Coraggio Consulting
Loudoun County School Board, Minority Student Achievement Advisory Committee (MSAAC) Meeting, Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Place: Loudoun County Public Schools / School Board meeting (see BoardDocs / LCPS-TV)
Length: 1h 24m (video)
Official meeting video (Vimeo / LCPS-TV): https://player.vimeo.com/video/1182777564?rel=0
BoardDocs (School Board): https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/loudoun/Board.nsf/Public

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-11. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:00:31] it works okay good evening everyone um it's 6. 05 so we're going to go ahead and get started first i'd like to say thank you all for coming tonight i know it's been a month it kind of feels off because last month we had better together and we had such a wonderful evening of food and conversation in this space and we even ended the note with a little dance party i think it was

[00:01:08] great i think it's 10 out of 10 experience i loved every second um and so tonight we're going to get started and just dive right in. We're going to continue on our conversation from last month. So to get us started, I'm going to have you all, oh, here's the agenda first.

[00:01:30] We're having glitches. Okay. Well, tonight's agenda. So we're going to get started. We're going to have delegate action circles. We're going to have a group discussion and share out where we're going to come back together and talk about what we discussed at our tables and in our small groups. We're going to do the school board connection. I'm just going to share the top-level overview of the MSAC presentation to the school board that happened a couple months ago, and then we'll have announcements. We're going to take part in a communication survey, and then we'll wrap up for the evening. So first, to get us started,

[00:02:07] if you would sign in for me, I'd appreciate it. And then as you're completing that sign-in,

[00:03:15] I just want to take a quick moment and say a very warm welcome and hello to Mr. Svensson. Thank you for joining us this evening. We appreciate you joining us tonight and coming and participating in our meeting with us for just a little bit. So again thank you and welcome Mr.

[00:03:33] Svensson. If you cannot get the QR code to work I know it works but sometimes I know it can be a little strange. If you would just let me know at the end of the meeting we'll try it again or you you can just email me at msacchair@lcps.org and just say, hey, Erin, I was here, and we'll just know you were here tonight.

[00:03:57] So this is our mission statement. I just always like to include it in the presentation to just kind of ground us in the work and ground us in what we're about. I won't read it. I think we've read it so many times. But just reminding us that the work that we do is about and for all students in our division.

[00:04:14] We are focused, yes, on minority and minoritized students and families in the division, but when we're opening doors, we're opening doors for every student and every family and providing them access and pathways to achieve their dreams. And we just want to always keep that in mind as we go forward in our meeting tonight and as delegates throughout our LCPS community.

[00:04:37] Now, to the fun part, I like to say. So we're going to get into some circles. Now, last week or last month, the month before last in February, we went through a whole discussion about how to start having the conversations in your school and to meet with your principals and your school level administration officials to set your intentions as a delegate to share what your goals were as an MSAC delegate to find out what the school's expectations were for you as an MSAC delegate and so our hope was with the packet that I gave you that was a little homework was that you've had an opportunity especially because we had better together last

[00:05:15] month to meet in your schools and to have those conversations. Now, if you have not had that opportunity, I'm going to give the gentlest of nudges and say that the school year ends on June 12th. There is still ample time for you to have that meeting with your principal and to introduce yourself and even introduce yourself to your PTO and let them know that you're there as an MSAC delegate, as a support, as a resource, and a help. But to get us started, we're going to move into small groups so where you can just fill in the space at some of these tables

[00:05:48] like can be two three four five six seven eight nine ten you guys can be so five and five or three and five we'll even come over and fill it in some of

[00:06:02] those spaces too as well your tables you will find a copy of the delegate homework sheet the little packet if you don't have one because you weren't here the last meeting or you just need an extra please feel free to take it I have couple of more left over for you but you'll also find just a list of guided

[00:06:41] questions and the goal in this action circles is to talk about your experience in meeting with your school what you were able to accomplish in your conversation who you were able to meet with who you were what your discussion was like what your goals were what are your intentions like just to have the conversation if you haven't been able to have that meeting now's a great time to to talk to your fellow MSAC delegates and get in on the conversation.

[00:07:10] Sorry, she keeps looking over here. I'm like, you could join a table too. That you can come and have this conversation and get some ideas about how to kickstart that conversation, maybe even find a support for someone who you can practice with before you go into that discussion with your schools.

[00:07:26] The idea is that we can't do this work if we're not actually active in having the meetings and having the discussions with our principals and PTO. So we're gonna take about 15 to 20 minutes and just have these discussions. We'll be around and in the room.

