[D. Presentation on Harford County Public Schools Safety and Security, Mr. Donoven Brooks, Chief of Safety and Security and Dr. Stacey Gerringer, Co-Chair School Safety Work Group ]

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SAY NO. THANK YOU. WE GOT YOU, MISS HAHN. SO MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO NEW BUSINESS. WE'RE GOING TO START WITH ITEM D PRESENTATION ON HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SAFETY AND SECURITY. I'D LIKE TO WELCOME UP MR. DONOVAN BROOKS, CHIEF OF SAFETY AND SECURITY. AND STACEY GEHRINGER CO-CHAIR, SAFETY AND SECURITY WORKING GROUP, FOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS. WELCOME.

GOOD EVENING. WE CAN HEAR YOU GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT CLINTON, DOCTOR WILSON AND BOARD MEMBERS AGAIN. I AM DONOVAN BROOKS, SUPERVISOR OF SAFETY AND SECURITY. AND I'M JOINED BY DOCTOR STACEY GEHRINGER, THE PRINCIPAL AT ABINGDON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND ALSO SERVES AS THE CO-CHAIR FOR HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SAFETY SCHOOL SAFETY WORKGROUP. THIS EVENING, WE WILL PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE ON THE PROGRESS OF SECURITY MEASURES THAT HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED IN SCHOOLS ACROSS OUR DISTRICT SINCE WE LAST MET IN 2023. SO IN ADDRESSING THE BOARD'S STRATEGIC GOAL FOR TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SAFE AND SECURE, HEALTHY LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THAT ARE CONDUCIVE TO EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING AND CREATIVITY, SCHOOL SAFETY. OH, IT'S NOT OKAY. THANK YOU. I WAS JUST TOLD TO SWITCH TO THE HAND. ALL RIGHT. SO SCHOOL SAFETY REMAINS OUR TOP PRIORITY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FEEDBACK COLLECTED FROM OUR CRISIS PREPAREDNESS REPORT OF 2022 2023. AND BASED ON STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK, WE'VE MADE SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN ENHANCING OUR SECURITY INFRASTRUCTURE, BUILDING SAFETY PROGRAMS, AND FOSTERING STRONGER COLLABORATION WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS. SO THIS PRESENTATION WILL WALK THROUGH SOME OF THE KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN OUR ONGOING EFFORTS TO PROTECT OUR STUDENTS, STAFF AND ADMINISTRATORS. SO WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT WHERE WE WERE PRIOR TO COLLECTING THE DATA THAT WE GATHERED THROUGH OUR STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK, THROUGH OUR FOCUS GROUPS, AS WELL AS OUR COMMUNITY MEETINGS. AND DURING THAT FEEDBACK, THERE WERE SEVERAL KEY AREAS THAT EMERGED. AND SO WE TOOK A LOOK AT THOSE AREAS AND WORKED IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR SCHOOLS, OUR SCHOOL SAFETY WORK GROUP, AND OUR EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL PARTNERS TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT. SO BASED ON THE INFORMATION THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GATHER, WE COULD TAKE A LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE. SO ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THIS EVENING, BECAUSE IT'S BEEN A LOT OF CONVERSATION AROUND IT, IS THE WEAPONS DETECTION TECHNOLOGY. AND REGARDING THE WEAPONS DETECTION TECHNOLOGY, ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL STEPS THAT WE'VE TAKEN TO ADDRESS SECURITY UPGRADES HAS BEEN THE TESTING OF WEAPONS TEC, WEAPONS DETECTION TECHNOLOGY IN TWO OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS. THE SYSTEMS ARE DESIGNED TO INTEGRATE AT MAIN ENTRY POINTS IN OUR SCHOOLS. THEY SCAN FOR WEAPONS AND POTENTIAL THREATS, CREATING AN ADDITIONAL LAYER OF SECURITY. NOW WE WANT TO ADD THAT AGAIN, IT IS A TESTING AND DEMONSTRATION PHASE THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW WITH THIS TECHNOLOGY. THE TECHNOLOGY IS DESIGNED TO BE VISIBLE YET NONINVASIVE AND HIGHLY EFFECTIVE, WHILE ENSURING MINIMAL DISRUPTION TO THE DAILY FLOW OF STUDENTS AND STAFF AND IN THE BUILDING. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE LEARNED THROUGH OUR TESTING IS THAT WE'VE DETERMINED THAT THE EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WEAPONS DETECTION SYSTEM REQUIRES THE DEPLOYMENT OF ADDITIONAL SECURITY PERSONNEL TO ENSURE ITS OPTIMAL FUNCTIONALITY. WHILE THESE ENHANCED SECURITY MEASURES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR MAINTAINING A SAFE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT, THEY WILL ALSO REQUIRE AN INCREASE IN PERSONNEL WHICH WILL WHICH WILL LIKELY RESULT IN ADDITIONAL COS. INVESTING IN THESE RESOURCES IS CRITICAL TO FULLY REALIZE THE SYSTEM'S POTENTIAL, AND PROVIDING THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF PROTECTION FOR OUR STUDENTS, STAFF, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. WHILE NO SECURITY MEASURE CAN GUARANTEE ABSOLUTE PROTECTION, WE ARE COMMITTED TO CONTINUOUSLY EVALUATING AND REFINING OUR SECURITY STRATEGIES TO MINIMIZE, IDENTIFY, AND PREVENT POTENTIAL THREATS AND ENHANCE THE SAFETY OF OUR SCHOOLS. SO AS FAR AS SAFETY MEASURES, WE HAVE WORKED CONTINUOUSLY ON OUR SAFETY

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MEASURES SINCE THE LAST REPORT AND ALSO IN THE AFTERMATH AND THE AFTERMATH OF THE CRISIS THAT OCCURRED. UNFORTUNATELY, AT JOPPATOWNE HIGH SCHOOL, WE'VE ADDED ADDITIONAL SCHOOL SAFETY LIAISONS. EACH ONE OF OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS NOW HAS A SCHOOL SAFETY LIAISONS. SCHOOL SAFETY LIAISONS SERVE AS DEDICATED PERSONNEL RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERSEEING DAY TO DAY SECURITY OPERATIONS AND ADDRESSING SECURITY CONCERNS IN REAL TIME. INSIDE OF OUR BUILDINGS. SCHOOLS ALSO ACT AS A VITAL LINK BETWEEN SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, STUDENTS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND THE COMMUNITY. THEY WORK TO ENSURE SECURITY PROTOCOL CALLS ARE UPHELD AND POTENTIAL THREATS ARE ADDRESSED PROMPTLY. WHEN IDENTIFIED. WE ALSO HAVE OUR REGIONAL SECURITY COORDINATORS WHO OVERSEE THREE REGIONS WITHIN HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS NORTHERN, CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN REGIONS WHERE WE HAVE NOT JUST OUR SCHOOL SAFETY LIAISONS, BUT OUR SCHOOLS WHO ALSO DO NOT HAVE SCHOOL SAFETY LIAISONS. OUR REGIONAL SECURITY COORDINATORS HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO OVERSEE SAFETY MEASURES ACROSS MULTIPLE SCHOOLS AND SPECIFIC IN THEIR SPECIFIC REGIONS. THE COORDINATORS ENSURE CONSISTENCY AND SAFETY PRACTICES, OFTEN OBSERVING SCHOOL DRILLS AND TRAINING. THEY PROVIDE ON SITE SUPPORT AND HELP COORDINATE RESPONSE EFFORTS DURING EMERGENCIES. THEIR ROLE IS CRITICAL IN MAINTAINING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SCHOOLS, DISTRICT OFFICIALS, AND LAW ENFORCEMENT. EMERGENCY DRILLS AND REUNIFICATION PLANS WERE ALSO PART OF THE FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED WHEN WE DID. OUR STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK IN RESPONSE TO THAT, OUR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS CONTINUES TO BE THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR SAFETY EFFORTS. WE HAVE IMPROVED OUR EMERGENCY DRILL PROTOCOLS TO BETTER PREPARE STUDENTS AND STAFF FOR A VARIETY OF CRITICAL INCIDENTS. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE DEVELOPED A COMPREHENSIVE REUNIFICATION PLAN TO ENSURE THAT PARENTS AND GUARDIANS CAN QUICKLY AND SAFELY REUNITE WITH THEIR CHILDREN IN THE AFTERMATH AND THE AFTERMATH OF A CRITICAL INCIDENT. THESE PLANS ARE REGULARLY REVIEWED AND COMMUNICATED TO ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS, AND ALSO WE REGULARLY GATHER WITH OUR REUNIFICATION TEAM FROM CENTRAL OFFICE. UPDATE A CRITICAL INCIDENT PLANS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SOUGHT TO DO WHEN WE GATHERED WITH OUR SCHOOL SAFETY WORKGROUP WAS TAKE A LOOK AT STREAMLINING OUR CRITICAL INCIDENT PROCESS AND OUR PLANNING AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL AND I'LL LET DOCTOR GEHRINGER SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT INFORMATION. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. MAY THAT ONE. ALL RIGHT. I CAN DO THAT. HAPPY MONDAY. YES, WE DEFINITELY WANTED TO LOOK AT THAT CRITICAL INCIDENT PLAN AND REALLY CHANGE THAT DOCUMENT BECAUSE IT WAS SO THICK. AND IT WAS IT WAS OVERWHELMING AT SOME POINT. AND WE ALL KNEW THAT IF THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY, WE NEEDED A WAY TO STREAMLINE THAT INFORMATION AND MAKE SURE IT WAS CONSISTENT AS A WORKGROUP. WHAT WE DID IS WE FILTERED THROUGH THOSE PLANS AND WE MADE SURE THAT THE CRITICAL INFORMATION WAS IN THERE, AS WELL AS WORKED WITH OUR COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE TO PICK A TYPE THAT WOULD BE REALLY EASY FOR OUR ADMINISTRATORS TO BE ABLE TO PUT THE INFORMATION IN, BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANT THEM SPENDING ALL OF THAT TIME. WE ALSO RECOGNIZE WITH THOSE CRITICAL INCIDENT PLANS THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A PLAN, AND EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE AWARE OF IT. SO IT'S A NICE ONLINE FASHION THAT WE'RE ABLE TO TRAIN OUR STAFF WITH WORK WITH THEM SO THEY ARE AWARE OF WHAT THEY NEED TO DO WHEN EMERGENCIES HAPPEN.

