 Okay, I hereby call this meeting of the special meeting of the Arlington School Committee to order on Wednesday, August 30th at 6.30 p.m. We are meeting by zoom because the governor says we can at least for right now. And everyone should know first that our materials are available on novus online and second that your screens people can see what you're doing on your screens and so not to share anything that you don't want to be seen by other people. So let me make sure everyone can hear me and can respond. I'm going to go through. Ms. Superintendent Homan. Here. Okay. I'm his keys. Here. Okay. Mr. Schliffman. I'm here. No to Mr. Thielman and Allison Elmer are attendees but not panelists. They'll need to be promoted. I just promoted both. Okay. Okay. Great. Ms. Eckstein. Here. Ms. Gettleson. Here. Ms. Morgan. Here. Mr. Spiegel. Here. Dr. Walker. Here. Mr. Mason. Here. Mr. Cardin. Here. Ms. Elmer. Here. Mr. Thielman. Here. Ms. Diggins I see but we don't need to know that you can talk unless you need to say something. Is there other people on? We only have one page. Okay. So I think we are set. We open with public comment. I'm looking at our. Participant list. I don't see anyone for public comment and we. Ms. Diggins if we. Got anyone saying they wanted to do public comment. Can you chime in but. No public comment. No public comment. Okay. So moving on. Our first item of business is. An appointment of the SC representative to the Arlington 250th anniversary committee. And. Mr. Heiner had heard about this discussed and mentioned it to me and said that he would be. More than happy to serve as our representative on this committee. They've asked for someone from the school committee. I felt that that was entirely appropriate because of his long. Standing history with us. If anyone has any concerns, bring them up now, but. Otherwise we appreciate his willingness to serve on our behalf. I move that Bill Heiner be appointed to this committee. On our behalf. Second. And I'm excited enough to see it, Bill. I knew how anxious you are. Take on one more responsibility. Okay. So come back and tell us if there's anything we need to do to help or that you need. Tonight is the first meeting right at seven o'clock. I will keep the chair informed. And when it's appropriate, I'll come before you. Awesome. Thank you so much. And when is our 250th anniversary. I'm assuming it's in 2025. That's when the 250th year. They're going to be planning it. I don't know tonight. I'll share with you. In the next 24 hours KSE and you can bring it to the committee when appropriate. Okay, great. Thank you. Okay. So any further comments on Mr. Heiner's appointment. Seeing none. I have a roll call for Mr. Schwickman. Yes. Next is Mr. Hunter Jackson. Thank you Bill. Yes. Yes. Ms. Giddelson. Yes. Ms. Morgan. Yes. Mr. Cardin. I couldn't hear you. Yes. Okay. Mr. Thielman. Yes. And I also vote yes. So that's an anonymous vote. Thank you again for being willing to serve. Okay. So the next item of business is the review and potential approval of revised student handbooks. And the agenda wasn't updated. It should just say the HS handbook and the elementary student handbook. Which are available for us. So, Miss Homan, do you want to. Wait this. Yeah. So I, so we are in the process of making sure that all of these are easy to access, easy to navigate. I want to thank members of the committee who sent me notes on the two drafts that I sent along the elementary one has undergone a fairly significant overhaul and look at we did some revision cleaning up of information that was outdated, or just not common practice. We adjusted some of the dress code language to be more in line with the way the high school talks about freedom of expression but also still with a latitude for us to determine when something's appropriate or destruction in the classroom. So I shared with you the document comparison so you can see what we marked up, and I did a little bit of cleaning and editing based on some comments so I'm having to take any questions about any specific portions of either of these, they have been looked at by our legal counsel specifically there were adjustments to our bullying policies last year when we did an update of the bullet bullying procedures. There were updates to regulations surrounding discipline that require us to do some restorative work before we moved towards disciplinary action so we had to adjust some language in the discipline sections, and there's new regulations coming relative to title nine that changed some of the procedures so we had to change some of that language as well so happy to answer any questions that the committee has. Hey, anyone have any questions. Mr film is that a. That's on a hand. No, okay. That's just a. Okay. I have a question then. The student handbook, the elementary school handbook talks about homework policy, and