[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] We are at 6.30 p.m. on the dot for policy committee to 1015 call to order. I have the first item on our agenda. I'll read and get a second from a committee member. Be resolved that on the recommendation of the superintendent schools that the Board of Education approved revised policy 5131. Suspension and expulsion slash to process to have a second for discussion.
[0:30] Thank you, Andy.
[0:32] Oh, and I, for the record, we have three members of the committee present myself and Tony and Andy out of the five, so we do have a quorum.
[0:40] Okay, we have a second on the resolution.
[0:42] Are open to the board to administration or Dr. Talley.
[0:46] If you want to provide any contacts before we have comment from committee members.
[0:51] No real contacts.
[0:53] Next, I think it's rather self-explanatory, unless Chris Sewells wants to provide anything else.
[1:01] No, I think it's pretty clear there's really two amendments that we're making that were brought into legislation
[1:10] towards the end of this past legislative year.
[1:14] One involves suspensions for students preschool through grade two.
[1:19] the other change was for alternative educational opportunities for students 16 to 18 who've been expelled on their first or second expulsion previously was just under the first.
[1:36] So
[1:41] we have any questions from committee members, one, one, one, two, one, any from Board of Education
[1:48] numbers?
[1:50] Dr. Ham?
[1:53] Thank you.
[1:54] I just think it's important.
[1:57] I asked specific questions and Mr. Sol has got back to me but I want to make sure the
[2:03] public knows these questions.
[2:06] What's the difference between serious physical harm versus any physical harm?
[2:12] because I realized it was done specifically, you know, for those two groups.
[2:18] Sorry. Yeah, that was the change there. It really changed the standard for
[2:25] the ability to suspend a student. This would apply only for students in pre-K through two.
[2:32] Unfortunately, the legislature did not define the term serious physical harm
[2:38] and the previous standard was physical harm.
[2:41] So absent a definition in the statute,
[2:45] we would go with the plain meaning.
[2:47] So I realized that there is some discretion involved
[2:51] and how one might interpret that,
[2:54] but there was no definition provided by legislature.
[2:59] So I guess then that's the next question I have.
[3:03] So if they use the word violent,
[3:05] And then I went into the policy and I looked at specific violence, striking or assaulting a student, theft, profane language, violation of smoking, I'm just given some intimidating school staff.
[3:22] There's another interesting one, defiance of school rules, destruction of property.
[3:28] So, I guess, are the administrators in the follow-up going to define violent because it basically
[3:41] you could go and be violent and get away with something.
[3:46] I mean, it's very rare you would suspend a K first or second grade student, but my concern
[3:54] is, what's the gradient for violent?
[3:59] Dr. Hammond, this is Dr. Talley speaking.
[4:03] You are correct.
[4:04] It is sometimes rare that you are going to suspend a student
[4:08] in K1 and 2, but it is not something that doesn't happen at all.
[4:13] I have seen that happen across my career as an educator,
[4:18] as you have as an educator too, especially when students
[4:22] are doing some things that are inappropriate, such as stabbing another student with a pencil
[4:28] or creating a fight where a child is actually involved and which causing a fight with another
[4:37] student. So what tends to happen is the principals will work with their assistant soups when they
[4:45] have the need to suspend a child and we'll talk it over with the assistant soup to determine if this
[4:51] is appropriate, so that the principal is not doing this in isolation of him or herself,
[4:56] but working in collaboration with their sub...
[5:00] I hope that helps. Well, it does, but I think for parents, when they have students that are well behaved, and then a child gets pushed in their head gets bumped in, then they're not suspended, then what does that say that you can come and do basically be disruptive anyway. It doesn't matter because you're not going to get disciplined anymore because it's not violent. Now, that was not the best example.
[5:27] but basically you're saying that it's going to be depending on how the wind is blowing that day or a team will make that decision because what happens, you and I know it's one to two, maybe three percent of the youngsters that do have a hard time and our job is to help them be the best they can be, but is it fair to all the kids being good.
[5:53] if some of those on the edge or on the you know line are up they're back in school again today
[6:00] and it was okay that they cost at the teacher. So there are a couple things here that I need to
[6:06] be said. One as as Mr. Soles mentioned this is state legislature that was passed. So I think it would
[6:14] be important and for parents and and board members if they'd like to speak to their representatives
[6:21] about the law that was written and passed.
[6:24] That's one, two, with regards to not every,
[6:29] one of the things that I have noticed in my career
[6:32] is always that parents sometimes want to control
[6:40] the way in which other children are disciplined.
[6:42] They can't. It's just not possible.
[6:44] I would tell parents that all the time when I was a principal
[6:47] you cannot determine how we're going to discipline
[6:50] than the other time.