WE ALSO GIVE SPECIFIC ROLES TO PEOPLE WITHIN THE BUILDING. SO IF I'M NOT THERE, OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL ISN'T THERE OR HEAVEN FORBID, SOMEONE ELSE ISN'T THERE. THERE ARE ROLES AND THAT ARE ASSIGNED AS RESPONSIBILITIES AS A ONE, TWO AND THREE IN THAT REGARD. SO THOSE PLANS ARE DUE OCTOBER 1ST. AND THEN WHAT WE DO IS WE DO UPDATE THEM MID-YEAR, BECAUSE WE DO RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAVE SOME CHANGE OF PERSONNEL. PLUS WE MAKE SURE THAT WE PRACTICE THEM AND WE HELP OUR STUDENTS UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING. AND OUR ROLE IS TO KEEP THEM SAFE AND LEARNING. THANK YOU. ANOTHER MEASURE THAT WE HAVE TAKEN IS TO CONTINUE OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNER MEETINGS. AND THESE ARE MEETINGS THAT ARE HELD WITH MY MYSELF AND DOCTOR DAVIS, WITH ALL OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS. THESE ARE REGULAR MEETINGS WHERE WE SHARE AND EXCHANGE INFORMATION, MEETINGS WHERE WE PROVIDE UPDATES AND MAINTAIN CONTINUITY OF COMMUNICATION WITH OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS, AND ALSO ADDRESS ISSUES THAT MAY ARISE AND SPECIFIC SCHOOLS AND PROCESS AND PROCEDURAL ISSUES THAT MAY COME UP THAT WE DISCUSS IN THOSE MONTHLY LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS MEETINGS. AND OF COURSE, I'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THE SCHOOL SAFETY WORKGROUP, WHICH IS COMPRISED OF STAFF MEMBERS ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF OCCUPATIONAL DISCIPLINES WITHIN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE OUR CAFETERIA FOLKS WHO ARE REPRESENTED ON OUR SCHOOL SAFETY WORKGROUP. WE HAVE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, WE HAVE TRANSPORTATION. SO YOU NAME IT, A CUSTODIAL STAFF. SO WE GET A SNAPSHOT AND WE GET TO SEE

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SAFETY AND SECURITY THROUGH THE LENS OF JUST ABOUT EVERY OCCUPATIONAL DISCIPLINE THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHICH IS REALLY HELPFUL FOR US WHEN WE START TO ESTABLISH A LOT OF OUR PROTOCOLS AND PROCEDURES. ALSO, WE WILL BE RESUMING OUR FOCUS GROUPS AS WELL AS OUR COMMUNITY MEETINGS BECAUSE IT'S TIME FOR US TO REVISIT THE CRISIS PLAN AND GET UPDATED INFORMATION, BECAUSE A LOT OF THE INFORMATION DROVE SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT WE MADE IN THE PAST. BASED ON THE PAST, THE OUTCOMES OF THE PAST REPORT, SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE WORKED ON AFTER THAT WAS OUR ACCESS CONTROLS AND OUR CAMERA UPGRADES. SO WE'VE MADE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN TERMS OF ACCESS CONTROL FOR SCHOOL ENTRY. WE'VE UPGRADED ALL OF OUR ACCESS CONTROLS. WHEN YOU GO TO OUR SCHOOL, IN ADDITION TO HIGH RESOLUTION CAMERAS AND OUR REFRESH PROJECTS, OUR CAMERAS HAVE ENHANCED VISIBILITY ON OUR SCHOOL CAMP CAMPUSES, AND OUR NEW CAMERAS OFFER MUCH BETTER COVERAGE, MUCH BETTER IMAGE QUALITY. WE ALSO HAVE UPGRADED AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF UPGRADING OUR RADIOS AND OUR SCHOOLS TO DIGITAL RADIOS. AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS COMMUNICATION DURING EMERGENCIES IS CRITICAL. AND SO WE UNDERSTAND THAT TRANSITIONING TO THE NEW DIGITAL RADIOS WILL PROVIDE A CLEAR AND MORE RELIABLE COMMUNICATION INSIDE OF OUR BRICK AND MORTAR BUILDINGS. AND SO WE WANT TO EVOLVE OUR COMMUNICATION WITH THE EVOLVING CHANGES OF SAFETY AND SECURITY. WE'VE ALSO COMPLETED FULL INSTALLATION OF ALL OF OUR RING STYLE DOORBELL CAMERAS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT. THE LAST REPORT, WHERE I THINK WE HAD ABOUT A THIRD OF THEM DONE. WE HAVE COMPLETED THEM THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DISTRICT. NOW WITH THOSE CAMERAS AND AGAIN, THESE CAMERAS ALLOW STAFF WHO ARE IN THE OFFICE TO VISUALLY VERIFY PHOTO IDS BECAUSE OF THE CLARITY OF THOSE CAMERAS. AND SO SOME OF THE LONG TERM SAFETY PLANNING IS TO ADD ADDITIONAL PERMANENT CELLS. AND IN THE FUTURE, WE'VE ALREADY FILLED THREE VACANCIES FOR OUR SSL POSITIONS OVER THE LAST MONTH. AND OF COURSE, TO CONTINUE TO REVIEW, ASSESS AND DETERMINE WHICH WEAPONS DETECTION SYSTEM WOULD BE MOST BENEFICIAL FOR HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND HOW WE WOULD BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THAT PROGRAM WITHIN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. SO WITH THAT, THAT'S THE INFORMATION, PRESIDENT.

THANK YOU, DIRECTOR GEHRINGER AND MR. BROOKS. WE'LL OPEN IT UP FOR BOARD. QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. AND I'LL START WITH ONE, BECAUSE IT WAS PRETTY OBVIOUS. I DON'T KNOW IF I'VE EVER BEEN IN JOPPATOWNE AND HAVE HAD MORE THAN ONE SET OF BAR ON MY CELL PHONE, SO HAVE WE LOOKED AT, YOU KNOW, MAKING EMERGENCY CALLS FROM CELL PHONES ANYWHERE IN THE SCHOOL, WHETHER, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A STUDENT OR A STAFF MEMBER IS IMPORTANT. HAVE WE LOOKED AT THAT AND MADE AN ASSESSMENT AS TO WHICH SCHOOLS NEED IMPROVED CELL SERVICE? YEAH, I KNOW THAT THAT CONVERSATION HAS BEGUN WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY OFFICE, WHO HAS THE COMMUNICATION WITH OUR COMMUNICATION CARRIERS TO DETERMINE WHAT TYPE OF TOWER SYSTEM OR REPEATER SYSTEM WE WOULD NEED INSIDE OF OUR SCHOOLS, OR IN CLOSE PROXIMITY OF THOSE SCHOOLS THAT DON'T GET GOOD CELL RECEPTION, BECAUSE THAT IS KEY. AND CRITICAL, I THINK, IS THE SAME WAY. RIGHT? IT DEPENDS ON THE DAY. YEAH, EXACTLY. IT IS VERY SPOTTY AND IT IS FRUSTRATING, WHICH IS WHY I THINK WE ALL DO SO MUCH, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE THOSE TYPE PROTOCOLS. NOT TO MENTION, IT MAKES IT REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WHEN WE DO HAVE AN EMERGENCY AND UNFORTUNATELY WE HAD ONE TODAY WITH THE STUDENT THAT WAS STRUGGLING, EVERYBODY KNEW WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO, AND THAT'S WHY WE PRACTICE AND THAT'S WHY BECAUSE WE DO RECOGNIZE WE RECOGNIZE THAT WITH NINE OVER 11 AS WELL AS WE DID WITH THE JOPPATOWNE INCIDENT, EVERYBODY'S TRYING TO GET ON THE PHONE AND NOBODY'S GOING TO GET THROUGH. SO THAT'S WHY THESE WALKING TOURS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, BUT ALSO THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECT AND HOW THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO RESPOND IN SITUATIONS LIKE THAT. THANK YOU. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD. MR. SAUL, YEAH, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP, DOCTOR BOYNTON. THAT'S A THAT'S A REALLY GOOD POINT. I REGARDING CELL SERVICE IN OUR SCHOOLS, I'VE NOTICED ONE IN EDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL. THERE'S LITERALLY ZERO THERE'S NO RECEPTION IN THAT SCHOOL, AT LEAST FOR THE T MOBILE SIDE OF THINGS. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'D BE GREAT IF WE COULD HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF ALL THE SCHOOLS TO MAKE SURE THAT I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE WOULD DO ON OUR END, OR IF IT'S MORE OF A CELL PROVIDERS PROBLEM. BUT YEAH, I MEAN, THERE'S THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN THAT SCHOOL AND ZERO CELL RECEPTION. TO THAT TOPIC, YOU KNOW, SIGNALS DON'T PENETRATE CERTAIN MATERIALS. SO, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE AN AN ISSUE WITH PHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS. BUT I WOULD THINK THAT EACH OF THE SCHOOLS DO HAVE WIRELESS OR SOME KIND OF NETWORK INTERIOR TO THE SCHOOL THAT TEACHERS, AT LEAST TEACHERS, WOULD TO

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THAT THAT COULD BE UTILIZED INTERNAL SYSTEMS LIKE INTERCOM, WI-FI, WI-FI CALLING. BUT I DON'T THINK PHONES ARE ALLOWED ON THE WI-FI SYSTEM AND IT DOES STRUGGLE AT TIMES. IT IS SPOTTY.

AGAIN, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT I WOULD REALLY WANT AN EMERGENCY OR HEADING FOR MILWAUKEE. YEAH, YEAH, BUT BUT AS FAR AS THE TECHNOLOGY GOES, SOMEBODY WALKING IN THAT IS NOT PART OF THAT SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS ADDITIONAL SIGNAL ACCESS THAT SOMEBODY LIKE ME WOULD NOT HAVE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, A PRINCIPAL OR, YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD. SO ANYWAY, BUT THAT'S UP TO THE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT. BUT I DID HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION NOT RELATED TO THAT WAS HAS THERE BEEN ANY CONSIDERATION AND IS THERE ANY POSSIBILITIES OF PLACES WHERE WE COULD USE VOLUNTEERS? YOU KNOW, I KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TRAINED SECURITY PEOPLE. YOU KNOW, TO SERVE IN THE SECURITY FUNCTIONS. BUT JUST HAVING A PRESENCE IN THE HALLWAYS OR JUST HAVING A PRESENCE OF SOMEBODY THERE CAN CAN POSSIBLY MITIGATE THE RISK OF SOME KIND OF INCIDENT OCCURRING. AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE SCHOOL IS CONSIDERED IN USING VOLUNTEERS, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES, AND THIS MIGHT BE A WAY THAT WE COULD BE. IT COULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE COST EFFECTIVE. WELL, I CAN TELL YOU TODAY WHEN WE HAD OUR EMERGENCY, I HAD THREE PARENT VOLUNTEERS IN OUR CAFETERIA THAT WERE A HUGE HELP BECAUSE OF COURSE, THE FIRST THING THE KIDS ARE WORRIED ABOUT IS, ARE WE OKAY? AND WE'RE LIKE, ABSOLUTELY, YOU ARE OKAY. AND TO HAVE THAT EXTRA ADULT PRESENT WAS WONDERFUL. BUT IF IT HAPPENS TOMORROW AND THE SAME VOLUNTEERS DON'T SHOW UP, IT'S THE CONSISTENCY THAT I THINK IS THE BIGGEST CONCERN. THE MORE HANDS, THE MERRIER. AND WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER. BUT AGAIN, A VOLUNTEER IS NOT A CONSISTENT INPUT ON ON A CONSISTENT BODY UNLESS THEY SIGN UP. AND IF THEY'RE WILLING TO SIGN UP LIKE THAT, I'M GOING TO HAVE THEM SUBBING. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DO HAVE TO CONSIDER BECAUSE A VOLUNTEER ISN'T A CONSISTENT ENTITY. BUT I THINK ANYONE WILLING TO HELP OUT, I KNOW THAT WHEN I WAS PRINCIPAL OF FOUNTAIN GREEN, I HAD A PARENT WHO WAS A FEDERAL MARSHAL, AND HE WOULD COME IN EVERY DAY FOR LUNCH BECAUSE HE WORKED IN THE EVENING, AND HE REALLY ENJOYED THAT. AND HE WAS CONSISTENT, AND I COULD DEPEND ON HIM EVERY DAY. THAT'S THE ONLY VOLUNTEER I'VE HAD LIKE THAT IN 17 YEARS. AS AN ADMINISTRATOR. THANK YOU. AND I HAVE A QUESTION ON THE LIABILITY OF HAVING VOLUNTEERS PUT IN A PUT IN THAT POSITION. IT WOULD CONCERN ME IF SOMETHING HAPPENED. BUT I HAD ANOTHER QUESTION ON THE ADOPTION EXPANSION OF THE WEAPON DETECTION SYSTEMS. I KNOW IT'S A COST FACTOR. AND DO YOU HAVE ANY KIND OF BRIEFING OF WHAT YOU ARE PROPOSING IN TERMS OF IS IT IN HIGH SCHOOLS, ALL SCHOOLS? SO AS YOU WORK THROUGH ALL THESE VARIOUS DIFFERENT PROVIDERS, HOW MUCH INFORMATION WE WOULD BE GET, WE WOULD GET BEFORE, YOU KNOW, YOU GET TO THE POINT OF TRYING TO GO OUT FOR A BID. SO WOULD IT BE JUST HIGH SCHOOLS OR. WELL, THAT WOULD BE A DECISION THAT WILL BE MADE. AND AS A GROUP OF OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, IN TERMS OF WHETHER OR NOT WE WOULD JUST WANT TO ROLL IT OUT TO SECONDARY SCHOOLS, AND IF WE DID, WHETHER WE WOULD WANT TO START WITH HIGH SCHOOLS AND THEN MOVE IT INTO MIDDLE SCHOOLS. SO THAT IS A CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE NOT REACHED THAT POINT IN THE DEMONSTRATION PROCESS WITH THESE TWO PIECES OF EQUIPMENT THAT WE ARE EVALUATING RIGHT NOW. WE'RE IN A VERY INFANT STAGES OF IT AT THIS POINT. SO WE REALLY ARE LOOKING MORE AT WHAT TECHNOLOGY WOULD INTEGRATE BEST WITH WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY. AND THEN A FINAL DECISION ON WHICH TECHNOLOGY WE THINK WOULD KIND OF SEAMLESSLY FIT INTO WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN TERMS OF SECURITY MEASURES, BUT IN TERMS OF WHERE WE WANT TO START IT, IN TERMS OF SCALE, SCALING IT TO HIGH SCHOOL, MIDDLE SCHOOL, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WE'VE NOT BROACHED THAT THAT PART OF THE CONVERSATION AT THIS TIME. WHAT I WOULD ASK THE STAKEHOLDERS TO USE THAT AS A MEASURE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NUMBERS AND AS YOU LOOK AT THE SYSTEMS AND THE COSTS, YOU WOULD KNOW WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING AT AS OPPOSED TO WAITING UNTIL YOU. WE LIKE THIS SYSTEM, BUT WHAT'S THE COST FACTOR FOR HOW MANY SCHOOLS YOU'RE GOING TO PUT IT IN RIGHT.

