm going to immediately turn the mic over to Clark Seip, who is going to walk us through the presentation for this evening. Hello, everyone.

[00:43:04] Excited to join you again tonight. Thank you for the opportunity to bring some additional updates to you and to really dig a little bit deeper into the developing framework around our LCPS sustainability plan. We've got a good bit to cover tonight.

[00:43:22] We're gonna do that expeditiously. We're gonna start out with a fun exercise and then that's gonna lead us directly into a student spotlight. And then we'll talk a little bit about how all of those things connect as we look at the plan and its primary goals and target areas.

[00:43:41] Wanna save a little bit of time at the end, of course, for questions from you and we'll take a look at next steps. So we're gonna go ahead and dive in. Mr. Lewis has some papers that he is bringing to you up on the dais. Each of you is going to get one. You don't have to get out of your seat. You get to stay right where you are. You have your microphones. That is your tool of choice tonight. And each of your slips of paper has a number on it. We are going to go in order. So if you are lucky number one, you get to go first. And then we are going to follow in order after that. And my only ask of

[00:44:21] you in this exercise is that you read with enthusiasm and excitement the information and statistics that are on your papers. Deal? Who's number one? All right, Dr. Deans, you get to start us off. Let's go. On average, LCPS serves approximately 30,000 lunch meals per school day.

[00:44:53] This equates to over 5 million lunches served per year. Dr. Deans, I appreciate your enthusiasm. and that was really good all right so then we'll just keep going so listen to these statistics and we're going to circle up at the end um there's eight more let's go number two 419 dedicated staff within school nutrition services work together to plan prepare and support the availability of delicious school meals for lcps students their overarching goal increase student lunch meal

[00:45:29] participation district-wide by 5% annually. A new executive chef joined LCPS in August 2023. Last fall, he co-facilitated a first-ever LCPS food showcase, which spotlighted 43 new meal ideas and invited student feedback and scoring. During this school year alone, 30 new foods recipes have

[00:45:56] been added to the LCPS menu. Every 10 seconds, over 20 tons of food is thrown out in the U.S. That's about as much as one school bus every 10 seconds.

[00:46:19] I always have to follow Carrie. Even in swearing in, I had to follow you. In fact, as estimated, 30 to 40 percent of all the food grown in the U.S. is wasted. This includes uneaten food from homes, schools, and businesses, and food that never even made it off the farm.

[00:46:44] This waste often goes to landfills where it rots and produces methane, greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide. A 2019 study by the World Wildlife Fund found that food waste from school cafeterias in the U.S.

[00:47:08] amounts to approximately 530,000 tons each year. Nearly 50% of the food waste from school cafeterias is fruits and vegetables. This waste from U.S. school cafeterias equates to approximately 1.7 billion each year. All right thank you for your participation I appreciated that. Tell me this you heard these different information pieces statistics we talked

[00:47:45] about all the effort and time and energy that goes into lunches that are produced here by school nutrition services and then we heard statistics around waste and food waste. Share a question we're going to do just a minute if there's a couple maybe two or three of you share with me a question that these statistics prompt in you?

[00:48:04] What does it make you start thinking about and asking? Ms. Chernoff. How do we do better? Ms. Chandler. How do we prevent waste and make sure that the food that we have gets to somebody that needs it?

[00:48:23] Anybody else? Mr. Struffy. How do we incorporate student voice and initiatives in these efforts? Yes. One more? Ms. LaBelle.

[00:48:41] Why is this happening? Is it cultural? Is it preparation time and temperatures and standing in line? Why is this happening? It makes you start asking lots of questions, right?

[00:48:58] We did this exercise with students at Belmont Ridge Middle School, right? And we just modeled what we covered in several days of research, right, and exploration. We had a driving question that led, right, our study.

[00:49:17] And how is food waste connected to sustainability, and why are these connections important? And the students immediately, as they looked at different resources, as they dove into those connections and all these different sectors you see listed in the bullets below, they started asking some of the very same questions that you did, right?

[00:49:37] Because they see this. They are part of the systems, just like us. They see food at home. They see food in cafeterias. They see food in restaurants. Food is everywhere. And so they started asking these very same questions that you did and began to dig deeper and deeper and deeper.

[00:49:55] And from that research and exploration, they wanted to test some hypotheses that came out of their research. And so on March 28th, the students that I was working with at Belmont Ridge Middle School did a food waste audit in their cafeteria.

[00:50:12] We had 1,000 students come through that cafeteria, and we sorted all of the waste from all of their lunches. And you can see those pictures here. They collected some quantitative data around weight and types of waste.

[00:50:27] They also collected qualitative data around why students weren't finishing their lunches. What was it about this that kind of made it so this didn't go into your bellies, right? And it either stayed on your plate or eventually went into the trash can. And those students are now currently digging into that data, right, to figure out what does it tell them. And from that interpretation, they are coming up with strategies to reduce waste in their cafeteria, and they'll be presenting that to their administration in the next couple of weeks. And that's going to lay the groundwork for activities and actions that they can test out next school

[00:51:05] year. Very real learning, right? Hands-on, experiential, based in data and hypothesis, this whole scientific method, tying back to very real issues around sustainability that are not only impacting our students, our educators, our schools, and our communities, but also the globe.

[00:51:25] The opportunity to make this type of connection is abundant, right? And that's why I really wanted to start with this example today, and I thank you again for your participation in the exercise. because I wanted to underscore that opportunity for learning by doing when it comes to all the things that we are going to talk about tonight. Recycling, right? Energy audits. We think about second graders beginning to understand how energy is used in their buildings, and then they become these energy detectives, and they go around figuring out how do we solve this problem. These

[00:52:03] are second graders, right? Very real opportunities for learning by doing and also leading the way. school gardens, water quality, tree planning, all of the sorts of things that we think about when we start to think about environmental and sustainability education, right?

[00:52:19] One of the things that I really want us to understand tonight, and what I want us to dig into further as we dive into our plan, is that there is, we've talked about sustainability a lot in the last year, right? Through our amazing energy program, right? Our amazing things that happening in our transportation fleets. But sustainability isn't just solar arrays and utility savings and electric buses, right? It's not even limited to only environmental education or student-led research. Sustainability is this whole system's way of thinking. That's why you've

[00:52:58] heard me say before, and you're going to hear me say it again, right? Sustainability isn't part of what we do. It's a driving force that really influences everything that we do. Students are also at the center of what we want to do here with sustainability and LCPS. They're learning the opportunities for them to practice and apply with their learning and also our commitment to them to model what we teach in both the decisions that we make and the actions that we take. This is a really important way to empower our students to make meaningful contributions to the world.

[00:53:37] And that's why we're here. So let's go back. You've seen this slide before, but I did put one additional little piece on it because I always think it's important for us to ground ourselves in what are we talking about here? What is it that we mean by sustainability? And some of the feedback we got from our updates before was, can we go back to that core kind of original definition that you see here in italics, meeting the needs of the present without compromising, right, the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. And this comes out of research that was done in 1987 with the Brundtland Report. You know, that kind of laid the groundwork for this movement, really,

[00:54:16] that has ties and integrates with all of the things that we study and all of the decisions that we need to make. I also want to remind you that our students are thinking about these things, too. Here are their definitions, right? And this is me going from school to school, talking to kids, listening to what they're interested in, asking them, what does sustainability mean to you, right?

[00:54:39] That balance and what we talk about in the decisions that we make here, we're keeping that balance in mind. We've talked about that as a board before. How do we think about what we need right now and remember all the things that are coming and how we prepare for those and be these really proactive and strategic stewards of this mission that we are entrusted to lead.

[00:55:05] Here's our working definition of what sustainability means for LCPS. Again, very similar to what you saw a couple months ago, this economic, environmental, and social emphasis, a holistic approach. That middle part is the same, and that's what we get to dive into a little bit more tonight.

[00:55:21] You've kind of seen those words before, but not really the meat under them. So that's what we're going to spend most of our time on tonight, but also this piece around modeling a culture of sustainability. This is new, and it comes from conversations I've had with some of you and many others in our district, really elevating this emphasis on leading by example, embracing sustainable practices, and valuing our connectedness.

[00:55:48] And again, we'll dive into that a little bit more as we keep going. We're talking about the plan tonight. That's what's coming to you soon, the planned document for your review, and we'll be inviting your endorsement if that's the direction that you choose to walk with us.

[00:56:04] And so what is a sustainability plan? And for us, I want us to think about, you know, we've talked about a lot, and there's a lot happening in this very complex division that you hope to lead. How do we focus? How do we develop a plan and mobilize?

[00:56:20] How do we measure our progress and know if we are succeeding or not? And that's what a sustainability plan really offers to us. It's a tool to help us organize all of that, right? And to hold ourselves accountable and to really help us focus and prioritize.

[00:56:37] Its pages are going to include priorities and goals that have been shaped by the last 15 months of work. All these listening sessions that we've talked about previously. You've seen all the stickies and the opportunity to meet with not only educators, but also community members and students and members across our workforce.

[00:56:55] it's those goals and target areas that we're going to spend the rest of our time looking at tonight all right so actually let me go back for a minute four goals which is a little bit different than what you've seen those are going to be in the circles and we're going to go into each of those and then we have these target areas which are areas of impact or influence those are going to come nested under each of those goals and there's three or four under each goal i also tonight give you some insight into possible metrics or indicators what are things that we might really

[00:57:29] focus on and want to measure under each of those areas of impact? And what might that look like for us in terms of, okay, we're going to set our sights on this objective, and then we're going to work together as a community to figure out what are the strategies and actions we need in place to achieve those different objectives that we've set. The sustainability plan that's going to come to you next month really focuses on those goals and target areas. It says these are our priorities. This is the overarching framework under which we're going to set those objectives and really start to focus our actions. And it's those objectives, metrics, and strategic actions that would come as

[00:58:08] part of that detail, that specialized detail, comes as part of annual work plans that will be collaboratively developed with, you know, leaders in our facilities operations and transportation and school nutrition and CTEA, right? It's those specifics that we're going to mark on an annual basis and track our measurement again. What's coming to you tonight and in the next several weeks is this overarching framework to really kind of say, all right, this is how we're focusing.

[00:58:38] That's what you're going to see more of tonight. You're also going to see a reminder constantly of how students are at the center because for every single one of these goals, I'm going to call out how we can make that connection, examples of how we make that connection with student learning.

[00:58:56] And those are just examples, right? Because that, I think, is one of the things that we have to hold ourselves accountable to over and over and over again. It's how do we do this? How do we model this? How do we prioritize this and invest in it? And how do we make sure that in every single way we are connecting back to student learning?

[00:59:13] Because those students have to be at the center. So let's take goal one, for instance. This is not a new one. You have seen this in some of our working sessions before. This goal to conserve resources and improve efficiency. Conservation is always first, right?

[00:59:30] Take, for example, this first target around energy management. Our energy consumption, you know from many CIP sessions, from many energy updates, right? When we reduce our energy consumption, we reduce our costs. Plain and simple. But it's also not just costs.

[00:59:48] We know that we can control kind of how that energy comes in. We know we can control the design of our buildings and the design of our systems to ensure that they are highly efficient. and those dollars that aren't spent on utility bills can then be invested in other ways in our students and teachers and classrooms. But there's a focus area here that I think there's an opportunity for tremendous growth when it comes to behavior change, right? How do we ensure that we're thinking about everyone having a role in our energy management? That's how we connect students.

[01:00:19] That's how we connect all the users of our facilities. So there's lots of ways under this specific target that we continue to build on what our fabulous facilities operation and energy team is leading the way towards and then how do we also directly connect students that's why this is one of our largest areas in terms of this first goal for impact and influence when it comes to water conservation very similar rationale right and strategies there can include everything from low flow fixtures on our toilets and sinks to zero escaping which is like a form of landscaping that doesn't require irrigation and we're really really

[01:00:56] intentional around that to also turf fields. Our kids are thinking about water constantly. I do a fun exercise with them where we take an apple and we cut it into smaller and smaller pieces and by the end they realize that only one percent of our planet's water is actually available to us as humans for use. That really gets you thinking about the need for conservation in ways that me as individual, me as the seventh grader at Seneca Ridge Middle School, could actually have an impact on that. Yet another opportunity. Building design and retrofits is our third target under this first goal. Thinking about incorporating sustainability from the very beginning in things like design to

[01:01:35] Energy Star and LEED. We have our first LEED projects, as you are well aware, in construction right now going towards LEED certification. But then also thinking about our retrofits and renovations. This division does an amazing job taking our end-of-life critical systems replacements. We've talked about those a ton during our COP conversations as well, and using those as opportunities to build new efficiencies into the system. We know we have this long-term obligation to sustainment in our capital planning. How can we use that as a launch pad, right, for even more efficiencies? And then operations and training, we know that everyone has a role.

[01:02:15] Do we all understand what our role is? That's really the question. Shared practices, regular trainings, again an opportunity to model what we teach even to users outside of our building who come from our community and surrounding area and say wow, LCPS takes this really seriously.

[01:02:32] Here's your possible metrics. Just some ideas of things that we might be able to measure were we to set objectives that made sense and aligned with those. And you can see it's everything from your very scientific energy measurements your calculated energy savings to the numbers of student and staff participating in our trainings or participating in conservation programs. Pictures below, here's making that connection.

[01:02:55] There's those second graders I was talking about, learning about energy in their building. Do we have secondary students that are interested in construction, design, architecture? Heck yeah, we do. We have 83,000 students, right? How can we pull them into this LEED certification process so that by the time they leave here, they are prepared and ready to be in those conversations immediately upon joining the workforce.

[01:03:18] And then just opportunities. Anybody aware of vampire power? Particularly for my elementary agers, this is a fun, there's seasonal activities, right, that we can do. That one's around Halloween. All right, goal two, we're going to speed it up a little bit.

