Coraggio Consulting
Loudoun County School Board, 2nd Tuesday School Board Meeting, Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Date: Tuesday, August 12, 2025
Place: Loudoun County Public Schools / School Board meeting (see BoardDocs / LCPS-TV)
Length: 7h 3m (video)
Official meeting video (Vimeo / LCPS-TV): https://player.vimeo.com/video/1107105070?rel=0
BoardDocs (School Board): https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/loudoun/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DHTN925EC6E3

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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[00:03:17] Good afternoon. Whoa, that was big. I called to order this August 12, 2025 Loudoun County School Board meeting. I have been notified that Dr. Deans would like to remotely participate in today's school board meeting. Dr. Deans, please state your location and whether this is a medical or personal matter. I am in my home office, home alone. Okay, and that answers. And it's personal, it's personal

[00:03:54] illness okay that would be medical but yeah medical medical yeah okay um and no one's present with you at this location so i will therefore entertain a motion that dr dean's request to participate remotely be granted i make a motion that dr dean's request to participate remotely be granted second i have the first i have a it's moved by uh miss chandler and seconded by vice

[00:04:27] chair um donahue um we'll go ahead and take a vote oh is there any discussion sorry no okay clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote clerk please close and display the vote that motion passes um unanimously with dr deans and mr streffi absent for the vote

[00:05:01] welcome to the meeting dr deans thank you um we will continue uh on our agenda with our disclosures and I will go ahead and start as a member of the Loudoun County School Board I make the following disclosures to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees specifically as a school board member I am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee these

[00:05:40] benefits, however, affect thousands of employees while in the excess of the statutory three employees whose interest may also be affected, of which I am included. I can and will participate fairly, objectively, and in the public interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Ms. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair. As a member of the Loudoun County School Board, I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect

[00:06:15] benefits for LCPS employees. Specifically, as a school board member, I am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees while in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected, of which I am included. I can and will participate fairly, objectively, and in the public interest this disclosure will be reflected in the public record of the clerk of the school board for five years thank you thank you miss Chandler vice-chair Donahue thank you madam chair as a member of the Levin County school board I make the following disclosure to the school board and to

[00:06:52] the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding employee salaries the budget and/or health insurance and any other discussion that may include or affect salary and benefits for LCPS employees specifically my spouse my minor children and I are enrolled in LCPS health insurance that may be affected by any potential changes to employee salaries the budget and or health insurance additionally my sister-in-law is an LCPS employee who does not reside with me and is not dependent on me these subjects include thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interest may be affected of which my spouse my minor children my sister-in-law and I am included I can and will participate fairly objectively

[00:07:32] and in the public interest this disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years thank you vice-chair Donahue mrs. Griffiths thank you madam chair as a member of the Loudoun County School Board to make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and our health insurance and related benefits and in any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees specifically as a school board member I am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee these benefits however affect thousands

[00:08:08] of employees one the excessive of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected of which I am included I can and will participate fairly objectively in the in the public's interest this disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years thank you thank you mrs. griffis miss labelle thank you madam chair as a a member of the loudon county school board i make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect

[00:08:47] benefits for lcps employees specifically as a school board member i am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an lcps employee in addition as a former lcps employee I, as well as my spouse, receive Medicare Advantage insurance benefits through LCPS.

[00:09:07] These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statuatory three employees whose interests may also be affected, of which my spouse and I are included. I can and will participate fairly, objectively, and in the public interest.

[00:09:23] This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Thank you, Ms. LaBelle. Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Madam Chair. As a member of the Loudoun County School Board, I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees.

[00:09:47] Specifically, as a school board member, I am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees well in the excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected of which I am included. can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest this disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years thank you miss Chernoff we'll move on to approval of the consent agenda item three board members are there any changes to be made

[00:10:18] to the consent agenda so before we move before we vote on the consent agenda we have two proclamations to read our first proclamation recognizes September 2025 as attendance awareness month and will be read by vice chair Donahue thank you madam chair whereas regular school attendance is essential for student learning engagement and long-term success and chronic absenteeism missing 10% or more of the school year can significantly hinder academic achievement and social development and whereas compulsory attendance

[00:10:56] requirements are set forth in the code of Virginia section 22.1 - two five four and Loudoun County Public Schools is committed to proactively engaging students to improve attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism from pre kindergarten through the 12th grade, and whereas Loudoun County Public Schools recognizes that absenteeism can be caused by a variety of factors including health challenges, transportation barriers, family obligations, housing insecurity, and social-emotional concerns, all of which require compassion, partnership, and proactive support, and whereas fostering a culture of attendance is a shared responsibility that includes students, families, educators, school

[00:11:34] staff, community and health service partners, and local leaders working together to remove barriers and support every student attending school every day ready to learn and whereas commitment to encouraging daily on-time attendance at schools supports opportunities for in-school learning growth and school improvement and whereas Loudoun County Public Schools is committed to helping all students feel welcomed connected and supported by implementing strategies that promote positive school climates early intervention family engagement and student-centered services and whereas the month of September is recognized nationally as Attendance Awareness Month, providing an opportunity to spotlight the

[00:12:11] importance of showing up for school and to strengthen our commitment to student well-being, equity, and success. Now therefore be it resolved that the Loudoun County School Board does hereby proclaim the month of September 2025 as Attendance Awareness Month and resolves to support efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism by encouraging regular attendance, removing barriers to participation, and ensuring that every student has access to the relationships and resources they need to thrive thank you vice chair donohue our second proclamation recognizes

[00:12:43] september 2025 the suicide prevention awareness month month and will be read by me pretty sure whereas suicide is a leading cause of death among young people nationwide and the mental health and emotional well-being of students is essential in their success in school and in life and whereas schools play a critical role in identifying warning signs providing support fostering connectedness and ensuring students have access to trusted adults and appropriate resources.

[00:13:24] And whereas the Loudoun County community, having been impacted by teen suicide, encourages open conversations about mental health to help reduce stigma and seeking treatment and the stigma associated with losing a loved one to suicide. And whereas awareness of youth suicide warning signs is important in the Loudoun County community and in schools. These warning signs include talking about or making plans for suicide, expressing hopelessness about the future, displaying severe, overwhelming emotional pain or distress, showing worrisome behavioral cues,

[00:14:02] or marked changes in behavior that include significant withdrawal from or changing in social connection situations, changes in sleep, increased or decreased, anger or hostility that seems out of character or out of context or recent increased agitation or irritability and whereas Loudoun County Public Schools believes that one suicide is one too many and therefore encourages help seeking behavior and promotes a culture of care and support for all students and

[00:14:39] whereas Loudoun County Public Schools is dedicated to creating safe inclusive and supportive learning environments where students feel seen, heard, and valued. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Loudoun County School Board here recognizes September 2025 as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and encourages all staff, students, families, and community members to take part in promoting mental health awareness, accessing available resources, supporting one another with compassion

[00:15:15] and care, and reaffirming our commitment to student wellness and safety. I will now entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda. Yes, Vice Chair Donohue. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[00:15:31] If I could ask one clarifying question. Yes, ma'am. I noticed on the list of personnel, the amended list of personnel actions, that there is a Kevin Lewis listed for transportation. I just wanted to clarify that is not Mr. Lewis as we...

[00:15:46] That is correct. Thank you. With that clarification, I move that the Loudoun County School Board approve the consent agenda. All right. I have a motion to approve the consent agenda. Is there a second? Second.

[00:16:01] I have a second by Ms. Chernoff. At this time, we'll take a vote to approve the consent agenda. Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Dr. Deans, would you like to state your vote?

[00:16:18] Yes. Clerk, please close and display the vote. And that motion passes. 7-7 with Mrs. Griffiths abstaining for the vote and Mr. Estruffy absent for the vote.

[00:16:38] Okay, we'll move on to item four, our work session, Department of Academics, overview of VDOE school performance and support network, presented by Dr. Ellis, Chief Academic Officer, and I believe Dr. Tyler, Director, Research Assessment and School Improvement.

[00:16:57] Floor is yours. Thank you so much, Madam Chair. Good evening, school board members. This evening, Dr. Tyler and I will present an overview and some updates to the new school performance and support framework, or SPSF, that's being used by VDOE for school division accountability.

[00:17:22] We will move quickly through most of this information as you have seen it before, so most of it will look familiar to you, but we do have some important updates from VDOE that have occurred over the summer. And we also want to make sure that we're setting the stage for you all and the public prior to our annual student achievement data presentation, which will take place in late September.

[00:17:45] And so there is a lot of information, and we thought that it would be helpful to chunk it in more manageable chunks of information. So, again, this should be mostly a review with some new updates and changes and really setting the stage for that presentation in the future.

[00:18:02] so I'm going to turn it over to Dr. Tyler, and we're happy to answer any questions at the end. Thank you, Dr. Ellis. Good afternoon. As Dr. Ellis has stated, this new accountability system that launched this year, and we're expecting to receive data from the first year of implementation any day now, has two components.

[00:18:24] The old phrase accreditation is utilized here, but in a different way. Accreditation speaks more to how schools are set up, meaning how they're staffed, curricula, communications, and it's more just making sure that schools are set up to deliver the highest quality education we can.

[00:18:42] And you see that listed on the left in the accreditation system. We'll hear more about that from the state in the fall. On the right, you see the reference to the actual performance and support framework. We had discussed mastery and growth and readiness for elementary and middle schools and mastery and graduation readiness for high schools that result in scores and different metrics that produce an index for each school in our division and each school in the Commonwealth that is also adjusted for federal status, meaning to the extent to which we're closing any achievement gaps or having existing achievement gaps.

[00:19:19] So those are the two components, one looking at structure and how schools are set up on the left, and the one on the right looking at the actual performance and outcomes. From the elementary school perspective, mastery is made up of reading, math, and science, we've mentioned before, the SOLs and the alternative assessments, and progress in English language proficiency. Growth is listed as actual growth from spring to spring using SOLs. An update since the last time we spoke, or we had a chance to meet, the VVAS system that calculated growth using SOL scores was not funded in the government's budget, the governor's budget,

[00:19:58] for the next two years. So the growth metrics we will receive for elementary and middle schools will be just for this last year only. And the state will come up with a different calculation for growth moving forward. As far as readiness, chronic absenteeism and the five C's performance task actually make up those components. The five C's performance task is still being built.

[00:20:22] It will not be utilized in the scores for this year. So this year, chronic absenteeism makes up all of readiness not five percent with five percent for performance tasks next middle school again very similar to elementary similar distributions here a little bit more uh distribution to readiness the same reading math and science scores and english language proficiency again this is the one and only year we will have vvas growth data that will be calculating uh growth on the sols And then the five Cs performance tasks will not be implemented for middle schools this year.

[00:21:00] It will be chronic absenteeism and something different from middle school's advanced coursework, as we mentioned before, looking only at performance of students who are advanced progression in math. High school is different in that for the almost three years in development of this framework, high school is viewed more as a launching pad for the rest of life.

[00:21:25] So there is a mastery component, but instead of growth, we're looking at readiness in the form of chronic absenteeism. The graduation indicator actually has a federal and a state component. One is the traditional four-year rate, and then a six-year rate that allows high schools to really account for success when they've needed extra time to help students to graduate.

[00:21:48] And there is a new component, which is actually enrollment, employment, and enlistment, known as the three E's, which we'll go into more detail later. The metrics that make up the framework will be used to calculate an overall score or an index.

[00:22:06] And it has four different levels, and you see the levels described there. We discussed them before. We actually have data to share with you on what our performance in our schools would have looked like in the distributions if the system had launched in 2024. So what you see here is if the system had launched based upon the 2024 results, we would have had 33 of our 95 schools of scores distinguished, 50 on track, and 12 would have been listed as off track.

[00:22:34] Now, the federal system takes into account any student achievement gaps, and if there are significant gaps, it would actually adjust the school's overall category. We would have had four schools that would have been bumped down from off track into needs intensive support.

[00:22:50] Those schools are actually listed on the next slide, and we would have had an additional school, Medellin, that would have been on track, that would have been bumped into off track. And again, where you see federal status, targeted support and improvement is where we would have had significant enough achievement gaps for a certain reporting group to have adjusted the school status down a level.

[00:23:13] So if Dr. Ellis, if you go back to the previous slide, I am relentlessly optimistic and positive because you work in an amazing division. have to point this out and you may look at this and say this is concerning we would have had 13 an additional school 13 of our 95 schools are about uh maybe 13 or 14 percent that would have been an off-track needs intensive support you may ask well what does that mean i anticipated that at least one board member would wonder 14 percent of our schools would have been off-track of needs

[00:23:48] intensive support across the across the commonwealth it would have been 32 percent so we would have had a lot higher or higher proportion of our schools in distinguishing on track, just for comparison sake there, just for context. Thank you, Dr. Ellis. So we'll move on to the next two slides.

[00:24:07] So the schools, while we didn't officially have schools in status, last year, a central office team actually looked at other indicators to identify schools to provide support. The schools that we would have had in status actually received support from a central office team and the continued school improvement process. We helped them develop action plans. We met with them either monthly or quarterly to provide supports. So the schools that would have been identified, there's a level of awareness at the central office level in the division, schools we've been working with, and preliminary results indicate that we've seen some progress with some

[00:24:45] schools, but we continue to monitor them. So the system didn't necessarily, it would not have identified schools that would have been a surprise for us at the local level. So moving forward, for this year. Anticipating if we have any schools that are off-track and needs intensive support.

[00:25:04] As we've discussed in the past, we've talked about the instructional framework, 17 teacher actions and 10 student actions that really create a well-defined and clearly understood definition of what these teacher actions look like that will produce the highest results for students. So building on the instructional framework to expand the needs assessment and have schools kind of dig into what their practice looks like and their collaborative learning teams and lesson plans, interventions, and coaching built upon that and continue to monitor and support schools through the monthly meetings. And we have, with our English learners and special education

[00:25:42] offices, effective practices have been identified by the research that we can also provide targeted supports to schools in supporting their reporting groups. We had mentioned the three E's. So the idea with high school being a launching pad, there's a difference in perspective here where the Board of Ed, the State Board of Ed, over the years has talked about in the past, we might have had schools where students would have been tracked into a particular pathway. You're heading into a CT pathway and you're encouraged to pursue that. This system looks more at helping students to

[00:26:19] pursue multiple pathways, that the expanded lifespan, the likelihood that students will not only have different jobs in their, an 18-year-old might have different jobs in their working career, but even different careers, more so than previous generations. So enrollment really emphasizes students not only taking an advanced placement or dual enrollment course, but completing multiple courses with a particular score on a test or a grade that a student can have evidence that they can do college-level work at a high level of rigor, and that is prioritized in the system as something that's important for students

[00:26:58] to have. Also, on the next slide, students going from just taking a CTE course in an area of interest to actually receiving an industry-approved, recognized credential with a work-based learning experience. The idea of it's wonderful if a student finds a CTE area of interest, but the idea of actually having them be able to go into the workforce with a certification and experience to actually get a job in that field.

[00:27:26] So a higher level of expectations to have a higher level of readiness. And then the next one slide looks at enlistment. Taking an interest inventory to see what your level of your different competencies may be and whether the military may be a level of interest, but also highlighting that certain levels of readiness or scores on that particular test may actually indicate a high level of readiness for their student for a military pathway.

[00:27:54] So the next slide. So if that wasn't exciting enough, in June, the board met on potential changes to the accountability system in the future, meaning, for example, there are those who've talked about advanced coursework not only in math but in science and social science.

[00:28:12] And then adding history and social science as an indicator to the outcomes, because if you notice, when you're looking at math three, it focuses on science, math, and reading. and the idea of does that send a message that social science is not emphasized as a priority. So these are 10 proposed changes to the accountability system.

[00:28:32] There is a hyperlink that takes you to the actual board presentations. So these items will be discussed in ongoing Virginia Board of Ed meetings, so there will be an evolution of this new system. We also know that the SOLs are going to be recalibrated with different cut points, and that's going into effect next year.

[00:28:52] We know there's going to be a new growth calculation. So while we have seen the launch of the new system, it's kind of readying the board for the idea that there will be ongoing adjustments and kind of tinkering to the system to refine it. So what are the implications for us locally and for our amazing school board?

[00:29:12] The idea is that to what extent do we see alignment between this framework with our current strategic plan and its vision, the board's vision for students, and maybe even looking forward to one LCPS 2032 we already have lessons learned from supporting schools over the years we have a plan to continue to support schools that may be identified as off-track needs intensive support or schools identified for federal status but also to continue to really support our schools with messaging for families around preparing students for multiple pathways

[00:29:50] in the three E's and continuing to address any opportunity achievement gap to receive for any student reporting group over the years we continue to focus our efforts on getting the maximum outcomes for English learners and students of IEPs. So that is a very quick summary of where we stand now. We expect there to be more changes as the system evolves and we're expecting any day now any week now to get the preliminary SPSF results for each of our schools and look forward to sharing those with you and lessons learned in

[00:30:22] supporting our schools. Thank you, Dr. Tyler. I have to say, as someone who's been doing this like following SOLs and cut scores and all of that and up and down and up and down, it's really kind of frustrating that we're not, there's not going to be any way really to compare because things change all the time. The only thing that I think that we'll be able to compare is our map scores and potentially VALs, potentially. And I think they're going to be more important for us

[00:31:00] for ourselves while they figure out, because this seems so highly complicated, I'm not quite sure what their direction is. I appreciate the presentation. As a taxpayer, I'm a little disappointed in this, but I'll leave it open. Anybody else have any? Yes, Ms. Chandler.

[00:31:25] Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you both for the presentation. I continue, I'll be honest, struggle with this entire proposal and I find myself reflecting on the SPSF status based on the 2024 data I'm curious if you're able to tell me and I didn't ask this in advance so I apologize but how many of these schools under the previous system in the past year would have been considered off-track

[00:31:58] or needs intensive support so to understand your question what we gave you was the actual projection of what the numbers would have been on 2024 data. Is your question the last year before the proposed changes what did did these schools have a similar outcome or is it a completely different outcome? So slide seven shares what they would have how they would have ranked what the performance level would have been if we had used last year's results. However I

[00:32:36] think you're asking about a comparison which which we don't have because the performance levels have changed entirely right so I will follow up separately on slide seven for clarification but what I notice when I look specifically at the schools that are in my district to which I am very familiar the schools in my district have high levels of English language learners 20 26 percent

[00:33:08] And I would like just to confirm that as of now, under the new accreditation system, the current rule has not changed. And what we can expect is that English language learners are going to be expected to be included in the data after they've had only three semesters of English class.

[00:33:33] That's correct. That has not changed from when we last shared this new information. Okay, so any schools that serve a high population of English language learners are going to have a difficult time performing well under this new performance evaluation model.

[00:33:54] That would be my hunch, yes. Thank you. Yes, Vice Chair Donohue. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Dr. Ellis and Dr. Tyler for the information. And I appreciate the proactiveness of y'all presenting this to us.

[00:34:13] I was wondering if you could explain a little bit about what you mean when you're talking about the VVAS metric and are you concerned about, are you concerned that not receiving it for English learning students being harmful for our community?

[00:34:32] So for clarification, so VVAS is a system that calculates growth using the SOL similar to the process with MAP. This will be the only year we actually have growth data using that metric.

[00:34:49] It's not clear what the state will do to replace it and what impact it will have for some of our reporting groups. I guess we will see what kind of growth we did experience with English learners with VVAS to see if we were accelerating English learners at a rate to either have English learners stay on grade level or to accelerate to get to grade level.

[00:35:15] So it's not clear what the implications are for whatever new metric they come up with. And I guess looking at our MAP data, that's something we've been monitoring closer to ensure that English learners, any student in need of interventions, that we accelerate, we get greater than normal growth, if that answers your question.

[00:35:33] And I just want to echo or emphasize, put an exclamation point next to Chair Mansfield's comment about the importance of MAP for us in LCPS. That is a tool that we have used consistently in elementary and middle schools for eight years now.

[00:35:58] So it's a long time. It's a tool that we trust and that we rely on. It's nationally normed. And so while we sometimes hear that it is an extra assessment that's not required by the state, staff feels really strongly that it does provide us consistent division-wide growth measures.

[00:36:17] So I just appreciate that comment, Chair Mansfield. Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for the presentation. I also appreciate the proactiveness of taking this on, applying it to last year, even though we didn't have to. I think that that makes sense.

