[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:00] All right, thank you everyone for joining us this evening. I'm going to go ahead and call this meeting to order. Please let the record show that a meeting has been posted. Sorry, that this meeting has been posted in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act. And that a quorum is present. The time is currently 16. The first item on our agenda is our pledge of allegiance. If I could ask you to stand and join us, please?
[0:44] Here we go, one and end of the visible test.
[0:48] All right.
[0:49] Perfect.
[0:50] Thank you.
[0:51] All right. The first item on our agenda is our public comment. We have three individuals wishing to speak with us this evening. I think there's a couple new names, so I'll just give the rules of engagement, if you will. The board will not address you at the time you were speaking. They will, we are definitely listening. We have staff here in case there's anything that they might be able to help with.
[1:15] Elvia will be your timekeeper. You will have three minutes to speak. At with one minute left,
[1:21] she will go ahead and notify you. You don't have to stop speaking. Keep on speaking. She's just letting
[1:25] you know you're at your one minute mark. First up, we have Kristella Rocha. Kristella is speaking on.
[1:32] Thank you. Kristella?
[1:36] And forget my speech this time. I thought you were like playing a playlist.
[1:40] You had like an entrance song. Okay. That's right. My face with the mess going.
[1:45] And I have really bad rosacea, so no, you're not going to see my face today.
[1:49] All right, thank you.
[1:50] Good evening, my name is President, board members, Dr. Telly, and staff and community
[1:54] present.
[1:55] My name is Cristina Rachiam, and the journalism teacher, and reading interventionist at okay
[1:59] in middle school.
[1:59] But I'm also the president, deep rest, of the Dell Valley Association of Texas Professional
[2:05] Educators, or DVATPE.
[2:08] We are a nonprofit organization in Texas from Texas.
[2:11] that serves educators, and paraprofessionals, and liberty, and education.
[2:15] I've been a teacher in Del Valice's 1998, when my own kids ask me, Mom,
[2:19] when are you going to retire and I said, I know Micho, they're going to spread my ashes
[2:22] in the soccer field behind Ohio.
[2:24] And, you know, I'm going to be that person poking the kids that are falling asleep
[2:26] during the day.
[2:28] So, having said that, I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon.
[2:31] I consider Del Valice my community.
[2:33] I talk about Del Valice whenever I have a chance, free publicity with me.
[2:38] And I believe that everyone should do the same.
[2:40] I understand the dire situation we are in due to long-term COVID consequences in education.
[2:47] I pray for every single person on the board, Dr. Telly, and the administration that have to create a way to give educators and paraprofessionals that pay raise that says, we value you.
[2:57] A 6% raise would be absolutely marvelous and help make ends meet in a world of inflation, however.
[3:03] I understand the Herculean task at hand to just offer a pay raise of any kind for next year.
[3:09] And the years to follow to remain competitive with Districts in the State.
[3:13] So it's not just a pay raise for tomorrow.
[3:16] I want to thank you all for doing whatever it takes for a pay raise to be possible for next year.
[3:20] I also want to say thank you for thinking not just about next year,
[3:24] but in the future of Del Valley, and looking out for the best for our students, staff, and community.
[3:31] And thank you for always keeping this safe.
[3:36] Thank you.
[3:38] Next up, and I apologize ahead of time
[3:39] if I mispronounce this, but I think it's Pilar.
[3:41] Connie's all us?
[3:45] Oh, Dylan, I'm so sorry.
[3:46] Why did I see a P in that?
[3:48] I apologize.
[3:48] Thank you, Dylan.
[3:50] Yes, ma'am.
[3:51] So, hello, board.
[3:54] My name is Dylan Connie Salas,
[3:56] and I just want to let you know that
[3:58] Chala may be do something that I did not want to do.
[4:02] Y'all forced me to wear a mask.
[4:03] so my voice could be heard, you'll pick and choose who you want to wear a mask.
[4:09] As you can see this individual right here is not wearing his mask properly and not one person
[4:15] singled him out. So with that said, who am I? Who are you? At birth we are innocent souls born into
[4:22] the world with no choice or mind of our own. As we grow in this world, our parents, books, social media,
[4:30] TV, news, politics, religion, et cetera, starts to define who we are. With that said, who am I to
[4:40] tell you what's right or what's wrong? Who am I to tell you what's right or what's wrong for my
[4:47] child? Who am I to tell you what's right or what's wrong for your child? We all have the choice
[4:53] and freedom to believe what we want. And the moment the school starts taking that away is the moment
[5:00] we are no longer free. I can stand up here and say, you're wrong for making my child wear
[5:07] a mask, pull them out of school and enroll them into another school. That doesn't require
[5:12] mask. But if I do that, you win. I can also say you're wrong about not wearing a mask,
[5:21] pull my child out of school and enroll them into a school that requires mask. But again,
[5:27] you win. With that said, I'm a father fighting for much
[5:31] out to have a choice, a choice, in what they want when it
[5:37] pertains to mass mandates. So please, love me, love me, and not
[5:43] because the color of my skin or the religion I choose to practice or
[5:48] the mask I want to wear or don't want to wear, I can only ask that you
[5:54] make mask mandates a choice instead of a requirement and when a new strand of COVID decides
[6:01] to come along or when a new virus decides to come along making mask, it's making sure
[6:08] to make mask a choice for our children instead of making a mask mandate taking where child's
[6:15] freedom and their rights.