[01:03:34] Promote healthy schools and plan it. And I did want to point out that this is an expanded goal from what you've seen previously. Previously, this was a goal focused on reducing our carbon emissions. And based on conversations with folks throughout our division, we have expanded this out to look at more broadly healthy schools and planets. Not because reducing our carbon emissions is not important. We are specifically charged with that in our school board resolution from 2020. But we also recognize that there's lots of ways that we need to be thinking about healthy schools and planets. And you see those targets here. I'm not going to go

[01:04:12] into them as much detail as I did on the previous slides. Renewable energy, you know, there are different ways to set goals and measurements under that that aren't just limited to carbon reduction, right? We know the power that solar is having in our system currently. We know the cost it is helping us to avoid. We know that it's contributing back to the energy challenges here in our region in really beneficial ways. How do we continue to build on that and pull students into that learning. On my next slide, you'll see a picture of several of our friends from CMTA with a solar house. They're teaching kids through models of what solar power looks like, but my

[01:04:51] question to you is how many of our students are walking into school buildings that have solar panels on the roof and don't even know it? How many of our kids are interested in engineering and have no idea that we currently have schools that are harnessing the heat of the earth to cool and heat water that is then running their HVAC? Kids are interested in this sort of stuff, and as we model this technology and as we lead the way in our region in terms of clean energy, how do we pull our students into that? Same with our buses, right? Electric buses, we have new propane buses coming that we put on the streets next year. What are we learning from that and how do we take the

[01:05:31] information that we are gleaning from this pilot and inform our strategy moving forward? And, you know, alternative fuels are a big part of that target area, but it's not just that either. It's routing, it's hub stops, it's how do we incentivize kids to ride the bus instead of ride their cars when buses are available. What are the strategies that make the most sense for LCPS? Target number three here is one of my favorites, guys. I knew that I had kind of reached the pinnacle of my career when I did my first like dumpster visit at an LCPS school because waste is huge, right,

[01:06:07] in a system of our size. And one of the things I love about it is not only does reducing and recycling our waste, avoid landfill emissions and save energy, but it is also tangible and visible to every single student, educator, and community member. The other thing about waste is not only can kids see it and touch it and they can observe changes in it, but when you take action, there is near-term wins, right? And that's what our kids need because they need to see that they have this agency, not only responsibility, but agency, and they need to see that actions that they take

[01:06:43] brings about changes in real time, and that is what waste offers us, right? Like the food waste we were talking about, but also recycling. Our students are concerned about recycling in our schools. Our students are taking it in their own hands and leading the charge in their schools, and they are asking us as a division to do better. So let's do it. And then healthy learning environment. This was what we really needed to make room for. That was what we really heard in our feedback was there's no place for us here if we only focus on carbon emissions which we still

[01:07:20] will be measuring and we've got an amazing tool that's being developed right now to help us with that there was no space for other types of measurements like IAQ indoor air quality like out occupant comfort like what does it mean when I don't have daylighting in my school and how does that make me feel and how does that impact my learning these are the things that we are talking about as a division, and we need to be prioritizing under our plan. Here are some additional possible metrics there. We spoke to that just by broadening out this specific goal, what that opened up for us, and there's the example I just talked about of the CMTA solar house. Culinary arts at the academies

[01:07:59] did an amazing zero waste week just a couple weeks ago, and they are piloting our first composting pilot in the division as well. Gonna be awesome. Kids are already leading the charge. We got to catch up with them, right? Goal three is all about cultivating environmental literacy, and there's huge momentum in our state and our region around environmental literacy right now, and how we as mid-Atlantic states are being responsive to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, which has a big focus on how are we providing and preparing our students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences that they need to not only understand environmental challenges, but also feel equipped

[01:08:38] and inspired to go out there and address them right we got to get kids outside that's what target one is all about had a wonderful opportunity to meet with our principals last week at the all county principals meeting and we brought in a community partner that helped us really focus in on evidence-based research around outdoor learning it's huge retention mental health adhd symptoms are reduced by significant i mean there's just all this i'm doing a terrible job of reporting the research to you. You need my friend Garrett. But this is important, and it's

[01:09:12] important to our teachers and our principals. And so how do we as a division prioritize and promote this and support them? We know that work around environmental literacy has to be integrated with the curriculum, and I tell you what, it's already there. I was down in Richmond yesterday with science educators from across the Commonwealth, and we were mapping the science curriculum to see where environmental literacy already exists, it's woven into it immediately. And what's great about environmental literacy is it's also highly engaging and has immense opportunity for cross-curricular connections too. It's there. We know it's there. We need to make it more explicit

[01:09:51] and we need to make it easier for our educators to see those connections and bring it into their everyday teaching. And we know that educator support is going to have to be a huge piece of that because it can't be something else. It has to enrich what they're already doing. And thankfully, with the changes that are coming next year as our crosswalk year, as we really start to implement the new instructional framework, environmental literacy is a great lens through which to look and model the very things that we are prioritizing through our new framework.

[01:10:22] And then you just heard Mike and his team talk about career exploration and readiness. Mr. Estreffi talked about how things are changing constantly. And that is the case in this career field as well. There are careers that exist, learning pathways that existed now that none of us even thought about going into school.

[01:10:40] It's how do we ensure that our students are aware of those and exposed to those and have the opportunity to experience them. And our community partners are a huge piece of that. Additional metrics here. We're doing a great job already making that connection to student learning. And again, just how do we make sure that's not limited to just specific schools, right?

[01:11:01] Ms. Chernoff had a wonderful opportunity to come to Cardinal Ridge, that middle picture. They incorporate outdoor learning and nature journaling school-wide multiple times throughout the year. If we could get that happening in every single school, imagine, right? We don't want these to be limited on a case-by-case basis.

[01:11:18] How do we connect these educators? How do we create the supports that they need to make these connections over and over and over again in the everyday amazing work that they're doing with our students? And then finally, this is a new goal that you've not seen before, and I want to read you that second sentence out loud and follow along with me if you'd like.

[01:11:40] Decisions and actions at every level are opportunities to demonstrate behaviors, values, and practices that advance our sustainability goals. Every decision that we make, right, we think about so many things, but sustainability really is a thread that runs throughout it all, that can run throughout it all, and that should run throughout it all.

[01:12:01] And these three target areas were threads in some of the previous iterations of this work that you've seen, but we've chosen to elevate them to a goal in and of themselves because modeling a culture of sustainability is going to be a requirement for success.

[01:12:17] For us to truly succeed and achieve the goals that we've set out one through three, we're going to have to really hold ourselves accountable here, and that's through leading by example, making sure that we realize the impact and recognize the impact of our decisions and actions. And that's at every level, right? Who can be a leader? Anyone. Who has a role in this work?

[01:12:40] Everyone. We're loving this idea of a student sustainability council because those students should have a voice at this table. They should be helping to frame the objectives and strategic actions that we're taking. And I've been working with teaching and learning and others to think about what that might look like. There are models that already exist in our division that we can build upon. Leading by example also happens in how we program, how we prioritize, and how we budget.

[01:13:07] So thinking about our policies, thinking about our budget seasons, how do we ensure that we are modeling what it is we want our students to pick up. Embracing sustainable practices, we know that when you practice an activity over and over again, it becomes habit. And just like our outdoor learning, we want to make sure that students across our division are able to apply with their learning and to practice things like recycling, school gardening, tree planting, nature journaling, what have you, no matter what school they attend. And so we're working with educators right now to figure out what that might look like. We're working with teaching and learning. We're looking with many other departments in our division to think about that. You're going to get to meet some of

[01:13:47] our green team leads later on before the school year ends. We want to double the number of green team schools that are active in our division next year. And then we want to keep doubling them until Every single school has that sort of program, which supports student-led and career in action.

[01:14:03] It supports regular practice of these sustainable pathways. It's going to be great. And then finally, valuing our connectedness. Collective impact inspires. Collective impact ripples out. We have a role to play in that, too, as do our community partners, and so really figuring out what that means for us.

[01:14:23] And there's some additional metrics for you to think about. There's amazing things. I know I say this to you every single time. There's amazing things happening in our schools, and there's leadership and modeling happening across our different banded levels. I don't know about you, but I often don't know about moose and wolverines getting along, but Mountain View Moose and Woodgrove Wolverines are coming together on an outdoor career day on May 28th, where students are going to explore all sorts of different outdoor careers.

[01:14:52] Mike, did you hear that? And the high school students are leading the stations for many of our elementary agers. sharing about their passions and some of the pathways that they are taking once they leave. So here's your four. This document will come to you soon. We will put it before you, give you time to take a look at it. We will come back to you with it as an information item, we hope, and get some additional feedback as needed. And then we're ready. We want to start articulating that work plan for 25-26 and get to work advancing our goals. And of course, we'll be back to report

[01:15:29] back to you periodically. We've got a few minutes left for questions, and these are the things that I'm wondering tonight. I'd be, you know, would welcome a conversation here, but also Mr. Lewis, you know, is available to have these additional conversations with you. What have you heard that excites you? What gives you pause? Where do you see additional opportunities for making these connections to student learning? And what do you see as your role as a school board member in terms of advancing our sustainability goals. Thank you. And let's talk a little bit. Thank you, Ms. Seidt.

[01:16:08] We're members. Yes, Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Madam Chair. And thank you for your presentation. And I will say that when I think of sustainability, I had trouble really wrapping my brain around how that could be student-centered because it feels so grown up. It feels so budget heavy. It feels like solar panels to me, you know, like that's kind of what I always thought. And I'm really glad that you took me out for a day at Cardinal Ridge and we got to see as little as kindergartners all the way up to our fifth grade leaders really taking ownership. And I think you hit on a couple of things that are exciting me. One is the engagement piece. Kids are natural problem solvers. They want

[01:16:47] to literally get in the dirt, which they did that day. But they also, I think sometimes they need a little bit of area to kind of figure that out. So they had a recycling project and they had classes rate their own recycling abilities and some classes weren't so honest about their own ratings they gave themselves very high ratings and the fifth graders you know really had to to go back and have those like fierce conversations about well you lied so and showing them what that meant and then bringing in visuals to show them how they could do better and then that got kids excited about showing them that well no we really we really didn't do bad we want to do better so

[01:17:26] that whole school mentality then picked up and then you also mentioned just the learning opportunities and I just we talk a lot about differentiation in education and something that really impressed me about the journaling activity was that it was so open-ended and it offered access for all learners for kids that had sensory needs they were able to like I said literally get in the dirt or for kids that need some quiet space they could go and find it but additionally some kids just drew pictures. Some kids added labels. Some kids wrote entire sentences. Some started to write poetry. And I was walking with one of the teachers back and she was like, I think

[01:18:04] we can tie this in with our literacy unit of poetry right now because we're doing sight and sound words. And then they could pull their nature learning into that. So it wasn't just extending the learning for students. It was offering new opportunities for connection for educators as well. And so to see that in action, and I hope all of you can get out and go see some of it because it opened my eyes to just how deep and wide sustainability is.

[01:18:27] It's not just a buzzword, but it is something that children can lead the way in, and if we just sort of facilitate that a little bit. So I thank you for your work. I thank you for your passion. It shines through, and we're really lucky to have someone who is at the forefront of student-centered work for sustainability.

[01:18:43] So thank you. Thank you. Yes, Mrs. Griffiths. Thank you, Madam Chair. I will tell you, though, from my kids, basically the reasons why there's a lot of food waste is because they don't have enough time to eat and they just simply don't like the food. Okay, so those are your, you know, regarding food waste.

[01:19:07] But I did want to mention, you know, and thank you for the presentation. You know, you ask on slide 19, how do you see your role as a school board member when it comes to advancing sustainability sustainability goals. Well, my role as a school board member is to be fiscally responsible. I think this program is going to cost millions, so I will not vote for it when it comes up in the future.

[01:19:30] While I appreciate you promoting it, I'm looking for the taxpayer, but I'm also looking for renovations in our schools first. We need a lot of work done on the insides of our schools um that has nothing to do with it could involve some sustainability but to tell you the truth i mean to put millions towards something down the road you know doesn't work for me um i'd like to see things now done so while i appreciate the presentation when we get all our renovations squared away and we don't have complaints in the schools the older schools anyway um i think maybe

[01:20:09] we can go down this road again. Thank you. Yes, Ms. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for the presentation. I am curious, aren't there actual items in the state code and in the building code that encourage and require us to do some of these things? Could you speak to that a little?

[01:20:37] Yes, to a certain degree, for sure. And we just recently, I know the high performance building policy came before you as part of its regular review process and as of July 1st of 2025 there is an addition to state code that is requiring us for new construction and renovations of a certain size for those construction renovation projects to meet high quality certification programming and so the ones that are called out specifically in code are LEED which of course LCPS is currently going after in four different projects and Green Globes, which is another. And LCPS has been leading the charge in this for many, many years. We've been building too many of these standards, but it is

[01:21:16] built into state code now. And as I referenced, there's other pieces of legislature that are encouraging and in some places requiring these types of activities as well. Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement is huge right now, not in requiring or mandate in certain things, but in terms of encouraging and promoting um and really finding ways for school divisions to connect students to this very type of learning um and so for us to again have the opportunity to be a leader in that right and to really model and set the scene for what divisions across our commonwealth and across our tessapeake bay region could do um is is a tremendous opportunity for us would you add

[01:21:55] anything to that mr yeah thank you for that explanation i'm i am very excited about this opportunity. And I do think it is fiscally responsible. I mean, we've seen, we have elementary schools that are not using any energy, correct? I mean, we have a net zero, right? So that is tangible savings that goes back to the taxpayer. And it's just a very fiscally, sustainability is a fiscally responsible program. So I appreciate this work. You're welcome. And long-term, many of

[01:22:30] these interventions and technologies do pay for themselves and then have returns far beyond. You also heard, I think, in our energy update where we talked about the solar energy that we as a division produced in school year 23-24 saved enough in terms of avoided utility costs to cover the electricity bills of 10 elementary schools for an entire year. That is not only being strategic and innovative and leading the charge when it comes to environment sustainability, but that is also fiscally responsible as well. And I think that when we also remember to keep students at

[01:23:05] the center, us preparing these students now for challenges and problems to be those change makers moving forward, whatever job, whatever sector, whatever community they find themselves in, that's going to have returns maybe not to our pockets, but certainly community-based and globally for a very, very long time. Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Ms. Seid for your presentation.

[01:23:32] I agree with the comments from my other colleagues. Your passion and energy for this topic is very apparent, and we are very lucky to have you in our division. Kind of following up on the last topic of conversation, are you all doing anything to kind of put the word out about how certain aspects of the sustainability project are benefiting not just the individual students who are participating in the project but benefiting

[01:24:05] other parts of our community? I think there's always opportunity to do that better right but yes I think that the word is getting out remember the office of sustainability just opened about 15 months ago and so in terms of kind of building that brand and building that reputation that is something that's growing organically but what we've been able to do is is celebrate so many of the accomplishment and successes that LCPS has achieved to date, right?

[01:24:32] This 30-year amazing track record led by our energy program, and to be able to bring you statistics like what we just discussed. Those are the types of information that we need to get out further. I feel like we're starting to really talk about that here internally, but no, I'm not sure that our community really fully understands it.