that students should receive only homework or 10 minutes per grade. And it talks about, for example, 10 minutes for grade one and 20 minutes for grade two except I thought we didn't have homework for those grades now. So this was a point of much discussion for the elementary principles. There are different opinions about whether or not and how much homework should be assigned. And we haven't sorted through all of those various opinions quite yet. So what is written here was kind of the compromise that we landed on, we removed some language that we thought was a little bit assumptive about what parents could manage in terms of like reading to with your child at home. We, and we left this language in there as a general guideline because it is one that some teachers use. If we were to eliminate it and say there's not going to be any work sent home, then that would be a shift in practice that we would want to discuss with the teachers. So it's we, there is not a we don't give any homework in lower grades policy, obviously. And this was this language stayed from the previous version. So what else that I did think we had had some discussion about this before and that we weren't having homework in lower grades, although it wasn't a policy. Does anyone not seeing anyone else remembering it. Okay, this doesn't remember it either. Well, I'm just sunk. Oh, Ms. Wilson. As as the I can't say, I know what has been discussed before but I'm curious what if anything you can tell us Dr. Homan about. So there are seven elementary schools I know what happens at Pierce. I think I know what like I've only have a third grader but I think I know sort of how it works all the way up. Is there any consist I mean sort of what where are we with how consistent because this is a conversation that comes up on Arlington parents listserv and I think some of us who are at schools without who are not giving homework. We're also under the impression that this was Arlington, not just our school. There's not consistent practice on this across the system. So one of the things this came up recently I have my am the contractual superintendent's advisory committee, and we had a lengthy discussion about this because I was curious what people's takes were on homework. And I got wildly different answers about they knew this guideline they knew the 10 minute guideline everybody did, whether or not they did less than that or at that or shop for that like was what was very inconsistent. So, I think it's worth discussion I think it is worth us potentially revisiting this in future iterations of the handbook, but it wasn't something I wanted to change in the absence of some discussions about it and I wanted to wait for Dr. Fort Walker to get here to maybe have some of those conversations, particularly as we're rolling out a new curriculum it's possible that yell will have some of its own guidelines and ideas around what should happen at home and what should happen at school, and we'd want to make sure we were aligned with that too. Okay. Any further comments on that. Seeing none, then I have one other question which is really quickly. I'm sorry. I'm Dr woman that the piece that I've also seen is really inconsistent is like the reading log piece, which can like quickly get above 10, like that, like doesn't fit as well in the 1020 3040 50 metric. But for I guess for Dr. Ford Walker, I would love for that to be something that you guys thought about and talked about why we're asking kids to log their reading. I have an 11th grader and and she logged it every night and it had to go in and I had to sign it every night. I had a teacher who wanted to check them every day, and she did, you know, so it was consistently implemented, but that the reading log piece isn't called out here specifically, but it probably needs to be considered in the larger conversation. Nice good question about that. So Morgan, how is that something that happens at every level is it because you just mentioned high school but this is the oh no sorry this is when she was in elementary school. Okay. Oh no there are no reading logs in high school or at least that's what I just sign them nor would I ever agree to do that. Okay. Yeah, I remember this too and the reading log can be a source of friction and it just, I think the desire is to promote reading but it ends up making it a chore and it wasn't anyway. We can have more discussion about this. Okay, so then I had one other question which was about the dress code. So I appreciate that we're trying to be consistent across the district and stuff but when I read it. It wasn't clear to me if a student chose to express themselves by showing up in virtually no clothes, whatever sex they were, I wasn't sure what where how that would be handled. Well, it says we acknowledge we acknowledge our responsibility to maintain environment that's