[00:07:42] If you have questions, we'll probably come sit down and listen in and offer insights and things like that. But this is our chance to talk and communicate to each other, feed off of each other's ideas, and maybe have some next steps that we can take back when we share out that we can all take back to our schools to help us as we go through the remainder of the school year as MSAC delegates.

[00:08:02] So 15 minutes starting now, these are some extra guiding questions, but it's basically, did you have the conversation? If you had the conversation, please share. If you did not have the conversation, what can we do to help you and support you in getting that conversation to happen?

[00:08:19] So let's talk.

[00:30:19] - Alrighty, so that was 30 minutes and I know we have lots of good conversations happening and I hate to interrupt them, but we're gonna keep going. But this time we can all come together and we can share together. So in an effort just to kind of keep us engaged with the conversation, we are going to try this.

[00:30:38] If it does not work, we will just pivot and we will keep talking and having a conversation. If you can scan that QR code, if you're willing, it should take you to Slido.

[00:31:05] You should be able to see a survey, a press play. So if you're in it, you should be able to, there you go, hey, it's working, yay. Do you need to go back to the QR code?

[00:31:22] Okay. Okay. So in the poll, this poll question was, where are you in the process? And the options were I had the conversation. I started it, but I didn't finish. I tried, but I couldn't connect. Option four is supposed to be, I'm working on it, I'm in progress, but apparently Slido didn't like that answer.

[00:31:54] Four. Option four is everybody's favorite. So I would assume that we are working on it and we are aiming to have that conversation. So with that, if anybody would like to share like where you are in the process, have you had the conversation? Have you had one before? You haven't had one this year. You had a conversation. You've got some ideas flowing. The floor is open.

[00:32:17] Please share because I think we get better as delegates and as advocates when we hear from each other and hear how the process is going um with um everyone else so anybody who'd like to go anybody i promise i'm not going to call on anybody but in a minute i might yes hit the microphone hi hello hi um so yes i had the conversation i had the conversation with the vice principal at my

[00:32:54] school i'm at balls bluff elementary in leesburg um it was a really good conversation i did set intentions before we met. He was very receptive to meeting with me. It was a great conversation. And so at the end, we decided that we were going to have like a coffee chat where we would invite parents because it seemed like a lot of parents are not aware of MSAC and what we do. So I wanted to, we wanted to have an event where we invited parents and just kind of explain to them what MSAC is, what we do, and how I can support. And so the event is supposed to be this Friday,

[00:33:32] right after drop-off, but as of earlier this week, there was only one person that was signed up, so it may get postponed. But in our discussions, I got some great ideas that will allow me to pivot and maybe do something that will entice more people to sign up. So I'm excited about that.

[00:33:50] Okay. Would anybody else like to share? I will take the ones that, if you have not had the conversation we can talk about how we can help you and support you in having a conversation there is no wrong answer I promise um so I haven't had the conversation um but we're switching schools

[00:34:29] next year and I'm not sure how to bring up the conversation now that they know that we're not going to be staying um yeah that's yeah you know what you're right you can pave the way I'm leaving you but exactly here's what she but not like that but in that room um but you can pave the way for whoever would follow you like if you know of somebody who would be interested in being a delegate after you you bring them along to start the conversation you pave the way it gives

[00:35:07] you an opportunity to share things that you might have seen on your way out and gives them an idea of how to go forward on their way in like because I mean seriously it is hard because sometimes you're like okay we've come to the end like elementary school I was like we are at the elementary school I have survived I've done it yay but then I still had to turn around and be like okay so how can I help the delegate who's coming after me follow me how can I set it up how can I support them how can we make these connections now so it feels seamless so you can have the conversation still and you can share things that you've been concerned about as a

[00:35:45] parent but also allow that person if you know somebody I would say recruit somebody and bring them with you and then have that conversation I will say that this school is really hard to get parents to do anything it really is there's for for almost anything there's three of us that volunteer regularly and I'm one of the three so they're losing me next year too I don't know what they're going to do yeah but yeah i understand thank you oh yeah the school that i'm that i'm transferring him to for next year i know that they don't have an msac rep so i will i won't be doing

[00:36:21] that so you guys aren't getting rid of me here yes well we're not giving you up as an msac delegate you're in now there is no getting out i'm here anyone else yes hey good after uh good evening everyone my name is debbie wheeler i am the delegate for kenneth cobert elementary school

[00:36:57] and we're located in Percival and I meet with my principal every month for the last year every Thursday after this meeting I meet with the equity lead and we go over some things that we can improve and then every fourth Thursday I meet with the principal and we go over some action plans and then every third Thursday also tomorrow I meet with the leadership the fifth grade leadership team and they come up with a lot of ideas that they like to implement in the school

[00:37:31] and then I see to it with other parents and teachers that their voices are heard so that they feel that they belong and a lot of things that we do we do right before school like we'll have stickers where they can put you know how they feel and how they feel that how they belong and then at the end of day like around lunchtime the art teacher will take their picture put it next to how they belong.