[00:36:32] And I echo some of what my colleagues say. I think that this is going to be a challenge. I'm trying to be the optimist here and think about the positive for me in this is that we are highlighting need extremely clearly, particularly for our English language learners and I echo what Miss Chandler says in the sense of I don't want schools to be penalized for serving those communities because that is not okay however they are significantly struggling and that's not news to us we have talked about this before where there is there are bigger gaps there and so rather than just I hope my hope for Loudoun is that

[00:37:11] rather than just report out that they're off track or they need intensive support my hope is that it's a call to action for us to really dig in and and do some work and I know our team is working on professional development with a you know coaching model co-teaching model a lot of those different things so I'm hoping that that will kind of boost us into that action piece but a lot of these schools we have seen significant gaps overall for years Guilford Elementary is a school I worked at so we were we were dialed into that long before this system. So that's my hope is that we can turn it to a call to action and really

[00:37:48] start to begin to really dig into how we can best serve our students. I do have a couple of questions. You said something about the budget. Can you clarify that, Dr. Tyler, about how the funding plays into this support for one year but then it will have to change? Can you explain that again? So based upon conversations with observance from the junior Board of Ed meetings, VVAS was funded initially with federal funds. And the proposed budget was between $2 and $4 million per year

[00:38:22] to continue that. When the federal funds ran out, there was a decision made to not fund VVAS moving forward to cover it with, I guess, state funds. And I do remember that the, I think it was maybe $2 million for one year and $3 million for another year at that level. Thank you. And then I just have one last question as we think about the CTE offerings and the enrollment and the employment options with the scoring I'm just wondering if they're taking into account the access that students have I'm wondering if

[00:39:00] divisions have equitable access across Virginia we're very blessed here we have a lot of workforce opportunities we've great programs we've pushed in that direction with the workforce summit again that's a blessing but I'm not sure that that's equitable across the state of Virginia so are they taking that into account because also we have kids that want to do those programs but are also on wait lists so that's not to me that seems a little unfair in terms of if kids can't even get in the program because the resources aren't there how are we being penalized for that I you may not know the answer and I may just

[00:39:37] put it into the ether but I wanted to ask I think that's a great question that we don't have an answer to. I am not sure that I've seen any consideration for those types of things. I'll use the enlistment category, that E as an example. Some school districts, particularly near military bases with really high military population, they administer the ASVAB to all of their students just by practice. They just have done that for years and years because that's important in their community. We don't do that, and many districts do not. We do offer it at

[00:40:17] some schools, and certainly if a student wants to take it, they are able to, but it's not something that we administer division-wide to all students in a certain grade level, like we do PSAT, for example. That being said, we have had conversations about this internally. It seems a little silly to give a test just to get points in an accountability system. That doesn't really seem fair to students. And so that's just an example. To your point, CTE offerings are another example.

[00:40:47] We are very fortunate to have a robust CTE program, to have workforce development opportunities across our county. And I know that that is not true across other districts in Virginia. Would you add? Madam Chair. Yes, Dr. Deans. I also think that we might see some differentiation

[00:41:14] with the schools that have the language immersion program versus those that do not. I just think that that also might be a consideration when we start presenting scores and comparing scores.

[00:41:46] I guess I, so I hear what you're saying, Ms. Chernoff, about the bringing up the English language and a way to do better. However, they're not really bringing up students with disabilities in the same way.

[00:42:05] And so I, it really, it's, it's, I'm flummoxed as to why you get dinged progress and achievement for English language proficiency, but, and they've picked that as opposed to special education kids with specific learning disabilities and things like that.

[00:42:30] It just seems a little arbitrary, kind of odd to me. So I know we're not going to fix this now, and it just seems like there's an opportunity for legislative look-sees of some sort and some advocacy.

[00:42:55] Because also the other thing that really bothers me about this is that high school kids, obviously, they have no way for growth. There's no growth in ninth graders. I find that odd to me. So anyway, that's my soapbox. I'm sorry. Any other questions?

[00:43:12] Any other concerns? So I would add, just for awareness, the state will be providing disaggregated data by reporting group for each of the indices, so we'll see to what extent, if we have any gaps for students with disabilities as far as mastery, growth, readiness, and graduation, and the three E's, we'll be able to see if there's any differences in opportunity gaps.

[00:43:35] So we will have that, and if the state doesn't identify significant differences in their accountability system. Those are things we can still choose to work on if there are any gaps in opportunities for English learners, students of IEPs. So we will have additional data where we can at least act on any differences we may see. It's not highlighted as much in the presentation, but it will be provided. I know, but wouldn't you want progress? Isn't that something to be celebrated, progress for kids with disabilities to be able to read, write, and do math, and science,

[00:44:09] and do i mean that's that's why i have a real problem with i know that we'll hear it but but nobody gets kind of credit for that in a way so anyway okay thank you so much that's a lot um i guess anybody else is good okay um thank you so much for your presentation and thank you for continuing to help us uh parse through this information we appreciate you okay um we'll

[00:44:44] We'll move on to item 4.02, Department of School Leadership, Student Discipline Overview, presented by Dana Scanlon, Director of Office of School Administration. Ms. Scanlon, what it looks like. Ms. Mitchell's coming up.

[00:45:01] Okay.

[00:45:35] Good afternoon, Chair Mansfield, Vice Chair Donohue, and other distinguished members of the board. I appreciate the opportunity to be with you this afternoon to provide an overview of the student discipline process, the reporting of certain incidents to law enforcement as well as related data.

[00:45:57] I'd like to begin with just briefly reinforcing the purpose of student discipline. First and foremost, discipline is imposed to promote a safe learning environment for all of our students and all of our staff members, and also to promote the instructional program by ensuring to the greatest degree possible that our students are provided with learning environments that are conducive to both teaching and learning. Student discipline can also engage parents and students in assisting in changing

[00:46:35] inappropriate behavior and of course we also need to ensure that we impose student discipline in some cases in order to comply with both federal and state law as well as with school board policies and our regulations.

[00:46:52] Regarding the discipline process, I want to begin by saying that many incidents are handled at the classroom level by the classroom teacher. The incidents and the data that I will be sharing with you today are related to incidents that were referred to the school administration for investigation and response.

[00:47:17] When an allegation is referred to a school administrator, there is a set process that is followed. It begins with the reporting of the allegation itself. An allegation can be reported by a student, a staff member, a parent, a member of the community.

[00:47:35] When that allegation is received, it is the responsibility of a school-based administrator to investigate the allegation to determine whether the alleged misconduct occurred. and if so, what the appropriate disciplinary response is.

[00:47:52] It's important to note that following that investigation, if the preponderance of the evidence does not demonstrate that the alleged misconduct occurred, then the student can't be disciplined. The administrator can certainly offer interventions to the student, but cannot impose disciplinary sanctions.

[00:48:12] However, where there is a founded allegation at that point, the administrator has to determine the appropriate sanction and intervention. We are required to pair sanctions with interventions in response to misconduct, and any given violation could be responded to with one or more sanctions and one or more interventions. School-based administrators have a range of authority in determining sanctions. That range of authority goes all the way from a

[00:48:48] warning or an admonition up to a 10-day suspension from school. That is the upper level of what a school-based administrator has the authority to impose. Any greater sanction than a 10-day suspension, a long-term suspension, which is defined as a suspension between 11 days and 364 days, long-term suspension, a reassignment to a different educational setting, and an expulsion require action either by my office, the Office of School Administration, which

[00:49:27] serves as the superintendent's designee in matters related to school discipline, or in the case of expulsion, that actually requires action by the school board, as under the Code of Virginia and our policies, only the school board has the authority to expel a student.

[00:49:46] Once the sanction is administered, in some cases there is a formal appeal process that a parent can pursue, and in all cases parents have the ability to follow a complaint process as well to express their concerns. Formal appeal processes apply to any suspension, any school reassignment, and any expulsion recommendation.

[00:50:23] - So in collaboration with the Department of Student Services, one way we look at interventions is through the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, or PBIS. PBIS is evidence-based approach to supporting a positive culture and climate for students and staff that we use across all of our schools.

[00:50:47] So while there are many components of PBIS that you may not readily see, such as data analysis, conversation regarding behavioral trends, the discussion of strategic action steps to address identified school-wide needs or celebrations.

[00:51:05] There are intervention plans focused on behavioral learning gaps which are created for students. It is through development, teaching, and feedback regarding behavior expectations that we actualize these outcomes.

[00:51:27] So we'll now turn to some data related to student discipline, starting with the total discipline incidents that were documented or recorded in our student information system over the past four school years. It's important to note that the incidents that are documented in the student information system are incidents that were referred to the school administration, investigated by the school administration, and determined to have been founded.

[00:51:56] it would not include any incident that was handled at the classroom level by the classroom teacher. So what this graph is showing us is that after two years of increasing total student discipline incidents, last school year for 24-25, we did see a slight decrease in total incidents.

[00:52:22] With this graph, we're moving from incidents to violations. Our student information system collects student discipline data three ways. It collects discipline data related to incidents, related to violations, and related to students.

[00:52:39] For any given period of time, you will always see more violations than incidents, and that's because one incident can involve multiple violations. What this graph is showing is the trend in violations related to some of our most serious offenses.

[00:53:01] There's some really good news here. With the exception of alcohol and assault violations, which ticked up very slightly last school year, all other violations depicted on this graph went down, and went down rather considerably.

[00:53:19] bullying, drug-related violations, harassment, and weapons violations. I do want to draw your attention to the green line. The green line is showing the harassment violations. You might wonder why were there zero for 21, 22, 22, 24, excuse me, 22, 23, and then all of a sudden we are seeing violations for 23, 24, and 24, 25.

[00:53:46] The reason for that is that until the 23-24 school year, the VDOE did not provide schools with a unique violation code that was tracking harassment violations.

[00:54:01] That code was provided to schools by VDOE beginning with the 23-24 school year. This graph moves from incidents and violations to the sanctions that were administered by our school-based administrators or by my office.

[00:54:21] in response to those violations and as you move across the screen from left to right you are going from the least exclusionary type of discipline to the most exclusionary type of discipline and i think what this graph makes plain is that our school-based administrators really do endeavor to keep students in class and keep students in school so for example you see if we start with in-school restriction. During the last school year, there were 4,000 in-school restrictions

[00:54:57] administered. An in-school restriction is defined as one half day or more of removal from the classroom. So we had lesser sanctions than that. 17,526 sanctions were administered that were even less than one half day of removal from the classroom. We had no expulsions during the last school year. We had 14 long-term suspensions and 12 reassignments, 112, excuse me, reassignments

[00:55:34] and 14 long-term suspensions. Those sanctions did require action by my office. Those are not sanctions that school-based administrators can apply. This graph is now delving into some of the sanctions that were administered over the last four years looking at that trend. The graph is showing you here the total number of in-school restrictions that were administered as well as

[00:56:09] the total number of students who were assigned an in-school restriction. The reason you're going to see for each school year more ISRs administered than students to whom that sanction was administered is because some students might have more than one ISR administered in a single school year.

[00:56:32] So here what we're seeing, of course, is that after two years of increasing numbers of in-school restriction, last school year we did see a slight decline in in-school restrictions. This graph is showing the total suspensions from school that were administered over the last four years. Of course, we're seeing that those suspensions from school continue to increase.

[00:57:01] This is a slide and data that require more investigation, as I do, and I'm sure others wonder. In a year that total incidents declined, some of our most serious violations declined, in-school restrictions declined, why is it that we were seeing more suspensions from school?

[00:57:22] And that is something that we're certainly going to be looking at. We need to do a deeper dive into the data and speak with some of our partners in order to do that. The next series of graphs are going to show you rates of suspension from school by different demographic groups.

[00:57:47] And in each of these next series of graphs, what you're going to see is that across all demographic groups, no group was suspended at a rate of more than 3%. What that means is that regardless of demographic group, more than 97% of students in each of those demographic groups was not suspended from school at all.

[00:58:16] However, the graphs do show disproportionality in the rate of suspension, and that is true across each of the demographic groups that we're going to review with you this afternoon. For example, this graph demonstrates that our Hispanic, black, and multiracial students were suspended at rates higher than our white and Asian students.

[00:58:40] The graph is also showing a significant increase in the rate at which our Hispanic students were suspended during the 24-25 school year compared to the 23-24 school year. This graph is demonstrating that our students with disabilities were suspended at rates higher than our students without disabilities, and that is true across each of those four school years.

[00:59:13] The graph also demonstrates that the gap in the suspension rates between those two student groups has widened in each of the two previous school years. Moving on to our English language status, this graph is demonstrating that our English language learners are suspended at rates higher than our students who are not learning English.

[00:59:42] And this graph also shows that the gap in the suspension rates between these two student groups has widened in each of the two previous school years. Moving on now to reporting certain incidents to law enforcement.

[01:00:04] The Code of Virginia does require that a principal immediately report to local law enforcement certain incidents that happen on school property or at school activities.

[01:00:22] Those incidents include, for example, felony substance violations, sexual assaults, malicious wounding, abduction, stalking, written threats against school personnel, firearm offenses, offenses involving bombs and explosives, and any bomb threat.

[01:00:44] In addition, beginning with the 22-23 school year, it was decided that LCPS principals would also report to law enforcement any incident that might constitute a criminal offense.

[01:01:07] As one would expect, that would lead to many more incidents being reported to law enforcement. and in fact this graph demonstrates that that did occur. Specifically there was a significant increase in the number of incidents that were reported to law enforcement beginning with the 22-23 school year. You will see that with last school year there was a decline in incidents

[01:01:39] reported to law enforcement. That is due predominantly to two reasons. One, there were a number of violations that were identified just prior to the 24-25 school year that had been coded as requiring a principal's report to law enforcement. And it was realized that some of those violations do not constitute criminal offenses. As such, it was determined that those categories of offenses would no longer be required to be reported to law enforcement as they wouldn't

[01:02:18] constitute criminal offenses in any case. Another potential reason that we're seeing that decline in those reports during the 24-25 school year is that there was some additional training provided to all of our principals, all of our assistant principals, and all of our deans in March of last year related to how to accurately report to law enforcement and how to accurately document that that report was made. I will also share with you, looking at last school year,

[01:02:55] where we did have 3,912 incidents coded as having been reported to law enforcement that I received in my official capacity, notice that 28 students were charged during the last school year with offenses related to those school-based incidents that were reported.

[01:03:20] So again, there were 3,912 reports. To the best of my knowledge, those reports resulted in 28 students being charged with a criminal offense. That concludes our presentation, but we would happily respond to your questions. I have lots of questions. First of all, I asked for this presentation I appreciate that you guys put it together not because I thought there was any problems or anything mostly just because I think it's good to

[01:03:56] have your pulse on things just to see the trends and and that's what we've seen is some trending right so that then we can do something about it I first of all I'm wondering how many students reported to law enforcement were also students with disabilities do we have any of that data so that is data that we can get for you but that we do not have today and our parents notified when the

[01:04:30] principals notify law enforcement that should be occurring and are we breaking it down elementary middle high for what's reported to law enforcement the data can be disaggregated that way and as much as it is contained in the student information system so it can be disaggregated by student group by school level etc um so these two items that there was um disproportionality could you walk me through

[01:05:06] what would be your process to determine what's going on and and also you would look at that and then who would get the training and and would you train administrators or how would you figure out what to do about that disproportionality. Am I making sense?

[01:05:30] Yes, absolutely. I think the first step really is to dig into that data more. We would need to see, or I would like to see for example, isolating violation type by violation type to see if there are certain violations that result in more disproportionality or less disproportionality than others to be able to isolate um how much of this is related to the actual offenses that are occurring i think it's also

[01:06:05] important to look at um school level individual schools and really look at the data and have that data lead us to further discussions than the then that need to occur um discussions with our principles, either in large groups, small groups, or individually, working with our partners across other offices and departments, once we have a better idea of what the data is showing, to come

[01:06:37] up with possible solutions and a training program that aligns with the issues that we are seeing in the data. Dr. Spence this is for you. What is this something that you guys have like I know it's internal right is it something that could be ongoing internally just looking at this all the time together? Yes ma'am excuse me yes ma'am we we have been having a number of conversations at

[01:07:14] the cabinet level about the the regular cadence of data that we should be reviewing and then working with our departments to address and then um for my board members who will be here after i'm gone um i would like to say that i would i think that it's important to do this yearly not because that there's a problem just because i think you know there could be like i'm always concerned with special education as everybody knows i'm also concerned with el students um i don't want

[01:07:48] it to get away from us. So that's why I'm putting in a plea. Okay, I will shut up and Vice Chair Donohue and then Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Ms. Mitchell and Ms. Scanlon for the presentation. It's very interesting information. I have a few questions that I was hoping to ask. Starting with your slide six and the total number of discipline incidents. I'm guessing that at first I was going to ask you how this compares to the

[01:08:23] overall student population in those years but I'm thinking that 21-22 that was the first slightly somewhat post-COVID year and a lot of students were still doing online school at home so I'm I'm wondering now if the overall student population was probably within a certain range but in 21-22 there were not as many students in the schools is that would that be right making some assumptions I would defer to Ms. Mitchell on that as I was I was not in Loudoun

[01:09:01] County during that period of time so yes Ms. Donahue that is something that we could conclude as we had students that are acclimating back into the building and then we still had quite a few students that were engaged in virtual learning so if we were to do a data dive looking at the violations or dispositions that students were engaging in during that time what may have attributed to even that amount of students being disciplined and then as you said we get into further years and we see a slight increase and now that the department of school administration is providing professional development for administrators to be able to address

[01:09:42] what might be some things that we can do regarding discipline and also collaborating with some other departments like Department of Student Services to talk about prevention and intervention so once we continue to have these conversations our goal is to continue to see a dip in those incidences thank you and for on slide seven is there how are we defining assault bullying her I know you mentioned harassment the definition of harassment is that the fact that that is how we define harassment from the state is that anywhere on our website and

[01:10:21] our policies and how do we define assault bullying so assault is defined and many of these violations are defined within video e guidance so for example within that assault violation you are going to have robbery because robbery is a type of assault you're going to have malicious wounding we did not have any malicious woundings in Loudoun last school year I'm happy to report but if we did that would be there it would not include fighting because fighting is not

[01:10:58] an assault so essentially I think the concept of assault which is in defined in criminal law and then also defined in a similar way by video we is the idea that you have a victim and an assailant as opposed to mutual combatants which is which you would see in a fight. It also does not include minor physical altercations like you might see particularly with younger students where there might be a little pushing or some poking. That is a separate code that

[01:11:34] we've been provided by VDOE so that we don't have to consider every push or every poke and assault. Regarding bullying, bullying is defined under the Code of Virginia and that definition of bullying does align with LCPS's own policy on bullying. Thank you. And the definitions of bullying and assault, did the definitions change over the years that are

[01:12:07] reported here in your information? The definitions would not have changed. I think that the extent to which our school administrators are trained on what those words mean and what those violations constitute can vary from school year to school year. We have in my office really

[01:12:34] We made it a priority to push out a number of different trainings to our school-based administrators, covering a whole range of topics related to investigations and sanctions and disciplines and what is the difference between an assault and a fight and a minor physical altercation.

[01:12:55] And it's through training and understanding that I think you can see some differences. I will say that last August, my office in partnership with DEIA, the Title IX office, and student mental health did a required training required for all of our school-based administrators on how do you identify mistreatment, bullying, and harassment.

[01:13:25] What is the difference between those three concepts? How do you determine that what you are looking at at the end of an investigation is harassment as opposed to bullying, as opposed to mistreatment? That was a very collaborative training.

[01:13:43] It was very well received. And the feedback from that training that we received was that our administrators were very grateful for that training that they hadn't really understood the difference between those terms because they are defined by law and by our policy. And I think it's that training and that understanding of what is the difference that may have resulted in a better categorization of what those offenses were, resulting in fewer being labeled harassment than in the prior school year

[01:14:23] and fewer being labeled bullying than the prior school year. Now, this graph is looking at the most serious violations. I did not pull for the purpose of this graph our mistreatment codes because there are codes that are specific to mistreatment.

[01:14:40] The flip side of that same coin, you would expect that maybe the mistreatment violations went up as the bullying and the harassment violations went down because of a better understanding of the difference between those terms and the difference between that misconduct and what it looks like.

[01:14:58] I'm very happy to see that the violations for drugs and weapons went down this past year, and I know LCPS has made very intentional efforts, particularly related to the area of drugs and substance abuse, but I was wondering about the weapons violations.

[01:15:22] Do you have any theories, insight on why those numbers are going? I really don't have an explanation for the extent of the decrease with weapons.

[01:15:40] I will say that one of the changes, and I think one of the very important changes to the weapons policy last year was to clarify that toy weapons aren't weapons. Whereas in our previous policy, even toy weapons were categorized as weapons.

[01:15:57] That policy was passed in late February, so more than one semester was governed under the previous policy the last several years, and we did go out and we did train on that as soon as the policy was passed to make sure that our administrative teams knew how to correctly identify weapons, how to code them correctly, and also understood that except in very few unusual situations, a toy weapon isn't a weapon.

[01:16:30] That would account for some of that decrease, but I'm not sure it would account for all of it. I'm just hopeful that our students made a good positive change related to weapons, as they seem to have related to a number of violations.

[01:16:46] I just have one more question. My last question, Ms. Gallen, is on slide 15, when you indicated that beginning in the 22-23 school year, it was decided that LCPS principals would report to law enforcement any incident that may constitute a criminal offense, who decided that?

[01:17:08] Was it in the terms of the MOU? Was it a decision by the superintendent or by the then board? Something else? So again, I'm going to defer to Ms. Mitchell because that predates my time in Loudoun.

[01:17:23] Thank you, Ms. Donahue. While we were not able to verify via policy or regulation why that changed, we do have some stipulations, some of it with changes and things that we were noticing in schools, changes in leadership, and wanting to make sure that we captured all discipline behaviors, and so a unilateral decision was made that we would just report everything, and now that has changed.