ONE THING I WOULD ADD TO THAT IS WHEN WE GET CLOSER TO DISCUSSING WHAT WE'RE REALLY GOING TO USE.

WE MAY NEED TO COME UP WITH A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PROCESS FOR HOW WE VET IT, BECAUSE WHEN IT COMES TO SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS. SO AN EXAMPLE IS YOU WON'T FIND MAPS OF OUR

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SCHOOLS ON OUR WEBSITE. WE DON'T MAKE IT EASY FOR SOMEONE TO FIND A MAP. RIGHT? JUST BECAUSE THAT CAN BE USED AGAINST US BY SOMEONE PLANNING HARM GOING FORWARD. THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT FUNCTIONALITIES IN THE VARIOUS PRODUCTS THAT TEAMS LOOKING AT, AND AS MUCH AS WE VALUE TRANSPARENCY, I DON'T REALLY WANT THE GROUP DISCUSSING THE RELATIVE DETAILS OF THESE PRODUCTS IN TERMS OF WHAT. SO THERE DOES NEED TO BE A GROUP THAT MAYBE THE BOARD CAN AGREE ON WILL BE THE VETTING GROUP. BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A THERE'S A HUGE PRICE TAG HERE IN SOME CASES, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING HOW WE GO, THERE COULD BE A VERY BIG PRICE TAG. AND THAT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT ISSUE CONSIDERING WHERE WE'RE GOING WITH THE BUDGET. BUT LIKE I SAID, THERE'S SUCH A WIDE RANGE OF FUNCTIONALITY THAT I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A SITUATION WHERE WE DO HAVE STAKEHOLDERS REVIEWING THAT, BUT IT NEEDS TO BE A LIMITED NUMBER BECAUSE I THINK WE DO NEED TO, TO SOME DEGREE, PROTECT THE. I MEAN, THE BENEFIT OF THESE. YEAH, YEAH.

THE INTEGRITY OF THE I'M TRYING TO FIND THE RIGHT WAY TO SAY IT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO ADVERTISE EVERY EVERYTHING WE'D BE PUTTING IN IN PLACE FOR SAFETY MEASURES. I THINK SO I GUESS I MEAN, PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IT JUST MEANS WE NEED TO HAVE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PROCESS. IT'S NOT YOU KNOW, WE WON'T BE GETTING INTO THE DETAILS HERE, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BOARD IS COMFORTABLE. AND I DON'T KNOW WHETHER ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE PTA MEMBERS AND THEY SHE SENT ME AN EMAIL ABOUT PUTTING UP THE SIGNS FOR, YOU KNOW, WEAPONS PROHIBITED. I WOULD LIKE FOR THE SAFETY COMMITTEE TO THINK ABOUT THAT. YEAH, WE'VE ALREADY ACTUALLY SUBMITTED THAT AS AN AGENDA CONFERENCE CONVERSATION FOR OUR NEXT SCHOOL SAFETY WORK GROUP. I DID RECEIVE THAT EMAIL, OKAY. THAT WAS FORWARDED FROM THE COMMUNITY MEMBER VIEW. OKAY, MR. BRUCE, THANK YOU. AND I WILL SAY WHAT DOCTOR BALLSTON WAS DISCUSSING. THAT'S PRETTY STANDARD IN ANY ORGANIZATION WHEN IT COMES TO SECURITY, BECAUSE TO SET ANOTHER WAY, YOU DON'T WANT TO GIVE THE BAD GUY TOO MUCH INFORMATION TO USE AGAINST YOU. SO I'M SURE THIS WOULD I'LL LOOK INTO IT, BUT I'M SURE THIS WOULD QUALIFY FOR SOME SORT OF A CLOSED SESSION BY THE BOARD ON THE CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION WE WANTED TO DISCUSS. AND I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO WORK AS WELL WITH THE NEW AD HOC BOARD SAFETY AND SECURITY COMMITTEE AS WE MOVE FORWARD. ON THAT NOTE, THE PTA NOTE, THERE IS A WHAT IS THE DATE ON THE SAFETY AND SECURITY COMMITTEE MEETING? I JUST WANT TO PUT THAT OUT WHILE WE'RE ON THE 29TH, OCTOBER 29TH, WHICH IS NEXT WEEK. RIGHT? YES. AND SO THAT IS ONE OF PROBABLY SEVERAL DIFFERENT FORUMS WE'LL HAVE, INCLUDING THE BOARD LISTENING SESSIONS WHERE THE COMMUNITY CAN BRING FORTH THEIR IDEAS. WE HAVEN'T WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE BEING SCHEDULED RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'LL GET THE ANNOUNCEMENT OUT ABOUT THAT SOON. I HAVE A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS. YEAH, THE CRISIS PREPAREDNESS REPORT, I ASSUME, IS THAT ONLINE AND ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC, THE PREVIOUS ONE THAT WE COMPLETED, THE PREVIOUS 1 IN 22, 23. YES. OKAY. SO WE CAN GET ON THE WEBSITE AND GET THAT. YES, MA'AM. ALL RIGHT.

GREAT. SO THE WHERE WE WERE THE STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK THAT'S FROM THAT REPORT, SOME OF THE SAME ISSUES. YOU KNOW, WE'RE SEEING NOW AND THEN THE WHERE WE ARE. IN OTHER WORDS, WE KIND OF SKIPPED OVER SLIDE SEVEN. BUT IF YOU GET TO SLIDE EIGHT I UNDERSTAND WE'RE EVALUATING SOME WEAPONS DETECTION TECHNOLOGY, TWO TYPES. THAT'S GREAT. SLIDE NINE THE SAFETY MEASURES THERE ARE THESE THINGS THAT WERE COMING OUT OF THAT CRISIS PREPAREDNESS REPORT OR THAT HAVE CHANGED SINCE SEPTEMBER. WELL, PART OF IT WAS THE INCREASE IN THE DRILLS. AND YES, SOME OF THE VACANT POSITION FOR SSL HAVE BEEN ADDED SINCE SEPTEMBER. OKAY. YEAH. YOU DID SAY THAT ON THE NEXT SLIDE. OKAY. AND I CAN GO BACK TO SEVEN IF YOU'D LIKE ME TO. NO, NO IT'S OKAY. THEN ON SLIDE TEN. SO YOU MENTIONED THE UPDATED CRITICAL INCIDENT PLANS ARE DUE THE 1ST OF OCTOBER. IS THAT FOR EACH SCHOOL DOES ONE. SO THE ONE THAT WAS IN THE WORKS DO 1ST OCTOBER WAS ONGOING AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, MOST LIKELY IN EARLY SEPTEMBER. OR WHAT DID THAT 1ST OCTOBER PLAN ADDRESS THE ANY NEEDS SINCE THAT INCIDENT? SO WHAT WE DID WITH THE CRITICAL INCIDENT PLAN, THEY PLANS THEMSELVES PRETTY MUCH STAYED THE SAME. WHAT SCHOOLS WERE LOOKING FOR WAS A MORE USER FRIENDLY TEMPLATE TO LOAD THOSE PLANS INTO. AND THOSE ARE THE UPGRADES THAT WE MADE. AND WE PILOTED THE NEW TEMPLATE AT NINE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, THREE IN EACH OF OUR REGIONS. AND SO, YEAH, THOSE PLANS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN UPLOADED WOULD HAVE BEEN JUST INFORMATION ON THE NEW TEMPLATE FOR ONE. AND THEN ADMINISTRATORS OVER THE SUMMER WE HAVE DIFFERENT BUSSES SOMETIMES EACH YEAR. SO OUR BUSSES AND THE CONTRACTORS CHANGE. WE ALSO HAVE INFORMATION IN THERE ABOUT STUDENT EVACUATION. THAT'S BASED UPON SOME OF THEIR IEP ACCOMMODATIONS THAT GETS UPDATED. SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SPENDING THAT LAST TWO WEEKS OF AUGUST, TWO WEEKS OF SEPTEMBER

[02:00:02]

TRYING TO UPDATE THAT INFORMATION. WE ALSO UPDATE AND WE FINALIZE HOW STUDENTS ARE GOING HOME WALKERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. PLUS, WE ALSO HAVE AN UPDATED PHONE CHAIN THAT WE HAVE TO CHECK AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT WE DO DOCUMENT WHERE ALL OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS CHILDREN ATTEND SCHOOL. SO IF THERE'S AN EMERGENCY IN ANOTHER SCHOOL, WE'RE ABLE TO THEN PROVIDE SUPPORT. SO WHILE THE FRAMEWORK AND THE BIG BULK OF IT STAYED THE SAME, THERE ARE THOSE MINOR DETAILS THAT WE HAVE TO UPDATE ANNUALLY, AND WE HAVE TO UPDATE AGAIN MID-YEAR. BECAUSE AGAIN, THINGS DO CHANGE, WHETHER IT'S PHONE NUMBERS OR YOUR CHILD CHANGES. SCHOOLS, BUS CONTRACTORS COULD CHANGE OR THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THOSE ARE SOMETHING THAT WE DO REQUIRE.