[6:52] And so each case by case basis,
[6:55] it is not a direct black and white situation.
[6:58] There is gray to all of these situations.
[7:00] And I think when you were an administrator,
[7:03] you probably found yourself,
[7:04] there were times that you decided to suspend
[7:06] and other times that you didn't.
[7:08] And it would depend upon the circumstances
[7:10] about the situation.
[7:11] Each case is going to be different.
[7:14] Okay, no, and I just think for the public
[7:16] that are listening that is important to know that,
[7:19] that it is our politicians that have made this decision.
[7:23] And again, what's new?
[7:25] It's not always defined.
[7:29] Thanks, Dr. Hammond.
[7:30] Yes, that too definition can be pretty weird sometimes,
[7:34] but I appreciate all that insight on even
[7:36] the show level, Dr. Talley, on the union team
[7:38] are going to put behind this policy.
[7:41] Are there any other questions for board event numbers?
[7:47] I just want more.
[7:49] OK, so the second time, Dr. Hammond?
[7:50] So just because it is open-ended more so, but we have professionals in place that will handle it as best they can.
[8:00] You know, we do have policy guidelines that are followed. I notice number one through seven. I don't have the page number.
[8:08] But restorative practices, supportive interventions, different things like that will be used to help our kids be successful.
[8:18] And I just want to make sure that parents know that even though the politicians change
[8:25] the verb age that I can't imagine that our administrators and teachers aren't on top
[8:30] of this and will continue to do the best that they can, and there will be policies in place.
[8:36] It doesn't change the discipline policy, right?
[8:39] There is still progressive discipline.
[8:45] All right, with that being said, I'll move this to a vote for the committee members.
[8:55] All those in favor of proving resolution 69, please raise your hand, one, two, three.
[9:04] Thank you.
[9:05] That's unanimous.
[9:06] So this resolution, excuse me, will go on to the consent agenda at our regular meeting at
[9:10] the end of the month.
[9:11] Our
[9:14] second item tonight is resolution 70, be it resolved that on the recommendation
[9:19] of the superintendent schools at the Board of Education approved policy 6172.3, parent
[9:25] managed learning.
[9:26] This is a new policy for our books.
[9:30] Do I have a second for discussion?
[9:31] Thank you, policy committee member.
[9:33] Thank you, Antonia.
[9:36] Dr. Talley and team, I'll leave it over to you if you want to make any comments on this
[9:40] resolution.
[9:41] Thank you. I'll turn it to Dr. Mr. Soles for any comment for him about this.
[9:49] Thanks, Dr. Talley. This change reflects the legislature's decision to provide some parameters.
[10:00] For parent management learning, that's going to take place over the next three school years. So in the current school year, 26, 27, there's no changes to the way that we handle requests for students to be withdrawn for parent management learning. Starting in the 27, 28 school year, there are two components. One would be the filling out of the formal withdrawal form with the district.
[10:28] The second, which is a pretty substantial change, is the implementation of.
[10:36] That was me, that was me, sorry, sorry guys, he just made yourself on both devices.
[10:49] Oh, still didn't get it, sorry about that.
[10:51] Oh, still didn't get it, sorry about that.
[10:54] Can
[10:57] we meet her on both?
[11:01] Thank you.
[11:01] Okay,
[11:05] so this starting with next school year, July 1st, 2027, if a student is withdrawn from
[11:13] the district to go into parent-managed learning, there is a requirement for the district to conduct
[11:21] basically a background check with Department of Children and Families, which really just checks
[11:26] to see if the person is on the DCF registry for abuse or neglect, or is currently under investigation
[11:33] for abuse and neglect. This check is really the same type of check that we use for all of our employees.
[11:42] And then in the last year of this three year kind of progression, the addition of an annual
[11:50] form that is filled out, the parents that wish to homeschool their children.
[11:56] They need to file that intent with the district on an annual basis.
[12:00] Thank
[12:05] you, Chris. Just something to add before I turn it over to policy committee members.
[12:10] It was intentional to include the phase out formatting of this policy or the version,
[12:16] because I think it's helpful for parents and the public to kind of see how this is a
[12:21] gradual process as Chris emailed in his comments. Do we have any questions from committee members?
[12:38] I can't hear you. I don't know if anyone else is.
[12:46] Yeah, I can't hear you. I'm sorry.
[12:51] Can you come back to you? Can she write it in? Yeah. Welcome back to you, Antonio.
[12:58] Anyone from outside the committee or Board of Ed numbers? Dr. Hammond?