[01:17:51] So, again, we're going to see those numbers decrease. - Okay, I said Ms. Chernoff, then I think, and we'll just go down the line, and then Chandler, and then Mrs. Griffiths, and we have 15 minutes. Ms. Chernoff. - Thank you, I'll try to condense down.

[01:18:09] I also have a lot of questions. I think this is, it warrants a lot of questions, right? We wanna make sure that we're covering our bases here. Just to piggyback off with what Ms. Donahue said, I think percentages are really important for trends. I think if we're gonna have how many incidents, we need to know how many students, because if enrollment goes down, that affects how many, what percentage of kids are experiencing incidents.

[01:18:33] So I would be curious, for better or for worse, to just see those trends, 'cause we have sort of seen that flat line, if not decrease. So I wanna make sure that we're, you know, telling the full story. And then additionally, I echo a lot of what I'm hearing my colleagues say, which is, can we break that out?

[01:18:49] What type of harassment? Can we break that out in elementary, middle, high? So I'm actually wondering, much like we do with achievement in Performance Monitoring Committee if maybe this could be a touch point for us, also winter, fall, winter, and spring, as a means to ask those more detailed questions and maybe front load that so that you have that information ahead of time so that we can get more specifics.

[01:19:11] I'm also wondering if this includes racial slurs and hate speech and antisemitism and incidents of that nature and how that piece fits. So I don't necessarily need answers to those today, but maybe we could follow up with some clarifying questions.

[01:19:26] And I would also love to hear more about what we're doing to involve the students. So I know you mentioned PBIS. I know our counseling teams do excellent education, guidance lessons, different things. So I would love to learn more about those supports and how we can strengthen those supports and empower our kids to be making those good decisions along the way.

[01:19:47] So I will send those questions and hopefully maybe defer to a deeper conversation and PMC if that would be allowable by Mr. Ostreffy. - Dr. Rasheed, and then Ms. LaValle. - Thank you, Chair, and thank you, Ms. Ginn, and Ms. Mitchell for this awesome presentation.

[01:20:09] Slide 11, I find really particular. I think it's about race and ethnicity. You know, I do find that we have a lot more work to do. I do see that, I do question that there might be some possible bias, not in the reporting that we do as LCPS, but as what's going on in the schools themselves.

[01:20:30] So I do question that a lot. It would be, and I think I mentioned this before a while back, that in the slides, I know we start from COVID onward, but it just would be just a little bit more helpful if we had the data from 2019, just 'cause at that time it was considered normal, so to say.

[01:20:49] So that would just be nice to see how we stood before COVID and all of that happened. I did write my question down. Aside from students' rights and responsibilities, are there any expectations presented to students? As the violation broadens and we break it down, it may be useful to ensure that our students are kind of made aware, or are we just relying on students and families just reading through the students' rights and responsibilities along with everything else that goes in the school year, especially for ELL and students with disabilities, if that makes sense.

[01:21:27] Thanks, that's a lot of questions, sorry. - So, certainly, the student rights and responsibilities is taught to our students. In addition to that, I do know that our counselors supplement that instruction with specific lessons related, for example, to bullying.

[01:21:49] There is a great deal of prevention and intervention work being done by various partners within the school system, certainly the Department of Student Services, with students directly in the schools, and we can certainly get more information from our partners related to those kinds of efforts.

[01:22:12] - Ms. Labelle. - Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Ms. Mitchell and Ms. Scanlon. I'm looking at slide 12, and I'm very, very surprised to see that more students with disabilities are suspended than students without. Is there any way we could get a breakdown of the suspensions for students with disabilities by their special ed category?

[01:22:38] That would be helpful in trying to identify why special ed kids have high numbers of suspensions and in helping them plan and develop IEPs to kind of hit this before it happens, if you know what I mean?

[01:22:55] Thank you. - That should be possible. We'll look into that for you. Ms. Chandler thank you madam chair and thank you guys so much for the presentation and thank you for taking the extra step to answer my question when we talked during our board tour I was focused on the fact that reported does not necessarily constitute a charge or an actual outcome and the fact that the difference in those numbers is so clear it's very validating to me so I appreciate

[01:23:31] the fact that you dug in, and I would love to see that data included in future reporting. I think it just verifies for us the real issues and the real outcomes, so thank you for that.

[01:23:48] I do also appreciate that the additional training led to better reporting, and that is not a surprising outcome, and I hope, as you said, that we will continue to dig in to why we're seeing not only more suspensions for students with disabilities but also for students who are English language learners and also for our Hispanic students so that'll be something that I definitely as a board member will be watching for so thank you for that and then in looking I have only been able to

[01:24:27] substitute on the aspect committee and I just for clarity I see in the policy that long-term suspensions reassignments exclusion or recommendations for expulsion can be appealed to the school board committee for student behavior and accountability the data that's included in this report and I this just occurred to me so I'm sorry to just bring it on you I would be happy to have this answer later. But does the data include pre-appeal suspensions or post-appeal suspensions, or is

[01:25:03] there any sort of analysis of that at all? I'm not sure I understand your question in terms of does the data for a suspension, if a suspension is then appealed and it's overturned, would that be included in the data? Right, because the suspension, the school board has the right only to decide expulsions, right? So then if a principal is making the, I'm not an expert in

[01:25:38] this, so I just wanted to make sure I understand. The principal is making the discipline decisions for the other categories. So typically, the disciplinary sanctions typically are going to be determined by your assistant principal. The assistant principal could choose an in-school restriction, a suspension from school, a lesser sanction. If the assistant principal chooses a suspension from school, that ability to suspend a student is constrained by a couple of things.

[01:26:15] One, the upper limit on the number of days that a school-based administrator is able to suspend is 10. So a school-based administrator could not impose an 11-day, 12-day, 20-day suspension. That wouldn't be allowed. The other thing that will constrain a school-based administrator in the application of discipline, whether it's a suspension or any other discipline, is we do have something that's called the SBAR, Student Behavior and Administrative Response. And what that tool does

[01:26:49] is it takes every reporting category, so every potential violation, and it provides for the administrators a range of acceptable responses for that violation. So for example, if you have TARDY, TARDY cannot be responded to with a suspension or even an in-school restriction.

[01:27:14] It's not allowed. There is a very low level of a range that can be used to respond to a TARDY. On the far other extreme, if you had a weapons offense, a category A or a category B, a statutory weapons offense, that can only be responded to by a 10-day suspension and a referral to my office.

[01:27:39] So principals and assistant principals are already constrained by the range of what is permissible for each violation. If there is an appeal of a short-term suspension administered by an assistant principal, there's actually two levels of appeal.

[01:27:56] The appeal would go first to the principal, and the principal would have the authority to overturn the suspension, amend the suspension, or affirm the suspension. If the principal chooses to affirm even one day of that suspension, then the parent has a second level of appeal to my office.

[01:28:15] And we would then consider the information shared by the school related to that suspension, consider the information provided by the student and the parent related to that suspension, and we would make a decision as to whether that short-term suspension should be affirmed, amended, or overturned.

[01:28:36] Our decision on a short-term suspension is final. There is no further appeal. With those greater sanctions, the process for that is the principal would have to submit to my office a referral or a recommendation for that student.

[01:28:55] We decide what the appropriate sanction is. We could send the student back to school having served a short-term suspension. We could overturn the entire thing, determine that it was not warranted after all. Or we could administer a long-term suspension, a reassignment, or we could recommend expulsion.

[01:29:16] If we recommend expulsion, we can only recommend it we can't expel. That automatically triggers an action by the SBAC committee. They have to then meet to review that recommendation and enact an expulsion or not enact an expulsion.

[01:29:33] The long-term suspensions, reassignments, exclusions, although we haven't had one of those last school year, we didn't enact an exclusion, nor did we enact a recommendation for expulsion, but all of those are appealable by the parent to the school board.

[01:29:53] If following an appeal, it's determined that for whatever reason that action was inappropriate, then that sanction is amended, it's removed from the record. so any suspension that was overturned would not be reflected in this data any reassignment that is amended or overturned would not be reflected in this data because it is actually expunged from the record thank you that's very helpful mrs. griffiths thank you madam chair i think i only have three minutes so i'll try and be as brief as possible um to piggyback on ms shernoff uh she

[01:30:31] mentioned we get digests that tell us um all the time stuff that's going on in the schools incidents, racial slurs, mostly racial slurs. So what I'm looking for is more specifics, more specifics as to what's going on in our schools so we can focus on those schools and have more of an idea where the problem schools are. But also, most recently, technology. We have a policy that does not allow cell phones in the schools, in the classroom anymore. I'm still getting complaints that there are cell phones in the schools, not just locker rooms, but also

[01:31:07] just recently got a complaint that somebody was taking pictures of somebody going to the bathroom. So what are we doing about that? Are we keeping our parents up to date with discipline for those students that bring those phones in and commit, I want to say crime, but commit those violations of our policies? What are you doing there? And can we have more specifics? I know you have these charts here, but I know there's a lot of incidents that may happen in the schools, but those are a couple of things that I think are really big amongst our constituents

[01:31:43] at this time. So they feel like nothing's being done. They feel like there's no discipline happening. Kids that are getting into trouble are still showing up at school, going to their regular classes, they're feeling like there is no discipline. So I guess more specifics on maybe incidents and what the discipline was for that student. And I'm going to assume you let the parents know what the discipline is. I've had some parents tell me they don't know what the discipline was for somebody that was bullying their child or brought the phone into the bathroom or whatever. I think there needs to be more clarity and more transparency for the parents.

[01:32:22] - Thank you. - Is that all your questions? Is that a question, or is that-- - Well, I mean, if you could give me examples of discipline for those particular incidents, maybe anti-Semitic, LGBTQ, racial slurs, what are you doing there?

[01:32:44] But also, what are you doing to, that students that bring their cell phones into bathrooms or locker rooms, what are you doing there? They're not supposed to have them in the classrooms. They're not supposed to have them really in the school, but they could put them, I guess, in their lockers. So I'm just curious to know what we're doing in those situations.

[01:33:02] Thank you. So we can certainly pull data for you related to that because cell phone violations actually has its own unique code. So we could marry those violations to the sanctions that are then administered. As I said, that would be constrained by the range that is permissible under the SBAR, but that is data that we can certainly have for you.

[01:33:25] Related to parent notification, there is an expectation that if an incident, an allegation is elevated to a school administrator and a school administrator investigates and then administers a sanction that there would be communication with the parent, I can tell you as well that any discipline incident that is documented in the student information system is accessible in real time by parents through student view so that is another way that parents can occasionally as they as they feel necessary. Is that parent view? You said student view? Oh

[01:34:04] excuse me parent view. There is a discipline feature there but we can certainly get that cell phone data. Thank you. You're welcome. Did you get all your questions Mrs. Griffiths? Yes thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much for your presentation. I think one more thing is I think that would be important is you talked about that bullying and harassment training it would be interesting to provide that with the parent training as well i think parent training would

[01:34:38] be i think training parents would be a good idea as well to because bullying and harassment are different so okay um thank you for your presentation and um with that the school board will recess for dinner and will reconvene at 6 30 p.

[01:34:57] m thank you very much good evening the

[02:05:01] board is coming out of recess at this time and before we get to the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem, I've been notified that Arben Estreffi would like to remotely participate in today's school meeting, school board meeting. Mr. Estreffi, could you please state your location and whether this is a medical or personal matter? Thank you, Madam Chair. I am in a hotel room and this is a personal matter. Thank you. Is anyone with you at this location? If so, please state their names no so this will be mr astreffy's second remote participation for this calendar

[02:05:37] year in a school board meeting using a personal exemption i will now entertain a motion that mr astreffy's request to participate remotely be granted vice chair donahue thank you madam chair i move that the school board approve mr astreffy's motion to participate remotely in our meeting second and i have a second by um miss chandler um it's been properly moved and seconded is there any discussion seeing none clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote

[02:06:13] dr deans would you please state your vote yes clerk will you please close and display the vote and that motion passes unanimously with mr streffi absent for that vote mr streffi welcome to the school board meeting mr streffi do you have your disclosure would you mind reading it

[02:06:39] absolutely just a moment as a member of the loudon county school board i make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other

[02:07:17] discussion that may include or affect benefits for lcps employees specifically as a school board member i am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an lcps employee these benefits however affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected of which i am included i can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Thank you, Mr. Streffi. We will now continue with the rest of our meeting, starting with item seven, the Pledge of Allegiance and

[02:07:50] National Anthem. The Pledge of Allegiance will be performed by Ashley Kolbus, who has been working with LCPS for 18 years and is currently the special education dean at Heritage High School. She enjoys being a part of the Pride, and her favorite thing about Heritage is coaching the unified sports team, Unified Pride.

[02:08:11] She will be accompanied by her two kids from Pinebrook and Willard, correct? And then afterwards, our national anthem will be performed by Henry Newman, and Henry Newman is a post-grad student at Heritage High School, where he enjoys participating in unified basketball and track.

[02:08:36] Okay. One of his favorite things to do is to sing the National Anthem at his unified events and then entertain his friends during halftime with the YMCA. He's always loved music and has been working with music therapists from a place to be in Leesburg for over 10 years.

[02:08:52] Music therapy helps him utilize his love of music to enhance his confidence, build conversation skills, and navigate his specific challenges. However, Henry just loves to perform. Will everyone please stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem?

[02:09:09] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[02:09:31] My name is Henry. I will sing the National Anthem song. Oh say can you see by the dawn's early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight last gleaming Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight

[02:10:09] O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming and the rocket's red glare the bonds bursting and air gave proved through the night that our flag

[02:10:36] was still there oh save does that star-spangled banner yet wave thank you so much for sharing

[02:11:25] your gifts with us we'll now move to item eight recognitions the one lcps spotlight access academy and the lcps recovery school presented by katherine clark director of academic programs jeffrey jeremy shugard coordinator access academy dr tara woolover woolover principal potomac falls high school jennifer evans director student mental health services dr frederica mack Principal Recovery School, Dr. Elisa Daniel, Clinical Coordinator, Recovery School, and then

[02:12:05] I see Ms. Richardson and Mr. Slevin also. Welcome. Good evening, Chair Mansfield, members of the school board, and Dr. Spence. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you tonight. We're excited to spotlight two of our newest student-centered programs launching this school year, the Access Academy and the Recovery School. These programs reflect our ongoing commitment to meeting students where they are academically and personally, ensuring that they have the support they need to thrive. Tonight, we'll begin by grounding these initiatives in the LCPS strategic plan, then

[02:12:41] provide a brief overview of each program, and finally take a moment to recognize the teams who brought these opportunities to life. Next slide, please. Thank you. Tonight, I'm joined by several dedicated leaders who have been instrumental in creating these programs. Mr. Sugar, Access Academy Coordinator, Dr. Wolliver, Principal at Potomac Falls High School, Dr. Mack, Recovery School Principal, and Dr. Daniel, Recovery School Clinic Coordinator. Each of them brings a unique

[02:13:21] perspective and deep commitment to supporting our students. It is important to ground our work in the 1LCPS 2027 Strategic Plan for Excellence. Access Academy and the Recovery School directly support goal one, empowered students, especially through Aligned Action 1.2, expanding multiple accessible pathways to success, and Aligned Action 1.3, prioritizing care for students by creating

[02:13:54] safe, affirming environments. These programs are meaningful steps towards ensuring every student feels supported and has a path to thrive. Now I would like to turn it over to Mr. Sugart, Access Academy coordinator, to give an overview of the program.

[02:14:14] Good evening. The Access Academy is a new lab school at George Mason. The lab school is an innovative partnership between George Mason University, Northern Virginia Community College, and LCPS. We want to recognize members in the audience from George Mason, Dr. Roberto Palmas, Director of the Access Academy, and from Northern Virginia Community College, Kristen Carter, Associate Director in the Office of Dual Enrollment, along with Dr. Tara Willover, Principal at Potomac Falls High School.

[02:14:51] The Access Academy provides a unique learning opportunity for students, focusing on preparing students in careers in computer science and information technology. It blends rigorous academic rigor with real-world experiences, providing students with options, and an ever-involving IT industry.

[02:15:09] Access allows students to gain practical experiences through problem-based learning. a culminating capstone project or projects, along with various work-based learning experiences, internships, externships, and job shadowing as examples. Access students will build career-ready resumes through academic excellence, hands-on experiences, real-world applications, and potentially earn micro-credentials and industry certifications.

[02:15:36] Students will explore potential career and industry applications in computer science and IT. Students will be attending Potomac Falls High School during their 9th and 10th grade, and during 11th and 12th grade, the students will attend the Fuse Center at Mason Square in Arlington, a state-of-the-art research facility.

[02:15:54] This summer, we offered students the opportunity to engage in artificial intelligence and robotics. The three one-week sessions were provided to students at the Fuse Center for an introduction to AI. Many of our Access Academy students were able to attend and expand their knowledge and skills in AI and robotics.

[02:16:15] Finally, I would like to thank the school board for their tremendous support. Your support for this program has allowed us to build out a curriculum and recruit our first cohort of ninth grade students. Currently, we have 42 students enrolled to attend the Access Academy at Potomac Falls High School and are excited to continue to recruit students into future cohorts.

[02:16:36] Thank you. I'm going to turn it over to the Recovery School. Good evening. Thank you for allowing me to share a little bit of information about the Recovery Academy.

[02:16:55] Loudoun Recovery Academy is a secondary program dedicated to supporting students in recovery from substance use. Our mission is to provide safe, structured, and empowering environment where adolescents can focus on their recovery while continuing to make meaningful progress toward earning their high school diploma.

[02:17:13] By combining academic excellence with school and community-based recovery supports, We're able to offer students a fresh start, a pathway back to their homeschool setting when they are ready. Ultimately, the Recovery Academy exists to ensure that no student's future is defined by their past, but instead their potential.

[02:17:37] Next slide. The Recovery School will offer daily opportunities for counseling support with school-based mental health professionals, our UMHT, which will comprise of our student assistance specialist, school social worker, and school counselor.

[02:17:57] And we're very excited about that. We also have a cadre of community partners who plan to provide learning opportunities for staff, students, and families, both during the school day and after hours. Involving caregivers in programming is a priority for the recovery school, and we plan to host monthly family nights in a hybrid manner to be as inclusive as possible.

[02:18:20] Our providers also have a variety of therapeutic services available after hours if students or caregivers identify a need, and the Recovery School UMHT will facilitate appropriate referrals. We're excited for our current partnerships with LCPS specialists and with community partners, and we look forward to establishing additional partnerships in the near future.

[02:18:46] At the Loudoun County Recovery Academy, students will stay connected to their home school while receiving individualized instruction that supports both academic success and recovery. Daily practices that we have in place are things like restorative circles, wellness time, and win time, what individuals need.

[02:19:14] Our hope is that students will build resilience and community while participating in these exercises. By partnering with their families, the community providers, and post-secondary recovery networks, We prepare students not only to graduate, but to thrive beyond high school in a supportive, recovery-focused environment.

[02:19:36] Thank you. Tonight, we proudly recognize Potomac Falls High School for hosting the inaugural class of freshmen in the Access Academy.

[02:20:02] We extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Willover, principal of Potomac Falls, for your leadership and support in launching this important program. We also want to acknowledge the foundational work of Dr. Wolf, whose efforts over the past year helped bring this vision to life to get us to the point where we're at. In addition, we are grateful for our valued partners, Dr. Pommas, Director of Access Academy from George Mason University, and Mrs. Carter from the Northern Virginia Community College, whose collaboration has been instrumental in shaping this program.

[02:20:31] With deep appreciation, we present this plaque to Potomac Falls High School to display with pride, and we look forward to the future success of the program. It is with great pride that we mark the official opening of the LCPS Recovery School Academy for the 25-26 school year, marking a new chapter in our commitment to meeting the needs of every

[02:21:06] student. This achievement would not be possible without the unwavering support of our school board, so thank you, our Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, and our valued community partners, whose collaboration and investment have turned this vision into reality.

[02:21:25] We also honor the dedication, vision, and leadership of our staff, whose passion for innovation and student success has shaped this program from an idea into a living, learning community. Their work ensures that our students have the support, resources, and encouragement they need to thrive.

[02:21:48] Together, we have created a program that reflects the very best of what LCPS stands for. Hope, opportunity, and a belief in the potential of every learner. It is my honor and privilege to award the LCPS Recovery School Leadership Team with its Certificate of Recognition.

[02:22:09] At this time, we're going to transition to pictures with each of the leaders from the program.

[02:22:25] So we'll start with the Access Academy, if you want to work your way around.

[02:24:03] Now with that, we'll continue with item nine, our superintendent's report, presented by Dr.

[02:24:54] Aaron Spence, our superintendent. Dr. Spence. Thank you, Madam Chair, members of the board. It's always my pleasure to share some good news from around our school division. And this evening, we'll start by noting that our LCPS administrative staff, central office team, and educators attended events and conferences over the previous two weeks to help kick off the start of the school year and get ready for the return of students.