THOSE TWO UPDATES ANNUALLY. SO THEY'RE NOT MONTHLY. THEY'RE BI ANNUALLY. SO THE NEXT ONE WOULD BE FEBRUARY FEBRUARY. YES. AND WILL THOSE BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOME OF THE LESSONS LEARNED AND THINGS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF THE REVIEW? SINCE THE INCIDENT IS THAT THE GOAL FOR UPDATING THE PLANS OR WHETHER IT JUST BE MORE COSMETIC AND INFORMATIONAL UPDATES? WELL, UPDATING THE PLAN WOULD INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, IT COULD INCLUDE PERSONNEL, CAN INCLUDE CHANGES WITHIN SIDE OF THE BUILDING. SO, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S I MEAN, WE HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR BEFORE IT WAS STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. NOW IT'S ANYONE. SO IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS INJURED AND THEY NEED ANY TYPE OF ASSISTIVE APPARATUS TO GET AROUND, THEY NEED TO BE LISTED IN THAT CRITICAL INCIDENT PLAN THAT THAT PERSON MAY NOT HAVE BEEN LISTED IN OCTOBER. SO THOSE ARE THE UP THE UPDATES. THAT PLAN IS REALLY TO PROVIDE UPDATES BETWEEN THE FIRST UPLOAD IN OCTOBER AND THE SECOND UPLOAD IN FEBRUARY, BUT MAJOR EVACUATION ELEMENTS DON'T CHANGE. FOR EXAMPLE, ABINGDON, REGARDLESS OF ITS OCTOBER, FEBRUARY OR AUGUST, WE'RE STILL GOING TO EVACUATE TO OUR PRIMARY SITE THAT WE'VE WORKED OUT AND WE'VE PRACTICED AND WE'VE WALKED AND WE'VE DONE THAT WITH OUR SRO AND ALSO OUR STAFF THAT OUR FIRE PROCEDURES STILL STAY THE SAME. HOW WE'RE EVACUATING AND ACCOUNTING FOR STUDENTS. SO THOSE THOSE BIG CHUNKS STAY THE SAME, IF OBVIOUSLY THERE WAS AN INCIDENT WHEN WE HAD IT AT JOPPATOWNE, IF THEY NOTICED SOMETHING BIG, THEY WOULD CHANGE IT WITHIN THAT PLAN ITSELF. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF ABINGDON WENT TO EVACUATE TO OUR PRIMARY LOCATION, IF SOMETHING CHANGED, WHETHER IT WAS CONSTRUCTION OR THAT DIDN'T WORK AND WE HAD TO PICK A DIFFERENT SITE THAT WOULD BE UPDATED RIGHT AWAY. AND THAT WOULD BE A CHANGE THAT WOULD BE GERMANE TO THAT PARTICULAR SCHOOL. OKAY. SO JOPPATOWNE WILL HAVE SOME IMPETUS AND INFORMATION COMING IN TO UPDATE THEIR PLAN. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. BECAUSE YOU TALKED ABOUT DOCTOR POINTING THE INDEPENDENT FIRM DOING AN INVESTIGATION OF WHAT LED TO THE INCIDENT AND SO FORTH, WILL SOME OF THAT INFORMATION THEN BE ABLE TO BE PROVIDED BY THEN? WAS THERE A TIME FRAME ON THAT INVESTIGATION? I DON'T HAVE A TIME FRAME YET. I MEAN, WE'VE STARTED THE PROCESS. THE FIRM HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED. I'LL SHARE THE TIME ESTIMATE WITH THE BOARD AND THE PUBLIC AS SOON AS I CAN. OKAY. AND THE SCHOOL SAFETY WORKING GROUP, LOOKING AT THE REVIEW AND UPDATE OF POLICIES AND PROCEDURES, ARE THERE SOME PARTICULAR PRIORITIES THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED THERE? YES, BECAUSE WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE ANY FORM OF A WEAPONS DETECTION.

WE WILL HAVE TO DEVELOP POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT WILL BE IN ALIGNMENT WITH DEPLOYING, YOU KNOW, THAT TYPE OF EQUIPMENT. AND THEN WE WILL BE REVIEWING JUST OTHER POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT WE HAVE JUST BASED ON, YOU KNOW, BEST PRACTICES, UPDATES AND BEST PRACTICES AND SAFETY AND SECURITY BECAUSE IT'S EVER EVOLVING. SO WE NEED TO CONSTANTLY REVIEW POLICY AND PROCEDURES TO SEE IF THINGS NEED TO BE UPDATED OR THINGS CAN STAY THE SAME, BUT JUST NEED TO ADD A FEW MORE ELEMENTS TO IT. HAVE WE IDENTIFIED ANY ELEMENTS THAT NEED TO BE IMPROVED IN COMMUNICATIONS POLICIES OR PROCEDURES SINCE THE JOPPATOWNE INCIDENT? WELL, FROM THE I DON'T WANT TO SPEAK FOR THE OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS. THEY MAY VERY WELL BE, BUT IN TERMS OF WHAT WE DO IN TERMS OF OUR NOTIFICATION SYSTEM, OUR NOTIFICATION SYSTEM SYSTEM IS PRETTY WELL INTACT IN TERMS OF PROVIDING NOTIFICATION WHEN THERE IS AN INCIDENT, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE SCHOOLS AND GETTING THAT INFORMATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL, WHETHER THAT'S CENTRAL OFFICE AND THEN TO OFFICE OF COMMUNICATION, WHO THEN ORGANIZES THE NEXT LEVEL OF COMMUNICATION THAT NEEDS TO GO OUT IN THE COMMUNITY IN THE COMMUNITY, OR ANY CONVERSATIONS THAT NEED TO BE HAD WITH ANOTHER PIO FROM ANOTHER ORGANIZATION SO THAT THE MESSAGES ARE CONSISTEN.

I MEAN, LIKE COMMUNICATIONS OF, SAY, A SAFETY ISSUE AT A SCHOOL OR A PROBLEM THAT AN SRO NOTES WHEN THAT GOES INTO THE CENTRAL OFFICE, WHAT HAPPENS? DO WE HAVE A I DON'T KNOW IF I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION, CAN YOU REPEAT IT? NOT JUST WHEN AN INCIDENT OCCURS, BUT WHEN A REPORT OR A REQUEST OCCURS. THAT'S RELATED TO A SAFETY RELATED ISSUE THAT SOMEONE HAS NOTICED AT A SCHOOL AND THEY CALL THE CENTRAL OFFICE AND SAY, HEY, I NOTICED THIS PROBLEM. DO WE TRACK THAT? HOW

[02:05:06]

DO WE ADDRESS THAT? YEAH. SO WHAT WE DO, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A PHYSICAL SECURITY PROBLEM THAT WOULD TYPICALLY GO TO OUR REGIONAL SECURITY SUPERVISOR, WHO WOULD THEN GO OUT AND HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE ADMINISTRATOR, BECAUSE IF IT'S SOMETHING GOING ON INSIDE A SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, ONE OF OUR FIRST LEVELS OF COMMUNICATION IS WOULD BE WITH THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR TO SEE IF THEY EVEN KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THE SITUATION EXISTS OR EXISTED PRIOR TO IT. COMING TO THE ATTENTION OF THE OFFICE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY. BUT YES, WE DO MONITOR, TRACK AND FOLLOW UP IF WE GET INFORMATION ABOUT SECURITY RISK OR SECURITY COMPROMISES IN A SCHOOL. OKAY.

THANK YOU. ARE THERE ANY FINAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS YOU'RE GOING TO GO GO AHEAD GO AHEAD, GO AHEAD I'LL GO. LAST. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AS YOU CAN TELL, WE'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS TOPIC. SO I HAVE A FEW. BUT I'LL TRY TO BE BRIEF. THE FIRST IS THE MONTHLY LAW ENFORCEMENT MEETINGS. CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. DO YOU DO THAT? HERE IS IT. MUNICIPALITIES IS WHERE AS WELL AS THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS ADMINISTRATION ALLOWED TO ATTEND? I JUST WANT TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE. YEAH. SO WE FIRST STARTED THIS I THINK PROBABLY ABOUT ALMOST THREE YEARS AGO NOW. WE FIRST STARTED THIS ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO. WE STARTED OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS MONTHLY MEETING. YES, WE INVITE ALL OF OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS IN THE COUNTY ON THAT MEETING, AND TYPICALLY ALL OF THEM DO ATTEND.

AND TYPICALLY ALL OF THEM HAVE AT LEAST MAYBE 2 OR 3 MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZATION WHO ATTENDS.

AND WE TYPICALLY WILL HAVE A FEW AGENDA ITEMS. BUT WHAT WE REALLY DO IS LOOK FOR FEEDBACK FROM OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS, AND WE PROVIDE THEM WITH INFORMATION. A LOT OF TIMES THERE'S, YOU KNOW, INTEL THAT WOULDN'T ORDINARILY BE JUST SHARED OUT IN THE OPEN OR THINGS THAT THEY MAY BE WORKING ON OR LOOKING AT AND PROVIDE US SOME INFORMATION WE MAY HAVE SOME PROBLEM AREAS THAT WE NEED TO SHARE WITH THEM. WHEN WE CHECK IN. YES, WE DO HAVE OUR EDGE SERVICES FOLKS ARE INVITED TO THAT MEETING AS WELL TO REPRESENT OUR SCHOOL BASED ADMINISTRATORS AND OUR EDUCATIONAL SERVICES OFFICE, AS WELL AS MYSELF AND DOCTOR DAVIS AND OUR REGIONAL SECURITY SUPERVISORS ARE ON THAT MEETING MONTHLY. THANK YOU. ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS HOPING THAT WOULD BUBBLE UP IN THIS PRESENTATION, YOU KNOW, AS WE GO AND ADVOCATE FOR THE BUDGET, RIGHT, AND WANT TO ALLOCATE RESOURCES TO SAFETY AND SECURITY, I GET THAT WEAPONS. YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT, BUT WHAT ARE THE SMALL THINGS THAT WE CAN PRIORITIZE AND ADVOCATE FOR EXAMPLE, DO WE HAVE SCHOOLS THAT DON'T HAVE ENOUGH LOCKERS? DO WE NEED CLEAR BACKPACKS? I WOULD, YOU KNOW, APPRECIATE A WISH LIST. SO TO SPEAK, THAT THAT WE CAN ADVOCATE AND PUSH FORWARD TO ENSURE THAT EVEN THE SMALL THINGS ARE TAKEN CARE OF. SO IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET BACK TO US. YES. AND WE'VE STARTED THE PROCESS OF THE CLEAR BACKPACKS.