[01:24:50] Ashburn Elementary being our first zero energy school, right? these zero dollar energy bills, we took a snapshot of that and I was like, that needs to be in every single presentation for the next like six months, right? Because this is a visual. But I also had the opportunity to talk with the Ashburn Village community where Ashburn sits, right? The community and the HOA that's around it. And I tell you the sort of feedback we got from those community members about, oh, CPS, this is amazing. You're leading the way. This is exactly what we should be doing as a division, and I'm happy to share those quotes with you. I thought was just so

[01:25:27] affirming, but to your point, Ms. Donna, you really reminded me that there's a lot of work to be done to make sure that our community knows about it. I think also just regionally and nationally, LCPS is recognized as a leader, and so the more we can celebrate and tell those stories, the more we are also inspiring other divisions to do the same, and that too is really important work because it's got to be collective. Yes, we have five minutes. Mr. Strafi. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you so much for the presentation. I don't know what to, I think in terms of what to focus, what comes to

[01:26:03] mind for me, I really love the points around, that you mentioned around utilizing the LCPS system to teach our students, like all of the amazing things that we're doing. I mean, we don't, in many ways, we don't need to send students to other companies to see how they do construction, right? We have a very sophisticated construction group we know we know how to build schools we've we're doing all of this i think just thinking back on some of the facilities tours that i've done with mr lewis where if if if students were had the same opportunity to see some of our modern systems and then get on a bus and go to one of our older schools that might be up for a refresh or an hvac

[01:26:43] or, you know, might be in the schedule to get updated. And just to be able to see the efficiencies that we're not able to capture in that school, some of the challenges that, kind of the multi-year challenges of maintaining that school, how costly it is, and what if we don't utilize some of these new ways of conserving energy and also modern systems, what would happen, what would it cost to maintain this school, how difficult would it be to keep it up to standard?

[01:27:12] And so our students are smart, smarter than we are. And so they will pick up on that a lot faster. And so just busing them around to the different schools and the different facilities, which I'm sure we do to some extent, but that would be an amazing experience. I mean, I've enjoyed that experience.

[01:27:28] And then I'll share a personal anecdote on the topic of environmental literacy. My son is in pre-K. And just the other day, we were getting out of the car and going through the garage to get into the house. And I said, you go on up, I'm going to go throw this away in the trash.

[01:27:45] And he didn't even turn around to look at me, and he gave me this dismissive kind of teenager look and said, that's not trash, that's for the compost. And I've never talked to this kid about any of this stuff. Right, and so, you know, I think that this idea of incorporating environmental literacy is so important because this is the world, you know, and the thinking that they're going to continue to grow up in.

[01:28:13] So, thank you. Okay, sneak it in, Dr. Deans. Being a biology major and having taught 7th grade life science and high school biology, you're right in on my lane. And I would encourage Dr. Grubbs to get in on those high school kids, teaching those elementary kids, and then we have a dual purpose here with sustainability and CTAC.

[01:28:40] So I am just excited to hear it and my old teaching coming to life. Yeah, I was going to have some comments, but I know we have to go. But I appreciate everything you do. Sustainability is really important to me, and my sister is an environmental law attorney.

[01:29:00] And so this is a big thing for our whole family. So, all right. Well, I think that's it. We will have recess. Thank you so much. I love your excitement and your perkiness. And we will, the board will go into recess, and we will be back at 630.

[01:59:35] The board is coming out of recess at this time, and we'll continue with item 7, the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem. Tonight, the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance will be performed by the J.L. Simpson Select Choir, which is a group of 23 audition middle school students ranging from 7th to 8th grade under the direction of Holly Hoey Johnson.

[02:00:03] Select Choir consistently has received ratings of superior at state assessments and has been an important fixture in the Simpson-Mustang community, performing and taking an active part in the students' school culture. Will everybody rise for the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem?

[02:00:22] We will continue on with Item 8, Student Staff Recognitions, One LCPS Spotlight, the AI Innovators Cohort, John Champ High School, presented by Melissa Sargent, Principal, John Champ High School, Jeffrey Horvath, Instructional Technology Facilitator, John Champ High School, and Natasha Jeter, English Learners Teacher, John Champ High School.

[02:03:21] Good evening. I am Melissa Sargent, principal at John Champ High School, and I'm here this evening with Josh Tom, the Instructional Technology Facilitation Specialist with the Instructional Technology Office, Mr. Jeff Horvath, our Instructional Technology Facilitator, and Ms. Natasha Jeter, one of our English learner teachers.

[02:03:42] Tonight's presentation is aligned with Goal 1 of the LCPS Strategic Plan to provide high-quality growth and development to all staff in AI. We are going to provide a brief overview of teacher and students' experiences using AI tools to support teacher practice and enhance student learning.

[02:04:06] I'm going to turn it over now to Mr. Josh Tom. Thank you, President Sergeant. Good evening, Board. Chair Mansfield, Dr. Spence, thank you for this opportunity because this is really neat. Our AI Innovators cohort is a group of teachers that have been kind of formed together along with our instructional technology facilitators from several high schools.

[02:04:30] We've been meeting periodically throughout the school year to learn about artificial intelligence and how it impacts teaching and learning. And we've appreciated the leadership that we've gotten from the Department of Teaching and Learning and especially my supervisor, Mike Henriksen, through the instructional technology team.

[02:04:49] And we're thankful also to Google and to LEF for their support in making this cohort possible. If we go to the next slide there, let's take a look for a quick minute at our alignment.

[02:05:02] Some of the questions that are up here for our LCPS alignment are the ways that our innovators are considering AI as they explore and understand how it can impact their teaching and learning and as it's related to goal one, excuse me, to our one LCPS goals, building exemplary staff in the field of AI, which will allow us to empower students with AI in a safe and controlled manner.

[02:05:30] We go to the next slide. The innovators have been exploring a range of general embedded and educational AIs. Division support documents such as the AI guidance document and school board policy have helped us evaluate possible use cases for each AI. And now I'm excited to kind of turn things over to Mr. Horvath, who's going to talk a little bit about some of those impacts.

[02:05:57] Good evening. As an instructional technology facilitator, my main focus is ensuring that the faculty at John Champ High School receives high-quality professional learning.

[02:06:13] Participating in the AI Innovators has given me greater understanding and perspective to deliver the professional learning opportunities that the faculty of John Champ High School needs. Next slide, please. Here are some examples of how participating in the AI innovators has had an effect on how I provide professional learning for the John Champ faculty.

[02:06:39] On the left, you see where I'm starting to integrate AI with some of the technology that we already have access to, like Schoology. In the middle, I'm giving teachers examples of how they can use AI to increase culturally responsive instruction.

[02:06:57] This is a fun ugly sweater activity that I invited the teachers to participate in, and this allows AI to bring a part of themselves and their values into the product that they make. And finally, I believe it is very important for teachers to really think deeply about AI and how it affects teaching and learning, how it affects their students.

[02:07:21] And so I am engaging our faculty in reflection on teaching AI and practice on the, you're right, this is a faculty meeting recently where I invited teachers to think about how other tools in our lives affect how we use them safely, how we use them appropriately, and how AI is the same in that regard.

[02:07:47] and some of the things that we have to, you know, think about when we use AI. And now with the next slide, I'd like to invite Ms. Jeter up here. Good evening. My name is Natasha Jeter, and I'm an English language learner, teacher at John Champ High School.

[02:08:06] I support students across both math and science content areas. Prior to having access to AI, I had to modify assessments line by line, which was extremely time consuming. Now, I have been able to use AI to level environmental science tests to students' respective WIDA levels, create accompanying study guides, and pre-teach vocabulary in geometry.

[02:08:32] So these tools have made rigorous content more accessible and have given me back valuable time to focus on direct instruction, student support, and building meaningful connections with students. Next slide, please.

[02:08:52] All right, and as one of the four educators selected at CHAMP exploring the use of AI in classrooms, I'm speaking on behalf of one of my colleagues, Ms. Lily Jones, who teaches world history and U.S. Virginia history. She has used AI to create interactive timelines that improve students' understanding of historical sequences, modernize presentations for clearer, more organized note-taking, and differentiate instruction through inquiry based notes tailored to individual student levels.

[02:09:26] These supports have been especially impactful for our English learners and our SPED students contributing to improved comprehension and stronger test scores. If you will please play the video.

[02:09:49] I thought it was cool like interacting with it in order to like learn and it gave like information about the topic based off the prompt Ms. Johns gave, which I thought was really helpful. I think I really liked the questions that they asked, and every time I, like, answered one of the questions, they'd ask me a question about my answer, and I kind of like how they wanted me to elaborate more. I think a feature was that, like, it, like, adjusted, like, what to say based on what I said, so, like, if I didn't understand, it would, like, sort of, like, build

[02:10:25] itself to uh give me more information and then reword the question so i could like answer it with the information that it gave i liked how like uh every time they asked a question and we got it wrong or like we didn't get what like it was looking for it would help us try and find the answer and like it would like say like you're on the right track but here's more to that so i like that i think so like a lot of students like use it to like they rely on it for like

[02:11:01] answers but i think it's like helpful for like helping you learn something like a certain concept or try to prepare for something like you could ask an ai bot to like prepare some questions that may come up in like an interview or like in a test and it's kind of like helpful for that but i think other than that a lot of people rely on it for answers and like quick like assignment fixing and stuff but i'd rather like use it for just helping me with the process of learning i think it's good i think it's something that we need and you know that people shouldn't be scared

[02:11:38] of um if we use it right then it could be like extremely helpful and bring in like new opportunities for kids to learn i would say that the ai that we like tried out today was really good and like it didn't give out like the answers immediately and just helped you out with it i think it's really good and ai is like it's kind of like dangerous and like there's a lot of stuff to it and that i don't even know personally because i don't really use ai that much and um i think it's like there's

[02:12:17] a limit to how much we can go with ai but i think it's going pretty good somewhere to not try and like limit it so much like because obviously like they're gonna put restrictions on it and stuff right for the kids but like i feel like it gets to a point where like becomes like too many restrictions like kids are just gonna like opt for like a different you know like source like

[02:12:40] chat gbt or like other ai platforms so as you just saw we were able to listen to a couple of perspectives from students who were able to participate with ai chatbots through a school ai program other than that all of us who have participated in the cohort have found it to be

[02:13:15] an exciting and effective tool for making instruction more dynamic and inclusive we've witnessed how AI empowers teachers by streamlining planning and differentiation and how it benefits students by delivering content in ways that meet their unique learning needs. It has been an honor to participate in the program and we would like to thank the school board for your continued support of innovation and education which helps us to find the best tools to empower students to make

[02:13:45] meaningful contributions to the world. Thank you. Thank you. All right so I will open it up for any questions. Board members, do you have any questions? Yes, Ms. Sherna. Thank you so much. It's more of a comment. Your presentation is very timely. We're working on our AI policy right now to get it up to the full board. We'll be discussing it tomorrow night in curriculum and instruction committee, so I'd love your input. Definitely from the teacher side and the learner side, one of the

[02:14:23] things that we've talked about is how rapidly it's changing. Yes. So was that something that you encountered? Is that something you're thinking about with students in terms of how do we outpace AI. I'm not sure it's possible, but thinking about student use, that's been a challenge for us, and how often do we need to review it? It really is taking holds. I didn't know if you experienced any changes within AI when you used this with your students. Not as of yet, because we recently just rolled out a pilot program after informing parents, and throughout this school year,

[02:14:58] we've been meeting monthly, and so everything has been paced according to the programs available to us, and the students have just recently been able to participate in the piloted program. Yeah, did you find that the engagement was pretty high, I would imagine? Yes, they were really excited to speak with the AI chat box, and what's so unique about it is if students aren't really engaging, it alerts the teacher on their side of what exactly is going on in real time, and then it changes prompts to help kind of stimulate conversation and it is restricted in a way that's appropriate so that students are able to be

[02:15:38] redirected and stay on task with the assignment awesome thank you so much for your work yes thank you any other discussion board members no all right thank you so much thank you so much okay we will now move on to item 8.02 and i'm going to turn over all the introductions to miss lisa

[02:16:11] board. Thank you, Chair Mansfield. Good evening, board. Tonight, HRTD is proud to announce the 2025 annual awards from our operational and instructional awards programs. The remarkable achievement of these winners respectively serves as a powerful testament to the exceptional quality of Loudoun County Public Schools. Their dedication, innovation, and profound impact on students and staff perfectly exemplify the inspiring work that occurs daily within our schools. This honor

[02:16:49] shines a light on the collective commitment of all of our teachers and principals and staff who consistently go above and beyond to foster a nurturing and successful learning environment for every student, contributing to the continued excellence and proud reputation of LCPS. And with With that, I would like to turn it over to Carrie Sims, Supervisor of Employee Recognition, to announce this year's winners.

[02:17:16] Carrie Sims: Dr. Spence, board members, cabinet, colleagues, and esteemed guests, I'm thrilled tonight to introduce our exceptional annual award winners. This year, we celebrate individuals who represent the heart and soul of our division, each playing an indispensable role in fostering a vibrant and successful learning environment for our students.

[02:17:37] Inspiring dedication of those working directly with children to the tireless efforts of those who support the division behind the scenes These individuals embody the collaborative spirit that makes our division so strong They are the best of the best going above and beyond in their daily work to ensure that every student has the opportunity to thrive Their passion and commitment are truly the driving force behind our students success And it is an honor to recognize their remarkable contributions in our continuing efforts to grow our recognition programs nominations were allowed to come from students, parents, co-workers, and supervisors.

[02:18:11] Last year we had a total of 335 nominations for our 16 award categories. This year we received an incredible 715 nominations, including nearly 200 for Teacher of the Year. The LCPS community shared heartfelt stories of the impact our employees made on their children.

[02:18:31] Colleagues described collaboration, outreach, and relationships. wrote about those aha moments of success after struggle. Over the past month we've traveled across the county to surprise our winners and we're excited to honor them at additional upcoming banquets. In our operational awards group let's congratulate the following individuals. Not here tonight but congratulations to our bus attendant of the year Zach Hansen, bus driver of the year

[02:19:00] Guy Retagliato Custodial Services Employee of the Year Yahaira Diaz-Bautista Information Technology Employee of the Year

[02:19:38] Megan Dieter, Digital Experience Specialist Professional Trades Employee of the Year Mark Seal, Shop Foreman Safety and Security Employee of the Year Wes Boucher, School Security Officer, Blue Ridge Middle School

[02:20:10] School Nutrition Services, Employee of the Year, Alec Lloyd, School Nutrition Manager, Academies of Loudoun.

[02:20:26] Support Staff, Employee of the Year, Karen Dawson, Division Counsel, Paralegal. This time we'll do a group picture for our Operational Awards Group and call our Instructional Awards winners.

[02:21:57] In our Instructional Awards Group, we congratulate the following individuals. Our four Substitutes of the Year. Joshua Labosky, Riverbend. Marcia Childs, Heritage High School.