[02:25:22] More than 700 LCPS leaders attended Lead Loudon on July 29th and July 30th. This year's theme was transformational leadership, inspiring meaningful change, fostering innovation, and empowering others to achieve excellence. The keynote speaker, Valerie Burton, delivered a powerful message on the resilient leader, and over the course of two days, attendees had access to approximately 100 different sessions.

[02:25:44] The goal of Lead Loudon is to provide our LCPS leadership team with a meaningful learning experience where they feel valued, gain skills and knowledge to support their work in the upcoming year and build strong relationships and networks with fellow leaders across the division. This event was coordinated by human resources and talent development and our professional learning and school support teams.

[02:26:05] The following week, more than 230 new teachers participated in the Beginning Teacher Institute on August 6th and 7th. Throughout this two-day event, first-year educators engaged in sessions focused on building strong relationships, creating inclusive and welcoming classroom environments, implementing strategies to actively engage students in learning and exploring effective structures for supporting positive student behavior.

[02:26:28] And, of course, this week our teachers and school staff have returned and are participating in a variety of professional development sessions to prepare for the new year. And I just want to say how grateful I am for the commitment of our LCPS staff to our students and our mission. And, of course, I know you join me in wishing all of our staff a joyous start to the new school year.

[02:26:46] One of the professional development sessions also held recently was hosted by the Division of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility and kicked off the school year with the Equity Lead Institute on August 5th and 6th at Brambleton Middle School. 90 equity leads participated in professional learning focused on student sense of belonging, student agency and voice, and culturally responsive teaching practices.

[02:27:09] Our equity leads are excited to continue their work to ensure that every student feels valued, safe, and connected. More than 50 LCPS middle school students who had recently participated in a STEM summer camp focused on sustainability and, led by LCPS partner Orbalinks Academy, connected their classroom learning with real-world innovation during a visit to Amazon HQ2 in Arlington on August 1st.

[02:27:33] There, the students learned about Amazon's sustainability practices toward the HQ2 building, which showcases great examples of sustainable construction, and participated in a hands-on STEM activity. As a thank you, five LCPS students, including three LCPS graduates and two seniors, gifted a handcrafted mycelium bench for use at HQ2.

[02:27:55] Mycelium is a natural product that's been recognized as a durable alternative to plastics, and the bench, which was the result of more than 600 hours of work and dedication, exemplified their commitment to putting sustainable learning into practice. 17 LCPS schools were also recognized for their participation in the No Place for Hate program during the 2024-25 school year.

[02:28:19] These 17 schools are amongst 194 schools in the Washington, D.C. region that were recognized by No Place for Hate last school year. To receive this recognition, each school created school-wide projects to illustrate their commitment to building a supportive school community that promotes respect and inclusion.

[02:28:35] On this slide, we see two examples of school-wide engagement projects. Discovery Elementary created care teams where fourth and fifth grade members of these teams provided guidance to students in lower grades on how to be a caring citizen at Discovery. And at Lowe's Island Elementary, students and staff participated in creating a butterfly mural representing a pathway to kindness and acceptance for all.

[02:28:58] We'd also like to note that the Division of Family and Community Engagement participated in National Night Out hosted by the Leesburg Police Department on August the 5th. The FACE team greeted families and shared resources and information about LCPS, including FACE's Family Academy, which will kick off the year with its first session on September the 17th.

[02:29:17] FACE also gave out small gifts to students and parents, sharing LCPS's message, every family, every child, every day. National Night Out is a nationwide community-building campaign that brings neighbors and local law enforcement together to promote safer, more connected neighborhoods.

[02:29:33] and LCPS is grateful to the Leesburg Police Department for leading such a meaningful community event and to all the community partners who came together to celebrate and support one another. We also would like to give a shout out to Carlos Garcia, the CEO of a local IT services and consulting firm. After learning about the Sterling Middle School community and the work being done to support students and families there, Mr. Garcia made a generous donation to the school. Mr. Garcia who immigrated to the US from Portugal with his family when he was nine recalled how vital connection belonging and opportunity were to his success

[02:30:08] and so seeing those same values in action at sterling middle he made a donation to the school to in his words support a community that reminds me of my own journey this act reminds us that the greatest impact often begins with a single act of recognition and the belief that what students experience now will shape who they become and what they one day choose to give in return and we offer many thanks to Mr. Garcia for his support.

[02:30:33] And then finally this evening, I would like to share that for the fifth straight year, LCPS will be providing funds to assist teachers with classroom setup and supply purchases. We want to remind our first-year teachers that they're eligible for a supply allotment of $250 and our returning teachers that they're eligible to receive an allotment of up to $100.

[02:30:52] We know this may not fully outfit a classroom, but they do help our LCPS teachers make sure their classrooms are set up to best support their work with students. And we know our principals continue to support them at the school level as well. Thank you, Madam Chair. That concludes my report. Thank you, Dr. Spence.

[02:31:09] All right. And that now brings us to item 10, public comment. And I will read my script. It's always very lengthy. Thank you for engaging with the school board through the public comment process. The school board welcomes comments from Loudoun County residents and believes that strong community engagement and outreach are important components of a successful school system.

[02:31:33] 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. Decorum and civility.

[02:31:50] 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, 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 otherwise attempting

[02:32:24] to intimidate, disparage, or distract a speaker, staff member, or other meeting attendees. Speakers should refrain from vulgarity, obscenities, defamation, profanity, or other like breaches of respect. Nor may speakers target, criticize, or attack individual students and or individual division employees during public comment.

[02:32:46] 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 or employee related matter may not be shared at public meetings where the disclosure could violate applicable confidentiality requirements. And I do want to take a moment to clarify a few things. As I have explained previously,

[02:33:20] 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 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

[02:33:54] 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 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

[02:34:32] LCPS community would violate school board policy. 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.

[02:34:53] Under school board policy, I, as a school board chair, am charged with the responsibility to maintain order during school board meetings. Accordingly, when reasonable, I will warn of breaches of decorum, civility, and respect, and ask that speakers to redirect their comments prior to possibly discontinuing individual speaking privileges or taking other actions to preserve the civility, decorum, and orderly conduct of the meeting. Such actions include calling a recess in order to maintain and or restore order. If speakers fail to comply with

[02:35:30] board policy regarding public participation, you will receive a warning and 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 please take your seat. I will then call the next speaker. 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

[02:36:08] 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 from the remainder of the meeting. Repeated or persistent violations of decorum or civility by the audience may result in, on the decision of the chair, public comment being tabled until a later point in the meeting's agenda, limiting the number of attendees in the meeting room during public comment for safety reasons, or the public comment

[02:36:45] period ending for the evening. Copies of materials for board members should be given to the public information officer in the media box at the back of the boardroom before the start of the meeting. Please provide 12 copies of the materials. Under no circumstances may a speaker approach the dais.

[02:37:05] 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. We'll start with Matt Malone, followed by Tara Moni. Chair, school board members, this message is for the majority. You have one job, educate students in LCPS, yet you have put

[02:37:41] the most vulnerable at risk. English learners, specifically in Title I schools like Countryside, Elementary, depend on federal funds, which we would receive if you actually certified the end of DEI in the school system. Your ideology will not allow you to end policy 8040 or DEI. The only trans policy you don't promote is transparency. Residents of Loudoun County don't want biological boys and girls sports, locker rooms, or restrooms. You have oppressed the students and denied parents their rights. You also want to use AI to analyze security cameras in schools for weapons or potential violence. That is a potential privacy risk for students and parents should be fully

[02:38:20] informed since the video feeds have to be uploaded to a data center who has access to our students image data you took an oath to the u.s and virginia constitutions will you stand up for the rights of all students to have thank you ceremony money followed by kate mayers myers on 37 weeks 260 days 6 258 hours 375 450 minutes 22 million 527 000 seconds we've been dealing with a nightmare

[02:38:56] our child is one of three in a complaint since then we have followed everything we were told to do by title nine in our school both sides were given a fair opportunity through the due process since then my family has been harassed threatened intimidated and smeared in our community our school and at a school board meeting by the boy's mother lcps is refusing to follow special permission policy 8155 it appears because a parent is an attorney and the mother's use threats they matter more we will not stand for this any longer no contact orders have been violated more than 10 times and according to our admin punishments don't seem to work students and staff

[02:39:31] safety have been put into jeopardy more than once by this family lcps needs to do what's right and stand their ground and back their policy we will not be silenced long enough thank you kate myers followed by looks like yanksia yanksha chen but then there's also the pronunciation and chen so first Kate Myers purpose of me speaking this evening is to follow up on an email I sent requesting clarification on the timing of the upcoming survey for the Dulles South District

[02:40:07] Middle and High School rezoning from the spring of 2025 this rezoning impacts two of my children one will be in 11th grade and the other will be in eighth in the fall of 2026 continuing their education without interruption in academics music and sports is of the utmost importance the uncertainty of school placement for the 26-27 school year has added increased concern i am asking that the information on the survey's timing including when it will be sent out and the timeline for school board review and approval be shared addressing this as soon as possible will help ease concerns and allow my children to focus on their education for the coming year

[02:40:41] thank you for your time and attention to this matter thank you um i'm gonna go how they asked me to pronounce it and chen followed by raj katapali we do not have a virtual public speaker by that name signed in is it yangtia do you have that oh you're here okay um so i have you written

[02:41:10] down for virtual um i'll move you down to the beginning or the end okay i'll move you up i'll move you to the beginning of in-person speakers because you were at the middle so um hold please and we'll go to raj katapali members of the school board i want to thank you for your strong

[02:41:44] stance against high voltage overhead transmission lines on on or near school property after the school rejected route 3 and 4 dominion proposed route 3a while it avoids directly crossing Rosalie Carter undergrounds. Like Route 3, it still places high-voltage overhead lines just feet away from where young children walk, learn, and play. This does not eliminate the health and safety concerns. In addition, both of these routes would have a significant environmental impact on the broader stream. Schools and communities should not be burdened with the risk of overhead

[02:42:22] power lines. So, I urge you to formally oppose Route 3A and participate in the SEC hearing and advocate for undergrounding to protect our children, neighborhoods, and environment. Thank you for your time and service. Thank you.

[02:42:40] And now, Yangxia Chen. I'm sorry? Did you want to speak? Come up to the microphone, please.

[02:43:05] And you have one minute to speak. You don't have one minute to get there. You just don't want me to speak. No, right there, right at the podium. We come here to oppose Dominion Energy, to put a high-voltage power tower around our neighborhood.

[02:43:25] It's a high-dense neighborhood and a lot of school and kids. It's just higher than the Paris effort tower. We don't want to leave an industrial-like neighborhood. We know there are more coming. We want them to build it underground, not above the ground, that we are all here for.

[02:43:46] look yes thank you thank you all right um okay we'll move on to our um in-person speakers starting starting with victor block my name is whoops uh my name is victor block i am the president of latin valley estates homeowners association representing over 700 homes and more than 3 000 of your constituents and many people here tonight before you make a decision i hope you have all

[02:44:25] read the email i sent earlier one minute is not enough to convey the devastation this project will Will cause to our community. We're simply asking you as our elected officials to step up and engage Avoiding this challenge might be politically convenient, but the real leaders face hard problems head-on. We need you to be that leader Please approve the notice of participation tonight. Thank you. Thank you Robin no. Oh, oh, so no clapping for y'all who haven't been here before There's no clapping. There's this for clapping

[02:45:04] But, yeah, because it can just, it causes a disturbance. So, thank you for your understanding. So, the next person is Ravishankar Krishnamoorthy and followed by Samir Verma.

[02:45:24] Good evening. My name is Ravishankar Krishnamoorthy. I live in Loudoun Valley Estates for the last two decades. Just like Victor, we are very concerned about the Dominion Electrics plan over huge overhead lines over our community.

[02:45:46] We are concerned about the long-term safety, property values, not to mention the impact on our children. If these power lines are not good for the school property, it is definitely not good for the residents. So we urge you to support us here by filing a notice of participation with the state corporation.

[02:46:08] It is the fastest and easiest way for you to show that you care for us. In the entire two decades, we have supported you in all the bond initiatives and all without batting an eyelid. We trusted you. It's time for you to trust us. Thank you. Thank you.

[02:46:25] Samir Verma, followed by Sudhir Kolapara. Is there a Samir Verma or Verma?

[02:46:44] Okay, moving on. Sudhir Kolapara, and then we will follow by Merites Pack. Good evening, panel.

[02:47:05] Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak here. I'm here to represent my community, Loudoun Valley Estates, so we are in a flux in whether to choose the right decision here, so we request you that whatever decision will affect us for the Loudoun County for generations.

[02:47:27] So we can either live with massive towers in our neighborhoods or we can choose to be smarter or safer solutions underground lines. So we request you to help us in this matter. Thank you. Thank you.

[02:47:49] Maritas Pak, followed by Vicky Hugh. Hi, I'm Maritas Pak. I'm a resident of Loudoun County Estates. I also have two young kids that greatly benefit from your education, going to Moore Field as well as Stonehill.

[02:48:08] And I'm grateful for what you've done, and I'm asking you to continue to take that vital, critical role to be an advocate and protect our children, our students, our teachers, our community. Your voice matters, our community matters, and our kids matters.

[02:48:27] Inaction is an action. We want you to file for participation in SCC to protect us. The routes that are being asked go right through our backyards. That high voltage for my young children, be there.

[02:48:44] They spend more time at our home than in your schools. You had in that one slide, 2027, that you would consider and lead the safety of our students. I'm asking you to do the same thing. The title there says engage, engage and act, protect us.

[02:49:02] - Thank you. I'm sorry, you're, excuse me. Will you please yield the mic? It's, your minute is up, I'm sorry. Thank you. Vicky Hu followed by Brenda Bankson.

[02:49:24] - Good evening. My name is Vicky Hu. My house is directly behind the Rock Ridge High School on the other side of Brown River. So on June 13th this year, I received a call from Rod Richardson from the Dominion Energy.

[02:49:42] He told me that because the school board denied the high voltage power line in the Rockridge property, so they decided to move the power line from school property to my property. I was shocked, angry, and confused. If the school board doesn't want the power line in the school property, I don't want the power line in my property either.

[02:50:03] I'm standing in front of you today and asking you to support our school community. And tell Dominion to have their power line either go underground or go somewhere else. Because industrial power line doesn't belong to neighborhood.

[02:50:20] And it doesn't belong to anywhere near your school student's home. Thank you. Thank you. Brenda Bankson, followed by Julia Holcomb. Who matters?

[02:50:43] Not those who scream loudest, lie the most, or attack students. Not those who file frivolous lawsuits, run to a local TV propagandist, or allow fear to consume them. Not those who refuse to use students' preferred names and stoke four years of disrespect.

[02:51:05] Not those who use Project 2025 to target LCPS or fixate on other people's children's body parts. Gross. Who matters? Our students and youth. There's no moral high ground for teachers or parents who dehumanize our students.

[02:51:26] Expect courage from people, and it will show up. Expect fear, and fear will rule the day. J.B. Pritzker. Courage is contagious. Please fight for our LGBT students, privacy, and 80-40.

[02:51:43] Thank you. Julia Holcomb, followed by Lee Chen. Is anyone else as tired of this subject as I am?

[02:52:02] I decided to try something new. It's not due to the internet. I'm going to try by explaining it as if you were in kindergarten. Not because you aren't, but just because it's really so simple. You don't have to make him your best friend. You do have to be kind to him. You don't want to be the kind of kid who's mean to other kids, do you? No, that's what I thought. If you see him on the playground and he wants a push on the swing, you give him a push. He wants to be called something.

[02:52:36] You know that friend of yours named Catherine who decided she wanted to be called Katie? Yeah. You call him what he wants to be called. That's not hard, is it? So tomorrow, when you see him, when you get off the school bus, say hi. And I would be very surprised if he didn't say hi right back.

[02:52:57] You want a popsicle? Thank you. Lee Chen, followed by Anna Desai. My name is Lee Chen, and I'm living in Ashburn as an educator like you.

[02:53:20] I'm here to speak for the families, children, and the community members who will be directly impacted by the proposed high-voltage lines, Golden and Mars, and the continued expansion of the data center near our schools and homes.

[02:53:40] Northern County has already contributed more than any other county in the nation to the data center's industry. We understand their economic value, but we must draw the line.

[02:53:57] When industrial projects threaten our children's health, safety, and learning environments, an elementary school should not sit in the shadow of high-voltage lines. I urge the school board to stand up.

[02:54:17] thank you thank you would you please yield the mic thank you um philip emmanuel wait anna desai followed by philip emmanuel we are here to get your help to file the notice to participate at the scc to keep dominion and the high voltage power line away from the residential

[02:54:52] area i support technology i support data centers it's good for people student everybody but the lack of planning of data center infrastructure now they are putting it on top of our home and that is not acceptable so I really appreciate your support to keep those high voltage power lines away or hidden from the residential areas appreciate it thank you Philip Emanuel please

[02:55:22] hold your applause Philip Emanuel followed by Sorenthar Manica good evening my name is Phil Emanuel, I'm a resident of the Loudoun Valley Estates, and I vote. First off, I want to thank all of you for your service as school board members. This county seems to have more than our share of controversial topics, many of which have been argued in this very room. That being said, each of you took an oath to faithfully and impartially discharge all the duties incumbent upon

[02:56:01] you as a school board member. To that end, I'm here to urge the board to actively engage with the State Corporation Commission on the Golden to Mars Transmission Line Project and to clearly represent the interests of our school community.

[02:56:17] By aligning with school county officials and residents who are advocating for the most responsible long-term solution, undergrounding, you can demonstrate your commitment to the safety, fiscal responsibility, and community well-being. In conclusion, may I opine that the only thing necessary for Dominion Energy to build high-voltage transmission lines through our residential neighborhoods is for good men and women to do. Thank you. Thank you. Surinder Manika, followed by Men Pax. Good evening. My name is

[02:56:55] Surinder Manika, and I live in the Loudoun Valley Estates. Right now, Dominion Energy wants to run massive high-voltage towers through our neighborhoods, towers that will loom over hundreds of homes where our children sleep, play, and walk to school. This will happen now in the daily environment, not some far-off future.

[02:57:14] Property values will drop, health concerns will rise, and the character of a community will be scarred forever. Even if not on school grounds, these towers will line routes of students' travel and fields where they play. You cannot be silent. The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has already filed a notice of participation with the SEC to fight for undergrounding.

[02:57:33] The school board must join them now. Filing is simple, but it gives you the power to speak for our children in this process. Because if we don't stop this today, Dominion's next project will be even closer to our schools. Let's protect our children. Please file the notice and stand with us.

[02:57:49] - Thank you. Min Pak followed by Brian Turner. - Good evening, my name is Min Pak.

[02:58:08] I'm a resident of Loudoun Valley States. I lived in Ashburn for 21 years. We as a community are deeply saddened and overwhelmingly oppose Dominion's proposal to install high voltage power lines through our community.

[02:58:26] It will lead to health implications, environmental concerns, and the inevitable reduction and destruction of communities across Loudoun County. Stand with us.

[02:58:45] Help keep our families and children safe. Please choose the option to protect Loudoun's future. File the petition, notice of participation, and show the community that you are engaged. Thank you for your time.

[02:59:01] Thank you. Brian Turner followed by Peter Snyder. School board members, I'm Brian Turner and I'm speaking on behalf of Loudoun Valley States One, the Loudoun Coalition of HOAs, and as an advocate for the proliferation, against the proliferation of above ground transmission lines coming through our community.

[02:59:28] Dominion has placed the school board in an unacceptable and untenable position. Dominion put multiple underground options on the table, giving this community hope for an underground alternative only to take all underground options away just at the last minute just before filing their application with the SEC. Now they're asking our community and our school board to make an unjustified choice for above ground lines. The county has commissioned its own engineers and are finalizing an underground study that addresses Dominion's alleged reasons not to bury the lines. I urge you to vote tonight to file a notice of participation at the SEC alongside the Lowndes County and the Lowndes community.

[03:00:07] By filing this notice, the board will have greater ability to influence the outcome. Thank you. Thank you. Peter Snyder, followed by Padma Penmetza. My name is Pete Snyder.

[03:00:29] I've been a resident of Lowndes Valley Estates for over 16 years, and my children currently attend the public schools and will be directly impacted by the Golden and Amar's high-voltage power line project. The bottom line is Dominion wants to put up these towers instead of burying the lines underground, as they should do because it is cheaper and more expedient.

[03:00:46] Publicly traded companies will always act to prioritize profit for the benefit of their shareholders, but we need to remind them that they also have a moral obligation to consider the common good and well-being of the customers and communities that will be adversely affected by this project. Therefore, I urge the school board to file a notice of participation with the SCC by the September 9th deadline in order to formally engage in the evaluation process and preserve its ability to influence the outcome of this project to protect the shared interests of the children and parents in the affected LCPS communities.

[03:01:17] Thank you for your time. Thank you. Padma Penmetza, followed by Madhu Alagubelli. Good evening. I'm Padma Penmetza, a resident of Loudoun Valley Estates.