I KNOW AT THE ONE SCHOOL WE STARTED THAT PROCESS WITH, IT. AND I AGREE WITH YOU. AND AS MUCH AS, YOU KNOW, WE VALUE THE TECHNOLOGY, YOU KNOW, FROM A SAFETY AND SECURITY PERSPECTIVE, THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND HAVING PEOPLE, HUMAN RESOURCES IN THOSE POSITIONS, YOU KNOW, INCREASED SAFE LIAISON OR, YOU KNOW, AS MISS ALVAREZ ASKED ABOUT EVEN, YOU KNOW, VOLUNTEERS OR WHAT HAVE YOU, THERE'S NOTHING LIKE EYES AND EARS BEING IN THE TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTS SUPPORTS THOSE THINGS. AND LOCKERS ARE A SECURITY MEASURE, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH LOCKERS, ENOUGH SPACES FOR STUDENTS TO PROVIDE THAT. AND SO, YES, THROUGH OUR OFFICE OF FACILITIES, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON GATHERING INFORMATION AND DATA ON THOSE OTHER GAPS THAT WE CAN CLOSE WHEN IT COMES TO SAFETY AND SECURITY. OKAY, YEAH, I WOULD I WOULD APPRECIATE AND MAYBE AN UPDATE AND COMING BACK TO THE BOARD, ESPECIALLY BEFORE WE PUT OUR BUDGET FORWARD SO THAT WE CAN HELP PRIORITIZE THAT. AND THEN LASTLY, YOU TALKED ABOUT UPDATING YOUR INCIDENT PLANS. TELL ME ABOUT A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER WHEN THEY COME IN FOR THE FIRST TIME. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE GIVEN OR GIVEN ACCESS TO? HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT TEACHERS WHO AREN'T THERE ALL THE TIME KNOW, KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON? I CAN ONLY SPEAK FROM THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL AND SPECIFICALLY FROM THE SCHOOL THAT I'M PRINCIPAL OF, AS WELL AS MY PREVIOUS SCHOOL. BUT WHAT WE DO IS WE DO LEAN A GREAT DEAL ON THE GRADE LEVEL TO MAKING SURE THAT THEY ACCLIMATE THE SUBSTITUTE. HAVING REGULAR SUBSTITUTES MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE BECAUSE THEY DO UNDERSTAND OUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. WE DO HAVE A CONSISTENT FOLDER AT ABINGDON THAT HAS OUR DISMISSAL LISTED WHERE YOU GO IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. WE ALSO HAVE OUR EVACUATION PLAN AS FAR AS WHERE THEIR PRIMARY AND THEIR SECONDARY ROUTE IS RIGHT BY THEIR INTERIOR DOOR AS THEY WALK IN. SO WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THOSE RESOURCES. PLUS WE MAKE SURE THAT THE GRADE LEVEL CHAIR OR SOMEONE ON THE TEAM REACHES OUT TO MAKE SURE IF IT IS SOMEONE NEW TO OUR BUILDING, THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE PROTOCOL. MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT CHANNEL TO USE ON THE WALKIE IN CASE THEY DO NEED. WHETHER IT'S SPECIAL ED, HELP NURSE HELP, OR ADMIN HELP, AS

[02:10:01]

WELL AS THE FACT OF HOW TO USE THE WHITE PHONE, THOSE DIRECTIONS ARE IN THERE AS WELL.

AND THEN WE MAKE SURE THAT OUR TEACHER IN CHARGE TOUCHES BASE WITH THOSE PEOPLE BEFORE THEY COME DOWN, SO THEY UNDERSTAND THOSE EXPECTATIONS AS WELL. SO WE TRY TO DO A LITTLE QUICK ORIENTATION AND THEN HAVE THE RIGHT SUPPLIES CONSISTENT THROUGHOUT OUR BUILDING. AND I'M SURE MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES DO THE SAME. THANK YOU. IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE OUR STAY SAFE POSTERS THROUGHOUT OUR BUILDINGS AS WELL. SO IF YOU ARE, YOU KNOW, VISITING A BUILDING FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME TO DO WORK AS A SUBSTITUTE, YOU HAVE ACCESS. BUT WE ALSO HAVE WHAT'S CALLED OUR CRITICAL INCIDENT QUICK GUIDE, WHICH ANYBODY CAN GO THROUGH. ANY ONE PERSON THAT'S COMING INTO THE BUILDING COULD HAVE ACCESS TO THE QUICK GUIDE. NOT EVERYBODY'S GOING TO HAVE ACCESS TO THAT COMPREHENSIVE CRITICAL INCIDENT PLAN. SO THAT'S WHY WE CREATED THE CRITICAL INCIDENT. QUICK, QUICK GUIDE WHERE, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S A ELECTRICAL FIRE, IF IT'S A FLOOD, IF IT'S WHATEVER YOU'RE ABLE TO FLIP THROUGH THERE. AND IT GIVES SOME CLEAR AND CONCISE INSTRUCTIONS ON NOTIFICATION AND RESPONSE. SO WE HAVE THAT. AND I WANTED TO ADD ONE ADDITIONAL THING BECAUSE YOU ASKED ABOUT THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS MEETING. WE ALSO HAVE A MONTHLY SRO SSL MEETING SCHOOL SAFETY LIAISON MEETING. WE ACTUALLY MEET RIGHT HERE IN THIS ROOM MONTHLY. AND LAST YEAR, ONE OF OUR LAST MEETINGS, DOCTOR BOYNTON HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME IN AND ADDRESS OUR SROS AND OUR CELLS. AND WE DO THE SAME THING EVERY SINGLE MONTH. WHEN WE MEET WITH THEM, WE SHARE AND EXCHANGE INFORMATION. WE TALK ABOUT. WE SHARE AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT HAVE MAYBE BUBBLED UP AT A SCHOOL. AND THEN WE MAY FIND OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, AN SRO HAS ALREADY FIGURED OUT A GREAT WAY TO ADDRESS OR OR DEAL WITH THAT TYPE OF SITUATION AND CAN SHARE THAT INFORMATION AND THEN SOMETIMES WE ALSO SHARE INTERNAL INTEL THAT WE NEED TO KNOW AND SHARE AMONG OUR SCHOOL SAFETY LIAISONS AND OUR SROS. AND I INVITE ANY OF THE BOARD MEMBERS TO WE CAN I THINK WE DID GIVE YOU THE DATES, DOCTOR, POINTING OF EACH OF THOSE MEETINGS. SO I INVITE ANY OF THE BOARD MEETINGS TO COME IN, MEMBERS TO COME IN WHEN WE HAVE OUR MEETING AND WE CAN MY ASSISTANT CAN HAVE THOSE DATES SENT OUT AND HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRIEFLY SPEAK WITH OUR SROS. AND SO I THINK THEY WOULD LOVE IT. I'LL TAKE YOU UP ON THAT. THANK YOU. I'LL BE AT THE NEXT ONE FOR SURE. DOCTOR MILLER IS NEXT. THANK YO.

I JUST WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE COST OF THESE SYSTEMS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE'S A SUBSTANTIAL COST INVOLVED WITH THEM, BOTH WITH EXTRA PERSONNEL AND WITH THE ACTUAL SYSTEM. HAVE WE IDENTIFIED GRANTS? BECAUSE I KNOW WE CAN'T NECESSARILY COUNT ON HAVING BUDGET FUNDS AVAILABL. YEAH. SO AGAIN, WE'RE IN THE INFANT STAGES OF ALL OF THIS.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT IS THE COST BREAKDOWN ANALYSIS. BUT BECAUSE WE'RE DEALING WE'RE LOOKING AT YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE PIECES OF EQUIPMENT AMONG, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE VENDORS, WE WILL EVENTUALLY REACH A POINT WHERE WE WILL WILL HAVE A VIABLE COST ANALYSIS FOR THAT. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T HAVE RIGHT NOW. HOWEVER, WE HAVE ALREADY STARTED TO LOOK INTO GRANT AVAILABILITY AND THE GRANTS THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO UTILIZE FOR THIS TYPE OF EQUIPMENT. AND WITH THE REACH OF THOSE GRANTS ARE IN TERMS OF MONEY FUNDING, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH IS AVAILABLE ON THE NOFA FOR THOSE TYPES OF GRANTS? THANK YOU. I JUST HAD A FEW QUICK QUESTIONS. FIRST, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR TAKING INITIATIVE.

THIS IS AMAZING. AND AS A STUDENT, I FEEL THAT I CAN SPEAK FOR EVERYONE THAT WE GREATLY APPRECIATE THIS. ONE OF MY QUESTIONS WAS ON THE WEAPON DETECTION TECHNOLOGY, AND I KNOW THAT YOU'RE IN THE EARLY PROCESS OF JUST THE EVALUATIONS, BUT HAVE YOU CONSIDERED ENSURING THAT ALL THE STUDENTS ARE WALKING THROUGH THAT? AND IF SO, HOW MANY STUDENTS? IF IT'S MULTIPLE OR IF IT'S ONLY ONE SINGULAR STUDENT TO ENSURE THAT IT'S EFFECTIVE? YEAH. SO IN OUR TESTING AND DEMO PHASE RIGHT NO, THAT WOULD DEPEND LARGELY. AND I DON'T WANT TO GO TOO DEEP INTO DETAIL ABOUT THIS, BUT THAT WOULD DEPEND LARGELY ON HOW MANY PIECES OF EQUIPMENT WE MAY HAVE AT A PARTICULAR ENTRY POINT. RIGHT. BUT IN GENERAL, THE GENERAL ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS TYPICALLY IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ONE AT A TIME WHEN, YOU KNOW, COMING INTO THE BUILDING. BUT OF COURSE, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO BE LIKE JUST A CROWD OF PEOPLE COMING IN BECAUSE THAT WOULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON EFFECTIVENESS. BUT NO, IT WOULDN'T BE WHERE IT HAS TO JUST BE ONE SINGLE, YOU KNOW, PERSON, ONE AT A TIME, THE WAY THE TECHNOLOGY IS DESIGNED. OKAY.

AND DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF FOR TIMELINE OF EITHER ANY OF THESE SAFETY MEASURES TO BE IMPLEMENTED, SPECIFICALLY THE WEAPON DETECTION TECHNOLOGY. BUT PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SPEAK ON ANY OTHERS. YEAH, WE DON'T HAVE AN IMPLEMENTATION DATE AT THIS TIME. WE'RE NOT EVEN HAVING FINAL IMPLEMENTATION CONVERSATIONS RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE'RE ACTUALLY STILL IN A DEMO PROCESS RIGHT NOW. AND SO ONCE WE GET ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DEMO PROCESS, THEN WE'LL HAVE FURTHER DISCUSSION ABOUT COST AND IMPLEMENTATION AND, AND SCALABILITY. UNDERSTOOD. AND

[02:15:02]

THEN LASTLY, I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT NOT ALL SCHOOLS HAVE A SAFETY LIAISON.

AND I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD ELABORATE ON THAT MORE. AND IF YOU'RE AWARE OF EXACTLY WHICH THOSE SCHOOLS ARE, AND IF ONLY HIGH SCHOOLS ARE THE ONES WITH ACCESS TO THOSE. YEAH. SO WHEN WE FIRST PILOTED THE PROGRAM, WE STARTED OFF IN OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS. WE STARTED OFF IN THREE HIGH SCHOOLS AND I'M SORRY, FOUR HIGH SCHOOLS, THREE MIDDLE SCHOOLS, MIDDLE SCHOOLS. WHEN THE PROGRAM GREW, WE WERE ABLE TO PLACE AT LEAST ONE SCHOOL SAFETY LIAISON IN EVERY SECONDARY SCHOOL. THERE ARE A FEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT ARE A HANDFUL, MAYBE THREE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT HAVE A SCHOOL SAFETY LIAISON. WE ALSO HAVE A CONTINGENT OF FIVE FLOATERS, SCHOOL SAFETY LIAISON FLOATERS WHO FLOAT BETWEEN SCHOOLS. BUT FOR THE PURPOSES OF PERMANENTLY ASSIGNED SCHOOL SAFETY LIAISONS, RIGHT NOW, THEY ARE ASSIGNED IN ALL OF OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND 2 OR 3 IN OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. SO WE WOULD HAVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS WHO DO NOT HAVE PERMANENT SCHOOL SAFETY LIAISONS ASSIGNED. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO MUCH. YES. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? I'LL JUST CONCLUDE BY SAYING THANK YOU AS YOU KNOW, THIS IS ONE OF THE BOARD'S TOP THREE PRIORITIES. BUT THERE IS NO JOB THAT'S MORE IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW THAN YOUR JOB. BOARD IS HERE TO SUPPORT YOU. AND LIKE ALL OF OUR PRIORITIES, WE HAVE THEM BRIEFED REGULARLY AT BOARD MEETINGS. SO I'M SURE I'LL REQUEST YOU BACK HERE SOON. SO THANK YOU AND HAVE A GOOD EVENING. THANK YOU. YOU JUST ONE. WELL, I'D LIKE TO

[E. Presentation on Harford County Public Schools Student Discipline, Mr. Buzz Williams, Supervisor of Pupil Personnel Services and Mr. Bernard Hennigan, Executive Director of Student Support Services ]