[02:22:22] Sarah Simmons, Champ and Freedom High School. Debra O'Day, Sicklin Creek Elementary School.

[02:22:55] The Instructional Support Employee of the Year, Felice Hubbard, Teacher Assistant, Roundhill Elementary School. Administrative Support Employee of the Year, Carlina Feckle, Career Center Assistant, Heritage High School.

[02:23:18] Professional Employee of the Year Colette Bradley, Instructional Technology Facilitator Rosalie Carter Elementary Elementary, New Teacher of the Year Debbie Langsom, Madison's Trust Elementary

[02:23:49] Student Support Services Employee of the Year Jennifer Schrader School, New Teacher of the Year Lydia Siegford, J. Lupton Simpson Middle School

[02:24:19] High School, New Teacher of the Year Sophia Perrin, Lightridge High School Teacher of the Year and our 2026 nominee for Washington Post Teacher of the Year, Colleen Salley, Madison's Trust

[02:24:50] Elementary. Principal of the Year and our 2026 nominee for Washington Post Principal of the Year, Doug Anderson, Riverside High School.

[02:25:20] We are gathering for the group picture for our instructional awards group. I'd like to address the families of our award winners. We extend our deepest gratitude to you. Your unwavering support, encouragement, and understanding form the bedrock upon which your loved ones achieve such remarkable things we recognize that their dedication often

[02:25:55] extends beyond the school day and your sacrifices do not go unnoticed thank you for sharing these exceptional individuals with us their impact on our students is profound and it is a testament to the strong foundation you provide let's give one more round of applause to our 2025

[02:26:11] lcps annual award winners all right i think um we'll continue on with our school board meeting

[02:29:28] Continue on with item nine, the student school board representative comment. Tonight, our student school board representative is Nassiah Davis. Nassiah Davis is a senior at John Champ High School.

[02:29:45] She serves as the student body president and is passionate about leadership and advocacy. Nassiah holds key positions as vice president of the Black Student Union, first vice president of the NAACP John Champ Chapter, and president of the Jack and Jill of America's Loudoun County chapter.

[02:30:08] Nassaya is a varsity field hockey and lacrosse goalie, serving as captain of the field hockey team. She has completed over 320 hours of community service and is a lead ambassador for Educators Rising. She is currently in the teacher cadet program and reigns as John Champ's homecoming queen.

[02:30:32] Nasiya's platform, a student body president, focuses on fostering a welcoming and supportive environment for all students. She lives by the powerful motto, don't follow the given path, create your own. Nasiya will be attending the Ohio State University in the fall.

[02:30:54] Ms. Davis, the floor is yours. Thank you. Good evening, Chair Melinda Mansfield, Superintendent Dr. Aaron Spence, and esteemed members of the school board. Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight and for the incredible honor of serving as the student school board representative for John Champ High School this year.

[02:31:16] My name is Nasiya Davis, and I sit here filled with gratitude, pride, and love for a school that has shaped so much of who I am. This year has been one of milestones, memories, and meaningful moments. We've made history and continued legacies. Our DECA program saw over 150 students represent CHAMP at the State Leadership Conference, bringing home more than 75 awards, and 34 of our students advanced to compete at DECA's International Career Development Conference, ICDC, the most prestigious competition in the DECA world.

[02:31:51] That level of achievement speaks to the drive and determination of CHAMP students and the excellence of our CTE educators. In the arts, our Avalon Theater program reached new heights, competing at the VHSL State Theater Conference and earning five superior ratings for the first time in school history. Meanwhile, our music department continues to soar. We have been named a Virginia Honor Band for the 11th consecutive year, and just this past weekend, our jazz band earned superior ratings, the highest

[02:32:26] score possible at the District 16 VBODA assessment. That's not just talent, it's consistency, passion, and pride. And athletics gave us something unforgettable. This year, champ has been nothing sore of transformative. We celebrated unforgettable victories like our historic girls soccer team bringing home the school's first ever state championship. Our football team made it to the region championship third round and our wrestling team sending the most athletes to the state competition in school history an achievement that shows just how far passion and perseverance can

[02:33:04] take you but the champion's experience isn't just measured in our wins or ratings it's in the community we built but our victories have extended far beyond the scoreboard we've celebrated academic excellences, including several students recognized as national merit scholars, a reflection of the brilliance, dedication, and resilience within our halls. These achievements remind us that excellence at CHAMP doesn't just come in one form. It thrives in our classrooms, in our clubs, on our fields, and in our community. What makes our school truly exceptional, though, is its commitment to

[02:33:44] inclusivity. This year, clubs like Muslim Student Association, South Asian Student Association, Black Student Union, and Hispanic Association provide safe, empowering spaces where students can celebrate who they are and where they come from and connect with others and honor them. Being part of a campus that values diversity, student voice, and cultural expression has made all the difference. Students deserve to feel like they belong and at CHAMP we've worked hard to make that a reality. We also took steps towards safety while

[02:34:21] being well, thanks to the board and LCPS, the relocation of our main office to the front of the building wasn't just a construction project. It was a commitment to our peace of mind. Knowing our school is putting student safety first allows us to focus on what really matters: learning, connecting, and growing. Our Knights charge, character, honesty, respect, generate excellence has continued to be more than just words. It has shown in every event, every act of kindness, and every student who stepped up to lead. Over 200 students

[02:34:58] have been recognized for modeling this every day. From the joy of homecoming and our second annual Renaissance Fair to our powerful past the spirit day linking our seniors to our future nights, the magic of CHAMP was alive and present every single day.

[02:35:15] And it's a magic I hope never fades. To our CHAMP leaders, thank you. Ms. Sargent and our administration team, thank you for our leadership and belief in the power of students' voice. And to Ms. Carter and Ms. Hudson, thank you for walking beside us, mentoring us, and reminding us that leadership is about lifting others as we climb. To our school board and Dr. Spence, thank you for believing in student-centered education. Your commitment to including the students' voice has made a real difference. You haven't just asked us what

[02:35:51] we think, you've trusted us to act. That trust is what binds confidence, community, and future leaders. Finally, thank you to my family for being there and being my biggest cheerleaders. Your love, patience, and support has been my foundation to my journey. To my classmates, thank you for letting me lead. We built something beautiful and I will carry it with me as after we turn our tassels as I prepare to take my next steps I will carry with me not just lessons I've learned but the people the spirit and the pride of John Champ this school has taught me that leadership is about creating spaces where others can thrive and I am proud

[02:36:31] to have played a part in continuing that legacy thank you for the privilege to serve I will forever be a proud Champ Knight thank you thank you mrs. Davis for being here and for your comments um we will now move on to item 10 the superintendent's report presented by Dr. Aaron Spence our superintendent. Thank you madam chair and members of the board as always it's my pleasure to share some good news from around the school

[02:37:06] division this evening starting with if I could ask Ms. Tania Brown to please stand up. Tania Brown has been selected as the next principal of Freedom High School. Ms. Brown yes congratulations Ms. Brown currently serves as the assistant principal at Parkview High School and previously she was an assistant principal at Manassas Park Elementary School. During her career as an educator, she has served as a literacy specialist in Manassas Park City Public Schools, a literacy and history curriculum specialist in San Francisco Unified School System, and a teacher in the Charlotte

[02:37:44] Mecklenburg Schools and Chicago Public Schools. Ms. Brown, we welcome you to your new role and congratulate you again. I'd like to ask Dr. Brandon Wolfe to please stand up. We're pleased to note this evening that Dr. Wolfe has been selected to join the Department of School Leadership as the executive principal for alternative education programs in schools. Congratulations. Since 2017, Dr. Wolfe has been the principal of Potomac Falls High School. Previously, he was the principal of

[02:38:20] the Davis Career Center in Fairfax County Public Schools. He also served as dean of students at Falls Church High School. Dr. Wolfe began his career as a special education teacher at the Summit Academy in Butler, Pennsylvania. Dr. Wolfe, we welcome you to your new role and congratulate you. Well, this week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and during this week, we want to celebrate all of our wonderful teachers and ask our community members, families, parents, and students to do the same. Our teachers' commitment, innovation, and leadership shape and guide the journey of our students and our teachers show up every day with heart, creativity, and an incredible set of skills.

[02:39:00] I'm so proud and appreciative of the work they do. So for me and all of us in LCPS, thank you, and we appreciate you. I'm pleased to note that LCPS has partnered with the Loudon Education Foundation and Amazon to provide additional hands-on STEM enrichment to our students.

[02:39:17] LCPS, the LEF, and Amazon celebrated the launch of this partnership with a ribbon-cutting of a new Think Big Corner at Potomac Elementary School on April 29th. In total, four schools, Forest Grove, Frederick Douglass, Guilford, and Potomac Elementary Schools will all receive a Think Big Corner.

[02:39:34] These corners are a smaller version of the Amazon Think Big Space that was launched at Simpson middle school in 2022 and will provide a creative learning environment for students to explore stem technology and lessons we are grateful for amazon's continued commitment to our students futures and the incredible support of our community partners also want to note that 15 lcps schools and more than 780 students participated in this year's run the greenway which is an annual race held on the dullest greenway these students were among more than 2400 runners who in addition to to participating in five and 10K runs were raising funds for causes across Loudoun County.

[02:40:14] Run the Greenway was the perfect lead-in to the LCPS Week of Play, a division-wide celebration of physical activity, wellness, and community connection happening this week. This initiative invites students, staff, families, and community partners to incorporate movement into their daily routines.

[02:40:29] And in addition to support the Week of Play, many schools across the county are planning to participate by focusing on creative movement activities, promoting fun, fitness, and connection. Family and consumer science students from Belmont Ridge, Blue Ridge, Eagle Ridge, Stonehill, and Trailside Middle Schools rolled up their sleeves, grabbed their piping bags, and let their creativity take center stage at the second annual LCPS Cake Wars hosted at Trailside Middle School.

[02:40:58] This year's theme candy shop inspired some truly show-stopping creations which wowed friends, family, and a panel of community judges. Through this fun activity, families and consumer science students build real-world skills, in particular teamwork, communication, creativity, problem-solving, and financial literacy.

[02:41:17] A huge thank you to our incredible FACTS teachers for bringing learning to life and to our community judges for supporting our students' talents. Next, more than 800 students from 35 LCPS schools participated in the Special Olympics Feet Meet hosted by Loudoun Valley High School on April the 23rd.

[02:41:35] The Special Olympics Feet Meet is an opportunity for students of all abilities to participate in an inclusive track and field event and to enjoy a day of sports, teamwork, and friendship. This year's event, which included over 200 volunteers from Loudoun Valley High School, was the third year that Loudoun Valley High School has hosted a Special Olympics Feet Meet.

[02:41:55] We also want to note that the Minority Student Achievement Advisory Council held its annual equity and awards ceremony on Saturday at the historic Frederick Douglass High School. The theme of this year's event was Together in Joy, and capped off a year of celebrating the power of joy in our work.

[02:42:12] Dr. Charles Barrett, LCPS school psychologist, built on this theme with a keynote address on seizing joy. The highlight of the event was the recognition of the 2025 MSAC award winners, including students, teachers, administrators, and schools. Through their work and actions, these individuals continue to seek to make LCPS a more inclusive community.

[02:42:32] We want to thank you, MSAC, for creating such a wonderful event and to all who strive to make LCPS a more equitable place for our students to thrive. And then finally, I want to share some incredible news from the Department of Support Services. Over the last two summers, as part of the Critical Systems Renewal Program, Support Services has completed extensive upgrades to Ashburn Elementary School to improve air quality, enhance occupant comfort, and reduce energy consumption.

[02:42:56] Some of the energy-efficient upgrades installed at Ashburn Elementary included geothermal wellfield, an updated HVAC system, LED lighting, and a roof-mounted solar array. These energy-efficient upgrades enabled the school to reduce energy consumption and produce enough energy on-site to support all of the school's electrical needs without impacting occupant comfort, enabling Ashburn Elementary to achieve zero energy status, which is demonstrated by the utility bill on the screen, which indicates that zero kilowatt hours of electricity were purchased after full system integration which is a reduction of more than nine thousand

[02:43:33] dollars and heating and electrical costs incurred during the same time last year support services is currently implementing similar upgrades at balls bluff elementary schools and is anticipating comparable results and madam chair that concludes my report thank you dr spence and with that we will move on to item 11 our public comment and i'll read the public procedures 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

[02:44:11] outreach are important components of a successful school system. Speakers must limit comments to the time allotted. Based on the number of speakers in the agenda this evening, all speakers have been allotted one minute each for public comment. Please be advised that speakers who miss their time slot will not be called at a later time all audience members shall maintain civility decorum and respect for the functioning and the dignity of the school board at all times please remain seated unless arriving departing speaking at the podium or during a break violations of civility decorum

[02:44:50] and respect include shouting heckling jeering applause or other noise which disrupts or delays the meeting, obstructing speakers from being able to see the school board and vice versa, interrupting speakers, attempting to speak when not called to do so by the chair, and approaching a speaker or otherwise attempting to intimidate, disparage, or distract a speaker, staff member, or other meeting attendees. Speakers should refrain from vulgarity, obscenities, defamation,

[02:45:23] profanity, or other like breaches of respect, nor made 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. Speakers should communicate those concerns to their school principal or an appropriate school official the school board requests that comments on an individual student

[02:46:00] or employee related matter not be shared at public meetings where the disclosure could violate applicable confidentiality requirements i do want to take a moment to clarify a few things as i've explained previously speakers can personally identify a student or employee without stating a student's or employee's names that is personally identifiable information is any information that a reasonable person can link together to pinpoint an individual student or

[02:46:34] employee and where that individual student or employee is known to others in their school and surrounding community based on the context that is shared. The school board welcomes you to share your concerns but asks that to the extent you have prepared remarks that target, criticize, or attack any individual students or employees, you generalize such remarks to ensure compliance with board policy. For example, comments that target, criticize, or attack a student or an

[02:47:11] employee, or a student or an employee from a specific name school, or a student or an employee with any characteristics where the information would personally identify that student or employee to others in the school or broader LCPS community would violate school board policy.

[02:47:35] However, comments that discuss general concerns with students or employees at schools and do not target, criticize, or attack an individual, identifiable student, or employee are permissible.