[03:01:35] Dominion is now talking about power towers up to 185 feet tall. These are taller than any building in Loudoun County. These clearly do not belong in neighborhoods. I sincerely request the school board to push for underground options and file the notice of participation so you can steer this decision in the best interest of your community.

[03:02:00] Thank you. Thank you. Madhu Alagubeli, followed by Sunitha Alagubeli. Good evening, everybody.

[03:02:25] My name is Madhu Alagubeli, and I live in Loudoun Valley Estates, and I'm here for the same Dominion high-power voltage lines that are going behind our backyards and then through the community. So we don't have the lawyers, engineers, and money that Dominion brings to the table, so we need your help.

[03:02:48] Please engage now and file the notice of publication, participation, and work with us on this massive tower out of our neighborhoods. Thank you. Thank you. Sunita Al-Gubelli, followed by Alina Pink.

[03:03:14] Good evening, everybody. Thank you for giving me the opportunity.

[03:03:31] My name is Sunita Al-Gubelli, and I am a resident of Loudoun Valley Estates. Dominion is now talking about towers up to 185 feet tall, taller than any other building in Loudoun County. These do not belong in our neighborhoods.

[03:03:47] Please push for underground options and file the notice of participation so you can help us guide through this decision please understand that we as human beings we're all living beings there so we cannot have these big towers all the health hazards and all the impact that brings to our families our children and we also have memories emotions that are tied to the places that we live

[03:04:20] So please protect us and please partner with us in this journey and help us and guide through it. Thank you so much. Thank you. Alina Pack followed by David Vultima.

[03:05:03] Good evening. I'm a student at Stonehill Middle School. As a student, I'm asking you to please help me and every Loudoun County Public School student by signing the Notice of Participation to SCC. These routes are going straight through my community, and the electric power lines are cancer-causing to every single kid in my neighborhood.

[03:05:26] Please take action and save our lives. Thank you. Thank you. David Boltima, followed by Yazvinder Kacar. Hello, my name is David Boltima.

[03:05:44] I'm a resident of Loudoun Valley Estates for the last 20 years. I'm asking you to file a notice of participation with the SEC and advocate for undergrounding power lines. We need you to step up here. On lcps.org, you list four goals that are foundational to achieving the mission and vision of, which includes engaging the community and being one of the four core values. To successfully achieve a goal, one needs to give as much or more than they expect to receive this is one issue where we need you to engage and to support our

[03:06:20] community filing with sec is the most effective way for lcps to formally influence the outcome if you don't engage we lose a significant voice your voice as the board of lcps to help advocate for undergrounding options thank you very much thank you gas vendor kakar followed by zolkar Good evening, respected board members.

[03:06:51] My name is Jaswinder Cocker, and I'm a resident of Loudoun Valley Estates. I'm here to voice against the Dominion Energy's proposed Golden to Mars project to deliver high-power, high-voltage overhead wires to the data centers.

[03:07:07] I'm raising voice against the corporate greed, which is not opting for underground wiring options, despite of recurring profits for decades that they are going to get. Members of impacted local communities are feeling powerless against these corporate giants and seems like are expected to suffer in silence while Dominion makes profit off of their tears.

[03:07:28] Please note that impacted local communities are not even remotely recipient of any benefit of these high power, high rise wires that are going to these data centers and neither they're going to be using these data centers directly.

[03:07:45] I acknowledge and commend the work that School Board does in shaping our communities by preparing the students as responsible citizens. It is time that board lead them by example. Your time is up. Thank you. Let's see.

[03:08:04] Zulkarnan Bhati, followed by Vidya Palasana. No Zulkarnan Bhati.

[03:08:21] Vidya Palasana, followed by Madison Taggart. No Vidya Palasana.

[03:08:39] Madison Taggart, followed by Will Taggart. To the ladies and gentlemen of the school board, My name is Madison Taggart and I'm a former LCPS student. I've lived in Loudoun Valley Estates for almost my entire life.

[03:08:57] I love the place I call home and everything that the Loudoun County Public Schools has done for me as I've grown up. And this has made Dominion Energy's current proposal for power lines right beside my home and all other students' homes horrifying.

[03:09:13] No one deserves to have their children see their home get destroyed or watch their family be displaced due to poor infrastructure planning and corporate greed. I ask that the school board work with the families of Latin Valley Estates to stop Dominion Energy from endangering students and their families, to make sure the school and residents both can stay in the places we care for so deeply. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you. Will Taggart, followed by Nazia Mushtaq.

[03:09:48] I'm Madison's father. Two have lived in the community for a very long time. The community was originally built by Toll Brothers. The school property was donated by Toll Brothers to the county to build a school. It's not us asking you to help us. We're telling you to help us.

[03:10:13] You are our cousins in reality, that we together aren't separated by a stream. We're humans just as you are, just as the people you represent, and we are the people you represent. We expect that you reach out and you help us. It's the only thing you can do.

[03:10:33] Thank you very much. Thank you. Nazia Mushtaq, followed by Maharshi Desai. Nazia Mushtaq, Maharshi Desai, followed by Steve Balak. Good evening, board member. My name is Maharshi Desai. I'm part of a resident at Loudoun Valley Estate, living from the last 20 years.

[03:11:10] Again, I'm for the same cause, Golden to Mars, power line from Dominion. So not only it affect our families and children, but also it affect our nature habitat. In my backyard there's a lot of beautiful birds, animals, trees, and when this power line comes, they will cut all the trees in my backyard, and that is not good for our nature. So, and if you don't stop right now, I'm sure hundreds of more data centers are going to come. President just signed up and getting more AI data centers in this country. So, eventually more and more

[03:11:45] data center will come in this area. So I want both to support us and support for SCC and put your comments here. Thank you very much. Thank you. Steve Balak followed by Sambath Subramanian.

[03:12:03] Good evening. Thank you. My name is Steve Balak. I've lived in Loudoun County or Loudoun Valley estate since January 2007, and I am a retired LCPS teacher. We are like a David facing a Goliath here. We need every friend, every ally we can get, and we entreat you, please file that

[03:12:34] notice of participation. We are outmanned, we are outgunned, and without the full support of all elements of Loudoun County, we will not succeed in getting the underground options given full consideration. So I please, I beg you, please file that notice of participation with the SCC. Thank

[03:13:01] you. Thank you. Sambuth Sabramanian, followed by Sarah Chen.

[03:13:19] Good evening, school board. My name is Sambuth Sabramanian. I am a resident in the Loudoun Valley estate. This Golden to Mars project seems the first project they're trying to do in the country. So this may set a precedence to all the projects which any power company is going to do in the country.

[03:13:36] So I urge the school board to help the residents in this area to make engineering companies make the right decision to support the humanity in the long run. So thanks for the opportunity.

[03:13:53] And I request the school board to file a notice of participation so that you have a voice. And that voice will be definitely helpful for the humanity in the future. Thank you. Thank you. Sarah Chen, followed by Meredith Ray. My name is Sarah Chen, and I graduated from Briarwoods High School nearly 20 years ago.

[03:14:21] So I'm here to ask the school board to engage with the SEC and to reject all proposed routes of the Golden to Mars power line. We are all familiar with the dangers of high-voltage power lines, so I won't harp on those. But people live in Loudoun because of the public school system. If LCPS does not push back against these corporations, it would send a clear message to parents and families across the county.

[03:14:41] The LCPS cannot protect its students or simply does not care. If people lose faith in the school system, then families who are able to will leave the county. I believe we can make a difference and pressure the SEC and Dominion to innovate, to explore alternate options to solve this infrastructure issue.

[03:14:58] Community over corporations, people over profit. Please engage with the SEC before September 9th. Thank you. Thank you. Meredith Ray, followed by Robin Ness. In 2020, in the court case Grimm v. Gloucester County, Virginia School Board, the Fourth Circuit ruled public schools must let trans students use facilities matching their gender identity.

[03:15:33] In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court let that stand. That is binding law today. The Department of Education is hoping that you defy that precedent. Doing so would make you lawbreakers. History will remember what you choose. I frankly am tired of coming here and having to ask for you all to treat all students fairly.

[03:15:56] Sixty years ago, it was also considered unsafe for my dad, who was a child, my grandmother, who was a teacher, and my great-grandmother, who was the headteacher, to share facilities with their peers because they were black. So I will not stay silent while a bunch of bigots utter another group of humans in 2025.

[03:16:18] If you voted for a rapist to be president, you don't care about safety. Thank you. Robin S. followed by Tumai Harding. Some reminders. Your vote, your right to drive, to hold a credit card, to own property, have paid family leave, to be sitting up there is because of people like my friends, people who speak out against discrimination, bigotry, and bullies, to protect what matters.

[03:16:52] Our trans community matters. No one is free until we are all free. And you don't think your rights are next, you're fools. You are so brainwashed by the GOP with your full chest out, advocating for a system that you will not benefit from. It won't stop at trans rights.

[03:17:08] It will be free speech, free press, education, democracy itself. Stop spreading harmful disinformation about a community that you don't know or you don't understand. Stop grandstanding for the pedophile in the White House. Stop focusing on children's genitalia.

[03:17:24] If it was about safety, we'd be talking about common sense gun control, not bathrooms. It's never about bathrooms. And you're using the same playbook as the racists that wanted to stop integration. Thank you. Thank you. Tumai Harding, followed by Abby Platt.

[03:17:41] Good evening, LCPS board. I'm here today to speak on behalf of my many friends and neighbors in the Muslim community who haven't had their voices heard to Policy 8040. They've asked me to urge school board members Samira Rasheed and Arbin Astrafi to stand with the Muslim community, honor their faith, and vote to repeal Policy 8040.

[03:18:03] The Muslim community has rallied behind Samira and Arban trusting they would champion their values and recognize biological and spiritual truth, that there are only two genders as defined by God in common sense, and Policy 8040 rejects this. You are elected to protect our children, to keep them safe. Policy 84 is a mistake and not supported by a majority of parents and certainly not the Muslim community that helped you get elected. You have an opportunity now to obey the law, do the right thing, and vote to repeal Policy 8040. Please make the right choice.

[03:18:35] Thank you. Thank you. Abby Platt, followed by Amy Riccardi. Let's be honest. Tonight's discussion about policy 8040 will be nothing more than theater. Everyone here knows exactly where all of you stand on this issue.

[03:18:54] So why the big charade? Why pretend that there's some mysterious full legal landscape that you need to understand to justify yet another secret meeting behind closed doors? That's just legal speak for what happens if we ignore federal law? The time for talk is over.

[03:19:11] Just vote already. Stop wasting our time, our tax dollars, and disrespecting parents and kids that are counting on you. And know this, no matter what you do here today, I will sleep just fine knowing that President Trump and Secretary McMahon have our backs.

[03:19:27] They stand with parents. They stand with truth. They stand with the well-being of all children. The feds are coming, and they're fed up. And accountability is on the way. - Thank you. people in the audience to please keep their comments to themselves? Thank you. Amy Riccardi followed by Peg Klein. Good evening school board. I'd like to take a little bit different approach on the issues this evening. You have the entirety of the Sterling district here that's impacted. You have folks from the Loudoun Valley Estates who are really concerned about power lines and I share

[03:20:05] their concerns and think that that's a pretty easy issue for you all to make. But the other group of people aren't here tonight and that's the parents and the students in Sterling Park. The seven Title I schools who make up, 66% of them are English learners, 68 of them are economically disadvantaged, 73% are Spanish-speaking, and 71% participate in free or reduced meals. If you all make the decisions that you want to and you lose federal funding, these seven schools, the 6,000

[03:20:37] students within them, are going to suffer greatly. This is much more now than an issue between the transgender issue or bathrooms or anything else, this is really going to seriously impact all of our Title I schools in Sterling, and you need to support them. Thank you. Peg Klein, followed by Annie Tirona. My daughter is on her sixth IEP plan and only reads at the fourth percentile.

[03:21:17] Her teachers say that she's the hardest working student in class, but she continues to struggle and cries that she's no good at reading. Every year we've asked for a tutor, more speech therapy, every year denied not enough resources like so many other students who come from hard places my daughter suffered trauma and neglect i met with a school board member this past spring informing her of trauma resources which only cost 250 dollars per school sorry not enough funds yet lcps is willing to sacrifice 46 million dollars half of which goes to special education and pay

[03:21:56] god only knows how much in legal fees defending a legally indefensible position. My daughter and so many countless other students in need will face the lifelong impacts of your defiance. They deserve to learn. They need the resources to do it. Stop defying the law and start obeying it. Thank you.

[03:22:17] Annie Tirona followed by Chris Klein. I'm here tonight to ask you to stand firm in support of policy 8040. This policy reflects the basic values I teach my children: respect, dignity, and inclusion. Every student, including transgender and non-binary students, deserve to feel safe and seen at school. Regarding bathrooms and locker rooms, instead of forcing students into categories that may not reflect their identity, we should be expanding access to gender-neutral facilities. The reality

[03:22:55] is most kids, regardless of gender, feel uncomfortable changing in front of others. privacy is something all students want and deserve the recent federal demands backed by Donald Trump are not about protecting children they're about politicizing them they strip away the humanity of kids who are already vulnerable and send the message that they don't belong please don't back down LCPS has been a leader in affirming the rights of all students let's continue to be that leader no matter the pressure thank you thank you Chris Klein followed by Santos Munoz

[03:23:28] Good evening. Given the school board will vote on whether or not to continue policy 8040, the board should reflect on the following questions. Why does 8040 exist? How many students does it support versus how many students is it harming? Doesn't this policy serve to confuse our children? How much money is spent on implementing and defending this policy?

[03:24:02] How much are its legal fees? Wouldn't these funds be better spent on academics, arts, and athletics? How many parents and students would support this policy versus removing it? Should we forego $46 million of federal funds, much of which is allocated for special education?

[03:24:24] Why is our school system consistently in the national news for gender ideology topics instead of excellence in education? If you're honest when answering these questions, you will vote to rescind the policy. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Please hold your applause. Santos Muñoz, followed by Katie Buckley. Good evening. My name is Santos Muñoz, and I'm here to talk about the

[03:24:59] effects of the lack of leadership and ineffective decision-making by the majority of you directly affecting Latino kids. Seven Sterling schools are 100% Title I, 73% Hispanic, 66% English learner, and nearly 70% economically disadvantaged, yet their map scores in reading and math are far below the county average. This is a result of systemic neglect. When the majority of the board refuses to act decisively to protect federal funding, nearly $46 million, it affects this

[03:25:33] vulnerable community. 20% of over 82,000 kids are affected. That's about 16,000 kids, not counting the 170 cadets in junior ROTC, and many special education students. Whether by intent or in action, by you or the superintendent, the results are the same.

[03:25:52] Do the right thing for all these students, save the funding, and save them. Thank you. Katie Buckley, followed by Elizabeth Scheib. No, Katie Buckley.

[03:26:19] Elizabeth Scheib, followed by Noah Meyer. Noah Meyer, followed by Omer Butt.

[03:26:37] and then after Omer Bhatt is Smita Konduri. Hello, my name is Noah Meyer and I'm an eighth grade science teacher who has taught at LCPS for 10 years. Not only that, but I'm also a former LCPS student who started in my academic journey in the old Round Hill Elementary School and graduated from Loudoun Valley in 2009. If you looked at me up in the county records though, you wouldn't find me because I had a different name back then. Now I'm speaking to you as an out and proud transgender man advocating for the rights of my community. Policy 8040 is absolutely

[03:27:16] crucial to safeguarding the well-being of Loudoun's transgender students. It's the kind of policy I could only have dreamed of when I was a student. Respecting and using a student's chosen names and pronouns and allowing them to use the bathroom they identify with costs nothing and yet means everything. This month is Transgender History Month so I asked the board this. How do you want history to remember you. Do you want to be remembered as fierce advocates who protected the rights of Loudoun's transgender student population, or will you let fear and hate win and allow the fundamental rights of Loudoun's transgender students to be unjustly stripped

[03:27:51] away? Thank you. Omer Butt, followed by Smitha Kunduri. Mr. Butt, I just called your name. Would you like to come down? Thank you. Thank you for being here. There are two specific issues I want

[03:28:23] to talk about. First is the fact that Dominion Energy, what they're trying to do, it's destroying our neighborhoods. And then we need to do some responsible actions so we can protect our homes, our lives, and make a difference. If we continue to allow them to step over us, this is only going to get worse. There are hundreds of people who have protested against us over the past two years and many are here. Please listen to our voice. Move this item from

[03:28:55] info to vote. Stand with us. We elected you to stand for us. Please support us. Secondly, policy 8040. I have been voicing this out for the past two, three years. Please change the policy so it respects all children. We need to protect all kids. We can change and do a better job. That's my request. Thank you so much. God bless. Thank you. Smita Konduri followed by Anshul

[03:29:26] Kattach. No Smita Konduri. Anshul Kattach followed by Mike Devell. No Anshul Kattach.

[03:29:59] Mike Devell followed by Lara Larson. Good evening board members. To those who support policy 8040 and equality for our kids, I thank you for your courage. To those who do not, it's not too late.

[03:30:23] A wise person gave me some advice. They said, follow your values. So I ask you, what do you value? Kindness, fairness, courage, or is it something else? Power, status, contributions.

[03:30:42] A challenge has been issued to the Virginia school boards, a challenge to our values, from a man who has none. Board members, show us your values this week. Show us you believe in fairness and equality.

[03:31:01] dissed those that would tear us apart. Our kids are counting on you. Thank you. Thank you. Laura Larson, followed by Srinaga Raja Gopal Parsif. Hello. I'm here as a parent of two LCPS graduates to add my voice to those urging school leadership to remain steadfast in their commitment to the current non-discrimination policies and practices. These measures don't harm any student.

[03:31:33] They actually protect all students' privacy, reduce bullying, and support a school climate where everyone has the chance to thrive. The threatened loss of federal funding is a deliberate attempt to pit communities against each other. The funding at stake is unrelated to Title IX or protecting girls.

[03:31:51] The Trump administration and Virginia Republican elected officials are willing to hurt all our communities to target a small, vulnerable group. It's not transgender and non-binary students threatening to take away school's federal funding. It's the Trump administration. Don't give in to bullies.

[03:32:07] Also urge you to please support the constituents here today in advocating against power lines in their backyards. Thank you. - Thank you. Srinaga Raja Gopal Parsa?

[03:32:27] No? Okay. Aparna Madhuretti, followed by Donna Russell.

[03:32:46] - Good evening, Aparna Madhuretti. Speaking on behalf of many members from my Indian American community who are really pissed off at this point with some of the decisions some of you guys are making. They are sending their children to the school for an education and for safety.

[03:33:06] And you guys, some of you are prioritizing a political agenda over their safety. As an adult woman, I would not feel comfortable being in a bathroom with a biological male. So why are you subjecting our students to that kind of experience?

[03:33:22] I urge you to repeal policy 8040 and let those federal dollars keep coming in, because that's what determines students' success. I will continue educating my community and informing them of the decisions you're making. Thank you. - Thank you.

[03:33:39] Donna Russell, followed by Jude Armstrong. - Consider this, a February Pew Research Center survey showed only 15% of Americans support men and women's sports and only 26% support people in opposite sex private spaces.

[03:33:59] Americans, both liberal and conservative, are waking up to the harms of transgender ideology. I recognize that you are trying to do the right thing, but many have structured their thinking and decision-making to align with the oppressor-oppressed paradigm. You identify the oppressed, and you do whatever it takes to protect them, punishing the oppressor.

[03:34:19] With this mindset, you feel justified telling young people to keep their mouth shut, quash their feelings, and be willing to change their clothes in a locker room next to a student they know is the opposite sex. That is profound oppression. Creating an environment where young people are told by authority figures to do something they know is wrong.

[03:34:39] Whatever happened to consent? I was here when policy 8040 was approved. It's not working. It's against federal policy. Please overturn it. Thank you. Jude Armstrong, followed by Natalie Peen.

[03:35:00] Some of us know that we're transgender in preschool. I did. One day my teacher told us to line up boys in one line, girls in the other. And I froze. I'm autistic and I wasn't speaking yet, so in that moment I couldn't explain myself and that resulted in disciplinary action.

[03:35:23] Even now when I freeze and lose my words, I go back to that moment, that helplessness. To those of you who want to take rights away from students as young as three or four, I say pick on somebody your own size. Pick on somebody your own age.

[03:35:40] Pick on someone who can defend themselves. You're not targeting policies, you're targeting people. and you're trying to start with the smallest and most vulnerable. You'll have to go through me anyway, so you might as well start with me.

[03:35:58] Also, single-stall bathrooms protect the modesty of everyone. Thank you. Thank you. Natalie, is it PN or Pine? PN. That's what you just wrote on here. Say PN.

[03:36:13] Sorry. Thank you. No worries. Okay. Hello. My name is Natalie PN, speaking on behalf of my church in support of your current policy 8040. I'm an engaged, over 40-year resident of Loudoun County.

[03:36:30] I raised my family here. I'm a former Loudoun County government employee and a retired Loudoun County public school teacher with 21 years of service. Respecting every child's freedom to be themselves, whether they're black, white, or brown, native or newcomer, transgender or not, is essential to education.