WELCOME UP WHILE YOU'RE WHILE YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY UP, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME UP MR. BUZZ WILLIAMS FOR A PRESENTATION ON SCHOOL DISCIPLINE. AND ALSO MR. BERNARD HENNIGAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES. BUZZ WILLIAMS TITLE IS SUPERVISOR OF PUPIL PERSONNEL SERVICES. I'LL ALSO MAKE THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT, WHICH IS WITHIN THE POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT. THE BOARD HAS ALREADY BEEN FULLY BRIEFED IN SMALL GROUP ON THE PRESENTATION OF QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING JUNE 30TH, 2024. THIS INFORMATION IS ALSO PUBLICLY AVAILABLE. SO I WILL BE STRIKING THAT FROM THE AGENDA THIS EVENING. WELCOME. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, SUPERINTENDENT WILSON, PRESIDENT BOYNTON, BOARD MEMBERS, STAKEHOLDERS THAT ARE IN THE ROOM TONIGHT. I'LL TURN AROUND AND SAY HI TO EVERYBODY. I AM HERE TO SPEAK TO YOU TONIGHT, AS WELL AS OUR STAKEHOLDERS ONLINE. I SPOKE WITH MANY OF YOU, AS DOCTOR BOYNTON SAID AND SHARED INFORMATION WITH YOU ABOUT STUDENT DISCIPLINE, LAWS AND SCHOOL SAFETY. AND MANY OF YOU WERE SURPRISED. MAYBE SHOCKED, TO LEARN SOME THINGS LIKE A STUDENT MAY NOT BE EXPELLED FOR HAVING A KNIFE IN SCHOOL OR THREATENING A SCHOOL SHOOTING, OR BEING CHARGED WITH A FELONY OFFENSE IN THE COMMUNITY, AND YOU ASKED ME TO COME IN TONIGHT AND SHARE WITH A WIDER GROUP OF STAKEHOLDERS. AND THAT'S WHY I'M HERE TONIGHT, TO BE ABLE TO GIVE AN ABBREVIATED OVERVIEW TO OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT THE LAWS THAT APPLY TO SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION. THESE ARE THE RULES THAT I FOLLOW WHEN I MAKE MY DISCIPLINE DECISIONS DAILY. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS BUZZ WILLIAMS. I'M IN MY 32ND YEAR IN EDUCATION. I'M THE FORMER PRINCIPAL OF THE KENNEDY KRIEGER HIGH SCHOOL IN BALTIMORE CITY. THAT'S A SIMPLE VERSION IS IT'S A SPECIALIZED BEHAVIOR SCHOOL. FOR THE LAST 16 YEARS, I'VE BEEN THE SUPERINTENDENT, STUDENT DISCIPLINE HEARING OFFICER. IN FACT, MR. HENNIGAN, I WAS REFLECTING. I'VE BEEN IN THIS ROLE SO LONG, I USED TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE PRESENTATION SCREEN AND MY PAGE WITHOUT THESE GLASSES. SO I'VE BEEN AROUND A LITTLE BIT. I'M A NATIONALLY CERTIFIED STUDENT DISCIPLINE HEARING OFFICER. IN FACT, I'M THE ONLY DISCIPLINE HEARING OFFICER IN MARYLAND. THAT'S APPROVED TO CERTIFY OTHER STUDENT DISCIPLINE HEARING OFFICERS AROUND THE STATE. I SAY THIS TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WHEN IT COMES TO STUDENT DISCIPLINE AND THE LAWS THAT AFFECT SCHOOL SAFETY, I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. IN 2014, LEGISLATION AND REGULATION CHANGED STUDENT DISCIPLINE ACROSS MARYLAND MSDE THE MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION GIVES SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT TO ADVOCATES AND LAWYERS WHO HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ARGUED THAT POSITIVE INTERVENTIONS SHOULD REPLACE SUSPENSION. IN EFFECT, THEY WANT OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO BECOME MORE LIKE THE

[02:20:06]

SPECIALIZED BEHAVIOR SCHOOLS, AND THEY HAVE LEGISLATED US TO DO SO WELL. I'M QUALIFIED TO RESPOND TO THAT, BECAUSE I USED TO BE THE PRINCIPAL OF ONE OF THOSE SPECIAL SCHOOLS, AND I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT I KNOW HOW TO TRANSFORM HARFORD COUNTY INTO A KENNEDY KRIEGER LIKE PROGRAM.

BUT THERE ARE TWO REASONS WHY WE SHOULDN'T. AND CAN'T. THE FIRST IS THAT FUNDING HARFORD COUNTY THE WAY I USED TO FUND KENNEDY KRIEGER WOULD COST AN ADDITIONAL $3.7 BILLION PER YEAR BECAUSE WE CHARGED $100,000 PER STUDENT. THOSE ARE VERY EXPENSIVE SCHOOLS TO RUN. THE RESOURCES, THE STAFFING, THE TRAINING. DOCTOR WILSON WANTED ME TO BE CLEAR, TO SAY I'M NOT HERE TO ADVOCATE FOR AN ADDITIONAL $3.7 BILLION. BUT I DO WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE ARE BEING LEGISLATED TO KEEP MORE AND MORE DANGEROUS AND DISRUPTIVE STUDENTS WITHOUT THE FUNDING TO DO SO SAFELY. IN ADDITION TO THE COST. THE SECOND REASON THAT I WANTED TO COVER IS OUR BEHAVIOR. SCHOOLS EMPHASIZE AND PRIORITIZE BEHAVIOR FIRST AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT SECOND. OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE SET UP TO PRIORITIZE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FIRST AND THEN BEHAVIOR. BECAUSE WE ARE HERE FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS. MANY OF YOU MAY THINK THAT EXPULSION IS DEFINED AS PERMANENT REMOVAL AND IT USED TO, BUT IT NO LONGER DOES. EXPULSION WAS REDEFINED TO MEAN SUSPENSION 46 DAYS OR MORE.

THERE MUST BE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES FOR EXPELLED STUDENTS, AND THERE MUST BE A REENTRY PLAN THAT HELPS STUDENTS TO EVENTUALLY RETURN TO THEIR REGULAR SCHOOLS, AND THAT REENTRY PLAN IS USUALLY COVERED IN A DECISION LETTER THAT I PROVIDE WITH CONDITIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, A STUDENT MAY HAVE A CONDITION TO SERVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME, OR THEY MAY NEED TO EARN A CERTAIN NUMBER OF CREDITS, POSSIBLY PAY RESTITUTION, BE IN A REHABILITATIVE THERAPEUTIC PROGRAM, AND MAKE ADEQUATE PROGRESS OR COMPLETE PROBATIONARY CONDITIONS. NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT DISRUPTION. MANY PEOPLE ASK, WHY AREN'T YOU EXPELLING DISRUPTIVE STUDENTS? AND THE SHORT ANSWER IS IT'S NOT LAWFUL TO EXPEL DISRUPTIVE STUDENTS USING THE OLD DEFINITION OR THE NEW DEFINITIO. IN TERMS OF DISRUPTION JUST TEN YEARS AGO, I MEAN, WE HAVE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW THAT WERE TEACHING AND BEING ADMINISTRATORS. TEN YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A THREE STRIKE SYSTEM IN PLACE. SO A PRINCIPAL WOULD USUALLY WARN A STUDENT AND A PARENT, AND THE NEXT TIME THERE WOULD BE A THREE DAY SUSPENSION AND THEN A FIVE DAY SUSPENSION. AND THEN THEY CAME TO ME AND WE USED TO KNOW THAT AS THE THREE, FIVE, TEN TO THE SUPERINTENDENT. AND WHEN THEY DID COME TO ME, THEY WERE OUT FOR 45. AND THE NEXT TIME THEY CAME TO ME, IF THERE WAS A NEXT TIME THEY WERE OUT THE REST OF THE YEAR, IF THEY CAME TO ME AGAIN, I TOLD THE PARENTS EVERY TIME YOU COME TO ME, THERE'S GOING TO BE AN ADDITIONAL YEAR OUT. SO A STUDENT WHO CAME TO ME FOUR TIMES BETWEEN SEVENTH GRADE AND NINTH GRADE DIDN'T HAVE THE CHANCE TO GO BACK TO THEIR SCHOOL FOR TWO YEARS. AND A LOT HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST TEN YEARS. TODAY, A PRINCIPAL HAS TO PROVE THAT A STUDENT'S BEHAVIOR MEETS CRITERIA JUST TO BE SUSPENDED. MORE THAN TEN DAYS. THE BEHAVIOR BY LAW MUST BE CHRONIC, EXTREME, A BARRIER TO CLASSROOM LEARNING, NOT JUST DISRUPTION TO SCHOOL OPERATIONS, BUT THE BIG CRITERIA. THE BIG BARRIER IS THE STUDENT'S BEHAVIOR MUST CONTINUE DESPITE EXHAUSTED INTERVENTIONS. EXHAUSTED INTERVENTIONS IS A HIGH BAR. YOU CAN ALWAYS ADD SOMETHING ELSE THAT YOU COULD TRY, WHICH MAKES SUSPENSION MORE THAN TEN DAYS FOR DISRUPTION VERY DIFFICULT. BUT EVEN IF THE CRITERIA IS MET, THE MAXIMUM SUSPENSION IS 45 DAYS, SO NOW WE HAVE A STUDENT BEING SUSPENDED TO SWAN CREEK E-LEARNING FOR 45 DAYS AND BACK TO SCHOOL AND SOMETIMES BACK TO SWAN CREEK. AND IT'S LIKE A REVOLVING DOOR. SO SOME PEOPLE IN OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR STAFF MEMBERS, THEY MAY THINK THAT OUR ADMINISTRATORS REALLY AREN'T TAKING DISRUPTION SERIOUSLY WHEN THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS WE ARE REMOVING STUDENTS TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT THAT THE LAW ALLOWS, AND ON TO VIOLENCE. AGAIN, IN 2014, OUR PRINCIPALS HAD A LIST OF VIOLATIONS THAT WERE SO SERIOUS THEY WERE REQUIRED TO SEND THE STUDENTS TO THE SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE TO MEET WITH ME. AND IF THEY DID COME AND I HELD THEM RESPONSIBLE, THEY WERE SUSPENDED

[02:25:03]

FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR. AND IF THEY CAME BACK TO ME, I ADDED A YEAR FOR EVERY TIME THEY CAME BACK. AND STUDENTS THAT WERE 16 YEARS OLD WERE OFTEN REMOVED AND WITHDRAWN AND PROVIDED GED MATERIALS. NONE OF THAT'S LAWFUL ANYMORE. PRINCIPALS CAN ONLY SEND A STUDENT TO MY OFFICE IF THE STUDENT IS IN POSSESSION OF A FIREARM AT SCHOOL OR AN IMMINENT THREAT OF SERIOUS PHYSICAL HARM IF THE STUDENT RETURNS WHERE IMMINENT THREAT IS NOT EVEN DEFINED IN THE LAW OR THE REGULATION, WE HAVE TO RELY ON MSD BOARD DECISIONS AND LAWSUITS TO GET SOME CLUES ABOUT HOW WE CAN HOLD STUDENTS RESPONSIBLE FOR IMMINENT THREAT. ONE OF THE DECISIONS FROM MSD SAID. IT'S LIKELY AN IMMEDIATE DANGER OF SIGNIFICANT PHYSICAL INJURY.

THIS BAR IS HIGH. THIS IS NOT VANDALISM OR PULLING FIRE ALARMS OR EVEN FIGHTS. THIS IS THREATS TO SHOOT, TO STAB, TO BURN THE SCHOOL DOWN, TO BLOW THE SCHOOL UP. THREATS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT.