healthy and free from substantial disruption or harassment I would consider that an instance in which we're not in a situation where there is lack of or we're free from substantial disruption or harassment that that student clothing and shoes could should conform to reasonable standard of health safety and cleanliness and refrain from wearing shoes display display words or symbols expressing prohibited behavior. Like that section up there what you just described would fall in that category, to my mind. And then it says beneath that that the administration is authorized to take action instances where dress doesn't meet those stated requirements above. So that it like I like what I like about this language and this is borrowed from the high school handbook which I had heard members say and I've heard teachers say they really appreciate that language that's in my school handbook is that this gives us latitude to make determinations based on individual circumstances but what you just named of course it's not something we would allow, because it wouldn't meet these requirements. We could add more requirements in that second paragraph. If there's language that you think addresses a situation like that more clearly but I guess I just wasn't. I wasn't sure it would apply to that section and I wasn't really sure where it would apply at all. And it I'm just trying to make sure that we have standards that can be uniformly students can be held to uniformly across the district by all adults and that the graphics and words and stuff that's easy and you're right that that you know that's very clear and I think that people will be held to that very clearly, but stuff where students are are not dressing are not wearing enough clothing for appropriate social conduct it wasn't clear to me how how that would be handled or or what what they would be doing. I would qualify that under a reasonable standard of health safety and cleanliness. Okay. Okay, anyone else have any questions or comments about this. Anyone have any other questions or comments about the handbooks in general, either handbook. Mr. Cardin. Hi, yes, I think I abstained last year and I'm going to abstain again on the high school handbook because of the. The requirement to get a doctor's note to get that those absences excused. I did give that feedback to Dr. Holman and and I hope that that she'll look at it again this year. But I just think in light of the pandemic that it's a difficult requirement. Thanks. Mr. Cardin, I have a clarifying question on that one actually which line I was doing this quickly tonight and I was incorporating some of your feedback which line are you looking at with the requirement for doctors note is that on page 15. I don't have it open. Okay, it said in the original I mean maybe you revised it today I didn't get it before the way you just sent. It said extended absences or illness with documentation understood and I will find it and I can revisit it with Dr. Janger. Thank you. Yeah, actually, Mr. Cardin reminds me that I had a question about that also which is on the same page 15 absences included in exempt from the failure to attend policy. Absences for the following reasons count towards absence limits above and the first item is sick days. The second paragraph says absences for the following reasons are exempt and do not count towards the attendance limits. And one of the items is extended. Oh, this has been changed. Okay, so extended illness. It just said illness before and I was really confused because it was either illness or sick days and I couldn't tell which was which. Okay, so you've already fixed that. Okay. Any other comments or Ms. Morgan. Wait, so which one are we approving now we're approving the one that's in email, not the one that's in Novus. Liz put Liz Diggins put the ones I sent via email moments like I don't know maybe an hour ago in Novus. So they should be the same. The master AHS student handbook 2324 on page 15 still talks about bereavement illness quarantine. So that must be the old one. Well, I uploaded the new one so I'm not sure why not bereavement illness it does say absences for the following reasons are exempt and do not count towards the attendance limits religious observes is funerals and bereavement illness quarantine and or treatment with documentation and suspensions. Yeah, I had. No, no, the old one said extended illness. I requested. I had requested removal of extended because in practice. If you're absent for one day and you have a doctor's note. They excuse that absence. It's all tied to the doctor's note. Okay, then then my question actually stands. I must be looking at the old one. And I'm confused about what's the difference between a sick day and illness. Nothing. This case. In practice, a sick day is you have a cold. Your allergies are acting up. It's an isolated day here or