[13:05] Yes, Mr. Sol, just to clarify again, because this is also I want the public to know that
[13:13] But this particular issue topic with homeschoolers is also now at the federal level because of
[13:21] possibly FERPA breakage because what's happening, no other state in the United States is having
[13:32] to file through DCF or put on that registry, not private school students, not regular
[13:39] at students but homeschool students and even though there may be a registry and they have to check
[13:47] why 99.9% of these students have to be registered or the families when many of these homeschool
[13:58] students are very very very stellar students. Dr. Hammond the issue has been and we have seen this
[14:08] across the country that there have been some students who have been homeschooled or let
[14:14] me put homeschooled in quotation marks. When in reality the parents have been keeping
[14:20] them out of school and have been abusing them. And so it is interesting. I can tell you
[14:29] having worked in another state in Maryland, homeschooled parents actually have to come in twice
[14:36] a year to show to the educators of that school district what their children have learned.
[14:43] And so it is something that states do do with regards to sort of ensuring that the children
[14:49] are safe.
[14:51] And I don't think any of us would disagree with that requirement to ensure children are safe.
[14:56] Well, let's get more detail.
[14:59] We...
[15:00] Last three of our DCF students because DCF wasn't doing their job. So let me clarify that. And then the other question I have for you, Dr. Talley or Chris, because we're the only state currently doing this. And we want to make sure everybody's safe. But why aren't private school students being, you know, expected to do this? Why are our employees?
[15:28] days, but homeschool parents have to. It just is the politicians again could have made
[15:35] decisions just like you said coming in twice a year and checking. That would be a great
[15:40] way to do it. And many ideas were shared with the politicians on the floor when this was
[15:46] debated, but that was they decided to put them under DCF. DCF has not been doing its job
[15:52] and it's not fair to homeschool parents.
[15:55] I won't be supporting this because basically you're saying
[15:58] that all homeschool parents have to be checked,
[16:01] not private school, oh, I wonder what that has to do.
[16:04] It's certainly not about equity and not our regular ed students,
[16:08] but homeschool students do.
[16:09] So they're sending a message again.
[16:12] I encourage the community to step forward
[16:14] because we really had some pretty good homeschool laws.
[16:19] As an administrator, I saw some great programs, but is that fair to that small subset of, you know,
[16:28] not private school? They don't have to, and they're being outside, you know, they're not within
[16:32] public school realm. So it just doesn't make sense that there wasn't more creativity because DCF is
[16:39] about abuse. And if you're registering for home schooling, you're basically already being labeled
[16:47] an abuser if you have to go through their registry.
[16:52] Dr. Talley, right before I see you, I'm muted before I let you respond.
[16:55] I just need to remind folks, and I will use a point of order if this happens again
[16:59] in this discussion for this item.
[17:01] So we need to keep the conversation your main to the policy in front of us.
[17:05] So please, please keep that in front of mine with the comment.
[17:10] Dr. Talley, did you want to thank me?
[17:12] My only comment is this is a policy that comes from the state.
[17:17] It's a federal, it's a state law and requirement.
[17:21] And so voting against it, I assume therefore you have talked to
[17:25] your state legislators about it as well.
[17:27] That's all I have to say.
[17:29] Yeah, I did write about it because it was very concerning.
[17:32] I did talk to the legislators who wrote this bill.
[17:35] And I was there with hundreds of individuals who, you know,
[17:41] we're in front of legislators.
[17:41] And it really is not an equitable bill.
[17:48] And so, do you want to check to see if their might is working?
[17:51] Yeah, can you hear me now?
[17:54] Yes.
[17:54] Okay, good.
[17:56] First of all, you know, anybody working with young children,
[18:01] they are mandatory reporters.
[18:03] So even if you are in private school,
[18:05] public school, even somebody in the neighborhood that you see
[18:09] and have used neglect and something that is happening,
[18:11] You know, the good summary time will be for anybody who do a report.
[18:17] My question before was just simple, how many parents do we,
[18:23] or how many families do we know in this community in Stanford,
[18:27] that do homeschooling?
[18:29] So that was just, you know,
[18:36] do we have any number?
[18:37] Do we know?
[18:38] I do not have that information at all.
[18:42] we can find out and send it to the board if we keep track of that information we can see.
[18:52] And just to kind of comment on that question, Antonia, I think that this policy is intention to
[18:58] almost gauge that, right? Because I think that's where school districts are going to be kind of
[19:05] doing this administrative task essentially, right? So yeah, really interesting to know.
[19:17] I appreciate
[19:18] further discussion. I will move this resolution to the vote. All those in favor on policy committee
[19:26] is approving resolution 70. We've made your hands. One, two, three. Thank you. It's unanimous. So this
[19:33] item will go on the consent agenda at the end of the month that our regular meeting.
[19:39] So last item we
[19:40] have is adjourned. So all of a motion to adjourn at 6.4.9 PM. So we have a second.
[19:47] Andy, thank you.
[19:49] That's about it, we're adjourned.