[00:37:58] And then we post it throughout the school, during the hallways and near the cafeteria and gym. And we are preparing for Earth Day so that everybody is participating in Earth Day 'cause they're really excited about that and we're gonna do a scavenger hunt.

[00:38:15] So they're gonna come up with all the ideas and it has been so wonderful working in the school district that actually I've been hired to work in the cafeteria where I can actually meet every student and hear how they feel, and make any type of change that they see, that they need, and I bring it to the principal.

[00:38:38] And our principal, Monica Edwards, she also meets with every student in the school. And she's on her third round of meeting with every student, so she can hear their voices and how they feel. And then she also have once a month a principal of the day, And it can range from a first grader to a fifth grader.

[00:38:58] So they are really, really cute. And they are really, really happy. So I really, really enjoy being a delegate. Thank you. I bet it's fun that day for that kid to be principal for a day.

[00:39:18] Oh, yeah, yeah, definitely the meetings. Like, I have to do this part? I thought I just got to be the boss. Well, that's part of it. Okay, well, nope, I hit that wrong button. Let's try this one more time. Okay, now I don't know if this next one will work. we're, we're learning to use Slido. Now, if it changed for you, let me know. Otherwise we'll try it to, it did. Yay. One word. Okay. Yay. We're learning new things today. So in one word or phrase, how did your conversation with your school feel? How did you feel about it? What was your

[00:39:56] vibe, your takeaway? Okay. Whoever said fun is my kind of person. I like that. And I like

[00:40:43] encouraging, receptive is great. I know that can be hard for us to kind of overcome when we're going to meet with principals, because we all have had different experiences, either from growing up or as parents and adults, like, what does it mean? When the first time I ever met with a principal, I told him, frankly, sir, I'm coming to you from this place where if my mother was in this building talking to the principal, I had twin brothers. There were two of them. So the trouble was always doubled no matter what they did it was always the worst possible event that had ever happened because they were twins and my mom being in the school was a sign that someone was in trouble so

[00:41:19] when I was getting good grades and they were just wanting to meet with my mom to share my work my mom was like they always think I'm up to no good and so I told my principal I said it is weird to be sitting in front of you and I'm just here trying to ask you if I can help make the school more inclusive and belonging and when I said that he met me where I was and we then proceeded to have this really great conversation so a receptive principal I know every principal is not but that is a great thing and those of you that have a receptive principal I am very excited and very happy for you because that's an avenue that you can definitely explore as you advocate in your

[00:41:58] schools. Waiting. No matter who you are, if you're waiting, we are going to talk about how we can help you in facilitating that conversation. We know you can do it. Optimistic. Why would you feel optimistic? Or what makes you feel optimistic is the better question. Anybody can answer that.

[00:42:18] I won't call out the specific person that used that one word. Anybody? Oh, thank you. I think it's really great because most of these words, including optimistic, show that there's a path forward as opposed to barriers and challenges. You know, so it means that, you know, anything

[00:42:52] is growth. It's continued. It's moving forward. And so at least that, you know, when I saw some of the like, you know, encouraged, encouraging, optimistic, good, amazing, right? Like it shows that people also sort of felt heard as well, whether there was, you know, different, you know, receptivity. It felt good to do the outreach and have that outreach met, right? For the thing to work. Yes. It's positive, even if it doesn't feel like it's that overwhelming result. It's a positive

[00:43:31] step forward. And that means all the world in what we do as NSAC delegates is that one positive thing and that one positive step forward. So all of you should be proud, even for contemplating having a conversation. I want to say that you should be proud of yourself for doing it because it is not easy because you are coming from a place of your previous experiences, what you're hoping to do as an MSAC delegate, and what the expectations are of you and your school. So you should be proud no matter what of what you have done and what you're accomplishing. Supporting. I want to move

[00:44:08] to supporting because I think that that's a big thing that we can do as a delegate body for each other. When I was at the table discussion, we, the idea came up to connect with that feeder school and maybe work with the PTOs to host this event and to help make this event something happen.