[02:47:53] Under school board policy, I, as the school board chair, am charged with the responsibility to maintain order during school board meetings and accordingly when reasonable i will warn of breaches of decorum civility and respect and i ask speakers to read and i'll ask speakers to redirect their comments prior to possibly discontinuing individual speaking privileges or taking other actions to preserve the civility decorum and orally conduct of such meeting such

[02:48:26] action includes calling a recess in order to maintain and or restore order. If speakers fail to comply with school board policy regarding public participation, you will receive a warning and a request to redirect or generalize your comments. Should you fail to redirect or generalize your comments after that warning, you may be asked to yield the microphone, at which time you should yield the microphone as well as the floor and take your seat and I will then call the next speaker

[02:49:01] to the extent necessary I will also warn of breaches of decorum civility and respect from attendees prior to taking other actions to preserve the orderly conduct of the meeting speakers should face the dais and direct their comments to the school board per school board 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 for the remainder of the meeting

[02:49:35] repeated or persistent violations of decorum or civility by the audience may result in on the decision of the chair public comment being tabled until a later point in the 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 school board members should be given to the public information officer in the media box at the back of the boardroom before the start of the meeting. Please provide 12 copies of the materials. Under no circumstances

[02:50:09] 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. We will now start with our virtual public comment. And our first one for the night

[02:50:36] is Barbara Davis. We do not have a virtual participant by that name. Okay. We will now move on to Ashley Long, followed by Vicky Zhang. Whenever you start, the minute will start.

[02:51:11] Good evening. My name is Ashley Long. I believe all board members have seen the video where my five-year-old son Ethan was racially harassed and bullied by a middle schooler. Today I'm not here to discuss what happened. I'm here to ask what are we going to do to make sure this never happens again, not to Ethan, not to any child in AOCPS. Because if there are no consequences, if there's no clear policy to protect the children from racial harm, then how can we trust this school

[02:51:45] district to keep our kids safe. This isn't just about holding one bully accountable. It's about whether LCPS is willing to protect every child, especially students of color, from hate, from fear, from silence. We demand a timeline. We demand action. We need to know what are you doing right now to make sure this never happens again. Thank you. Thank you. Please hold the applause. Excuse me.

[02:52:17] - Please hold your applause, there's no applause. I said that during the beginning of my script. There's no applause, you can do this. But no applause, thank you. All right, our next person is Vicky Zhang, followed by Manxin Sui.

[02:52:43] - Hi, my name is Vicky. I'm also a mother of five-year-old child. I echoed every single word that Ashley has just shared, which brought us today about this incident happened recently. Don't hurt me. That's what a five-year-old child said, crying, confused, heartbroken.

[02:53:02] And I ask all of you guys here, what if that were your child, your grandchild, someone you deeply loved? This is London County in 2025, not 1960. Yet the pain and bravery of Ruby Bridges still echo today because racism and bully are not history.

[02:53:19] They are here, they are now. We thank the board for past effort, but we need more, much more. We need real consequences. We need clear policies. We need education that teaches not just academics, but humanity.

[02:53:35] When hate harms the child, accountability must follow. This is your moment to lead. Not with words, but with action. No child in London should ever have to cry. - Thank you. Megan, let's see.

[02:53:52] Manchin Sui, followed by Trent Shimizov. - Good evening, everyone. My name is Manchin Kiu. I'm a resident in Loudoun County and a mom of a two-year-old boy who will enroll our college, sorry, in our Eagle Ridge Middle School in future.

[02:54:16] I believe you have heard the incident that a five-year-old boy was cornered, harassed by a mid-schooler from our Loudoun County. - Timekeeper, please stop the timer. If, I would appreciate if you please refrain from talking about names of schools or-- - From our Loudoun County.

[02:54:33] - Yeah, it should be-- - Yeah, I just say that. From our Loudoun County with all ethnic slurs. So I believe there is good, true, fundamental principle which is straightforward and non-negotiable. The school should be safe, happen so kids can grow and learn without fear.

[02:54:50] Inspired from the unfortunate situation, my question is beyond the parenting, what is our school's role here? It happened off campus, and highly likely it happened on campus, maybe daily. It is happening, it happened, and it will happen.

[02:55:05] if we do not do anything about it. We deserve the procedure. It is perfect time for us to align with the schools, to understand the procedure, what we're going to do about it. Let the vulnerable children know beyond the tears there are many effective ways to defend themselves with peers, schools, and parents.

[02:55:23] Thank you. Trent Chemazov. Chemazov, followed by Samuel Leon. Good evening.

[02:55:47] My name is Trent Chemazov, and I'm a senior at Heritage High School. Over my four years as a high schooler, Seven of my friends have been sexually assaulted, and not one of their assaulters have been brought to justice. My anecdotal statistic does not cover the hundreds of reported and unreported cases of sexual assault across Lyon County Public Schools.

[02:56:06] According to the investigative reporting workshop of American University from 2021 to 2022, 159 sexual assault complaints were received by LCPS, but zero Title IX investigations were opened. This has continually been swept under the rug.

[02:56:22] How long will my friends keep having panic attacks from seeing their assaulters in the hallways at school? How many times will my friends have to leave class to go puke in the restroom because they have to share space with their abusers? When will we stop ignoring these crimes and start protecting students? Along with many other changes, we need Title IX reforms.

[02:56:39] It's time for LCPS to start living up to its promises. Thank you, I yield my time to the chair. - Thank you. Please, excuse me, please keep your applause. That's the second warning.

[02:56:56] - All right, we'll move on to Samuel Yan, followed by Ha Tang. - Good evening, my name is Samuel Yan, long-time resident of Loudoun County. Today I want to address the hard-bought issue about a five-year-old Chinese boy being bullied and humiliated by Loudoun Public School students.

[02:57:18] Loudoun Public School can show the knowledge of the issues happening in this community, be it bullying, hate incidents, and racial harassment exposed on internet and the broadcasting in the national level, TV, be it drug overdose, happen to our community, to our students.

[02:57:37] Writing briefly and forcefully to show that your leadership, that the series about education and responsibility. Take the issue into your hands and find solutions. I have some suggestions, including letting student parents know hate crime, a federal crime that can be prosecuted.

[02:57:58] Student conduct and behavior and conduct to cover outside schools, not just the five or six hours at school. Thank you. Please yield the mic. Please yield the mic. I also need to remind you, a student, no, students, schools, not a school, just to keep with our policy, please.

[02:58:21] Thank you. All right, the next is Ha Tang, followed by Kevin Zhu. Good evening, Madam Chair and members of the board. My name is Ha, and this is my first Lawton County School Board meeting because of the horrendous video that has circulated of the child being tormented to the point where he was calling for help and it was being posted as a form of entertainment for views.

[02:58:47] This prompted me to wonder what the students at LCPS were taught about bullying. Are they taught by standard interventions? What do they do when they see bullying and do they see their families know of resources provided by the school and counties if they're bullied?

[02:59:04] I believe that more of our students are able to learn about cultures and history. They'll be able to grow their understanding and differences within our community and be kinder. What is being taught in schools about Asian American and overall diverse history so our students can be knowledgeable about the cultural differences and embrace rather than mock one another.

[02:59:26] Punitive disciplinary action are harmful to our students. It is important that our students feel safe, be able to learn and grow, and accept it in the community. Thank you. Next one is Kevin Zhu, followed by Yi Xia Pu.

[02:59:46] Good evening, esteemed board members. My name is Kevin. Unfortunately, the bullying video is just one of many recent incidences of Chinese Americans not feeling welcome.

[03:00:02] A recent survey conducted by the Committee of 100 on the state of Chinese Americans in 2024 showed that 68% of respondents face discrimination at least once a month on average. We need to resolve this negative atmosphere by changing the environment these students grow up in to see people as more than just cultural stereotypes.

[03:00:28] Media, parents, and the educational environment all play a role in making a more positive direction. I asked the board to present specific steps to ensure that students treat everyone with the dignity that they themselves expect. Thank you for your time.

[03:00:45] Thank you. Geisha Poo, followed by Yan Yan Mai. Good evening. I'm speaking as a concerned member of the Loudoun County community following the heartbreaking video of a five-year-old boy being harassed with racial slurs by middle schoolers, recorded, shared, and met with laughter.

[03:01:11] This child was targeted for his ethnicity on his own front porch. LCPS reported nearly 900 instances of hate speech last year, yet we still lack consistent accountability and prevention counseling is important but it cannot be the only response we cannot tolerate this behavior racist harassment even by a minor must be taken seriously discipline education and accountability must go hand in hand we need stronger responses to hate and real support for families impacted by it we chose this district for its values

[03:01:45] now we ask you to live up to them let this be the moment we commit to real change clear policies firm consequences, and a safe, respectful environment for every student. Thank you.

[03:01:57] Thank you. Yan Yun Mai, followed by Jianhua Zhang. I don't know Yan Yun Mai. Is it Jianhua Zhang?

[03:02:28] Good evening, everyone. This is Jianhua Zhang. I'm a kindergarten teacher. I want to say this is bullying, obvious bullying. Schools failed to fulfill its teaching responsibilities, and parents also.

[03:02:46] Students should be pressured to the maximum extent and parents should be held accountable to sound the alarm. I want to say the whole incident is very clear.

[03:03:02] We don't need to keep investigating until the next similar incident. We need to see what the schools do. How many school shootings in the United States were caused by bullying? And I think a school has more data than me. Many people say that we should take care of the perpetrator as a child and pay attention to his physical and mental health.

[03:03:24] That aunt, they aunt our victim child, what about his physical and mental health? He needed to see justice in the United States. Thank you. Alexander Stimson, followed by Wing Jung.

[03:03:42] Like many people here, I became aware of the bullying and hate speech incident targeting a young boy in our community when it was widely shared online. Like others, at first I was shocked, then saddened, then angry.

[03:04:03] I was further upset upon seeing the response sent out by email that was wholly inadequate to the scope of this tragedy. There was no apology, no clear consequences. While this incident was tragic, it is also an opportunity. It's more than an opportunity. It is a duty. A duty to show that our community does not accept this type of behavior. A duty to protect the vulnerable in our population and to show them that we will protect them. My kids are here today. What message are you sending them in others? If you choose to act swiftly and decisively, it will send a message

[03:04:40] that we stand for our community members and do not tolerate this now or ever. If you choose not to act it will show that there are no consequences my kids either way will get thank you thank you wing jung followed by alex yang hi everyone my name is wing i'm an engineer and a business owner living in this area i wanted to make some comments on the incident where the five-year-old boy ethan got racially harassed by an older student i think what happened to eden is that it's an indication

[03:05:20] of a potential failure of the system that is supposed to protect and educate our kids to be kind and respectful to others. If a kid can do such bad things to others at this young age, can you imagine what he's gonna do when he grow up? And we only find out about this incident and treat this seriously because the video is posted online. What about the other cases out there that we are not aware of? Who's gonna help them? If I were to be pessimistic about this, which I should be, I would assume that the majority of our kids have been or will be treated like that. And we don't want that to happen. That's why we demand action, better

[03:05:57] education, training program, and also actual consequences for the individuals involved. Thank you. Thank you. Alex Yang, followed by Christopher Burns. Hello, good evening. My name is Alex Yang. I'm a parent of six-year-old Bowie in Northern County Park School and I serve as an engineering judge in Northern County Regional Science and Engineering Fair. As a parent and a community member, I'm so disappointed by school's daily response to the incidents. Our ethic and safety

[03:06:35] education being actively taught in our schools. We request school and the board to use the harassment instance as an opportunity to work on and we follow up with the with the implement meaningful programs to address the racial harassment and student safety. As a tax payers we invest this school district to ensure our children receive not only the best education but are safe and the respective environment. It's unaccessible to see students demonstrating a lack of even the most

[03:07:10] basic ethics behavior. Thank you very much. We demand reasonable timely accountability. Thank you so much. Thank you. Chris Burns followed by Jennifer Travis. My name is Chris Burns. I'm speaking on behalf of my son who is a freshman at a Loudoun County school and involved in performing arts there. His teacher was recently terminated pending a hearing. I want to speak on the positive

[03:07:44] impact that this teacher has had on my son. My son came to high school having not quite found his place. Thankfully, a teacher connected with him. As they worked together, I saw something in my son that I'd never seen before. Excitement about school. Excitement specifically to work with this teacher. Some examples of how this teacher helped my son over the past year. When our transfer request was initially rejected due to my son's need for an IEP, this teacher jumped in and helped navigate the red tape and get them approved. When during the school year it was discovered that my

[03:08:22] son needed additional support, this teacher sat with us during IEP meetings to make sure his needs were clearly identified and appropriate accommodations were provided. I'm sorry the minute kind of goes fast. Thank you. Jennifer Travis followed by Aubrey Travis.

[03:08:57] The environment at my child's high school surrounding the theater program has become divisive and deeply concerning. Parents Parents have repeatedly requested meetings with school leadership to ensure the future of this beloved program, including the dual enrollment theater classes unique to our school.

[03:09:14] But those requests have been denied by school administration. On May 2nd, during Tarzan's opening weekend, parents were locked out of the backstage area due to unverified concerns that some may not have the student's best interests at heart. At every performance, three to four security officers, including a sheriff and an administrator were present, creating a feeling of high-risk situation rather than a celebration of our students' achievements. These retaliatory actions, locking out supportive parents, casting us as potential threats, and shutting down dialogue because we're advocating for our children are tearing at the fabric of our school community. This is not the school we know and love. We can

[03:09:51] do better. We must do better. Please bring him back. Thank you. Aubrey Travis, followed by Eric Hi, my name is Aubrey Travis. I am a sophomore at an LCPS high schools. Since teachers were dismissed on April 1st, I've been devastated as someone with ADHD and severe anxiety. They were one of the few people who truly supported me. In fall 2024, I was struggling, losing confidence

[03:10:26] and picking at my skin. They were the only teacher who noticed. They gave me a fidget toy I still carry, reminding me to stop picking and even connected me with the school social workers. That support changed everything since their departure. I started slipping again. I'm distracted anxious and heartbroken Their absence has left a hole in our theater community Their classroom was a sanctuary for anyone who needed to talk vent cry or simply feel seen and heard They helped students become the best version of themselves through kindness support and unwavering belief in our potential I'm begging you. Please bring back my teachers my mentors and the person who helped me survive. Thank you

[03:11:06] Thank you. Eric Sutton followed by Kaylee Rivers. Good evening. I'm here to ask the school board to immediately step in and reinstate the theater teacher that was recently dismissed.