[6:17] Thank you.
[6:18] Thank you. Next up we have Tyson Eberley speaking on mass mandate. Yes. Thank you.
[6:30] My name is Tyson Eberley. I am a seven year Delvae resident.
[6:35] My wife goes, she's a teacher at Collins and my children would normally go to school with her,
[6:43] But we've kept them out of school this year at a financial cost because of the mask mandates.
[6:51] You know, the mandates have been dropped and many places throughout the country.
[6:55] I think in Austin, San Antonio's dropped them.
[6:58] Even San Diego, California's dropped them.
[7:02] You know, I still see kids walking home from school out of the bus.
[7:07] And they're still wearing their masks.
[7:09] They're by themselves.
[7:10] There's nobody around them, and they're outside, but they're still wearing their masks.
[7:17] I think they only take their masks off whenever they get home.
[7:22] And whenever they leave their home, they're wearing a mask regardless if they're by themselves
[7:26] or whatever, and it feels like this is a type of psychological warfare that's been going on.
[7:34] and we do not want our children to become casualties of this war.
[7:42] You know, I believe that speech therapists have seen a 600% increase in and developing children's
[7:52] speech. They believe it's because of these mask wearing children are not seeing
[7:58] you know, the articulation of teachers or parents, mouths,
[8:07] you know, my neighbor was a bus driver
[8:09] for you guys, but because of the mandates, she stopped, you know, driving and that's been a financial
[8:16] cost to her. So who wins? Nobody's winning.
[8:21] My wife begrudgingly wears the mask, but she's already like not happy about it, and might not come back next year. We already have an issue with teachers.
[8:32] A minute, where do you have an issue with Texas teachers, not coming in? So let's remove the hurdles and make it optional. That's all we're asking.
[8:43] I think that recently there was a poll that said it was like 50-50 with teachers, DVI's,
[8:49] DVI's, D teachers that want to keep it or make it optional.
[8:54] And a lot of these ones that are four were just like, well, you know I've been wearing
[8:57] yet so long now for the last two years that it just feels, it just feels natural now, it feels
[9:02] normal.
[9:03] So we fully normalize it and we're not saying you can't wear your mask.
[9:07] We're just saying let's please the flick, let it be optional.
[9:10] and that's all I have to say. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. That concludes our public comment this evening.
[9:18] The next item on our agenda is closed session. The board will adjourn into the following closed session. 551.071 consultation with an attorney regarding COVID protocols. The time is currently 625 p.m.
[9:38] The board ended its closed session at 6.57 pm. We have one final item on the agenda. Approve action items discussed in closed session. Do I have a motion?
[9:48] I move to direct the superintendent to make mask optional on DEVISD property consistent with guidance from the CDC, the AAP and the Austin Public Health.
[9:57] Okay, so Richard's hand first.
[9:59] So Richard?
[10:00] Oh, yeah.
[10:01] Effective April 4th, 2022.
[10:04] Okay, so effectively, April 4th, 2022.
[10:05] Richard is the second.
[10:06] All of those in favor.
[10:09] All of those opposed.
[10:15] Having no other items on our ultimate statement.
[10:18] Oh, quick, go ahead.
[10:20] I would strongly suggest an encourage anyone
[10:22] who hasn't gone vaccinated to get vaccinated
[10:24] because we're putting our kids at risk
[10:27] for those that are under the age of five
[10:29] that can't be vaccinated.
[10:30] and we're putting those at risk that have not got vaccinated by not wearing masks.
[10:35] So please encourage your neighbors, your friends, to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
[10:44] I just want to thank everyone that reached out that the Senate CML staff and community members
[10:49] and those that came out and spoke.
[10:51] We do appreciate the input from everyone.
[10:53] So thank you.
[10:57] Any other statements?
[10:59] No.
[11:00] Okay.
[11:00] Having no other items on the agenda, we will adjourn this evening at 7 p.m.