[00:44:30] But it got me to thinking that, you know, we do have clusters and we all have our feeder schools where our elementary schools and middle schools feed into a high school, that that is a connection that you do have as delegates and you can absolutely leverage that that if you're trying to have something at your school and you know who the delegate is or you know the pto in your feeder school reach out to them and and make those connections to see how you all can support each other but in the effort of supporting i would like to kind of dive into for just a couple of minutes like how we can support you like what we can do to support you as delegates what we can do to

[00:45:08] support each other as we have these conversations I've said it and I mean it I swear if you are going to talk to your principal and it makes you nervous and you need somebody in the room or you're just like I need somebody that I know is around I will drive my car up to the parking lot and sit in the parking lot with an audio book and a large cup of coffee and I will be your support in the parking lot while you go have your conversation if you need a support in the room with you as you engage in that conversation or presenting to your PTO if you need us if you need somebody and you've got a friend a partner here ask them we will figure out a way to make it happen to support you

[00:45:45] when you have those meetings because the one thing we don't want you to feel like is alone so my question is going to be what else can we be doing in support of each other what can we do on the end of the executive board to be a support as you go into your schools and you have these meetings and you have these conversations so share with me please to kind of thank you so much just to kind of trail off to what you just said i would love to accompany that person when they go to the

[00:46:21] principal or to that school to feel confident to feel like they can they can tackle this yes thanks share and she absolutely will do it she tell you she will she will do it you just have to let her know speaking of the cards she's got cards yeah yay shannon so how else can we support you somebody anybody I'll say I feel like you guys have done a fantastic job of preparing us a few months ago

[00:46:59] we had at our MSAC meeting we had just different discussions and bullet points that we could bring with us when we were having these conversations so I think you guys have done a fantastic job of preparing us and equipping us to feel confident and feel equipped to go have those conversations so I can't think of anything else at the moment but I want to say thank you for all that you've

[00:47:19] done so far oh thank you i appreciate that mm-hmm email us mm-hmm you do not this is this is debbie

[00:47:56] this is debbie again um if you are uncomfortable meeting with your principal you do have the equity leads in your school they're a little they're a little less you know uptight um you can you can you can run things by them you know if they're not if they don't have the power to implement at least they have a ear to hear and a shoulder to lean on just for starters you know and also I'll go with you too I help you out yeah I'm retired I go I'm everywhere yes and they in the connecting with your equity lead is a great option too because they can join you in that conversation

[00:48:35] because they're having these conversations already but especially for you as an MSAC delegate getting that first step and you can meet with them like one of my first meetings was with our principal just myself and the principal and then it was myself with the principal vice principal and the PTO chair and that was just a great meeting with the four of us because it was just nice for us to sit there and then later I met our equity lead in passing and we were just like oh we have to meet and we have to talk and we ended up standing in the middle of the hallway for half an hour as classes were changing and talking and just getting ideas and finding out like what

[00:49:12] what the goals were and how I could help support and your equity lead is a great resource they can be a great partner in helping you and you know again it goes back to that I know it sounds crazy but just letting people in your school know that you were there as a support and helper goes a million miles, especially when it's hard, as has been shared, to find people and parent volunteers to come and help. Having someone who says, I'm here to help and support in this small way is a really big deal. And so don't forget that you can do that. Now I have one more. I promise this is

[00:49:49] going to work, you guys. We are like, hopefully this is three for three. So this goes back to the same vein of support but this is specifically for msac what do you need from msac in order for us to help you support you whether it's i know flyers is a big one um little things one pagers we have some of those on file but just some ideas of what we can do that we can take back and we can work on to help support you as you go out into your schools and this is not just meeting with principal but even getting the word out to your school so what could you would

[00:50:29] okay these are really great so these are really great ideas and thoughts and I

[00:52:14] want to say thank you for sharing them and we do have like one-page flyers we have cards that you can have I think a big thing would be coordinating like if we have these printables and printouts that you want to take back to your school either coordinating a day or a location to drop them off where you can pick up from us and you just have a little delegate starter kit or a delegate a pouch if you will of the information the flyer one pager and things like that we can do that coordinating with the cluster I have the

[00:52:49] list of the clusters in the feeder schools and we can work on organizing that and putting you in touch with your clusters that was a thing that we had done um quite a bit in previous years where we connected the delegates with your feeder school clusters so you would know who your counterparts were out where you live um yes as student opportunities oh my gosh you guys we have a whole long list thank you i love it um yes i'm reading and thinking sorry um report outs of efforts um i saw at the beginning phone call check-in now if i

[00:53:26] call you and ask you how's it going you better answer the phone I'm just saying you have to answer the phone um yes we will always keep doing the work and supporting you um ideas for events and general infographics I think that is a great way I think there are plenty of us in the room that have been delegates and even connecting with people who are not who have been delegates and maybe have moved on because their kids are um have graduated or their kids have gone on to other schools connecting you with them to find out what their ideas were and how they implemented them. There's a whole wide network that we can do. Keep the activities going. We will definitely do