there. Whereas an illness is like, you've got struck throat. You went to the doctor. It's something it's the minor versus major. I think is what they mean by that. Okay. I see. And they had extended. Yeah, I this. So I understand why this feels now murky to you. Dr. Allison MP. Okay. Yeah, that's because to me, what we're trying to do is get people to stay home if they're sick. Both for their health and for our health. And we're trying to not incentivize them to do. To not do that. Okay. I actually want to go back to Dr. Janker and discuss this. Can we maybe do a first read. Of this today. I think we can approve it with, with the understanding that you're going to make that. Have that conversation and come back to us. With an adjustment, if necessary. Okay. And we can reapprove it. If it needs to be changed. But that way we'll have an handbook out that has the important part is having all the disciplinary. Information because we have to have that by law. So we can just approve that. I think we can just approve this with the understanding that Dr. Hulman will make the changes we've discussed. She can give this back to us. I don't know if we, I don't know if we need to take a second vote to reapprove it once she makes these changes, unless we see that there's, it's not right. Or not consistent with what we talked about. Yeah. We can, we can see what comes back. And if we can, we will decide. Okay. So do I hear someone making a motion to approve the handbook Ms. Morgan. So which version of these handbooks did I agree to when I filled out the forms for my kids in power school? Like multiple relations ago. When you, yeah. When you filled out the forms in power school. Yeah. We can, we can see what comes back. And if we feel that substantial change enough, we can reapprove or not. We will decide. Okay. So do I hear someone making a motion to approve the handbook Ms. Morgan. Okay. So if you filled out the forms in power school, you would have been agreeing to the version that did not include our legal counsel's changes for disciplinary. Okay. Language title nine. The version pre markup. Pre redlining is what you would have been agreeing to. Are we concerned about that? I think we send out enough. To the handbook with approval and receipt. So I think we message that we made adjustments based on regulations and we notify families of that. Once we have a, you all are receiving these and that covers us. That sounds great. Okay. Perfect. Thank you. Yeah. Any other questions? Anyone wanted to make a motion to approve the high school handbook section. I have a second. Second. So moved by Mr. Billman second by Mr. Schlickman. Any further discussion. Seeing non roll call vote. Mr. Schlickman. Yes. Ms. Exton. Yes. Ms. Givelson. Yes. Ms. Morgan. Yes. Ms. Givelson. Ms. Morgan. Yes. Mr. Cardin. Yes. Mr. Thielman. Yes. And I also vote yes. So that's approved unanimously. The elementary school handbook we've received as. For our information, but we don't approve that. So I think we're done with that this section. I'd like to move receipt. Oh, okay. Okay. Okay. I think we're done with that. I think we're done with that. Okay. Okay. I'll go to the second. Someone a second. Mr. Schlickman's. Motion. They're all second. Okay. Mr. Cardin second his motion. Any discussion about. This. I'm moving this just to have it on the record that we've. Actually done this. any further discussion? No? Okay, roll call vote. Mr. Schlickman? Yes. Ms. Ekston? Yes. Ms. Guttelsen? Yes. Ms. Morgan? Yes. Mr. Cardin? Yes. Mr. Thielen? Yes. And I also vote yes. So that's an anonymous vote for receiving the elementary school handbooks. Next is superintendent update. I don't have my superintendent update slides created yet for this year. So I don't, and I haven't pulled enrollments today, but I will quickly say we had opening day today. It was a lot of fun. I sent you all a couple of videos and we had a wonderful student panel. We introduced the new cabinet team in its current iteration and everybody on it. And we answered some questions that we drew from a hat that staff had submitted. We had some spectacular speeches for Mr. Schlickman, who was standing in for Dr. Allison Ampey from Ms. Keys and Mr. D. Loretto, who was the AAA president. And it was an all around wonderful day. We really had a great start to the school year. And I'm super grateful today to be in Arlington. That is awesome. And I'm so thank, I thank Mr. Schlickman for standing in for me. I wish I could have been there. And that's, it's great that our teachers are off. And our teachers and all of our staff are off to a good start. I heard that you were, we've actually created enough capacity in the district that we're now doing training for other than teachers, which is great because it means that parents and families are going to have smoother time because some of the other professionals