[03:11:28] I've had two daughters go through his program. I can never repay that man for what he's done for my children. My junior who's there now, she was bullied viciously in middle school. she was excluded and he created a safe environment for her and has her confidence level she just choreographed um the school um musical that they just had um i can't say enough good things about him he's a good man and um i think what he was dismissed for um sets a very dangerous precedent

[03:12:03] of where you are holding him to a different and higher standard than a football coach even a band director that tells a student that they can't come to a show because they've missed rehearsal. Please step in and be the pragmatic leaders. Thank you. Kaylee Rivers followed by Corey Brunet. My name is Kaylee Rivers and I'm a senior in an Ashburn high school. I've been a part of the theater program there for nine years now under the same leadership of our now removed

[03:12:43] directors. Our directors have made a promise to me in eighth grade that they would stay through my senior year when I decided that driving 42 miles round trip was worth the hassle for their program, but that promise was forcefully broken on April 1st when they were removed from their position at our school. I'm not only here to selfishly ask you to reinstate them as our theater teacher and director, for me and the rest of the seniors, but for the underclassmen as well who need their guidance and direction. They are the heart of our performing arts program and we are nothing without them our administration isn't helping me personally so i ask you please look into how and why they were

[03:13:21] wrongfully removed and please bring them back thank you thank you corey brunet followed by derek forney my name is corey brunet and i'm an english learner teacher at broad run high school thank you for your vote on the proposed changes to the retiree health care plan at the last meeting saying not now and for sending it to a subcommittee for further study this vote was unusual because it was unanimous but what was quite usual was your concern and

[03:13:59] support for lcps employees each of you truly walked the talk with that vote we are thankful and we will remember lcps will never outperform its educators thank you derek forney followed by omar butt good evening my name is derek forney i'm a junior at lcps school i've been part of the theater program for three years now and my theater teacher's determination has greatly impacted all the lives of the people in our theater program. His absence has made me not

[03:14:39] want to be in school and I feel like my safe space has been revoked for me. Every single day I go to his class I remember his kindness, passion, humor, and his creativity that he spread throughout the whole company. The school and program no longer feels complete or safe without him. Our director, teacher and mentor was removed from our school unfairly and wrongly please look into how he was ripped from our school and bring him back to us thank you thank you omir but followed by paul

[03:15:08] marjali good evening my name is omir but i'm here to address two issues first for all i am a father of two and both of the kids are going to rosalie carter elementary school sorry i forgot about not mentioning secondly uh the issue that happened the incident that happened recently uh where a kid suffered racial slurs, we need to take action very swiftly so we can set up an example for these kind of issues not to happen again. Secondly, we tell our kids to learn from our mistakes.

[03:15:47] It seems like our board members maybe are not learning. Policy 8040, ever since this has been created, has caused a lot of issues, a lot of concerns. There are parents and students living in fear most recent one happening just a few days ago reported so i urge you guys learn from our mistakes it's okay to make changes that make safety back to our kids thank you thank you

[03:16:19] palmer jolly followed by amy ricardi when you have adhd you don't fit in everywhere like everybody else does a lot of times focusing can feel like tensing a muscle so naturally theater was one of only places i could really express myself somewhere i can move somewhere i can physically express

[03:16:53] myself so um when my theater director was taken away from me it kind of hit me hard in all my six years of knowing this man he had never given up on me once not when i got knocked down not when it took me over a year to get back up and not during the most scary moment of my life back in january i was hit by a car seeing his face in the hospital room was seriously the most relieving

[03:17:25] of my life. It was the most relieving moment of my entire life. He's brought together groups of people who would never even think twice about each other to a community who serves one common goal. This is why I will never, ever stop fighting for him, no matter what it takes. Thank you.

[03:17:46] Thank you. Amy Riccardi, followed by Devin Riley. Good evening. The doubling down on the 80-40 policy has created so many issues for this school system. And I know that you guys are getting ready to just continue going down this path, but you actually have an opportunity now to course correct and do the right thing and listen to the parents that come to your school board meetings week after week asking for change.

[03:18:18] I know it's not something you guys want to do, but it's something that you really need to consider. It's going to have impacts on our Title I schools, seven of which are in Sterling Park, and they're performing 13 to 37% lower than any other LCPS schools in every single subject.

[03:18:37] We need to have resources available to them, not cobbling together finances from some other pot of money in order to support our kids, because you've forfeited the federal funding for Title I schools. All of these decisions you make have trickled down to not only about 80-40, but to all of our Title I kids that really need the support.

[03:19:00] Thank you. Devin Riley, followed by Tumei Harding. I'm here tonight to ask LCPS to create a separate competitive salary scale for for program special education teachers.

[03:19:20] Because right now you're not only facing a staffing crisis, you're failing your special education students. My son is once again without a teacher. We've received fabricated report cards, falsified IEP reports, and inaccurate communication logs. He has denied access to art, music, library.

[03:19:38] It wasn't until the week after spring break, after months of advocacy, that he stepped foot in the school library. These failures don't align with what LCPS claims to uphold. They don't align with federal education law. After speaking with teachers, specialists, administrators, leadership, it is painfully clear this division is under-resourced and underfunded.

[03:19:59] Parents have to spend thousands of dollars on advocates just to ensure that their children receive the services they are legally entitled to. This is systemic failure. I understand there is little reward for these systems. There's no blue ribbon recognition for special education, Thank you. Tumay Harding, followed by Seth Wolf.

[03:20:22] Members of the school board, I am Tumay Harding, a concerned Loudon parent here with concerns over the recent Title IX investigation at a Loudon County high school where three boys are being accused of sexual harassment based on a recording of a private conversation taken in a locker room.

[03:20:42] Such recording is clearly against school policy. The recording should be the subject of disciplinary action. Do you find it concerning that your Title IX team has withheld the recording from the boys and their parents? Can you please stop the timer real quick?

[03:20:58] If you could please refrain from targeting or attacking or criticizing a student. It could be reasonably identified by naming a school or identifying other information that could otherwise identify a student. Could you be more clear because I said boys in Loudoun County School?

[03:21:15] I'm sorry? Could you be more clear because I said boys and Loudoun County school? Z. Z. Okay, got it. Thank you for the correction. Boys and their parents. And we need to also be just... Pardon? We just need to be more generalized, please.

[03:21:35] The Title IX team has withheld the recording from the boys and their parents, or that this entire investigation is predicted on the complete defiance of current state law and executive orders concerning Title IX. These are among many important questions we should be asking your Title IX team.

[03:21:54] These boys and their parents deserve to be treated fairly. Thank you. Thank you. Seth Wolfe, followed by Renee Smith. Good evening, members of the school board.

[03:22:12] My name is Seth Wolfe, and I'm here as a concerned parent to address the confusion caused by overlapping policies. Loudoun County Policy 840, Virginia State Guidelines and the Federal Protection under Title IX. Title IX was created to protect students from discrimination and ensure safe, equal access to education.

[03:22:29] It was never intended to be mixed with local policies like 840, which address specific issues like gender identity. By allowing these policies to overlap, we are creating a very environment Title IX is meant to guard against, one filled with confusion, mistrust, and unequal treatment. Students are left unsure of their rights. Parents are sidelined, unclear of their roles.

[03:22:47] Teachers are caught in the middle, struggling to reconcile conflicting directives. Instead of fostering safety and inclusion, this overlap creates fear, division, and lack of accountability. I urge the board to revisit policy 840, align it with the state and federal guidelines while respecting Title IX's purpose as a broad anti-discriminatory measures.

[03:23:07] We need clear, consistent policies that create trust, not confusion for students, parents, and staff. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Renee Smith. Good evening. I'm here to speak on behalf of my son who has been wrongfully accused of a Title IX violation. In truth, he is the victim of a Title IX violation, ignored and unsupported by the very system that is supposed to protect him. LCPS was notified multiple times that my son felt

[03:23:47] uncomfortable in the boys' locker room. These concerns were dismissed. As a result, video recordings of my son and other students were taken in a space which is a severe breach of their privacy, dignity, and safety. Our children are the most valuable gift we have, entrusted to your care each day. When we send them to school, we expect the same protection we would give them at home. The district's failure to act on known concerns didn't just endanger my son, it failed every student involved, including the complainant. This isn't just a policy failure, it's a moral

[03:24:23] one i urge this board to acknowledge these systemic failures immediately drop the title i investigation against my please yield the mic thank you thank you thank you all right um thank you everyone for coming out today and for providing your public comment um board members at this time

[03:24:57] we'll take a short recess and we'll come back around 8 10 the board's now recess the board is

[03:39:47] back from recess and we will continue with item 12 in our action items starting with 12.01 um department of teaching and learning english six through eight primary resources adoption presented by actually i don't think we have to present because it's a action item so do i have a motion yes miss shirnoff thank you madam chair i move that the loudon county school board adopt savas my perspectives for grade six through eight english i have a motion by miss shirnoff do i have second second I have a second by vice chair Donahue it's been properly moved

[03:40:26] and seconded would you like to speak to your motion ms Chernoff thank you madam chair um yes I mean as was presented I think a couple of weeks maybe a month ago now this new middle school adoption I took some time to look at the materials and more importantly I feel I took some time to engage the department chairs at our various middle schools and understand their process and how they evaluate this how they cast their votes and I really do feel that this is what they want and this is something that they feel

[03:41:04] comfortable with I think that teacher buy-in right now more than ever is really important and I felt like it was the clear favorite and after public comments were allowed over the last month, it confirmed that, and so I am making that motion and hoping that we will adopt what they are in favor of. Thank you, Ms. Chernoff. Is there any other discussion from anyone? So I'll just say mine. I have been a part of the science of reading advocacy for about 10 years, and I'll be the first to say that picking out curriculum is difficult.

[03:41:38] It's complex, and there hasn't been a lot of publishing companies that have aligned their materials to the science of reading. That's a newer endeavor, and it's a process. Publishing companies have a lot of money, strong sales and marketing arms, and extremely skilled lobbyists.

[03:41:58] So even with the best intentions in state laws, the state curriculum lists end up with items that are still not aligned with the science of reading due to either financial or political pressure. State lists are long on basals and short on high quality options, and the Virginia state list is no exception. There are options on that list, quite frankly, that have left me scratching my head.

[03:42:21] So how does a district pick? And really, how does a district pick a literacy curriculum when they're in the process of reteaching teachers and reading specialists how to teach reading and how to align their instruction to the science of reading? And then after we pick that curriculum, what does the curriculum say about a school district? Districts that select knowledge building curriculum designed around rich hold books say one thing. Districts that cling to balanced literacy, request reading recovery teachers and hold on to outdated practices, says another. And districts that select bloated curriculum from major publishers indicate that the district may not be super savvy about

[03:42:55] options. And it results in teachers choosing their own adventure in classrooms. And I know I was part of the first process, but I'm afraid that teachers probably have now come to find out that into reading is also a bloated basal. But to be fair, the other choices that were picked at the time, benchmark, and wonders were just the same. So I truly wish we had time to pilot the curriculum options so that teachers could see exactly how effective the curriculum is or not. The efficacy of curriculum is something that's missing in ed reports and even in our state list. And I guess

[03:43:32] we could have hired a third party like the Reading League or Ensel, the National Center for Improving Literacy, RMC Research, to help us work through better and worse options. However, hiring a third parties not in our policy. But perhaps C&I will consider adding that in the future. Therefore, we're giving the recommendation of Savas My Perspectives, which is again a bloated basal reading program, which is everything including the kitchen sink. And I think we need to do better.

[03:44:02] The one thing that we heard a lot from teachers about UFLY was that it was concise, specific, easily, you know, it was very easily implemented. So I do have a substitute motion that the Loudoun County School Board adopt Amplify for grades 6 to 8 English? I was second. Second. Second by Ms.

[03:44:33] Chandler. It's been probably moved and seconded. I kind of spoke to my motion, but does anybody else have any other discussion? Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Madam Chair. And you and I have been in this partnership of literacy for a long time. And I will say that during the elementary adoption, the K-3, I was not on the school board, but I was also on the literacy committee. And at that time, the educators wanted something different than HMH benchmark, and then the community chimed in more for HMH, and we ended up going with what the community wanted. This has been a long journey

[03:45:11] for me as well, but we have these processes in place for teachers to be able to examine these curriculums. And one of the teachers that I spoke to in asking them, which one did you prefer, asked me, why are you asking me that question? Savas was the clear favorite from not only our school, but from many other schools. And it was preferred across all three grade levels. And she said, why are we not trusting the majority of our teachers to make the best decisions for our

[03:45:43] students when we are on the front lines doing the work in classrooms every single day? And I have to agree with this perspective in this case, and I, you know, looking at it myself and with my literacy background, I do feel a little bit like we are splitting hairs here, and this was the clear favorite by the community and the teachers, and I just feel like we will send a message about our processes towards our educators that says, yeah, we hear you, but no thanks. So I am not going to support Amplify. I understand that you've been in the trenches with this work, but this is just

[03:46:22] one time that we're probably going to disagree I can appreciate that but I wouldn't be who I am if I didn't bring it up because I know what's going on around the country and I understand the the teacher voice and I also understand that there's been a lot of training that's had to be done so and that's just the reality of it right now and it's going to have to stay that way until

[03:46:54] our colleges decide to do better so there are third parties that we could have also helped help with this process and it's just not in our policy which is too bad so this was I understand it probably won't pass because people want to do the processes and I hope that we take a better

[03:47:28] look in the future because I really do think something part that's what's missing is how efficient how with the efficacy of these curriculum because we just don't know that yet yeah go ahead just one more thing i was thinking about while you were we're talking um i know that as a nation we're really facing this issue with literacy it's not just virginia it's not just lehman county but i have been extremely encouraged and i know you mentioned a bloated basil which

[03:48:01] obviously makes is tough i don't love it i never have um i'm worried about the love of reading falling away in lieu of systematic but I will say I have been so encouraged over the last year of the journey that we've been on with HMH because of the training that our teachers have done that Loudoun County stood up and said we're going to do before other districts before the state mandated it this team and their people took that on and said we're going to get ahead of it and I have heard from teachers firsthand and seen in classrooms where teachers are using that knowledge

[03:48:39] from letters, from science of reading, from UFLY even, um, to really tackle HMH with the appropriate lens and to do best practices that they know serve students. And I have no doubt that no matter what curriculum we choose, that will happen. And I just think that denying what they would want could be a backwards step for us that I'm not willing to take. Um, but I hope that we can take solace in the fact that we are doing everything we can on our end even though our colleges aren't and i know you and i are united in that fight um that we are taking it on ourselves

[03:49:16] to make sure that our teachers know what's best for their kids and i hope that that training continues in uh in uh in letters and other interventions um because i think then we won't have this conversation about curriculum it wouldn't be as important because you would be able to know um but i think right now we're kind of in the beginning stages of that so anyway if there's no more discussion uh my motion's on the table um and we can move forward with the vote clerk

[03:49:56] please open the vote board members please this is amplify board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote and that motion doesn't pass with um okay so that with Mrs. Griffiths, Dr. Deans, Vice Chair Donahue, Mr. Estreffi, Ms. Chernoff, and Ms. LaBelle in opposition, and then Dr. Rashid absent for the vote. So we will go back up to the substitute

[03:50:35] motion. I mean, we'll go back up to the original motion to adopt my perspectives. Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote.