[00:54:03] that. And we got one coming up in the first part of May that you can join us for. And I think it would be great if we could host more events that are signature to MSAC. So I'm going to stop. I have new ones. T-shirts. Ha! Who said T-shirts? Thank you. See, she's my person too. We'll have to figure that out t-shirts would be great i have t-shirts um i would love a t-shirt um yes i think having cluster breakouts and meet outs would be great because that gives you all an opportunity

[00:54:38] to find out what's happening there um especially if you're elementary middle school high school and you stay in that cluster that is an excellent idea bring dr tyler back for a presentation i like that idea yeah dr tyler you're amazing dr tyler you know i think that job fair for student opportunities these are brilliant ideas and this goes to show that we have the ideas and we have the capacity to do it we just have to figure out how to implement it and how to get people in the room to support

[00:55:15] these ideas and and to help us work them out and some of these things we cannot get to this year but some of them we'll work on and especially providing you guys with information to take back to your schools and even having opportunities to ask questions, like if you've hosted an event, meeting with somebody that did that, we can work on that and we will definitely work on these and I'm not just asking these to take them and be like, great, you told me something.

[00:55:40] We are going to discuss these and think about these and figure out, ask you questions. Don't be surprised if I pester you with questions or send you a survey and be like, okay, tell me more about this or what would you like to see happen with this so we can get your feedback and your thoughts and ideas.

[00:55:56] So this is really great And I want to kind of end our discussion about how we're, we can do these conversations to remind you yet again, you can have this conversation. It can be intimidating and scary, but the beauty of it is, is that there's no one size fits all for MSAC. What works where I live does not work where you live or where you live. What works for you may not work for me. Everybody can't come in and be like, be like me. Some people come in and they're very serious or very reserved or very introverted people what energy and intention you bring to it is how it will turn out

[00:56:33] but no matter what as long as you're showing up to do the work we can make changes we can help improve our schools we can help improve our communities and so I want to encourage you and nudge you not so gently this time that by the time we get back in May maybe possibly have had a conversation either with your principal vice principal or your equity lead and if you do have that conversation I'm just going to encourage you to just send me an email and just say hey Aaron I had the conversation and that's all I want to know but I'm going to encourage you because we still have time before the end of the school year and before May for you to have these conversations

[00:57:08] so don't be discouraged go for it I know you can I know you will it is so important and that conversation and that first step really does matter and so we're going to move on nope thank you slido thank you all for participating in my slido i'm very excited that it worked um

[00:57:27] maybe canva doesn't want to work now it doesn't like me we'll try it this way okay so now we're

[00:57:49] going to move on um in march i'm the months are blurring together i'm in the right one they all look the same i apologize so in march um i presented um our msac update to the school board

[00:58:24] and I know everybody couldn't make it because that happened in the 430 session and so I just wanted to give like a top level quick breakdown and overview when I send out the meeting minutes and the meeting recording I'll also include that slide deck presentation for you all just you you have it so you just kind of know what we reported back to the school board as to where we are with MSAC this year. And so I titled it what the main slide is, Building Foundations Together. I felt like we have been focused on building our foundations this year, and I wanted to really

[00:58:59] focus on that and highlight that. So what I shared was that our focus has been on strengthening our foundations, and this has included a recommitment to the role of a delegate, strengthening the MSAC structure, training, and engagement, hence the way our meetings are structured now. We have been focusing on ways to deepen our student engagement and sense of belonging.

[00:59:20] And I really hope that as we go into the end of the year, we can dial into that a little more and talk about how we can better engage with our students, our student delegates, and our student equity ambassadors that join us every month. Don't be surprised if we're calling on you and looking for you to share some of that information with us.

[00:59:39] When we talk about strengthening the work, I share that we are focused on structured delegate onboarding and mentorship I think it's really important for those of us that have been delegates for several years now to kind of reach back and help our new incoming delegates because it can be overwhelming especially when you come to the first meeting and we might be talking about advanced math pathways in one month and then the next month we're talking about course selection and if you're coming to one of those the first time you might not know what's going on but you hear really great information and so we want to make sure that we're reaching back and kind of connecting with the delegates and providing information and answering

[01:00:17] questions and checking in. We always are providing feedback to policy. Plug right quick that if you're not providing feedback, even if it's a word that bugs you, Rod will tell you that I can find a word and I'll be like, I don't like that word. And I will ask 5,000 questions about that word and I'll research it and I'll be like, but okay, you're right, but I still don't like that word and that policy but that word might have been something that needs to be changed or it can be rewritten and it changes the tone in the policy changes whether it's for every student or it doesn't include every student or is it strengthening our students and strengthening our division or is it

[01:00:55] inflicting harm so please even if you don't understand what you're reading provide that feedback and I will say sometimes I do cheat I look at my husband and tell him please sir you you have the the law degree what does this mean and he will explain it to me and I get it But we also talk about clear action pathways for school-based engagement.