[03:36:47] Best teaching practices include differentiation for differences in learning styles to ensure all students will learn. Differentiation based on gender identity is called discrimination. Education practices are also influenced by Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, which identifies what individuals need to reach their full potential.

[03:37:05] Depicted as a pyramid, at the bottom foundational level are the needs essential for survival. At the top is self-actualization, by which individuals can focus on their dreams, passions, and what makes them unique. Only when all needs are met can self-actualization, an important education objective, be achieved.

[03:37:24] Thank you. Henry Eichelberg, followed by Kyle Nathanson.

[03:37:59] Good evening, I'm Henry Eichelberg. I have the pleasure of being Loudoun's treasurer. I'm also a proud grandfather to several LCPS students. LPS's success depends not only on great teachers and students, but most importantly, on the trust of taxpayers.

[03:38:19] Loudoun County schools spend $2 billion annually, but I can tell you there's hardly a day that goes by when my office doesn't hear from taxpayers struggling to pay their bills. Taxpayers can't choose not to pay their taxes, but parents most certainly can choose where to send their kids.

[03:38:40] And looking into recent years of flat enrollment suggests many have looked elsewhere. I hope this board looks at every policy that comes before it using this test. Does the policy before us strengthen the trust that parents deserve from LCPS?

[03:39:03] Thank you. Kyle Nathanson, followed by Junaid Khan. Hello, my name is Kyle Nathanson.

[03:39:21] I am an LCPS educator and a lifelong resident here in Loudoun. And I have to say, one of the proudest moments in my life was when Dr. Spence stood with four other counties and locals against federal overreach against Policy 8040. Because Loudoun is in a unique position where we can stand up for what is right.

[03:39:41] We can show that we're not afraid of the federal government. We can show that we care about our LGBTQ plus students. We have the money. We have a budget of $2 billion. Whatever the administration is refusing to give us for their fraudulent lawsuits is not enough to harm us.

[03:39:58] We can stand for what is right. We can stand and defend our students, all of them, without losing a single one. I implore all of you to follow the example of Dr. Spence and stand for what is right. Thank you.

[03:40:15] Thank you. Junaid Khan, followed by Andrew Larson. Good evening, members of school board. My name is Junaid Khan, and I am a Loudoun County resident, a father of two boys who attended Sugarland Elementary and an active member of this community.

[03:40:37] I am here to respectfully ask you to repel policy 8040. This policy is creating unnecessary division among our neighbors and within our schools. We need solutions that bring people together, balance common sense policies that respect everyone while protecting the unity of our classrooms.

[03:40:57] Many residents share these concerns. Some speak out, but many remain silent. I ask you to listen not just to the loudest voices, but to the broad concerns of the community. Thank you for hearing me tonight. Thank you. Thank you. Andrew Larson, followed by Jane Jackson.

[03:41:24] Good evening. My name is Andrew Larson. I'm the father of a five-year-old who's going to be going into Dominion Trail's Loudoun County public school system this year. Policy 8040 is not working for anyone and children's safety is the paramount concern for all of us. Two LCPS high school students have already endured horrific assaults in 2021 that were enabled by policies like this one. We do not need a repeat and policy 8040 is a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. Boys do not belong in girls' restrooms and girls do not belong in boys' restrooms. This is a prescription for all

[03:42:00] kinds of problems, completely avoidable problems. We can address the issue of kids who are struggling with their gender identity, but not at the expense of other children's safety. I ask the school board to do the reasonable and sensible thing, rescind policy 8040 and start from scratch. Thank you.

[03:42:50] Thank you. Jane Jackson, followed by Samuel Young. Thank you for this opportunity to voice my concerns. I'm here on behalf of my family and my grandchild. I had some prepared remarks, but I want to say that the reason we are here is because of bullying and discrimination, and that some of our school board members are okay with it. I think we ought to be talking about what's happening to our immigrants. I think we ought to be talking about what our president is up to. I think we

[03:43:26] ought to be talking about how this discussion over 80-40 that really protects all students, really. You have to go pretty far to think that my grandchild is going to affect your daughter in any place. They're too afraid. Thank you. Thank you. Samuel Yan followed by Delegate Higgins.

[03:43:54] Samuel Yan, Delegate Higgins, followed by Sandy Sullivan. Madam Chairman, members of the board, I stand before you as a former Loudoun County School Board member and parent of four grandchildren,

[03:44:31] three girls and four grandchildren currently in the system and as an elected state delegate. I have sat in your seats and I know what it's about to be a school board member. In April, Dr. Spence wrote, let me be clear, Loudoun fully complies with all state and federal civil rights laws and regulations.

[03:44:49] In July, the U.S. Department of Education Civil Rights Office announced that Loudoun's policy 8040 violates Title IX. Are you going to bring Loudoun into compliance? Children have the right to their privacy and safety and parents have the right to know what's going on with their children. Further, as a taxpayer, I'm absolutely amazed that you could actively walk away from as much as 100 million federal dollars rather than comply with these policies. Some school systems in Virginia budget does not amount to 100 million dollars. When I sat on this board, every dollar counted a decision to insist on the most radical of social agendas at the direct expense of the

[03:45:27] taxpayers thank you delegate higgins sandy sullivan followed by winter harris henderson good evening school board members and dr spence i'm here this evening like many school school board meetings to stand up for something today i want to stand with you with the school board members who strive to make lcps safe for all students this board and dr spence have stood up to affirm and protect our students who are at most risk with non-discrimination policies and

[03:46:02] practices. I applaud those of you who work and have continued to work to protect all of our students. Now is not the time to pause, step back, or step to the side. Stand strong for all of our students. Thank you. Winter Harris-Henderson, followed by Jason Harding. Good evening, Chair and members of the board. If LCPS can strip away a child's rights based on rumors instead of facts, no student in this district is safe from injustice. Our son is being unfairly targeted

[03:46:41] and was denied McKinney-Vento eligibility of federal housing protection after initially being approved. That reversal relied on the same athletic motivation rumors used to deny his VHSL eligibility despite documented job loss, a legal lease, and his academic needs. The same district that denied these protections approved him for free and reduced meals a day later. That is contradictory, discriminatory, and violates federal law. We've disclosed deeply personal financial details and my two autoimmune disorders just to fight assumptions that we don't look like we need these protections. In today's climate where many families in this county have lost stable income,

[03:47:19] that thinking is dangerous and biased. You have a handout with our timeline documentation of violations. I'm asking you to intervene, restore both eligibilities for my son, and ensure decisions are based on evidence and law, not rumors. Thank you. Jason Harding, followed by Heather Gottlieb.

[03:47:38] As a parent, I strongly oppose policy 8040. It compels teachers and students to use preferred pronouns, infringing on their free speech and forcing them to affirm ideologies they may not believe in. This policy risks confusing children about biological realities, which harm their understanding of truth and identity. I want our kids in a school that respects free expression and focuses on education, not ideology. All kids deserve safe spaces. Please reconsider this policy and prioritize clear, evidence-based teaching and protect the rights of every student. Thank you.

[03:48:14] Thank you. Heather Gottlieb, followed by Carrie Michon. Threats are not laws. Political pressure is not precedent. Bowing down to it ignores the Constitution or Virginia law and violates the rights of everyone in this community and puts Loudon at risk of having to write million-dollar checks like Gloucester County did in 2021 when its restroom policy was found to have discriminated against a trans student. The Supreme Court refused to overturn the grim decision, making it binding law in Virginia. The Virginia State Constitution states, all power is vested in and consequently

[03:48:53] derived from the people. That means no agency, federal or state, can override the rights of students or the authority of this community. The Virginia Human Rights Act explicitly prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity. Section B, paragraph 1, is crystal clear that public schools are subject to these protections. Let legislators know you understand the law.

[03:49:14] Let students know that you will defend them. And let the Department of Education know that Loudoun County will follow the law, not illegal threats. Do not obey in advance. Thank you. Carrie Michonne, followed by Ann Miller. to copy my grandsons, bruh, I'm back.

[03:49:35] I don't know about you, but our home does not have a money tree or a tin can in the backyard with 48, 46, 43, whatever millions of dollars out back. How LCPS can violate federal laws about protecting our children in private spaces and sports, biological born a female girl, biological born a male boy, thereby losing millions of dollars to fund our children's education, especially how it will affect Title IX and special ed, is beyond me. It's morally wrong on so many fronts. It's no wonder today's youth have no understanding of fiscal literacy and moral compasses. Those in leadership positions do

[03:50:12] not even understand these concepts. Do what is right. Resend 8040. We can protect all the children in a much better way. Thank you. Thank you. Ann Miller, followed by Jessica Smith. In a constitutional republic, schools were never meant to be the battleground of ideological culture wars. That is what Marxists do. Yet you have chosen repeatedly during your tenure to sacrifice the children of Loudoun as collateral damage, using your positions to deprive them of

[03:50:51] their rights in order to force the indoctrination of your radical gender ideology, which is actually harming and exploiting the very precious children you claim to be protecting. Lying, mutilating, and sterilizing is abusive. You have caused irreparable harm to the children of Loudoun.

[03:51:08] Some will have to bear the emotional and physical scars for a lifetime. You have defrauded the children of Loudoun long enough. Stop being irresponsible with our tax dollars. The taxpayers of Loudoun do not want to fund your ideological wars. May your abuse of power and willful violation of the law be held fully accountable.

[03:51:26] And may God set our children free from your oppressive grips once and for all. They all deserve better than this. Thank you. Jessica Smith, followed by Candace Tuck.

[03:51:53] The LCPS commitment to every student is a feel-good statement which is far from the truth. It states, and I quote, LCPS is a place of trust and belonging.

[03:52:09] No child should feel unsafe at school. No family should fear sending their child to learn. Our responsibility is to educate and support every student to the fullest extent possible, and we take that seriously.

[03:52:25] At the core of LCPS is a belief in the dignity and worth of every person, end quote. The only way to come close to meeting this statement is to abolish policy 8040 and comply with Title IX.

[03:52:48] You're in violation. You've been in violation since my daughter's rape at Stonebridge, May 28, 2021. Thank you. Candace Tuck, followed by Lynn Davis. Good evening, my name is Candace Tuck. I'm here on behalf of the Quality Loudoun to deliver this letter that was signed by over 800 members of the Loudoun community.

[03:53:20] Students, parents, educators, and former students and parents. But I want to say something personal. Tonight is my 22-year anniversary of the day I met my wife. We're going out for ice cream after this. I'm worried about my two kids starting middle school, and we haven't bought school supplies yet, and my son's starting sixth grade.

[03:53:37] I say this because I'm transgender. Most people don't know it. They say that boys are boys and girls are girls, but what am I? I don't belong in a men's bathroom. These are children. They're not ideologues. They're not indoctrination. They're trying to live a life, a life that if any of us were given that chance to be our authentic selves, it would only make us better, stronger, and happier.

[03:54:01] This policy is not about ideology or politics. It's about protecting children. I know a little boy that started kindergarten as a boy. He should finish his school without being thrown into dangerous situations. Please protect these kids. Thank you.

[03:54:17] Lynn Davis, followed by Erin Dunbar.

[03:54:28] Segregation and anti-trans rights movements both function of systems of exclusion, but they target different groups and arise from different historical contexts. That said, they share structural similarities and how they limit people's rights and justify discrimination.

[03:54:45] In the past, we've heard from people who spoke out against desegregation. George Wallace's most famous quote regarding segregation was, segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever. One more historical quote was that we must protect all students, not just a few. Oh, wait, no, that's not historical. That was Deanna eight days ago. So riddle me this one. How does one protect all students when they're excluding just a few. Discrimination 60 years ago was a bad look

[03:55:23] and it's even worse today. Protect 8040. Thank you. Erin Dunbar followed by Krishna Cart.

[03:55:44] So those in support of policy 8040 often argue that we have to think of the safety and equality of all students and that every student's voice matters. I agree with this wholeheartedly and I don't think that most of those in opposition to the policy are arguing otherwise. But the answer is not an accommodation or a policy that's created to protect one portion of the student body while erasing the benefit for the original group of students that it was meant to protect. In this case, bathrooms where girls and boys can go and safely and comfortably use the bathroom. Every student matters and every student deserves to feel comfortable in the most private of spaces and for fair competition in sports. And it's not at the expense of other students. This is the

[03:56:22] opposite of equity and we can do better for our kids. So please do. Thank you. Krishnakard followed by Chris Countryman. Good evening. I'm Krishnakard, educator and national board certified teacher. Scripture calls us to truth and love. Ephesians 4:15, speak the truth in love. And Ephesians 4:25, put away falsehood.

[03:56:46] Policy 8040 assigns activities and multi-user bathrooms and locker rooms by gender identity and mandates one-sided staff training. That undermines truth, parental, parentship, privacy, and fairness. As an educator, I am asking you to protect student privacy with sex-separated multi-user spaces and single-user options for anyone, keep sex-based competition for fairness and safety, partner with parents, and compelled speech, and please divert training hours back to what kids need most, reading, writing, math, and STEM, and protect teacher planning time so we don't deepen the teacher shortage.

[03:57:22] Therefore, I respectfully ask the board to repeal policy 8040 and restore trust in Loudoun County. Thank you so much. Thank you. Chris Cutcheman, followed by Carrie Kidwell. Good evening.

[03:57:43] I'd like to begin by thanking you for all of your efforts over the past year and for your continued commitment as we enter into this new school year. I also want to express my appreciation for your ongoing support for all students to be themselves.

[03:58:02] Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the approval of the collective bargaining resolution. Our journey at the bargaining table began in April. And while I'm disappointed by the lack of progress in the first few months, the discussions and understanding developed over the last two weeks have been encouraging.

[03:58:20] I truly hope this momentum continues and leads to meaningful agreements. However, time is running short. Please know that LEA remains fully committed to staying focused on reaching an agreement that strengthens our school district, one that helps attract and retain high-quality employees, ultimately benefiting all LCPS students. Thank you. Thank you. Carrie Kidwell, followed by

[03:58:49] Suzanne Satterfield. I am here in support of protecting all students and LCPS. Firearms are the leading cause of death of youth in America. Let's protect them from that. Let's protect them from sexual abuse and predators like those on the Epstein list. Protect them from measles, drug abuse and food insecurity.

[03:59:18] By all means, let's protect all students from sincere threats to their safety. Actual threats based on facts and data, not bigotry and fear, but leave innocent kids out of this. Transphobia is dangerous, trans people are not.

[03:59:36] The current administration and its supporters are not only trying to remove protective policies like 8040, they are declaring the lack of existence of trans and non-binary people. But trans and non-binary people have always existed they always will. No executive order or policy can change that. And it has never been more clear that this community needs our support and protection. Stand by policy 8040. Do not be complicit in this attempt at erasure. Thank you. Thank you. Suzanne Satterfield. Science is real.

[04:00:15] Adults shouldn't lie to children. No one can change their sex. Do no harm. Laws of privacy are designed to protect the dignity of individuals. Women's rights are human rights. Every girl deserves privacy from boys in their private spaces and sports.

[04:00:30] That's how you treat them with dignity. Male rights are human rights. Every boy deserves privacy from girls in their private spaces. That's how you treat them with dignity. Parents' rights are human rights. Not keeping secrets from parents about their children is how you treat them with dignity.

[04:00:47] This board and administration have failed miserably in treating girls, boys, and parents with dignity. You have a chance to change that by starting off a new school year by ending policy 8040, enforcing Title IX, and ending the harm. For people that need help with this topic, please see Dr. Marion Grossman's book, Lost in Trans Nation. It will help people with this gender nightmare. Thank you. And with that, we will end public comment. And per what we normally do,

[04:01:24] we will go ahead and take a 10-minute break before we start with our action items. So the board is now in recess.

[04:12:49] All right, the board is back from recess, and we will continue with item 11 and our action items starting with 11.01, Department of Support Services School Board Meeting Calendar for Fiscal Year 2027 Capital Budget and fall 2025 school attendance zone change process presented by Mr. Kevin Lewis, our chief operations officer.

[04:13:14] Mr. Lewis, do you want to remind us of what this is? Tonight we have for you the action for the calendar for this fall, and the meetings will be taking place for both the enrollment, the attendance zone changes, and the capital budget. And so this was the same information you saw in June for the information item.

[04:13:35] we've proposed no changes to that, so we're happy to take any questions and look forward to moving it forward. - School board members, do you have any questions? - Yes, Mrs. Griffiths. - The only question I have is, we're doing a lot of rezoning and redistricting, so I'm just curious to know, it's an awful lot of schools, so what's going on?

[04:13:57] And if you can explain it to the people of Loudoun County that we're gonna be going through, we're gonna approve a calendar today that's gonna eventually discuss rezoning again can you just go through that real quick for people that might not know about it sure thank you mr.

[04:14:16] Griffiths I don't have the date right handy but we just the school board recently changed the policy to require a five-year review of all tenant zones in in Loudoun County and so during our June work session we proposed a plan to do though each of those areas in the success of five years and so this is the first step of that and so we will be working for Ashburn and Dulles North in this first round and then we'll be moving forward with the secondary schools that will coincide with the opening of HS 14 and then we'll move through the rest of the next three years doing that so the that pub that schedule was was

[04:14:54] discussed at the work session as we talked about earlier and so we're following that policy and making sure we get everything looked at and reviewed in in that five-year period can you just tell us where hs14 is again just to refresh everybody's memory sure it's at the intersections in the dullest north area it's at the intersection of ryan road and evergreen mills road right next to watson mountain middle school that just opened thank you thank you seem to remember mr lewis the reason we put that policy together was to

[04:15:26] use our resources more wisely and be fiscally more responsible in maneuvering students around appropriately. Yes, ma'am. One of the goals is to equalize the enrollment. We're from schools that are potentially over-enrolled to those that are under-enrolled. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Any other questions? Yes, Ms. Chernoff. And then, thank you, Madam Chair. And then, Mr. Lewis, was this still relevant to the conversation that we had during the capital budget process last year about the decision point that will be down the road as to when or whether or not to open another new

[04:16:00] elementary school? Yes, ma'am. That's exactly that. And we'll be having that conversation. Part of These meetings are about the attendance zone, but the rest of the meetings are about the capital budget. So those will be coinciding this fall as we have this conversation.

[04:16:16] And so we'll be proposing a CIP that includes the potential of delaying some of those schools based on decisions that are made in this attendance zone process. Perfect, thank you. Any other discussion? Okay, do I have a motion?

[04:16:34] Someone state the motion or I can go ahead. Vice Chair Donohue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the Loudoun County School Board adopt the proposed meeting calendar for the FY 2027 capital budget and Ashburn and Dulles North planning district elementary school attendance zone change process.

[04:17:02] I have a motion by Vice Chair Donohue. Do I have a second? I second. I have a second by Dr. Rasheed. It's been properly moved and seconded. Is there any other discussion? Seeing no discussion, we'll move forward with the vote. Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote.

[04:17:23] Dr. Deans, will you please state your vote? Yes. Mr. Streffi, will you please state your vote? I didn't hear you. Yes.

[04:17:40] Okay. Clerk, will you please close and display the vote? That motion passes unanimously, and we will move on to our information items. Starting with 12.01, Department of Business and Financial Services, Special Education Maintenance of Effort Financial Review, presented by Sharon Willoughby, Chief Financial Officer.

[04:18:03] Ms. Willoughby? waiting for the presentation to there we go thank you all right so since the spring I have kept school board members informed of what was transpiring with video II and the maintenance of effort at the end of June we received official notification from video II so this evening I will present information on what maintenance of effort for special education is the recent video II fiscal

[04:18:41] monitoring review and its impact to LCPS and next steps. In early 2024, the VDOE conducted a routine fiscal monitoring review focused solely on financial reporting unrelated to the provision of special education services. As a result of this review, LCPS was required to make changes to its maintenance of effort, or MOE, compliance reporting. Special education fiscal monitoring takes place every five years based on information shared by VDOE. In review of the available

[04:19:15] records in the office of special education it does not appear that lcps has had any fiscal audit from videoe in 2019 2014 or prior to that if there were audits completed we do not have the records or the process was different than what we are currently experiencing as a school division so we do anticipate lcps getting back on a cycle with videoe regarding fiscal monitoring and we believe that that VDOE is resuming their reviews as a result of their own federal review and findings.

[04:19:48] The VDOE report addressed five areas related to the financial reporting process and specifically the maintenance of effort compliance reporting. We have already addressed each of the items identified by VDOE as they centered around backup documentation, SOPs, and improved oversight by the Special Education Office.

[04:20:07] Specifically, the Office of Special Education and Department of Business and Financial Services have set a new high bar for more inter-department collaboration on special education finances. We have developed more robust and documented SOPs that were built using federal and state MOE guidelines as the foundation.

[04:20:26] We have also improved and continue to work with VDOE on methods to accurately account for the totality of costs related to providing special education services. So let's talk specifically about what maintenance of effort is.

[04:20:44] MOE is a federal mandate for school divisions on how they must use federal grant funding received for special education services via the IDEA Act. It mandates that federal funds must supplement or add to local and state funding and not supplant, which means paying for something that was previously paid for out of local or state funds.