are learning things that are going to make it easier for them to do their jobs and to interface with the families. Yeah. Okay. And did Mr. Schlickman join the flash mob? I think he took some pictures of it. Most of the flash mob people had prior training dance lessons. And that was the topic of discussion in terms of deeper learning and the faculty and staff appreciated the reflections of the students as to their role in teaching the teachers. And how this is an important, it's important to build a relationship with teachers and learners. It was beautiful. Okay, that's great. Glad to hear it. Okay. So next we have the consent agenda, which I don't think we have anything to consent agenda about. So after that subcommittee lays on reports budget, Mr. Cardin. Yes, budget met last week was it or two weeks ago. And we went over some updates. There will be a, I don't want to call it a supplemental budget because we don't want, not really do it, but a budget amendment. That will have to go before the special town meeting in October to appropriate contingently the additional 400,000 that the schools would receive if the override passes. So we will be getting a review of what, what that looks like sometime in September. Okay. So I think we should have pulled up the draft minutes, but we talked about potential ways to address some of our hiring challenges with teaching assistance. And anything else that I'm forgetting, Jane or Kiersey. I can think of. Right. It was a million years ago. It was a great meeting though. All right. And we'll meet again in September, probably mid-September. Thanks. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Community relations. Nothing to report. Curriculum instruction accountability in this organ. Oh, we have a meeting. Soon. And we're going to talk about the special education programs. We're going to talk about the outcomes report. We're going to talk about X block at AHS. And we're going to talk about how we can work with Dr. Ford Walker. It'll be our first meeting with her. So that will be great. So come on, come all. It's with Ms. Diggins posted it out of the one it is. Facilities. Mr. Thelman. Thank you. So the facilities committee will meet. We're going to, I'm going to look at calendars and schedule meetings some point. Mr. Mason is working on the school committee, the school department requests of the capital plan. And it'll be a chance for us to get familiar with the district's requests. So I'll be in touch about a date. Okay. I'm posting a procedure. Mr. Thank you. We met on July 24th and had an extensive meeting. We first considered file ACA non-discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Or gender identity. And. The, the vote of the subcommittee was to refer the draft policy changes to town council. Who has it before him now. He's going to advise us as to, as to how to word this and how this should work. There's an outstanding court case right now. I think it's in Ludlow. That he's really interested in seeing more information on before he gives us the green light. To go forward there. This is part of the policies that we're looking to do to align our policies with the. June resolution affirming the LGBTQIA community. We voted to go to 1st reading, which will be in September. On ACA dash E, which is taking essentially the desi. Guidance for. Safe and supportive school environment and incorporating that into our policy manual as a foundation for. Why we're saying what we're doing. JJ dash co-curricular and extracurricular activities. We voted to forward that. To the full committee, including the language, students may participate in all physical education, athletics and other extracurricular activities according to their gender identity without requiring legal or medical documentation. Noting that that's the language that is in the M. I. A. Requirements. We also have. A revision to AC dash our non-discrimination policy, in the last September. To recommend. We authorize the superintendent to make administrative changes based on. Addresses and people. forward walker on that policy and other instances where that would happen. AC is non-discrimination policy, including harassment and retaliation. There was just a typo in there. We'll be bringing that forward. There's an extent, the JLCD, administering medicines to students. We're asking the Director of Health and Nursing Services to recommend changes there. And there is an extensive revision to ADF nutrition and wellness policy. All of this is in the document of the draft minutes that's in NOVA's right now. So you can get a preview of where things are. We'll probably meet one more time before the September meeting so we can have a resolution of the items that are outstanding. And that's the subcommittee report. Thank you very much. Mr. Thelman, anything for the high school building committee? We