[01:01:18] We want to make sure that you guys have a way forward when you engage with your school. And so that was why we did that little quick, fast training on how to get moving and how to take your first steps as an MSAC delegate. We are also focused on training and becoming equity-oriented change agents with the division of DEIA and Dr. Tyler.

[01:01:40] That is so paramount and I'm always grateful for Dr. Tyler and Dr. Ellis Williams and her team giving us that training every year because it's so relevant to what we do and it helps us to think differently and it helps us to engage with our schools and each other in a manner that is growth centered in a manner that is inquisitive but also helps us understand like how the language works and how it really works.

[01:02:06] so we're not just saying the big things, but we don't have any knowledge to back it up or we don't have that understanding. This year we have commented, it's gone up since then, but we have commented on 23 school board policies. We try to structure your engagement.

[01:02:23] Rod has been great about bringing you guys the policy and sharing what our feedback is once it's complete and once it's compiled and getting the policies to you in a timely manner so you have time to review them and provide feedback. And if you miss our window to send your feedback to us, If it's still live on the policy page on LCPS, you can go out and input your own feedback on that policy separately.

[01:02:45] If you have something, you're like, oh, I missed it and I had a concern about this policy, you still have an opportunity to do that. We're just trying to get it back to the school board in a timely and structured manner. We are always centering equity and keeping the students and the families of MSAC, but also LCPS at the forefront when we're commenting on our policies.

[01:03:06] So we're not just looking at it through a lens that the lens is narrow, but it's not so narrow that we're like, oh, this sounds great or this doesn't sound great. We're thinking of our students and families and really thinking about what it means and diving into these policies. At first, it can be overwhelming, but I've learned to read things differently and see them and understand it.

[01:03:27] And so when I see a policy, or if you have to, because you're going through something you have to reference a policy that opportunity to provide feedback that we do and dive into them is really important and that makes you a better parent advocate and MSAC delegate just engaging with it so again I encourage you to just try a little bit it doesn't have to be perfect maybe one policy is like nope I don't got anything for that but just reading it and just looking to see if you have feedback is so important and we are committed to early and transparent communication we try to get it out there if we have questions we do reach out to school board members and we ask questions if we have concerns we

[01:04:05] share those concerns and we try to get feedback and get a better understanding so when we are providing our feedback it's not again a one-off it's not coming from nowhere we're trying to stay informed and make sure our feedback is aligning with policy aligning with a strategic plan and does prioritize equity and our students and families um we did share the community concerns and after the presentation we did, I did have about 30 minutes of question and answering with the school board and we talked about our continuing community concerns which are the racial slurs and hate

[01:04:41] speech, the disproportionate discipline outcomes, the student's sense of belonging, access to advanced programs and pathways and we did answer, I did answer questions about that and I rated the message that we know that it is an issue and we know that it is a problem but that we are here as partners and collaborators and as advisory committee to help find solutions or to help if there's a solution to be a support in doing it that we're here not as adversaries not as the you did it wrong it's wrong it's bad it's awful fix it we're watching you but as we see the problem

[01:05:17] and we're a great asset to you in helping support you in schools helping support our principals and our teachers and students and staff we're in the buildings all the time dropping off picking up parent teacher conferences and so I really wanted to reiterate that we see these problems and we know that they exist we just want to be partners and help and that we will bring our concerns and we will bring the issues forward as they come up and work with the division and partner with them as best we can to provide results and solutions and to be an encouragement to families as these issues pop up I was really excited to share our efforts and our progress I

[01:05:56] said we are providing space for families to be heard I know that you might look around you like there are not a lot of people here but in the moments when we've had this room filled or we've had more people I believe that these are people that came to MSAC because they needed what we were sharing in that moment or they needed to be in a space where they felt safe and seen and heard and they had a moment to process whatever they were going through we shared that we do provide resources and informational presentations. I get questions often, "What was this about?

[01:06:30] Or do you have any more information about that?" And we try to get that back. Like after a presentation, if it's something that's relevant to you, please reach out to us. We can provide answers. We can reach out to people. I've been known to go back and ask a question, like, "Okay, can you explain this? Or can I have just this information from this slide?

[01:06:46] Or can you kind of expand upon this section just to provide everybody with better detail if we can provide it, or just to have that information in the back of our head. And that's the reason why we have communication come and present to us, or we have these various administration officials come to us because it's information that's relevant to us as parents, but also to us as delegates.