[03:50:57] And that motion passes 6-1 with Ms. Griffiths abstaining for the vote and Ms. Mansfield in opposition. All right, moving on to 12.02, Department of Teaching and Learning, Math K-12, Primary Resources Adoption, presented.

[03:51:16] Well, actually, do I have a motion? Yes, Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the Loudoun County School Board adopt all recommended resources for the mathematics grades K-12. I have a motion by Ms. Chernoff. Do I have a second? Second.

[03:51:32] I have a second by Vice Chair Donahue. Do you want to speak to your motion? Ms. Chernoff. Pretty much similar reasoning for this one is that this is what the county has recommended through the process that we hold.

[03:51:48] I did have an opportunity to see so many beautiful hands-on components of this, which I know we've discussed in terms of intervention many times. So I'm excited to move forward with the new math curriculum. - Is there any discussion?

[03:52:04] - Yes, Ms. Griffiths. - Thank you, Madam Chair. Per this mathematics curriculum, it says mathematics resource adoption appendix, page 19, criteria three, present content in an accurate, unbiased manner.

[03:52:20] Resources represent diverse perspectives and experiences. Resources support culturally responsive instruction for all learners. I had mentioned before that math and other subjects like English are not biased. I am not sure where this came from and why are we, why we are proceeding to push this narrative. I don't believe we should be destroying basic concepts of English or math by trying to insinuate they are culturally, there are culturally responsive issues in these subjects.

[03:52:52] I have seen no proof of that. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Griffiths. Is there any other discussion to the motion? Seeing no more discussion, we will go ahead and move forward with the vote. Clerk, please open the vote.

[03:53:10] Board members, please guard your vote. Clerk, please close and display your vote. And that motion passes with Mrs. Griffison abstaining for the vote and Dr. Rasheed absent for the vote. And we will now move on to our information items.

[03:53:28] 13.01 Finance and Operation Committee, Revision of 6130 Unpaid Meal Debt, presented by Mr. Estreffi, Chair of Finance of Operations Committee. Mr. Estreffi. Thank you, Madam Chair. Policy 6130 is for unpaid meal debt from finance and operations.

[03:53:46] Just a quick summary, and I can pass it on to Ms. Caselli for anything I may have missed. These revisions help align the policy to USDA, VSBA, and LCPS practices. You'll see in the policy that the changes provide additional clarifications on what is delinquent unpaid meal debt and bad debt.

[03:54:11] There's also some clarification on how student meal account expectations are communicated to families annually. Additionally, the policy also clarifies what happens if second meals are insufficient and also parents are notified when the meal account delinquency reaches $5.

[03:54:36] We discuss in committee how often those notifications go to parents, and then towards the end of the policy, there's additional clarifications around what happens to delinquent debt and how it's converted into bad debt.

[03:54:54] So just a few of the updates in this policy. Ms. Casale, would you like to add anything? Oh, she may not be here. Actually, I will take that. Sure. No, you summarized the revision to the policy that we presented at F&O.

[03:55:12] I have nothing further to add to that. I do have one, because in typical Chair Mansfield fashion, she does her processing late. But at this point, we were saying during the F&O, we had talked about some of the SEAC recommendation, and we agreed to go ahead and pass it.

[03:55:39] And then I could bring it to the board. And so the thing they wanted in different modes of communication. So what the proposed language for an amendment next time, and I'm just letting you know for next time, would be on the red line, line 54.

[03:56:02] When a student meal count reaches a delinquency of $5 or more, a student's parent or legal guardian is notified via email, text, phone, and mail. And then we added in ADA accessible format, and the communication is also available in multiple languages, just to make sure it's accessible in multiple languages.

[03:56:21] So that's all that I'll bring next time. Any other discussion? Yes. Vice Chair Donohue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I have one question and one proposal for a potential edit.

[03:56:42] My question is with regards to the I'm looking at the red line lines 94 to 96 that says the school board may solicit and receive restricted donations for the express purpose of offsetting school meal debt and I wondered if that is something that we have already done and if so and whether or not we have already done it what are where are we envisioning those donations or funds coming from.

[03:57:09] thank you for that question previously in prior years we have had generous donors in the community that have stepped forward to help pay down the school debt sometimes it's they'll target a specific school and pay that in its entirety and we've been real fortunate really before the pandemic that any existing debt that we had would be generally cleared by the end of the fiscal year Since the pandemic and after we returned from the universal free meals and paid meals, LCPS, like many school divisions across the country, has experienced increasing unpaid meal debt.

[03:57:48] So we still have donors. However, it has not been sufficient to clear the debt. in terms of the solicitation I do believe at the end of the fiscal year that we do work with the communications team and we do a soft promotion if there's any you know donors out there that would be wanting to donate I think we also work with LEF and then I if I recall correctly I think even on our website we even have like a donate button to make it you know very easy to help facilitate that process thank you miss will be and then my suggestion is again looking at

[03:58:26] the red line at line 65 of the red line that paragraph states the school board does not file lawsuits against a student or student's parent or legal guardian which I support that but I just think the wording of that has no teeth I it's it seems to be a statement of what we are currently of what our current practices and if what we mean here is the school board shall not or may not i think we need to clarify what what we mean in that paragraph for your consideration thank you miss chandler thank

[03:59:03] you madam chair um i actually would love to hear a little bit more about um how i'm looking at the red line on lines 43 uh through 52 uh referring to section 4c um i'd like to learn more about the rationale behind not allowing students whose accounts have insufficient funds. C states they're not allowed to charge a second meal. In high school, the price for lunch is, let's see, I just pulled it up, $3.35. So if you were to buy a second meal and you didn't have sufficient, you could

[03:59:41] trigger the $5 in just two meals. So I'm just curious to hear about that and why that change was made this round. And then I have another question. The change was added to capture our actual current practice. The second meal is, in terms of the school division, in terms of how it codes it, is actually considered an a la carte sale. And so what LCPS does ensure and guarantees that every student, regardless of their meal status or ability to pay, does receive the first meal.

[04:00:21] That there's no denying that, regardless of if there's balance on account or if they have a significant negative balance, that every student will receive the first meal. The second meal, because it's also, as I said, considered an a la carte meal, is just treated differently within the system.

[04:00:42] And so once they hit that negative balance, it is, again, just wanting to ensure that the first meal is made but that there's no additional a la carte sales to include a second meal. Okay, are there any other scenarios where a student outside of paying or having insufficient funds might not be allowed to buy a second meal?

[04:01:08] Any other scenario that's not related to charges at all? I can take that down to check with the school nutrition team. The only thing that comes to mind immediately is if perhaps the family, the parents, had put a note on the account prohibiting that type of activity.

[04:01:28] Because we do work with families to just to partner with them in terms of the types of purchases, especially when it comes to a la carte items, especially when we've got ice cream. Sometimes students can rack up some charges fairly quickly.

[04:01:44] So that may be one example that just comes to mind, but I can definitely check with the team to see if there's any other circumstances.

[04:02:05] Thank you. I feel a little conflicted about this because I'm worried that this addition actually would then conflict with section D at line 73 through 75 where no communication is allowed directly with students and reasonable efforts will be used to avoid calling attention to the student's inability to pay. So I just think it's worth considering and having a continued conversation about whether or not that change could inadvertently, unintentionally cause a conflict in the policy.

[04:02:30] Thank you. Any other discussion? Okay. Because there's potential amendments, this item will not go to consent and will be brought forward to the school board as an action item for the May 20th school board meeting.

[04:02:52] Next item, 13. 02, Finance and Operation Committee, TJ Thomas-Genderson High School for Science and Technology, the LCPS contract with FCPS for SY2026-2024, I guess is going to be presented by Mr. Neal Slevin or Mr. Streffy, and then he can throw it to you.

[04:03:14] Thank you, Chair Mansfield. I'll just mention that before us is the potential renewal of the LCPS contract with Fairfax County Public Schools to continue sending students to TGA High School in the 2026-2027 school year.

[04:03:31] In addition to the actual agreement, there's the historical data that basically includes a lot of the previous discussion points and questions that have come up from the board in past discussions. and I'll pass it to you, Mr. Slevin.

[04:03:48] - Thank you, Mr. Streffi, Chairman Mansfield and board members. As Mr. Streffi mentioned, this is our annual opportunity to review the relationship between Lama County Public Schools and Fairfax County Public Schools when it comes to our participation at Thomas Jefferson High School.

[04:04:06] This item came up last fall when the contract was presented to the board for approval for the current students. And so this is an annual communication that we make to Fairfax County that we intend to continue our relationship with Thomas Jefferson High School.

[04:04:21] We need to provide that notification to Fairfax by June 1st. And so it's here tonight as an information item and would come back as an action item for board approval at your next board meeting. I would also note just for context, we are currently, we have an existing policy related to Thomas Jefferson High School that is up for its five-year renewal and that's working its way through its special programs committee.

[04:04:46] there will be multiple conversations about thomas jefferson over the next few board meetings but i'm here to answer any questions there's been a number of um questions asked through special programs at fno and i'm happy to answer any questions that may come up tonight mr sloven just to be clear nothing has to change like if something changes in that uh school board policy it will not affect this at this point not at this time um for example one item in the board policy

[04:05:21] talks about transportation, and that has come up from previous board members, but this contract with TJ already excludes transportation, so this item wouldn't be necessarily connected to that, even though it is in terms of how we support TJ with families, but not with our contract with Fairfax. What about potentially capping students? Would that be in the policy, or would that be here?

[04:05:47] If we were to cap our students participating in TJ, I think it would be important to communicate that to fairfax when we're responding that we would continue the relationship but we intend to cap our enrollment so they could plan appropriately any other discussion yes mrs griffis i'm sorry did you say um the transportation there's no transportation is excluded is that what you said fairfax from fairfax with our contract with fairfax county we locally provide transportation so loudon county public schools opts to provide transportation fairfax county

[04:06:25] public schools does not provide transportation for lcps students we do that and we will continue to provide transportation to tj the staff plans to continue to provide transportation unless the board were to provide alternative direction okay thank you any other discussion no i'm seeing none uh this item do we want this to go to consent for the may 20th 2025 school board meeting okay that

[04:07:02] go to consent for the may 20th 2025 school board meeting uh we're moving on to the next item item 13.03 human resources and talent development committee revisions to policy 7306 personnel records and file presented by mrs griffiths chair human resources and talent development committee mr griffiths thank you madam chair um revised policy 7306 personnel records and file was an information item at the march 27th hrtd committee meeting after reviewing the policy the committee

[04:07:35] voted to bring it back as an action item on april 24th 2025 this hrtd committee meeting at this hrtd committee meeting the policy was made available for public feedback by the loudon county public schools website the committee voted three to zero to send this policy to the school full school Board 7306. Ms. Bolin, would you be able to speak about this straightforward policy for the board, please? Thank you. Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Mrs. Griffiths. Policy 7306 provides the framework for the proper maintenance, confidentiality, and accessibility of personnel

[04:08:14] records for all LCPS employees. Its original intent was pretty straightforward to ensure complete accurate employee files and offer a process for employees to correct factual inaccuracies. Over time, we found that some employees were using a provision in the policy as a de facto second appeal process to dispute valid disciplinary actions by requesting the removal of documentation. While this was permissible under the plain language of the

[04:08:49] existing policy, it was never intended to serve as a vehicle to relitigate employment decisions already subject to grievance and appeal under other policies. This proposed revisions to this policy are part of a broader strategic effort to create clarity and consistency across policies governing employee complaints and grievances. You may have heard me express that in the past where we have had employees reach out who are confused about which policy they are to either grieve or bring concerns under, and this is, again, part of that effort to create that consistency

[04:09:28] and clarity. To ensure alignment with this effort, the proposed revisions, which begin in Section G, clarify the request to amend or remove records must be based on factual inaccuracy, such as incorrect dates or other objective errors, not as an avenue to challenge past employment decisions.

[04:09:50] Section G also now includes the standard by which requests under the policy will be reviewed, which is whether by a preponderance of the evidence, which is more likely than not, the document in question is inaccurate or incomplete. Recognizing that these revisions aimed to clarify the intent of this policy, we also added section H, which clearly directs employees to the appropriate grievance and appeals policies when seeking to rebut or challenge a disciplinary action. So we're not taking away their ability to do so. We are just re-channeling

[04:10:30] which policy they are to do that under. These policies include policy 7310, which is staff Discipline, Policy 7018, Procedure for Adjusting Grievance, and Policy 7024, the Classified Employee Dismissal and Demotion Grievance Procedures.

[04:10:48] So in summary, the proposed revisions were made with three goals in mind. Ensuring that personal records are maintained accurately, confidentially, and in compliance with legal requirements. Protecting employee rights and providing employees with a fair process for correcting legitimate errors, and bringing greater transparency and efficiency to the management of personnel records.

[04:11:12] And I'm happy to answer any questions. Global members, do you have any questions? Yes, Vice Chair Donohue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I mentioned this at our HRTD meeting, but had not discussed it with staff in advance.

[04:11:33] So, I was just curious if you could comment a little bit on lines 30 to 34 in Part C2. It's the same in the red line or the clean version, but it references potential comment on personnel matters.

[04:11:59] Absolutely. Thank you, Ms. Donahue. So, LCPS adheres to what I would consider a strict practice of confidentiality and privacy regarding personnel matters to protect both staff and students. Our practice is generally not to comment on or release information related to individual personnel matters, particularly when those matters could potentially involve other individuals, including other staff or students.

[04:12:30] While a current or former employee may at times choose to disclose information related to their employment or actions to the media, LCPS typically does not engage in public discussions about these matters. This is because personnel cases often involve sensitive information about other individuals as well whose privacy is protected under law and they may not have released it.

[04:12:57] By maintaining this practice, we ensure that all relevant privacy laws, including those safeguarding the confidentiality of students and other employees, are respected. To date, I'm not aware of any incidents where LCPS is strayed from this practice of non-disclosure and release personnel information.

[04:13:19] And in the rare case that an employee consents to the release of information, we would then assess whether it's appropriate to respond to specific inquiries. But again, as I said, I have not, I do not recall a time since I've been here that we have done so.

[04:13:37] And in those incidents, I think we would still carefully balance transparency with our commitment to protecting the privacy of all those individuals involved and work closely with legal counsel. So while this language gives the school board the discretion, LCPS has chosen to adhere to a much stricter practice. Yes, Ms. Chernaff. Thank you, Madam Chair. Following up on that,

[04:14:07] the way I read line 33 feels like this policy is saying that the superintendent has discretion because the school board is authorizing it through the adoption of this policy, not necessarily on a case-by-case basis.