[04:21:05] Federal funding should supplement local and state funding and not supplant or replace. The MOE test is a financial compliance test only and is not a test related to the provision of special education services. Each year, school divisions submit two MOEs.

[04:21:28] One is an MOE eligibility that demonstrates that the budgeted expenses for special education for the upcoming year are sufficient to receive federal grant funding. This information is included in the annual plan, and the school board approved the annual plan for the upcoming school year a few months ago.

[04:21:46] The second piece, which is the MOE compliance test, reports actual financial information once the fiscal year has closed and demonstrates if we were compliant to retain grant funding that we had received. The MOE compliance report is submitted to VDOE each January.

[04:22:08] The MOE compliance test is actually comprised of four individual comparisons and to pass, We only have to pass one of these four tests. The test is to ensure that spending increased in the local and state funds and that federal supplanting did not occur.

[04:22:28] So test one and two are looking at spending holistically for the special education program, with test one looking at local funds spending to see if more was spent than the previous year. Test two combines state with the local funds to see if more was spent than the previous year.

[04:22:44] this test is sufficient for when you have a growing special education population. The next two tests look at a per capita basis or how much was spent per special education student. This per student test is important because it allows another metric to account for if the special education population was to decline.

[04:23:05] The test looks at how much in local funds was spent per student for test three and how much of local and state combined was spent for test four. This is what the test looks like with our actual numbers for FY22 and FY23.

[04:23:25] Test 1 in the first box shows how we spent more in FY23 and FY22 for local funds and that we passed as noted in the green box. So specifically, FY23, we spent $254 million of local funds to support special education, which obviously is more than the $239 million from the previous year.

[04:23:47] Test 2 also passed for the local and state spending, and that's the $278 million number being compared to the $261 million. In the middle of this slide, you'll see the special education actual enrollment per the official December special education student count as reported to VDOE.

[04:24:06] You can see how we increase in students between these two years. Then in the following box, test 3 and 4 shows the calculation of the local per capita or or per student spending, and the local plus state per student spending, and how we passed those tests as well.

[04:24:23] So for FY23, with using our actual numbers, you can see how we passed all four MOE tests. So what happens if a school division fails the MOE compliance test?

[04:24:42] Again, we only have to pass one of those four tests, but if we were to fail all four, a school division would have to repay the federal funds received using a non-federal source and may lose eligibility to receive future federal funding. As you can probably anticipate, this is where we are headed.

[04:25:02] But I wanted to take a moment to ground us in our support for special education. It's a helpful reminder to show how LCPS funds special education. The vast majority of funding for special education comes from local funds, with less than 6% coming from federal funds.

[04:25:20] And as you can see, it's a very small piece of the pie. Federal funding is important to our program, but we are not overly reliant on this revenue stream. So to understand the MOE challenge that we're faced with, we must first understand the data sources that LCPS historically used to complete the maintenance of effort reports.

[04:25:48] In short, MOE reports would predominantly use the data submitted as part of the Annual Schools Report Schedule A, Revenues and Expansions for Special Education Services. The annual school's report, or as it's known as the ASR, is required by Virginia Code to provide financial data on Virginia's public education programs and is used for multiple purposes, primarily for reporting and state and federal funding formulas.

[04:26:14] Each year, LCPS completes the ASR and sends it to VDOE. To complete Schedule A, the school division, LCPS, has used expenses that were coded within our general ledger as aligning with the state's program code 2, special, as defined in the state ASR chart of accounts, which is depicted in the box on the left of the slide.

[04:26:37] So from the beginning, we used our general ledger detail, identified expenses that were defined as special programs to complete schedule of the ASR, and then used the data from Schedule A to complete our maintenance of effort report. As noted on this slide, this has been LCPS's process since at least 2010 and likely even longer.

[04:26:59] Although, as I stated earlier, we don't have the paper files to support that it's been longer than that. But at least for 15 years, this has been our process. Prior to July of 2024, the state's definition for special programs, as you saw in the previous slide, included special educations as we would traditionally understand them, but also included services for bilingual students in alternative education.

[04:27:25] So as you see highlighted on the slide, you can see in the blue bold font where it identifies students who are intellectually disabled and physically handicapped, but then in the red font where it also calls for us to categorize expenses related to bilingual students, which is where we coded our English learner program costs.

[04:27:44] Again, there were no other program codes to align either EL services or alternative education to, and so again, this is where LCPS would capture those costs under program code 2. Fast forward to 2024, that coincidentally was when VDOE was out performing its fiscal monitoring review with LCPS, and after identifying our issue, the state updated their chart of accounts to identify EL and alternative education as standalone programs.

[04:28:19] While they did not change the written definition for program code 2, so if you were to reread the box on the left, it's the same as what it was previously, but the state did introduce two brand new codes with the definitions that's shown in the middle and box on the right.

[04:28:36] So they introduced a new program code 12 for English as a second language programs and a program code 13 for alternative education. But again, omitted removing that from the program code 2, but we understand VDOE's attempt.

[04:28:55] So now the changes to the ASR chart of accounts put a spotlight on how LCPS have been incorrectly including non-special education costs and MOE submissions as VDOE now recognizes them separately.

[04:29:15] So this is now revised and you can see at the bottom of the chart of accounts the new code 12, the new code 13. You can see how if we followed our historic process EL costs would now be excluded from the MOE reporting, and again, just that VDOE has essentially changed the reporting process.

[04:29:42] So back to what all this means for maintenance of effort, LCPS has been including EL services in our MOE submissions since at least fiscal year 10, so again, for at least 15 years. And while we have identified and understand that this was incorrect, it was an apples to apples comparison in which LCPS passed MOE every single one of those years.

[04:30:06] On this slide and throughout the remainder of this presentation, I'll be using the MOE Test 1 of local funds expended as the example. We should also recognize that VDOE had the authority for compliance, meaning they served as our financial auditor and did not raise any concerns during these years with our MOE submission, despite them knowing we used ASR Schedule A as our data source and requiring school divisions to provide comparisons between these two files.

[04:30:36] So each year that we receive the successfully passed notification from VDOE, we interpret that as a continued validation to our reporting process. Further, in the past, VDOE specifically provided MOE training to school divisions that guided school divisions to use the ASR Schedule A as the data source, as well as state superintendent memos to school divisions advising that VDOE would be using the Schedule A to monitor MOE requirements.

[04:31:08] Lastly, a couple years ago, we even asked VDOE about EL costs being included in Schedule A, and they essentially advised us to continue reporting how we have been reporting. And then most recently, just as recently as January, VDOE in another training webinar told participating school divisions that they continue to use Schedule A when monitoring MOE compliance.

[04:31:36] So despite releasing earlier this year the change in the reporting process and introducing the new program codes, they advised that they would still continue to refer back to the ASR. But we now know it was wrong.

[04:31:53] Since receiving the fiscal monitoring report, we have rebuilt our MOE calculations in reporting from the ground up. A few highlights of this new approach are that the primary data source is the general ledger, which provides direct traceability between our accounting system and the final submitted report without any of the other data modeling that is required to comply with our ASR reporting.

[04:32:16] The Department of Business and Financial Services and the Office of Special Education has jointly scrubbed the methodology to ensure that only eligible expenses as allowed under IDEA are included, fixing the EL error. This process is now clear, documented, and repeatable.

[04:32:34] And most importantly, we worked with VDOE during this process and received their validation that this new approach satisfies findings from the fiscal monitoring report. But now our MOE problem.

[04:32:49] Since we have now correctly dropped EL from the calculations, basically excluded them, we're now comparing apples to oranges. When we submit our FY24 MOE without EL expenditures and using the new process, our reported local expenditures decreased by more than $44 million and we would fail all four of the MOE tests.

[04:33:13] So as you see on the orange, SPED-only costs would show $210 million compared to a special education plus EL cost of $254 million.

[04:33:32] We have also worked with VDOE to reopen our FY23 MOE submission to restate using the new approach. And on the next slide, I'll show why this was important. But essentially, we wanted to try to turn as many of those apples to oranges as we could to enable us to more quickly pass MOE.

[04:33:56] So there are two main takeaways from this slide, and I recognize there's a lot of information here. The first is demonstrating why we restated FY23, why we wanted to turn that apple to an orange as well. By restating FY23, we established a new baseline for the four tests.

[04:34:13] Technically, MOE follows a subsequent year rule, meaning that instead of always comparing to the prior year, the tests actually compare back to the last time MOE was passed. Because LCPS historically passed every year, it has functionally meant looking back to the previous year.

[04:34:34] The column in the left of the table with the apples shows our actual MOE submission data for test one, which is local expenditures only going back to fiscal 14. This is the data that incorrectly included EL expenditures through the original FY23 submission.

[04:34:51] see our historical submissions and how we passed. This is our series of green apples. However, we want to establish a lower financial hurdle to clear. So by restating FY23 following our new compliant approach, FY22, which is circled in green, becomes the last year that MOE passed and makes that our baseline of $239.4 million instead of $254.5 million had we not restated FY23. We expect to pass MOE sooner because of this, and as a small caveat, we did work

[04:35:28] with VDOE to attempt restating further back than FY23, but this was the earliest they would allow. The second takeaway from this slide is highlighting the longstanding and ongoing commitment of LCPS to deliver exceptional special education services. The financial team takes their work seriously and took the time to recalculate 10 years of MOE, as stated on the right. The restated numbers, or the oranges, show actual LCPS special education expenditures using our new MOE methodology approved by VDOE that basically removes the

[04:36:07] EL cost. LCPS local expenditures on special education have, in fact, actually increased every year, and we would have passed MOE outright for at least the last decade. This shows how this is solely a reporting issue and not one of whether LCPS was failing to spend sufficient dollars on special education.

[04:36:30] Again, LCPS would meet the MOE requirement if we were able to restate further back. So, for the FY23 MOE, as I mentioned earlier, VDOE reopened the submission window allowing us to restate our MOE submission and as I stated at the beginning of this presentation, In June we received the official notification from VDOE for the FY23 submission.

[04:37:06] We also submitted for FY24 and we also received in June the official notification of failure from VDOE. In addition in June to the failure notices for FY23 and FY24, we also received the billing from the state for the awards received as shown on this slide.

[04:37:27] So they have asked for repayment of $28,997,133, which represents the FY23 federal grant award and the FY24 federal grant award. VDOE has the responsibility with its compliance rule to seek reimbursement of these funds to then return back to the U.S. Department of Education.

[04:37:52] You may recall during the fiscal 25 quarterly financial projections made to the school board that we were holding back on spending down our fund balance for possible usage such as transferring to our health self-insurance fund and to address any disruptions or issues with our federal funding streams.

[04:38:14] Our plan remains in place with usage of the FY25 fund balance to repay VDOE and the remaining balance being transferred to the health self-insurance fund. For the specific payment to VDOE, it does require school board action.

[04:38:31] Once paid, LCPS can put this financial reporting transition bump behind us as we expect to pass the FY25 MOE. We are still closing the FY25 books, but all calculations point towards passage of MOE, and going forward from there, we expect to resume our pattern of passing MOE annually.

[04:38:54] For next year's FY26 budget, the annual plan was presented to the school board in April, And the FY26 MOE on actual expenditures will be submitted in January of 2027. In summary, I just want to highlight that, again, the MOE compliance finding is solely related to changes in BDOE's financial reporting definitions.

[04:39:22] Historical support of special education services has not been impacted, nor will current and future special education services be impacted. This is a math problem, for lack of a better way of describing it. And that spending on special education students continues to increase year over year.

[04:39:42] And again, as you recall, the one slide showing the pattern of the oranges. So the action brought forward to the school board is depicted on this slide, asking the school board to use the $28,997,133 of the FY25 allocated unencumbered school operating fund balance to reimburse VDOE for the FY23 and FY24 Title VIB funds in response to their determination regarding our MOE requirements.

[04:40:18] I'll also share that throughout this process, we have also kept the county informed and they are aware of the payment and that they should still not expect to see any funds returned at the end of FY25. Again, as I mentioned, once the school board approves this at the next meeting on September 9th, Accounting will process the payment to Santa BDOE and then continue closing the FY25 books and with that I will take any questions you may have for members. Do you have any questions?

[04:40:49] Yes, mrs. Griffiths. Thank you, madam chair. I'm just curious to know if any of the my colleagues are upset that 28 million is lost and we have to repay it along with Having to possibly pay 50 million if we can't keep policy 8040 I'm just curious. Why wasn't this caught earlier?

[04:41:16] And how would this will affect our upcoming budgets with maybe close to 80 million loss? I'm just curious and then you know, I had a couple more questions if you don't mind So I think I caught all those questions I think the first question will be directed to your colleagues on the school board to respond I think your second question, Dahir, you were concerned about losing additional funds related to a policy.

[04:41:43] Is that what I heard you mention? So this has nothing, and was it specifically, did you say policy 8040? We are at risk of losing $50 million if we keep policy 8040. So this has nothing to do with recent federal actions regarding our policies and federal funding.

[04:42:06] This is a long-standing federal code requirement related to maintenance of effort, related to the Title 6B funds, related to the IDEA Act. VDOE, I think, I'm trying to recall all your questions, in terms of why this wasn't caught earlier, as I mentioned during the presentation, VDOE has the role as being the administrator of these federal funds, meaning they receive the funds from the federal government, They portion it out, and they have the fiscal compliance monitoring responsibility.

[04:42:47] Why VDOE never brought this to our attention, I do not know. All I know is what I have shared is that we have a long pattern of successfully passing MOE from VDOE, and I liken it to our annual external audit.

[04:43:04] When we bring in our external auditors and they look at our books and they let us know if there's any concerns, That's our indication that there's something we need to look at. When they give us a clean audit, there's no reason for us to go back and review all of our processes because we've received a clean audit, meaning our processes are solid.

[04:43:23] So each year that BDOE successfully approved our MOE submission was an indication to us that there was not any concerns or issues with how we reported the finances. Again, they came out last spring, so over a year ago.

[04:43:44] Again, it was the first time to my recollection, my team's recollection, to Mrs. Richardson and her team's recollection that they have actually come out and did a fiscal compliance review. I don't know what the catalyst of that was, but that is what started this whole process and identification, that there was a concern with how we had submitted our MOE.

[04:44:09] And I think I've addressed all your questions, if not. Yeah, we had spoken about this in June, and I don't think I was exactly happy about it then. But, yes, my concern is that huge loss, in addition, we might lose another 50.

[04:44:30] So my question was really, you know, I feel like special ed suffered in this, and we lost money for special education. So to pay this back, you know, again, repeat where this money is going to come out of.

[04:44:50] The action before the school board is to repay this out of the school operating fund fund balance. Historically, that fund balance, it's a one-time funding stream, meaning we would want to tie it with a one-time use.

[04:45:10] Previously, we would perhaps look at other uses in the division that would meet that criteria, again, being one-time uses. As I shared during the presentation and during each quarterly financial projection to the school board last fiscal year, we weren't going down the road of looking at any additional uses of our fund balance.

[04:45:33] We were holding on to our fund balance for two reasons. to help shore up our health self-insurance fund, which was projected to go into the negative, and two, to address any concerns or disruptions with federal funding.

[04:45:51] When this arose, this also meets that criteria. It's a one-time payment, one-time use, and we're fortunate that we are able to have the fund balance to be able to pay this and put this behind us. Last question, who approved the English learner costs in the MOE reporting?

[04:46:11] When was this decision made? So the school board approves the budget that includes the EL program. When we submit the reporting, we are gathering the expenses that were incurred in support of that school board adopted budget.

[04:46:30] And then that gets submitted to MOE. I mean, that gets submitted to VDOE, and VDOE approves our MOE report every year. Thank you. Ms. Chandler.

[04:46:49] Thank you, Madam Chair. So I see in the background on this item the following statement. Historically, LCPS has included expenditures for English learner services in its MOE reporting.

[04:47:09] And then I see in the presentation the definition that's used in terms of selecting the program code in the past included bilingual services, and also in the 24 definition also included bilingual services.

[04:47:27] And for 15 years, we included bilingual services, and nobody ever said anything about it. It was never a problem. You are absolutely correct. And in the past, over that time frame, what kind of fiscal monitoring was in place?

[04:47:45] I believe you said there were no audits for a certain period at the beginning of the presentation. This was the first to our historical knowledge of our staff's knowledge. Experience, right, empirical experience.

[04:48:00] Okay, thank you for that. And at any point, did LCPS receive or any statements or assessments related to this established process in recent history?

[04:48:18] - VDOE, if I understand the question, VDOE over the past 15 years, 'cause let me just back up for a moment. Obviously my team, myself, Mrs. Richards' team, we've spent a tremendous amount of time, a lot of discussions with VDOE since last spring regarding this.

[04:48:40] And we have really poured through all the documentation, all the materials that we had available. And we can find instances over the past 15 years where VDOE continued to direct and provide guidance to school divisions to use the Schedule A of the ASR in completing its MOE report.

[04:49:03] Again, the ASR report goes to VDOE. The MOE report goes to VDOE. The MOE report, just to give a little bit of background, it's not necessarily a report and they look at it and we never hear from them and we just get a letter. There's usually a dialogue back and forth.

[04:49:20] They're asking questions. They're wanting, you know, more specific information, like you can maybe imagine what a financial audit would look like. That's the kind of action that occurred every year. And despite that level of engagement, there was never an indication from VDOE that there was a problem, even though they also had both sets of documents in front of them, knowing that we were using Schedule A along with their guidance, but that it also grossly overstated our special education services.

[04:49:53] Okay, so, and I think this is an extension of what you're really just saying, but I just want to make sure that I understand. It also says in the background that these costs are not eligible under MOE guidelines, which led to our overstatement of local special education spending.

[04:50:13] But in the definition for the code to apply for the program, it still lists bilingual as of 2024. floor there has not been a revised guidance and so the the official guidance that has come from video we still have that complicating language of including el costs in code 12 even though they have a new code for el established feels a little bit like the rules have changed a except for the definition didn't thank you sure enough thank you madam chair thank you miss

[04:50:52] willoughby I appreciate the sit down that we were able to have to kind of go over this more in depth. I will answer Ms. Griffiths' questions. And she asked us, I'm concerned. I know that you're talking about the historical reference, and you mentioned that it's a math problem, and I understand that, but it's a minus math problem when we're facing lots of minuses, it seems.

[04:51:15] And so that does concern me. What I was wondering is, and are they-- in your interpretation, are they basically saying that VDOE-- Is VDOE, you think, implying that bilingual services was never really EL services, that bilingual services, what would that entail if it wasn't EL?

[04:51:37] I'm not sure we got, ever received a clear answer related to that from VDOE, to be honest. I would also like to just take a moment. I don't want to absolutely, like, you know, sugarcoat this.

[04:51:54] I'm just, you know, presenting the information. But I also, I don't want to give any money back. You know, I don't like this situation either. you know, Mrs. Griffiths, by no means. And even though, as I showed on the slide, it's a tiny pie slice, I want all the pie slices. So I don't take this lightly by any means. But I also know the exhaustive efforts our teams have had with VDOE, and I feel that they are not budging.

[04:52:22] They state that their hands are tied as it relates to their role with the Federal Department of education. But I do strongly believe that VDOE had a role in this situation due to their failure to act competently when monitoring compliance. However, as I stated, we have had countless discussions with them, and I do not believe this situation would change.

[04:52:46] And again, we are fortunate as our school division that we can utilize our one-time funds and our fund balance to make this payment. I appreciate that. And then just to clarify and ask another question is, since this is coming from VDOE, are we getting the sense that other divisions were also historically putting EL in that fund and now they're also paying the price?

[04:53:04] Are we seeing this universally? Do we have that information? Is that being shared? Anecdotally, I have heard that there are others.

[04:53:21] I have also heard that VDOE has shared that there are other school divisions that are in a repayment status, but for the reasons why I don't have the particulars. But I can't imagine that out of all the school divisions in Virginia, when VDOE was giving webinars and training information and pointing to the Schedule A of the ASR as a data source for MOE, that we were the only ones following that guidance.

[04:53:53] - Okay, and then one last question. On slide 20, the last bullet point says, spending on special education students continues to increase year over year, and we know that we've been committed to that as a school board, and the needs are increasing, regardless of other factors, our needs are increasing, and our special education numbers are rising, so we need that.

[04:54:15] Percentage-wise, is that going to close that gap that EL funding was in there with, is that gonna require us to have to spend a higher percentage of funding on special education to be in compliance next year, or just the normal amount of increase is on the table?

[04:54:32] - Just our normal commitment to special education and investing in resources, the school board approved the budget for this year, FY26, that had over 100 FTEs to support just special education.

[04:54:48] So that alone will support us continuing to increase year over year. And now that we're in our oranges phase, that now we have an orange to an orange to compare to, and we will increase and pass. Thank you.

[04:55:06] I think Mr. Streffi, did you have a question? Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. A few of my questions were already addressed. Appreciate that. I just want to acknowledge as well that this is, I think, concerning for everyone, including the folks on your team as Willoughby.

[04:55:21] appreciate you keeping us in the loop over the last few months and providing this level of detail. I want to dig into the dialogue with VDOE a little bit more. You kind of referenced a few points, but as we've been working with them over the last few months, is there this acknowledgement at least? You referenced that they have their hands tied, but that this is apples to oranges.