[01:07:09] We're always encouraging and equipping our parents to advocate. And I would like to say, you know, biased as I am, that I don't think anybody does it better than us, because we really do not, we don't mince words. We're like, you get to advocate. You get to show up in these spaces. You have a right to, that is your child. And I did say, I was like, if I know I am crazy about my babies and I do not play about my babies, we are not playing about anyone else's babies and their children and their education. And I think that we do such a great job and I look forward to MSAC doing more. And obviously we're going to continue the training

[01:07:47] and development the training doesn't stop if we can get better and we can learn more you can and I just want you to know that I as MSAC chair I have never not been learning I will tell you that Dr. Ellis Williams and her team they'll be like you need to know this and I'm like okay well we're learning something new today you need to understand this and they absolutely if you need to know something if you need a better understanding if you don't have it they're a great resource and her team is always lifting us up and the reason why our meetings have changed and our training has changed and what we do is because I've taken what they've taught me and they've encouraged me to learn and I implement it and that goes the same for Dr. Rashid she was like she would come

[01:08:24] and tell me Ms. Gunkel think about this or let's talk about it this way and we absolutely do think about it and keep you all in mind as we're growing this that it's not just an effort to confuse or make it difficult but we want us to be the best advocates we can be because when we're all on the same page and we're all advocating with the same voice and with the same fervor, they have to stop and listen. And trust me, they do stop and listen when we speak up and we speak up together.

[01:08:54] We are working on growing our representation and voice. I am happy to report out that we are working to get more delegates. So if you know somebody that knows somebody that knows somebody that would like to be involved, please let them know. We're accepting delegates. We're accepting student delegates we are open it is not closed i we are not closing if you want to apply to be a delegate on july 4th of 2026 the application is open fill out the application and we will onboard you at the beginning of the school year we want to increase that engagement from varying across

[01:09:28] schools to having people here and i would like to say as chair i am thankful and grateful to each each and every one of you that consistently show up to these meetings and engage in these discussions and show up every third Wednesday of the month. You were awesome, you were amazing, and I applaud you.

[01:09:53] We are going to work on increasing student delegate participation. I appreciate and thank all of our student delegates and our student equity leads that show up to the meeting. They're not looking over here, so I can say this. Don't look, children, stay over there.

[01:10:08] But we appreciate you coming to these meetings and engaging in these discussions and taking it back and making your school a better place. You guys are rock stars and you're amazing. I am biased, but I think you all are wonderful and we are always, always, always rooting for you. And our goal is still the same, one delegate in every school.

[01:10:25] If we can get a hundred and five hundred and eight delegates, then we'll aim for the next hundred and eight. So we have two in every school. So everybody has a backup. And then one day this room will be filled with MSAC delegates and it will be amazing. and we will have reached the dream goal.

[01:10:42] So I snuck a picture in there. I love this picture. Everybody should love this picture too. This is from Better Together, and this is from a great event, but I wanted us to see a picture of us together 'cause we don't take enough pictures, and I'm always like that at the end of the year, we don't have pictures, but we're going to keep expanding our delegate representation.

[01:11:01] We're going to continue equity-centered policy engagement. We're gonna support families through access, information, and advocacy, and last but not least, We're going to strengthen our partnerships across the division. What we're doing matters. The work we do matters. And I want you all to know they see us and they hear us and everybody should be proud of the work we do and continue to engage in your schools.

[01:11:25] It's very important. So now we're moving past tonight. We'll slow down for a minute. So now we have announcements and a couple dozen, not really, but a couple of QR codes for you to scan again. So the upcoming announcements for the year are we have our annual equity and awards ceremony on Saturday, May 9th.

[01:11:48] It is from 2.30 to 4.30 p.m. We have closed the nominations, but we have gotten a lot of nominations, and we're going to meet and vote on those and make that incredibly hard decision for our awards recipients, and they should be notified in the next week or so that they will be a recipient of an award.

[01:12:09] At the end of the meeting, or with this meeting, the executive board elections will be held on May 20th, 2026, at our last MSAC general body meeting. And these positions will be for, this election will be for all of the positions for the executive board, from chair to vice chair.

[01:12:30] We will be accepting applications for membership, communications, membership admin. Yeah. Yes. Oh, yes.