THAT'S THE BAR FOR REMOVING A STUDENT FOR MORE THAN TEN DAYS. WHEN IT COMES TO VIOLENCE, OTHER DEFINITIONS THAT HAVE COME OUT OF BOARD DECISIONS OR LAWSUITS. THE THREE PRONG TEST, THE STUDENT MUST HAVE A MEANS OF SERIOUS PHYSICAL HARM. THE MOTIVE AND THE HIGH BARRIER, THE HIGH BAR IMMEDIACY. THAT'S DANGER. THAT'S GOING TO OCCUR TODAY OR TOMORROW. AND THAT'S AN IMPORTANT THING FOR YOU TO REMEMBER. AS I CONTINUE, YOU SAY, BUT WHAT DOES THAT PHYSICAL INJURY MEAN? HOW HIGH IS THAT BAR? WELL, IT'S NOT A BLOODY NOSE. IT'S NOT A CONCUSSION AND IT'S NOT A BLACK EYE. THE LAW SAYS IT'S EXCRUCIATING PAIN, DISFIGUREMENT, LOSS OF THE USE OF A BODY PART OR RISK OF DEATH. SO THEN YOU WONDER, WELL, THAT STUDENT THAT'S IN SCHOOL WHO HAS THAT POCKET KNIFE, HE MIGHT EVEN HAVE A HISTORY OF FIGHTING. BUT ON THIS DAY HE WAS SEARCHED FROM A STUDENT WHO SUBMITTED SOME INFORMATION TO AN ADMINISTRATOR. HE WASN'T USING THE KNIFE DURING A FIGHT. HE DOES ADMIT THAT HE CARRIES THE KNIFE FOR SELF-DEFENSE, BUT HE DIDN'T THREATEN ANYBODY. WELL, HE MAY HAVE THE ACCESS TO A KNIFE CURRENTLY. NO MOTIVE, BUT EVEN IF HE DID, THERE'S NO IMMEDIACY. AND THAT'S A MAXIMUM TEN DAY SUSPENSION. AND YOU CAN EXTEND THAT LOGIC TO MANY OTHER EXAMPLES TO KNOW WHY STUDENTS WHO THE PUBLIC MAY THINK ARE TOO DANGEROUS TO BE IN SCHOOL ARE NOT EXPELLED. IN ADDITION, THE LAW OR MSD HAS ESTABLISHED NOT NOT ONLY DOES IT HAVE TO BE AN IMMINENT THREAT, BUT I CAN'T EXPEL A STUDENT FOR DOING HARMFUL THINGS LIKE FIGHTING OR HURTING A TEACHER, ATTACKING A STUDENT. UNLESS THERE IS EVIDENCE TO SHOW THAT THE STUDENT POSES AN ONGOING RISK OF CONTINUING HARM. ONE OF MY CASES INVOLVED A STUDENT WHO SEXUALLY ASSAULTED ANOTHER STUDENT, WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AT THE STATE, AND THEY SAID, YEAH, THAT WAS PRETTY BAD. BUT MR. WILLIAMS, DO YOU HAVE ANY EVIDENCE TO SHOW THAT THE STUDENT WOULD CONTINUE SEXUALLY ASSAULTING? AND I SAID, NO, BUT WHAT HE DID WAS BAD ENOUGH, AND I FACTORED IN SOME MITIGATING THINGS, AND HE NEEDS TO BE OUT FOR 45 DAYS. AND THEY SAID, YOUR DECISION DEFIES LOGIC BECAUSE NO EVIDENCE THAT I PRESENTED. SO I LEARNED FROM THAT. AND I WORKED WITH OUR LEGAL COUNSEL, AND WE DEVELOPED THE FIRST TOOL OF ITS KIND IN THE STATE CALLED THE RISK AFTER HARM ASSESSMENT. I DON'T HAVE TIME TO GO INTO DETAILS, BUT OUR ADMINISTRATORS CAN NOW PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE RUBRIC SCORE AS AN EVIDENCE EXHIBIT FOR ANY FUTURE DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDING THAT SHOWS A STUDENT DOES OR DOES NOT, IN FACT, PRESENT AN ONGOING RISK OF HARM TO JUSTIFY EXPULSION. LET'S LOOK AT THIS SCENE FOR A MOMENT AND LET ME EXPLAIN. BECAUSE THIS HAPPENS MORE OFTEN THAN WE WANT. LET'S SAY IT'S A KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM, AND A KINDERGARTEN STUDENT HAS A VIOLENT EPISODE AND IS THROWING THINGS, KNOCKING FURNITURE OVER, THROWING THINGS AT OTHER STUDENTS, AND ATTACKING THE TEACHER. THE PRINCIPAL COMES IN, HELPS THE TEACHER. THE TEACHER NEXT DOOR LEAVES HER CLASS, COMES IN AND DOES HER BEST TO EVACUATE THE KINDERGARTNERS INTO HER CLASSROOM. YOU CAN IMAGINE THE SCENE. IT'S CHAOS. STUDENTS ARE CRYING. THEY'RE ASKING FOR THEIR

[02:30:02]

MOMMY. THEY WANT TO GO HOME. LEARNING HAS COME TO A SCREECHING HALT, AND IT'S GOING TO BE IMPACTED FOR DAYS. AND WEEKS AFTERWARDS. WE USED TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME SUSPENSION TO THAT STUDENT TO COMMUNICATE THAT THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE AND TO GET THE PARENTS ATTENTION THAT IT'S UNACCEPTABLE TO PROVIDE SOME RELIEF TO THE STUDENTS AND THE TEACHERS WHO EXPERIENCED THAT TRAUMA, AND ALSO TO LET THE PARENTS KNOW WE CARE AND WE TAKE SAFETY SERIOUSLY. WE CAN'T DO THAT ANYMORE. THE LAW SAYS THAT THAT STUDENT CAN ONLY BE SUSPENDED IF THERE'S AN IMMINENT THREAT OF SERIOUS HARM THAT CAN'T BE REMOVED OR DECREASED BY INTERVENTIONS AS DETERMINED BY A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL, LIKE A SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST. FOLKS AT THAT LEVEL WITH INTENSIVE INTERVENTIONS, THAT STUDENT IS EVENTUALLY GOING TO CALM DOWN LATER THAT DAY, OR AT LEAST BY THE NEXT DAY. AND THAT STUDENT WILL RETURN TO THAT CLASSROOM, AND THE TRAUMA CYCLE WILL CONTINUE. AND THAT IS A MAJOR CHALLENGE THAT OUR SCHOOLS FACE TODAY. LET'S TALK ABOUT REPORTABLE OFFENSES. THESE ARE OR REPORTABLE OFFENSE LAW ALLOWS THE REMOVAL OF STUDENTS CHARGED WITH SERIOUS CRIMES BEFORE THEY GO TO COURT. THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT IT. NOTICE AND THE AUTHORITY TO REMOVE. I CAN ONLY BE NOTIFIED BY THE AGENCY OF THE CHARGING OFFICER. SO IF A STUDENT WAS CHARGED BY A HARFORD COUNTY SHERIFF, I'LL GET NOTIFIED BY THE HARFORD COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE OR THE DEPUTY WHO DID THE WHO MADE THE CHARGE CAN'T BE NOTIFIED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, NOT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE SERVICES, NOT THE STATE'S ATTORNEY OR ANYBODY ELSE. I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN HARFORD COUNTY DO A GREAT JOB OF CONSISTENTLY NOTIFYING ME, NOT SO MUCH FOR AGENCIES OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AND WE DO HAVE SOME STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM WHO HAVE ENROLLED WITHOUT ME KNOWING THAT THEY HAVE SERIOUS CRIMINAL CHARGES AND OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS, AND THAT'S A PROBLEM. EVEN IF I DID GET NOTIFIED, THE BAR IS SO HIGH FOR REMOVING THE STUDENTS, IT HARDLY EVER HAPPENS. ONCE AGAIN, WE GO BACK TO THE BAR OF IMMINENT THREAT OF SERIOUS HARM FOR STUDENTS WHO COMMIT CRIMES IN THE COMMUNITY. FOR EXAMPLE, ONE OF OUR CASES INVOLVED A STUDENT WHO I WAS LATER INFORMED WAS CHARGED IN BALTIMORE CITY WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER, AND THE ATTORNEY ARGUED. BUT THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANY STUDENTS IN HARFORD COUNTY. MR. WILLIAMS, HE'S AN IMPLIED RISK, I GET IT, BUT HE'S WORKING ON IT AND HE'S BEEN ACCOUNTABLE, AND HE'S WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF JUVENILE SERVICES. BUT CLEARLY HE'S NOT AN IMMINENT THREAT. THERE'S NO IMMEDIATE DANGER TO THE STUDENTS OF YOUR SCHOOL SYSTEM, AND I CAN'T REMOVE THAT STUDENT THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE. SOME PEOPLE SAY, WHY DON'T YOU JUST KEEP OUR SCHOOLS SAFE DESPITE THE LAW? I GET ASKED THAT ONCE IN A WHILE, AND THERE ARE AT LEAST FOUR REASONS THERE ARE DEFENSE ATTORNEYS THAT STUDY MY DISCIPLINE DECISIONS, LOOKING FOR A LAWSUIT OR A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. THE MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EXPECTS US TO FOLLOW THEIR RULES WHEN IT COMES TO DISCIPLINE. THEY CAN AND HAVE WITHHELD MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF OUR BUDGET BECAUSE OF DISPROPORTIONATE SUSPENSION. IN ONE CASE, AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS RECEIVING SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES. IN FACT, OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, WE'VE HAD $5.3 MILLION REALLOCATED AND THAT MONEY IS HELD AND ONLY PROVIDED IF WE'RE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT WE'RE WILLING TO PAY FOR STAFFING AND PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, MSD PROVIDES INCREASING OVERSIGHT AND CONTROL. IF WE DON'T FOLLOW THEIR RULES, IN EFFECT, WE COULD LOSE CONTROL OF SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS IF WE'RE NOT GOING TO FOLLOW THE LAWS, THERE WOULD BE TREMENDOUS PUBLIC PROTEST FROM PASSIONATE ADVOCATES WHO HOLD US ACCOUNTABLE FOR FOLLOWING THE LAWS. IT WOULD BE INCREDIBLY DISRUPTIVE TO SCHOOL OPERATIONS.