meet on September 5th at six o'clock. The turnover date for phase two has been moved to October 30th. On October 10th, October 30th. Planning liaison reports, announcements, okay. Our future agenda items, no, okay. So next we go into executive session to conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with union or non-union personnel or contract negotiations with union and or non-union. And if held in an open meeting may have a detrimental effect. The conduct strategy was respective to collective bargaining or litigation in which if held in an open meeting may have a detrimental effect collective bargaining may also be conducted. And this is for the Arlington Public Schools and Arlington Education Association MOA for counselors. And also unit D. So can I have a motion to go into executive session? So moved. Second. Second. Seconded by Mr. Schlickman. Roll call vote, Mr. Schlickman. Yes. Ms. Ecksten. Yes. Ms. Giddelsen. Yes. Ms. Morgan. Yes. Mr. Carden. Yes. Mr. Thelman. Yes. And I also vote yes. And I believe we will be returning after we are now returning to regular session after executive session. And then after executive session on Wednesday, August 30th. And we have a couple of things to vote in regular session. The first one is a, I forget are they. I'll make the motion. Okay, great. Okay. I move that we approve the side letter of agreement between the Arlington School Committee and the AA unit D and authorize the chair to sign on our behalf. And drive a second. Second. Right. Thank you, Mr. And any further comment on this. Dr. Holman, do you want to just mention what this is for? I mean, the purpose of this. So this is an incentive, both for hiring and retention of our. Unit D professionals who are listed as teaching assistants or building substitutes. And it is really in hopes that we can attract more candidates for those vacancies that we have and appreciate the excellent work of those people who are already in the system. Right. So this is an idea that came up through the budget subcommittee last week and, or a couple of weeks ago. And is a, is one of the ways we're trying to address the difficulty that we're having filling all of these positions. So any further comment. Seeing none roll call vote, Mr. Schlickman. Yes. Ms. Exton. Yes. Ms. Goodelson. Yes. Mr. Cardin. Yes. Ms. Morgan. Yes. Mr. Spellman. Yes. And I also vote yes. And we have a second item to approve. Mr. Schickman, do you want to make a move? Thank you. I move that we approve the side letter of agreement between the early public schools and the AEA pertaining to special education, social workers and school counselors at the Madison middle school and authorize the superintendent to sign on our behalf. Second. Thank you for the second Mr. Thelman. Any further discussion about this? Does anyone want to sum up what this motion was about for our audience? I mean, what the sideline is about. Oh, sorry. I think where's Ms. Elmer, which might be Ms. Elmer and Ms. Keys might be the best people to explain this. Ms. Keys, do you want to explain? I can. Yeah. We're sort of merging duties of social workers and counselors at the audits and and this is just setting up some clarification. So everybody knows what they're doing and making sure that when we make dramatic changes, we are checking in on data and making sure that they're effective and adjusting as we go. Awesome. Okay. Any further comment? Seeing none. Roll call vote. Mr. Schlickman. Yes. Ms. Exton. Yes. Ms. Goodlson. Yes. Mr. Cardin. Yes. Ms. Morgan. Yes. Mr. Thelman. Yes. And I also vote yes. And that I believe is the end of our meeting. Does anyone want to make a motion to adjourn? Before you do that, can I just say thank you on behalf of Arlington Education Association, particularly for our teaching assistants and our building substitutes. One of the things that happens when we have this like good working relationship that we do here in Arlington is we settled our unit D contract in like six weeks, a couple of years ago. And we became the standard that all of our local towns around us beat. So they saw what we got and they all went higher, which meant it made it harder for us to attract people because they held out and had more contentious negotiations. So I'm really glad that we're able to do this. This is going to make a lot of people really, really happy. So thank you all for recognizing these awesome people that we have and the work that they do. I'm glad that it's helping and it is and we hope it'll help with hiring too. So that's all great. Anything else anyone else wants anything. Okay, then motion to adjourn. So moved. Second. I'll second the motion. Mr. Thelman. Mr. Schlickman. Yes, yes, yes. Yes. Mr. Schlickman. Yes. Mr. Giddelson. Yes. Mr. Cardin. Yes. Mr. Morgan. Yes. Mr. Thelman. Yes. And I also vote yes. And we will see everyone on September 7. Thanks.