[04:55:48] Like what is, when we express our concerns around these standards and the floor shifting, what does that dialogue look like? And then the second question is on slide seven, what happens if a school division fails the MOE compliance test?

[04:56:08] Obviously repayment is one, but the second part of that line says may lose eligibility to receive future IDEA federal funding. Is that a risk? So I'll answer your second question first, which is it's not a risk for us because we do anticipate passing FY25.

[04:56:27] You know, that FY25 ended June 30th, you know, a little over a month and a half ago. We're still in the process of closing the books and doing our final reporting. But we're far enough along in the process that I'm confident we're going to pass, which then secures our FY26 for the plan that the school board approved.

[04:56:50] In terms of the dialogue with VDOE, they were focused on what I would say their normal process when a school division wasn't in this type of situation but was in a more valid situation of not passing MOE.

[04:57:12] which was just continuing to direct us to look for exceptions, to look at our costs, look at our, you know, did we forget to include something? And it was frustrating because we knew we were confident in our process at that point, and it wasn't about finding exceptions.

[04:57:30] It was really a fundamental change in the process and the definitions. And, again, it wasn't a fair comparison. It was comparing apples to oranges. And we were just never able to get any real traction or support, I would say, from them regarding that.

[04:57:50] And again, it was lots of meetings, lots of discussions, lots of emails. And it was just, you know, continuously kind of hitting a wall that their hands were tied. And it was a big win just being able to restate FY23 to be able to try to lower that threshold.

[04:58:13] But there wasn't any other traction beyond that. Thank you. Any other discussion? You already have. Okay.

[04:58:31] Thank you, Ms. Willoughby. There's not a motion for this time. There'll be a motion for September. All right. So, board members, may I have a thumbs up for this item to go to consent for the September 9th meeting?

[04:58:58] All right. We will put it on action for September 9th at the September 9th school board meeting. Moving on to the next item. Thank you, Ms. Willoughby. Department of Support Services Contract Award IFB 25-539 High School 14 presented.

[04:59:17] Wait, I missed you. I missed you again. Sorry. 12.202 Department of Business and Financial Services Supplemental Increase of Self-Insurance Funds presented by Ms. Sharon Willoughby, Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Willoughby. One more item for me.

[04:59:34] This item is what I would classify as a year-end technical housekeeping item. We are seeking to increase the budget in the workers' comp self-insurance fund by $1.5 million and the budget in the health self-insurance fund by $43 million. Since the first quarter financial review back in October of 2024, we had indicated that we would watch claims in both these areas closely during the year and that we would bring forward a supplemental item if needed.

[05:00:03] That same message was reiterated during the Quarter 2 Financial Review and the Quarter 3 Financial Review. Expenses in the Health Self-Insurance Fund are expected now to exceed the FY25 budget by up to $43 million.

[05:00:19] This is predominantly due to rapidly rising medical, prescription, vision, and dental claims, which collectively increased a little over 12% compared to the prior year. Claims increases were driven by increased utilization of specialty drugs, increasing numbers of catastrophic claims, and care for chronic conditions.

[05:00:40] Expenses in the workers' comp fund are expected to exceed the budget by $1.5 million. The driver there is an increase in the number of claims as well as the cost of claims have increased. So wages go up, paying out lost income, that has increased.

[05:01:01] as well as the health cost for the care of employees has increased. Increases in the workers' comp self-insurance fund will be paid for by a combination of available fund balance and transfers from the school operating fund that occur during the fiscal year.

[05:01:20] Transfers from the school operating fund are the only revenue source for the workers' comp self-insurance fund. Increases for the health self-insurance fund will be paid for by a combination of excess FY25 revenues from higher-than-anticipated rebates, use of existing fund balance, and transfers from the school operating fund.

[05:01:40] As communicated during the FY25 quarterly financial reports, we intend to use our available fund balance and the school operating fund to transfer over to the health self-insurance fund. So by increasing the budget, the expense budget, it gives us the authority to spend the dollars that we will be transferring in to cover the actual costs.

[05:02:06] So this will return at the meeting on September 9th for the school board to take action and so that we can also facilitate closing our FY25 books. Board members, do you have any questions? Yes, Ms. Chernoff.

[05:02:24] Thank you, Madam Chair. Just to clarify, when you say transfer from the school operating fund, is that the same fund that we're going to transfer the $29 million from? So it's $29 million plus $43 million, then increase go ahead thank you if you could clarify that that'd be great so the 43 million is to increase the expense budget and the funding source to pay for those additional 43 million dollars actually comes from three areas the beginning fund balance and the fund revenues in the fund itself like we had

[05:02:59] rebates that exceeded the revenue budget we brought in more than we anticipated but just because we brought in more than we anticipated we have to have the budget authority to spend it so that's a piece of that and then the third piece would be a transfer from the school operating fund which is the 1.5 which would be actually I haven't provided that number so the art we're anticipating our fund balance our ending school operating fund balance to be about 60 million and again we have not closed officially closed so when I'm just put

[05:03:38] the cautionaries around that number that represents about three percent of the entire two point or 1.9 billion school operating fund budget once we pay out the 29 million for moe if the school board approves that action at its next meeting that leaves a balance of about 32 million just doing round numbers that amount in its entirety would be transferred to the health self-insurance fund to support the increased cost but also to help build up our reserve as we are allowed per the

[05:04:15] county's appropriation resolution to transfer from our operating fund balance to meet a reserve not to exceed 10 by even transferring the full amount that's left over in the operating fund we still won't have a 10 reserve we may have maybe closer to about a 5 reserve but but we're not in the negative, which obviously is very important. I appreciate that. And then I think you and I talked last week a little bit about just having some historical trends on that fund balance. I would love to see that information before we vote on this, just so that there's an awareness that this fund does ebb and flow based off of different various costs. And if we could kind of have that

[05:04:52] outlined, that would be very helpful. And I have some information I can share. I was trying to be prepared as much as I can. If this doesn't fully answer, please let me know. So the team did pull information and what one of the challenges with forecasting the budget for the health fund is you know it's an environment that that definitely evolves and it's also driven by the participation of the part you know of the employees their dependents and our retirees we could have let's say a good year where maybe everyone's really healthy we don't have a lot of catastrophic

[05:05:30] illnesses which is you know great and maybe we may have a year that's not so great and we see an increase it can also be driven by expenses that are out of our control you know out on the marketplace so it's it's challenging to try to you know project the budget for this area and we do see you know fluctuations and we have seen over the last couple years where we have come at the end of the year to increase the budget and so this is something we continue to work with our consultants to try to refine and get that you know try to get as accurate a budget as possible

[05:06:01] I'll also share one of the challenges, again, that with this area, we aren't able, you know, we're much more limited in managing the cost versus, let's say, the school operating fund.

[05:06:17] If we had a major disruption in a revenue source or we needed to really watch costs, there are tangible actions we can take as a division to say, for example, we're going to freeze vacancies. We're not going to hire vacancies so that we save money. we're going to freeze training and travel for professional development you know there are there actions that we have a little more control over to be able to manage the fund and on the health fund it's it's a lot more challenging to do that and so that's why we do see sometimes the the ebb and flow but if you would like more detailed information I could try to see if there's anything more I can

[05:06:55] poll any other questions okay seeing no questions um we will take this to action for september 9th and uh board members i want to remind you that um per policy 2420 which calls for the school board to caucus and determine if it we should adjourn the meeting at 10 p.m um it's 9 30 right now we have a closed so i want to get through at least the four items that we have to get through and then go into closed first and then make a determination.

[05:07:38] Okay, Mr. Lewis, I think you are next with HS14. I think that is true. Yes, thank you, Chair Mansfield. So tonight we're presenting to you the contract award for Haskell 14.

[05:07:55] We are very pleased to bring this forward. It's a contract that the successful low bidder was a contractor that's built many of our schools before. We are under our budget and underestimates so we're very pleased to bring that to you with a very successful bidding and design process We'll say this process is a little bit different than you may be used to We've generally come through the finance and operations committee Which we were not able to do this past week because we were we canceled the finance and operations committee So we've we're bringing this to you straight to the school board as information item I will also share that we have a little bit of a

[05:08:32] Challenged with the calendar because we have a bid hold period of 60 days, which puts us in a real pinch moving forward with if we don't Or the contract so looking to the board for any help you may do you may have for that for for us tonight for that And we can get the contractor started and moving forward on getting the school which will open in the fall of 28 board members Do you have any questions? Yes?

[05:09:03] Vice-Chair Donahue. Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. Lewis, you said we're in a 60-day hold, so what is the deadline by when this contract must be awarded? Contract must be awarded by September 13th, and the next school board meeting is September 9th.

[05:09:19] The challenge to that is, if you see, the contractor then has $202 million worth of contracts to write with their subcontractors, which puts the contractor in a really tough position. So an award tonight would really help that contractor be able to be successful and get the project started on time and be more successful um so in order to move this forward this contract forward in a timely manner um i

[05:09:52] will make a motion to suspend the rules second i have a second by miss don uh vice chair donohue it's been properly moved and seconded since we may not have discussion upon suspending the rules we will move forward with the vote clerk please open the vote board members please record your

[05:10:13] vote okay dr deans would you please state your vote yes mr streffi would you please state your vote yes clerk would you please close and display the vote that motion passes unanimously we're

[05:10:46] suspending the rules to move forward with an action um i will go ahead and make that motion uh i move that the loudon county school board approve the contract award for ifb 25 539 high school 14 to howard shockey and sons incorporated in the amount of 202 million 599 thousand dollars and authorizes the chair of the school board to sign the final contract documents upon presentation the motions on the floor do i have a second second second i have a second by i can't

[05:11:23] even know who said it first dr rashid it's been properly moved and seconded is there any discussion seeing no discussion we'll move forward with the vote did i miss anybody up on virtual do you have any discussion no okay clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote dr deans would you please state your vote yes mr streffi would you please state your vote yes clerk would

[05:11:58] please close and display the vote that motion passes unanimously we will move on to 12.04 dominion energy golden to mars transmission line project um i was going to present it but since mr astreffy is here i will have him introduce the item mr astreffy thank you madam chair um as you're all aware dominion energy has proposed new high voltage transmission lines um that connect gold into Mars with several of the routes that have been proposed impacting the Rockridge High

[05:12:36] School and, excuse me, Rosalie Carter Elementary and the surrounding communities. And then earlier this year, the board opposed all of the above ground options on school property and supported exploring undergrounding alternatives. The county has joined the State Corporation Commission case and filed their notice to participate, to advocate, you know, on the county level.

[05:13:05] And this item has been brought before us to contemplate or consider filing a notice of participation, which is due by September 9th, which would give the school board a formal voice in that process and the ability to advocate regardless of the position and have a voice in that process. So that's the item. Thank you, Mr. Streffi. I do have a motion on, uh, Ms. LaBelle, I don't think she heard that you were speaking. And so do you have, would you repeat it? Yes,

[05:13:43] please. I move to suspend the rules and to move the vote. Oh, let's just to, yeah, to move the vote to, to tonight. Yes. Okay. Yes. Um, okay. Again, we're voting to suspend the rules and to move this item to action um do i have a second second i have a second by mr astreffy it was motioned by miss labelle seconded by mr astreffy um and since there's no discussion we'll go ahead

[05:14:15] and vote um clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote dr deans would you please state your vote if i understand it correctly i'm voting yes yes to to join the We're voting to suspend the rules so that then we can make another motion.

[05:14:44] Okay. Yes. Yes. Mr. Estreffi? Yes. Clerk, please close and display the vote. That motion passes unanimously. Now, Mr. Estreffi, do you have a motion?

[05:15:01] Yes, Madam Chair. I move that the Loudoun County School Board authorize and direct legal counsel to file a notice of participation in the Virginia State Corporation Commission proceeding regarding the 500 and 230 kilovolt golden to mars transmission lines to represent the school board's interests in such proceeding i have a motion by mr streffi do i have a second second i have a second by miss labelle it's been properly moved and seconded uh mr streffi do you want to speak to your motion i think it's important that um the school board continue to put forth its position on an issue

[05:15:41] that has such an impact on not just our schools, but the surrounding communities. And I think it's part of our duty to go ahead and do so. So that's just my piece. Is there any other discussion?

[05:15:57] Yes, Ms. LaBelle. Thank you, Madam Chair. I think we've all been through this before. I don't think we need a lot of discussion. I think we all agreed the first time around that we did not want these towers on our schools or even near our schools.

[05:16:14] It certainly shouldn't be in a neighborhood. They need to do it underground or not at all. Thank you. Ms. Donahue, Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I have a couple of questions that I was hoping to ask of either Mr. Lewis or Mr. Allen.

[05:16:32] Ask away. Thank you. If we were to intervene in this proceeding, first of all, Mr. Allen, do we do we have a legal basis to intervene if we were to intervene will there be what will what could the cost be for the division and is there a potential downside thank you thank you vice chair Donahue my understanding is basis to intervene filing a new notice of participation is to have a pulse and

[05:17:12] and the SEC proceedings, and so it would be appropriate and proper if the board voted to authorize to do so. In terms of cost, to the extent the board retains counsel to represent them in that proceeding, that could be a potential cost, but there is a budget for such litigation costs.

[05:17:39] - Is that part of this current motion is to retain outside counsel? - My understanding is that at this time, there's only a motion to authorize legal counsel to file a notice of participation to intervene.

[05:17:55] - So if we approve this motion tonight, what happens next? - That would be what happens next. Legal counsel would file a motion, sorry, a notice to participate so that the board could intervene in the SEC proceedings.

[05:18:16] Sorry, I think I did not express my question very well. If we pass this tonight and say we want to intervene, are we then hiring an outside counsel to file that petition, or who will be representing our interests?

[05:18:33] I think that would require operational determination, a further operational decision. I can't answer that definitively. Thank you. Any other discussion? Yes, Ms. LaBelle.

[05:18:52] When I was going over some of the information about this, I understand that some of these wires will still run across a very small portion of LCPS school property. Is that true? I think for those kinds of things, we would have to talk in closed.

[05:19:09] Is that correct, Mr. Lewis or Mr. Allen, to discuss actual plans or whatever? That's my understanding. It would be appropriate pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. That would be a permissible purpose for a closed discussion by the board.

[05:19:29] Okay, thanks. Thank you. Any other discussion? Okay, we have a motion on the floor. We have it seconded. There's no more discussion. We'll go ahead with the vote.

[05:19:47] Clerk, please open the vote. And just to repeat, this is to authorize direct legal counsel to file a notice of participation. Board members, please record your vote.

[05:20:05] Mr. Streffi, actually, Dr. Deans, would you please state your vote? Dr. Deans, would you please state your vote? Yes. Mr. Streffi, would you please state your vote?

[05:20:23] Yes. And that, clerk, would you please go ahead and that motion passes. Eight, with Vice Chair Donahue abstaining for the vote. Okay. At this time, we've finished all the things that are timely, and we will go ahead and have moved to the closed meeting.

[05:20:51] May I have a motion? Yes, Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the Leighton County School Board recess this public meeting and enter into a closed meeting pursuant to section 2.2-3712 of the Code of Virginia for the following.

[05:21:08] 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 negotiating or litigating posture of the public body, as authorized by section 2.2-3711 sub-A sub-7 of the Code of Virginia, and consultation with legal counsel employed or retained by a public body regarding a specific legal matter requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel as authorized by section 2.2-3711 sub a sub 8 of the code of virginia vice chair donahue has a motion do i have a second i have a second by miss chandler it's been properly moved and seconded that the law and

[05:21:47] county school board go into closed session is there any discussion um i would like to have a public mrs griffiths yes oh sorry i would like to have a public meeting i do not i do not want to go into closed session.

[05:22:02] - Is there any other discussion? No, it's not a motion. It's not time sensitive. Okay, is that a motion or not? - I wanna make a motion to not go into closed session and have a public meeting to discuss the 80/40.

[05:22:22] Thank you. - Okay, I have a motion on the floor. Do I have a second? - Second. - I have a second by Ms. Chernoff. It's improperly moved and seconded. Is there any other discussion? Seeing none, it's a substitute motion for the first motion.

[05:22:44] so clerk please open the vote this will if this is a substitute motion to keep it open as opposed to closed board members please um dr deans what is your vote no mr streffi what is

[05:23:11] your vote no and that motion does not pass um three to six with um miss chandler dr deans chair mansfield vice chair donahue mr streffi and dr rasheed in opposition so we are back to the base motion um is there any other discussion um i want to know i want to ask west if we can

[05:23:44] suspend the rules to vote right now without going into closed session i believe that's an improper motion go ahead mr witt thank you mrs griffiths uh the motion on the floor is to to go into closed um so that that wouldn't be it's not a proper time for that motion at this time thank you mr allen um okay so the original motion to go into closed is on the floor it's been properly

[05:24:17] moved and seconded um is there any other discussion clerk please open the vote what hey um should we go ahead and um say why that's not a proper motion at this particular

[05:24:45] point in time mr allen thank you chairman i'm not quite sure so you all are making the board is making a motion to go into closed is that is that accurate yes okay that motion should be resolved first first this is based on the motion that was read and the purpose that was read

[05:25:19] is my understanding okay okay clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote this is a motion to go into closed dr deans would you please state your vote yes mr streffi would you please state your vote yes and that motion passes six to three with mrs griffis ms shirnoff

[05:25:56] and ms labelle in opposition the board is now going into closed session thank you yeah mr smith

[06:53:15] is dr dean's back on am i on the regular meeting yes ma'am you are here okay the board is coming

[06:55:45] out of closed session vice chair donahue do you have a motion yes thank you madam chair i move that the closed meeting be adjourned that the loudon county school board reconvene its public meeting and that the minutes of the public meeting reflect that no formal action was taken in the closed meeting. I have a motion by Vice Chair Donahue. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second by Ms. Chernoff. It's been properly moved and seconded. The Lowne County School Board adjourned the closed meeting. Is there any discussion? Seeing none, we'll go ahead and take a vote.

[06:56:14] Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Dr. Deans, please state your

[06:56:26] vote. Dr. Deans, can you please state your vote? Yes. Mr. Streffi, can you please state your vote?

[06:56:55] yes did you say that again yes thank you clerk will you please close and display the vote that motion passes unanimously uh 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 oh five dash two five slash two six whereas the laden 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

[06:57:33] 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 resolved that the Loudoun County School Board hereby certifies that to the best of each member's knowledge one only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which the certification applies and two only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed meeting were heard, discussed, or considered by the Loudoun County School Board. I have a motion by Vice Chair Donahue. Do I have a second? I have

[06:58:13] a second by Ms. Chandler. It's been properly moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Seeing no discussion, we'll take an electronic vote. Clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Dr. Deans, will you please state your vote? Dr. Deans? Yes.

[06:58:43] Thank you. Mr. Streffi, will you please state your vote. Yes. Thank you. Clerk, please close and display the vote. That motion passes unanimously. Vice Chair Donahue, do you have a third motion? Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair.

[06:59:07] I move that the school board authorize outside legal counsel to respond to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights July 25, 2025 communication on behalf of the school board in its operation of Loudoun County Public Schools in line with what was discussed in our closed session specifically while lcps would be open to further discussion with the office for civil rights lcps is unable to agree to the to the terms of the proposed resolution agreement at this time i have a motion on the floor do i have a second i have a second by uh ms chandler uh is there any

[06:59:45] discussion seeing none we'll go ahead and uh take a vote uh clerk please open the vote board members please record your vote. Dr. Deans, would you please state your vote? Yes. Mr. Streffy, will you please state your vote? Yes. Clerk, will you please close and display the vote? That motion

[07:00:15] passes 6 to 3 with Mrs. Griffiths, Ms. Chernoff, and Ms. LaBelle opposed. Okay, we will, I need to take a, it is 11 30 at night. Per policy, I was supposed to take a, like a temperature check to see if we would adjourn the meeting at 10 p.m. It is now 11 30 so I'd like to check to see if the

[07:00:46] board would like to adjourn the meeting or set a time or set a future date for the continuation of this meeting. So the continuation of this meeting I think we could do it the 28th of August

[07:01:09] or we can move this all to september 9th so a temperature check for um staying three two three four okay that does not pass uh that temperature check doesn't go okay so then either we adjourn

[07:01:43] the meeting today um a temperature or we uh set it for a continuation so let's temperature check for a continuation thumbs up for continuation that would be um it could be the 21st or the 28th is that right Ms. Byrne yeah I'm not available on the 28th so seeing as I have an item on the agenda I would like to be here for that so I would prefer the 21st okay I see that I see um Mr.

[07:02:22] Streffy wants a continuation is that true yes and I see Dr. Deans wants a continuation um I see everybody's the 21st okay it looks like the 21st for a continuation so we are not adjourning the meeting which means it will be a continuation of the meeting and we will recess i think that's the

[07:02:49] correct word for now and we will continue on august 21st time did we at six okay with that I will recess this meeting tonight to be continued August 21st at 6.

[07:03:15] Please drive safely home.

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