[04:14:28] Is that, it reads funny to me. The school board authorizes a superintendent or designee to disclose accurate and relevant information regarding such person's actions and employment. Is that like a carte blanche for anybody for the superintendent because of this policy?

[04:14:44] You said, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought you said this gives the school board the discretion, But the discretion would come in adopting this policy, not after that, the discretion would fall to the superintendent, correct? I would say yes. This language isn't new.

[04:15:00] It's not new language that we are recommending. It's already in policy. It would still be discretionary, absolutely. Okay. I mean, I can see the point. Even though it's old language, we've been finding that there's a lot of language that we need to redo in our policies.

[04:15:17] 100%. um so i think it's something to talk about with uh mr allen i think and then possible amendment if if wanted or needed or desired yeah i mean based off what miss boland said it kind of sounds like this is not our practice so i guess there's just confusion for me on why it's here based off of the rationale for why the rationale seemed to support that we don't do this so i'll mull it

[04:15:53] over. Thank you. Any other discussion? Yes. Vice Chair Donohue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to respond briefly to Ms. Chernoff's last point that although this has not been our practice, I could envision potentially a circumstance where there is such misleading or misinformation in the public, that is put into the public conversation, not by LCPS, that it could be

[04:16:31] extremely important for LCPS to in some way have the flexibility to respond. And so as has been said, I think it's worth thinking about this language and what we want it to say and do.

[04:16:54] The other thing is authorized as a superintendent, but I think the school board would also want to know if that was happening. So maybe think about some language that, yes, author, but like before it happens, I think.

[04:17:14] Okay. Any other discussion? No. Okay. Just from our conversation, I'm thinking that this will not go to consent. This will be an action item for May 20th, the 2025 school board meeting.

[04:17:32] Okay. Moving on to 13.04, Student Services Committee Revision to Policy 8125, Admission Requirements, presented by Vice Chair Donohue, who's also chair of Student Services Committee. Vice Chair Donohue. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[04:17:50] Policy 8125, Admission Requirements, was adopted in June 2019, so was due this, is slightly overdue for its standard five-year policy review. The Student Services staff put together proposed policy revisions, presented those to the Student Services Committee as an information item at our March 20th, 2025 meeting, and then was brought back for action at our April 24th, 2025 meeting, where we voted unanimously to forward the policy to the full board for its consideration.

[04:18:28] The changes are, in my opinion, fairly minimal, but I would ask Ms. Richardson to please comment further. Certainly. Thank you, Vice Chair Donohue. Throughout the policy, you will note that we made some clerical changes.

[04:18:45] We changed the reference to child to student throughout. We also made adjustments throughout the policy where you can see most clearly on the red line starting at line 22. There were updates to federal code as it applies to the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program within the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

[04:19:08] So those changes have been noted throughout. You will also note in the red line that there's an entirely brand-new Section D, which is the admission of students who are children of certain federal employees.

[04:19:24] There is also a totally revised number 7, which is the tuberculosis screening requirement. Previous policy had LCPS requiring the tuberculosis test. The Code of Virginia only requires the screening, so we have removed that barrier for our students.

[04:19:44] We have made clarifications to the requirements of students for non-public or international schools. You can find that in Section E, starting at line 277. And then we've also clarified language on the admission of non-resident students, so it aligns with policy 8155, respective to our over-enrolled schools.

[04:20:12] Thank you, Mr. Richardson. So during our Student Services Committee meeting, I had talked about the Welcome Center a little bit, and I was thinking about putting some language in for the one that's still in committee, but that then after looking at it it it would mean it would make more sense in this one um like on after line 283 this is talking about the admission of students from non-public or international schools and then it would read international transcript evaluations will be conducted by the

[04:20:50] welcome center for all students enrolling from international schools so i'm just thinking about putting that at the end of that because that's what we're doing is that they evaluate their transcripts and everything and this uh puts into policy what we what we're already doing makes it clear so that's all any other discussion yes mrs. griffiths thank you madam chair um per this policy i read through it um nine pages i see a lot of changing of pronouns um that was just passed over

[04:21:27] just now when we were discussing the changes can i ask why we are not sticking to just how it was before proper english language uh his or her is proper language why are we going out of our way to change it in the policy can we leave the pronouns as is that's question number one and then number two transferring high school credits for international students versus home school students since international students are only required to present all available documentation based on the below well based on the policy it seems that the process for home school transfer

[04:22:07] students to have their high school credits accepted is more rigorous than it is for international students to have their high school credits accepted. I did visit the Welcome Center that works with international students last Friday. I think they mentioned a timeline for international paperwork that they must get in to stay in LCPS. Can you tell me the timeline to get all documentation for international students as opposed to homeschool students. Can you clarify

[04:22:39] how long they have to get the information to the Welcome Center as opposed to a homeschooled student? Thank you. Oh, and the first question, too. Why can't we keep pronouns, the pronouns we have? Thank you, Mrs. Griffiths, for your question. In most of our policies, we have shifted our language from he slash she to they it's just more general um in in referring to our student pop population as for the timeline i'm not aware of a definitive timeline but we do work within

[04:23:18] three to five days now certainly we recognize that it takes families some time to get records from international schools that's why our welcome center plays an integral role in assisting our families with securing those records. For home school instruction, it's often, it could appear a bit more rigorous, given that not all of our families choose to engage in a structured or accredited program. So therefore, it is required of the family to actually create those records in a manner which are understandable and allow us to work towards creating a transcript to ensure

[04:23:58] the appropriate grade placement and progress um towards graduation requirements um thank you and um if i could ask why did we shift to change pronoun pronouns in all the policies i think the the quick answer is that that's what the apa style guide recommends the what i'm sorry the apa style

[04:24:25] guide any other discussion all right uh moving on oh yeah um oh no it's not consent because i have that amendment so it will be um for action on may 20th 2025 okay we will now move on to item 14 our closed meeting um we have added another closed to tonight's session agenda vice chair donahue

[04:25:05] will you um do you have a motion yes thank you madam chair i move that the loudon county school board recess this public meeting and enter into a closed meeting pursuant to section 2.2-3712 of Code of Virginia for the following purposes. Consultation with legal counsel employed by or retained by the school board pertaining to actual litigation requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel and briefings by staff members pertaining to actual litigation, where such consultation or briefing in open meeting would adversely affect the negotiation or litigating

[04:25:38] posture of the public body as authorized by sections 2.2-3711 sub-A sub-7 and 2.2-3711 sub-A sub-8 of the Code of Virginia and discussion or consideration of matters that would involve the disclosure of information contained in a scholastic record concerning any LCPS student and consultation with legal counsel and briefings by staff members or consultants pertaining to actual or probable litigation where such consultation or briefing in open meeting would adversely affect the negotiation or litigating posture of the public body and consultation with legal counsel employed or retained by a public body regarding specific legal matters

[04:26:17] requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel as authorized by Sections 2.2-3711 sub-A sub-2, 2.2-3711 sub-A sub-7, and 2.2-3711 sub-A sub-8 of the Code of Virginia.

[04:26:34] Vice Chair has made a motion. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second by Ms. Chernoff. It's been properly moved and seconded that the Loudoun County School Board go into closed session. Is there any discussion? Seeing none.

[04:26:50] Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote. That motion passes unanimously with Dr. Rasheed absent for the vote.

[04:27:13] The board is now in closed session.

[05:40:20] The board is now coming out of the closed meeting. Vice Chair Donohue, do you have a motion? Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the closed meeting be adjourned, that the Loudoun 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.

[05:40:40] Vice Chair Donahue made a motion to adjourn the closed meeting. Do I have a second? I have a second by, oh, Mr. Struffy. Let's see. It's been properly moved and seconded that the Loudoun County School Board adjourned the closed meeting.

[05:40:55] Is there any discussion? Seeing none, we will go ahead and 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 Dr. Rasheed absent for the vote.

[05:41:14] Vice Chair Donahue, do you have a second 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 29-24-25, 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 Information Act, and whereas section 2.2-3712 sub d of the code of Virginia requires a certification by the school board that such closed meeting was conducted in conformity with Virginia law now therefore be it

[05:41:51] resolved that the Loudoun County School Board hereby certifies that to the best of each member's knowledge only public business matters lawfully exempted 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 had a motion by Vice Chair Donahue office second by Ms. LaBelle. The motion has been probably moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Seeing no discussion, we'll take an electronic vote. Clerk, please open the vote.

[05:42:32] Board members, please record your vote. Clerk, please close and display the vote. That motion passes unanimously with Dr. Rashid absent for the vote. Board members, we'll move on to item 15. And we can choose to forego this because of the late date, the late time.

[05:42:51] Can I see a thumbs up if you want to move on from this and not do the committee reports tonight? Okay, that's unanimous. Okay, we'll move on to new business. Board members, do we have any new business?

[05:43:07] Yes, Vice Chair Donoghue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a motion to amend something previously adopted. As the board is aware, at our last full board meeting, we voted to rename Francis Hazel Reed Elementary School.

[05:43:29] After that vote, we were contacted by the family, and they put forward a request that we consider having the name be Richard and Mildred Loving Elementary School instead of Mildred and Richard Loving Elementary School, which is what we voted on.

[05:43:50] In deference to that request from the family, I would like to present the following motion. Having previously voted to rename Francis Hazel Reed Elementary School located at 800 North King Street in Leesburg to Mildred and Richard Loving Elementary School, such change to go into effect on July 1st, 2025, I move that the Loudoun County School Board amend its previous decision and rename Francis Hazel Reed Elementary School located at 800 North King Street in Leesburg to Richard and Mildred Loving Elementary School.

[05:44:19] Such change to go into effect on July 1st, 2025. There's a motion on the floor by Vice Chair Donahue. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second by Ms. Chandler. So the motion has been properly moved and seconded.

[05:44:41] Is there any discussion, or Vice Chair Donahue, do you want to speak a little bit more to your motion? thank you madam chair i don't have anything else to add um from my comments at our previous meeting regarding the renaming uh and what i've already stated but in light of the unusual nature of a motion of this type and the procedural posture of where we are i had hoped to ask mr allen if he

[05:45:08] could possibly um sorry to put you on the spot mr allen but i i was hoping that you might be able to delay any concerns that anyone might have regarding the uniqueness of a motion of this type to amend something previously adopted.

[05:45:42] And also what that entails, like what kind of vote? Thank you. I don't have my notes readily in front of me, but my understanding of Robert's rules is in order to move to amend something previously adopted by the board, the board can do something So if it if there's no prior notice, which is my understanding, there's there hasn't been prior notice, then Robert's Rules requires the lesser of the following.

[05:46:15] It is either two thirds of those present to vote or it's the majority of the number of the voting bodies. So there's nine of you. A majority of the nine of you is five, whether you're all present or not.

[05:46:31] that's five. Here tonight, two-thirds of eight would be six, and so the lesser of six and five is five. So if you vote to amend something previously adopted, which you can do tonight, it would be successful with a vote of five of you. Thank you, Mr. Allen. Is there any other discussion? Mr. Straffy. So would there have to be a new motion? Could the existing motion stand,

[05:47:11] it would or would there need to be a motion to propose another vote to change how would that work Mr. Allen did I don't know you're looking like if we have to suspend the rules it is not like we have to suspend the rules is that correct Mr. Allen that's correct chair Mansfield because this is moving to address a prior vote you wouldn't need to necessarily suspend the rules because it's not quote new business that hasn't been before the board before okay so at this time uh it could be two-thirds is five right now or it would be it would take five because it's the

[05:47:51] majority of the board yes that's right the lesser roberts rolls allows for the lesser of the two when there hasn't been advanced notice and the lesser of the two of those two numbers is five okay is there any more discussion learn something new every day okay um seeing that there's no more discussion clerk please open the board the vote board members please record your vote clerk please

[05:48:25] close and display the vote and that motion passes five to three um with mrs griffiths ms shirnoff and ms labelle uh in opposition of the vote and um dr rasheed absent for the vote okay um any other new business yes mrs griffiths thank you madam chair i would like to make a motion that year-end funds everybody's gone but year-end funds be distributed to uh guilford and broad run for renovations which would include updated weight room equipment. The equipment is highly outdated

[05:49:02] along with the necessary renovations to the theater at Broad Run. Storage is desperately needed outside B2. I've asked Mr. Lewis for estimates to see how much this would cost for year-end funds. I would like to have the necessary renovations to Guilford Elementary. If we are able to rename schools, it is highly unfair to not have these renovations done. Once again, optics would not be good for LCPS renovating the admin building for 1.2 million didn't sit well with a lot of folks if LCPS can afford to lose money due to keeping the DEI department I would expect we can at least renovate

[05:49:39] these schools if not it's a bad look I also want to stress that new adaptive playgrounds are being requested for many of our schools so I was hoping we could use your year-end funds for that so I know Kevin Lewis left and miss will be left but I'll be working with them to get the costs for these so I did want to make a motion that we look at the year-end funds to be distributed to these schools and possibly pay playgrounds thank you I'm unsure so end

[05:50:14] of your funds we don't even know what those are quite yet yes dr. Spence right um yeah i just wanted to mention and well actually wes i'm not going to jump in here because you got a motion that's been made so probably need to address that first i so it's a new business not old something so we would have she'd have to suspend the rules for two-thirds or no yes that's that's correct madam chair uh in order to take up a new business item as an action item or to vote on that

[05:50:52] motion you would need a two-thirds vote to suspend the rules to take that new business item up as an action item because it hasn't been an information item before okay mrs griffiths would you like to restate your motion to suspend the rules first and yes um i'd like to suspend the rules and i would like to make a motion that urine funds be distributed to guilford and broad run for renovations mrs griffiths your first one would be just to suspend the rules oh that would be suspend the rules thank you okay i have a motion to suspend the rules is there a second i have a

[05:51:24] second by miss labelle um and this huh and do we have any discussion yes there's no discussion on suspending the rules oh send me up okay so this will take six to pass because that is two-thirds okay so the motion is on the floor

[05:51:54] um clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote and that motion does not pass um so we will not be uh suspending the rules for the motion for the other motion is that correct all right uh it's uh two to six with

[05:52:33] Ms. Chandler, Dr. Deans, Ms. Mansfield, Vice Chair Donahue, I think Mr. Estruffy, Ms. Chernoff in opposition. And Dr. Rashid absent for the vote.

[05:52:51] Okay, we will now move on to adjournment, seeing as there's no more business. The May 6th, 2025 Loudoun County School Board meeting is now adjourned. Please drive safely home.

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