[01:12:55] Yes. I will reach out to them. Yes. Yes. Sign up genius is great. Okay. I will reach out and I

[01:13:45] will get that corrected right away. But it is confirmed. It is May 9th from 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. at the Historic Douglas School in Leesburg. And I will send everybody out a copy of that flyer so you have it and you can share it with your schools. And I will reach out to communications tomorrow and ask them to make that correction so they have that because that needs to be fixed right away. And then we're still continuing our membership drive. Please encourage anyone that you know who might be interested to just come and sit down the conversation, not just having MSAC delegates,

[01:14:22] but having MSAC members. You can join us in our meetings. You can listen in. You can be a part of the discussion. We'll keep you up to date on what's happening with MSAC. And you can be another source of advocacy on behalf of MSAC and our community. So we want to encourage everybody to just reach out and keep helping us, again, recruit people and bring people into this conversation in this community that we've created that is pretty awesome. Now, next part. I'm going to ask you to scan a QR code. I've got like one more after this, I think, I swear. This is a communication

[01:15:00] survey. And what the purpose of this survey is, is that we would like to know how you would like for us to communicate with you and what the best way is to communicate with you about MSAC or anything that we have come along, like flyers, opportunities, scholarships, information like that. We know we have our socials and we send out the emails and everything like that. But if there are other ways we can better communicate with you, if you could just take a few minutes to

[01:15:27] fill out the survey, it would be really helpful for us. And as you're filling out the survey,

[01:16:29] I would like to also share that this is also a way for us to kind of think about how if we have calls to action and we need to get the word out like right away on short notice what's the best way we can get that to you because not everybody's checking their email all day every day and your mileage varies on if you're going to see something posted on Instagram or Facebook but how can I get that information to you if there's something we need to make you aware of or we're asking for presence in the room, public comment, so on and so forth. We just wanted to have an idea of what's the best way to reach out and the best way to get information to you without, you know, overwhelming

[01:17:06] you and overloading the senses in addition to all the information we all get from our schools and

[01:17:12] PTOs and so on and so forth. Okay, this is the last QR code, but this, I thought it would just be

[01:18:47] great because we were all together. This is for the Equity RSVP. Now, if you've never been to the Equity, this is our annual awards ceremony and afternoon tea, if you will. We get together, we have light refreshments, and we celebrate the work of Equity done by students, staff, principals, administrators, and it's just our moment at the end of the year in a semi-formal setting, afternoon setting for us to come together and celebrate the work we've done this year to kind

[01:19:21] of relax and breathe and smile and just encourage the people that have done this work and have made their schools and their classmates and their counterparts feel more included. We just want to celebrate them. And the equity is just a really nice, fun, good time. And so if you're able to attend please RSVP um I will be sending out the flyer again in the link for you to RSVP um so you can join us um I hope you do we hope to see you the planning is well underway and we have a good

[01:19:56] time and we celebrate and it's just a lot of fun I like it it's my second favorite after better together they alternate so for a while equity is going to be my favorite yes the theme is there's no theme per se there's a theme overarching like of the afternoon and the theme for the equity is together because we keep talking about doing things together and building foundations together and we're in this work together and I couldn't figure out a fancy way to add another word in front of together and so my brain just said together is simple it's elegant and it states

[01:20:35] exactly what we do we do this work together we are not alone we advocate together we lift each other up together. We support each other. And it's just about coming together and having a good afternoon for just a little while. So yes, ma'am. I'm tired. Technically, that's technically.

[01:21:03] If you like to be tea party, then not everybody doesn't want to be extra. So I was just trying not to say now I like to be extra a little bit. I like to dress for the occasion. If that is not year just come for an afternoon tea either um yeah other yeah i know i realized that it is so you go we'll we'll we'll take a moment and celebrate everyone who who is a mother and mothers

[01:21:40] and has mothers we will just celebrate everybody that's amazing we'll celebrate everybody now if the qr code doesn't work don't worry we will get it to you um so you can sign up but please and encourage everyone and you know share it with our fellow delegates and ask everyone to come um so um you all y'all y'all you all i'm from texas you you all sounded really weird just now

[01:22:18] y'all it is 7 25 so before i just say you know what we're wrapped up really really fast tonight i just want to open it up if anybody has any questions concerns any requests anything you would like to share now is a great moment to do so so i don't feel like but you know it is once in

[01:22:39] while it's okay to finish early anybody you guys are going to make me act like my aunt the teacher and be like I'm gonna start calling on people I don't want to call on anybody so if there is nothing or any questions please feel free to hang out for a few more minutes but we had great

[01:23:19] discussions we had a great time with a group discussion we got through the presentation and everything it is almost 7 30 I guess as a gift to us we are wrapped up for the evening I want to thank you all for coming out tonight I want to thank you for joining us I'll be here for a little while cleaning up and stuff so if you have questions or just want to chit chat we're here drive home safe we will see you may 9th not may 9th we will see you on may 9th for the equity and then we'll see you back again on may 20th for our final msac general body meeting of the school year thank you for coming have a great night

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