I KNOW THERE ARE PASSIONATE PEOPLE THAT ALSO WANT THE LAWS TO CHANGE FOR SAFETY, BUT LET'S BE CLEAR IF YOU WANT THESE LAWS CHANGED, LET'S DIRECT YOUR EFFORTS IN THE RIGHT PLACE. IT'S NOT DOCTOR SEAN BULSON, IT'S NOT DOCTOR AARON BOYNTON. IT'S NOBODY SITTING ON THE BOARD

[02:35:02]

TODAY. IT'S NOT YOUR PRINCIPALS. AND IT'S CERTAINLY NOT ME. DIRECT YOUR EFFORTS AT THE MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND YOUR MARYLAND LEGISLATORS. I THINK I'VE LEFT A FEW MINUTES FOR QUESTIONS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PASSIONATE PRESENTATION. OPEN IT UP FOR BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. OH, WELL, I'M KIND OF SOMEWHAT SPEECHLESS. I JUST, YOU KNOW, IT'S THIS IS HARD. THIS IS HARD TO LISTEN TO AND HARD TO RECOGNIZE. AND I KNOW, YOU KNOW, LOOKING BACK IN OUR HISTORY, WE USED TO HAVE A BAD SCHOOL WHERE THE KIDS GOT SENT TO, YOU KNOW, IF THEY CONTINUED TO BE DISRUPTIVE, CONTINUED TO BE PROBLEMATIC. WHAT DO THE LEGISLATORS HAVE AGAINST THAT? IF I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION, YOU'RE ASKING WHAT OPPOSITION IS THERE LEGISLATIVELY TO HAVING A SCHOOL SET UP FOR STUDENTS WHO VIOLATE SCHOOL RULES? THAT'S RIGHT. THERE'S NOTHING PREVENTING A SCHOOL SYSTEM FROM HAVING AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL WHERE STUDENTS GO THERE SIMPLY HAS TO BE. THE BAR IS HIGH TO EVEN GET THE STUDENTS SUSPENDED TO THAT SCHOOL. AND THEN, OF COURSE, THERE HAS TO BE A REENTRY PLAN TO ALLOW THAT STUDENT TO EARN THEIR WAY BACK TO REGULAR SCHOOL. BUT THERE'S NOTHING STOPPING A SCHOOL SYSTEM FROM HAVING IT. I DON'T WANT TO PRESENT SWAN CREEK E-LEARNING AS THAT PLACE WHERE BAD STUDENTS GO. IT'S NOT. HOWEVER, IF A STUDENT IS SUSPENDED FROM A REGULAR SCHOOL, THAT'S ONE OPTION THAT WE CAN PROVIDE STUDENTS TO GET EDUCATIONAL SERVICES THROUGH THE SWAN CREEK E-LEARNING PROGRAM. SOME PARENTS ACCEPT IT AND SOME PARENTS DON'T. DO WE? DO WE GET A LOT OF PUSHBACK WHEN WE ATTEMPT TO DO THAT? LIKE, DO WE HAVE TO JUSTIFY EACH OCCURRENCE? I GUESS, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THAT VARIES, BUT EVERY SINGLE SUSPENSION AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL IS AN INDIVIDUALIZED ANALYSIS OF DISRUPTION AND RISK AND THREAT. AND EVERY SINGLE SUSPENSION TO THE SUPERINTENDENT IS AN INDIVIDUALIZED ANALYSIS. ALSO. AND YES, THERE'S PUSHBACK FROM ATTORNEYS AND ADVOCATES AND PARENTS AND STUDENTS AND A VARIETY OF STAKEHOLDERS. MR. WILLIAMS, ONE THING MAYBE I THINK THAT WOULD HELP TO CLARIFY IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REASSIGNING A STUDENT TO A SIMILAR SCHOOL OR REASSIGNING THEM TO A PLACE THAT IS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT, LIKE SWAN CREEK, BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S A DISTINCTION IN THERE THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. SURE. WE IN HARFORD COUNTY, WE DO NOT OFFER STUDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRANSFER FROM ONE REGULAR SCHOOL TO ANOTHER REGULAR SCHOOL WHEN THEY'RE REMOVED FOR DISCIPLINARY REASONS. WE PROVIDE THE SWAN CREEK SCHOOL E-LEARNING PROGRAM AS THE PLACE FOR LEARNING. IF THE SUSPENSION IS LONGER THAN 20 DAYS, SO BETWEEN ONE DAY AND 20 DAYS, THEY'RE GOING TO GET MAKE UP WORK FROM THEIR REGULAR SCHOOL. BUT IN ALMOST ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, ALL WE OFFER TO SUSPENDED OR EXPELLED STUDENTS IS THE SWAN CREEK SCHOOL. E-LEARNING PROGRAM, AND WE DON'T TRANSFER STUDENTS TO OTHER REGULAR SCHOOLS. I WOULD JUST ADD TO THAT IN MANY CASES, THE FULLY VIRTUAL OPTION IS CHOSEN BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY PIECE. SO THAT IS THE ONLY PLACE THAT'S THE ONLY PROGRAM WE COULD PUT A CHILD IN WHERE THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE IN CONTACT WITH OTHER STUDENTS PHYSICALLY ON A DAILY BASIS, WHERE OTHER STUDENTS, IF IT'S NOT A SAFETY RISK, MAY BE GOING TO SWAN CREEK IN PERSON IN THE HYBRID PROGRAM. MR. HENNIGAN, SORRY, JUST ONE OTHER THING FROM THE PRESENTATION. COULD YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT? I FEEL LIKE I HEARD SOME EARS GO UP OR SOME EYES OPEN WIDER. WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE DISTRICT, THE IMPACT OF WHEN WE'RE DEEMED DISPROPORTIONATE. SO THE DISPROPORTIONALITY PROCESS WOULD BE HELPFUL I THINK. SO THAT STARTED FOR US IN 20 1819. THERE'S VARIOUS AREAS WHERE WE WERE DISPROPORTIONATE IN THE AREA OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT SUBGROUPS FOR DIFFERENT REASONS, WHETHER IT BE THEIR IDENTIFICATION OF THEIR DISABILITY OR THE PLACEMENT INTO INTO A SEPARATE DAY PROGRAM. BUT AS FAR AS THE DISCIPLINE PIECE, WE WERE FOUND TO BE DISPROPORTIONATE IN OUR SUSPENSIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES WITH IEPS. SO WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING AT IS, ARE OUR SUBGROUPS IN YOUR SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT ARE SUSPENDED AT A HIGHER RATE THAN OTHER SUBGROUPS? AND SO SINCE 2018, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE YEAR, WE HAVE BEEN DISPROPORTIONATE IN THAT AREA. WHAT THAT HAS MEANT, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THEY TOOK VARYING AMOUNTS PER YEAR, BUT ROUGHLY IN THE RANGE OF 1.2 TO $1.4 MILLION OUT OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION BUDGET, WHICH MEANT THERE WERE THINGS IN THAT BUDGET WE HAD TO FIND A WAY TO COVER. AND LUCKILY WE WERE ABLE TO. BUT IF WE WERE NOT ABLE TO, THAT WOULD HAVE MEANT POSSIBLE REDUCTION IN POSITIONS. AND THEN THAT MONEY HAS TO BE REALLOCATED TO PROGRAMS AND PEOPLE NOT IN THE

[02:40:01]

AREA OF SPECIAL EDUCATION THAT ARE GOING TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. SO WE HAVE SPENT THE LAST FEW YEARS TRYING TO FIND DIFFERENT WAYS TO ADDRESS IT, BECAUSE IT IS A COUNTY WIDE DATA POINT. SO THAT HAS RANGED FROM EVERYTHING FROM CHECK AND CONNECT MENTORS TO SOCIAL WORKERS TO AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS, TO THINGS WE'RE TRYING TO DO TO PREVENT THE SUSPENSIONS FROM HAPPENING. SO THE APPROACH WAS NOT SO MUCH OF WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO DIFFERENT AFTER THE EVENT HAPPENS, OTHER THAN SUSPENSION? IT WAS MORE OF HOW DO WE WORK WITH STUDENTS SO THAT THE BEHAVIOR DOESN'T HAPPEN TO BEGIN WITH. AND SO THAT'S THAT HAS BEEN THE EFFORTS WE'VE BEEN SORT OF WORKING TO FOR THE LAST. IT'S ABOUT SIX YEARS AT THIS POINT, FIVE, SIX YEARS. BUT THE CONTINUAL ISSUE IS THAT THAT MONEY IS OUT OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION BUDGET, AND WE HAVE GOT TO BACKFILL IT EACH YEAR TO BE ABLE TO COVER IT. SO YOU MENTIONED LIKE REASSIGNING TO ANOTHER REGULAR SCHOOL, WHICH WE HAVEN'T REALLY DONE, BUT WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL STUDENTS WITH THE BOUNDARY ISSUES REQUEST TO BE ASSIGNED TO THEM TO ANOTHER SCHOOL BECAUSE OF ISSUES IN THEIR SCHOOL. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD BE LOOKED AT. I'D BE HAPPY TO KNOW.

MISS ALVAREZ, I'VE BEEN INVITED BACK TO SPEAK ABOUT BOUNDARY EXCEPTIONS. OKAY. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. YEAH, WE DO SOMETIMES HAVE STUDENTS. WE DON'T OFTEN APPROVE THEM ON THEIR FACE. SO IF A PARENT SAYS, I WANT MY CHILD TO GO TO SCHOOL A BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE THE ATMOSPHERE IN SCHOOL B OBVIOUSLY IN THIS PAST INCIDENT, THERE WERE SOME CONCESSIONS MADE AND A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT PROCESS CREATED TO ALLOW FOR SOME MOVEMENT. BUT WE ULTIMATELY TRY TO GET PARENTS TO WORK WITH THE ADMINISTRATION BECAUSE WE TRULY BELIEVE IN OUR OFFICE THAT EVERY ONE OF OUR SCHOOLS IS DYNAMIC AND EXCELLENT, AND CAN WORK THROUGH THESE ISSUES WITH THE PARENTS. SO THERE ARE PARENTS THAT YOU WILL SEE FROM TIME TO TIME WHO DO REQUEST THAT MOVE, BUT WE HAVE A MORE OF A HIGHER BAR WHERE WE'RE EXPECTING THERE'S GOT TO BE SOME OTHER CRITERIA INVOLVED IN ORDER FOR THAT MOVE TO HAPPEN. OTHERWISE WE WOULD HAVE PEOPLE SWITCHING SCHOOLS CONSTANTLY BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T LIKE THE LUNCH THAT WAS OFFERED OR WHATEVER IT IS. SO IT'S A PRETTY HIGH BAR AT THIS POINT TO GET THE BOUNDARY EXCEPTION, BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO BE SPENDING, YOU KNOW, AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, MAYBE FIVE, SIX YEARS IN ANOTHER BUILDING.

WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S FOR A VALID REASON. AND, YOU KNOW, MR. WILLIAMS USES THE WORD GUEST A LOT. YOU'RE NOW A GUEST IN THAT BUILDING. SO THERE'S AN EXPECTATION FOR YOUR GRADES, BEHAVIOR AND ATTENDANCE WHILE YOU'RE ON THAT BOUNDARY EXCEPTION. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT WHEN IT COMES TO DISPROPORTIONALITY, I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH MSD DISPROPORTIONALITY CALCULATIONS FOR ABOUT A DECADE, JUST WHEN WE WORKED SO HARD AND MEET THE STANDARD AND DO WHAT IS ASKED, THE GOAL LINE CHANGES. IT'S LIKE WRITING SOMETHING IN MICROSOFT WORD AND YOU DO SPELL CHECK AND YOU GO, YES. AND THEN YOU FIND OUT THAT YOUR GRAMMAR IS OFF.

YOU FIX YOUR GRAMMAR. NOW YOUR PUNCTUATION IS OFF. IT KEEPS CHANGING AND IT'S FRUSTRATING.

AND I WOULD JUST ADD ONE LAST THING TO THAT, PAULINE TIMMONS IS ONE OF OUR, OUR ONE OF OUR, OUR GRANT COORDINATOR IN THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION. SHE WORKS VERY CLOSELY WITH MANAGING THESE FUNDS AND WRITING THE GRANT EVERY YEAR FOR WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING WITH THEM. AND FROM HER PERSPECTIVE, THIS IS THE STRICTEST BAR, HIGHEST BAR IN THE NATION, AND WE ARE NOT HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS AS A COUNTY WITH REGARDS TO OUR GENERAL EDUCATION POPULATION.

IT'S JUST OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS. WE DO GET DATA ON OUR DISPROPORTIONALITY ACROSS THE BOARD, NOT JUST SPECIAL EDUCATION, BUT WE'RE NOT HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THAT. BUT IN OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION AREA, WE ARE. I DID HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. SO MY FIRST KIND OF DEALS WITH, YOU KNOW, WE CONSTANTLY REFER TO THE BAR, AND I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF YOU COULD SPEAK MORE ON THE TRANSITION OF HOW THAT BAR HAS BEEN RAISED OVER A GIVEN TIMELINE, AND THEN ALSO TOUCH ON THE FACT AS WHAT THE COMMUNITY CAN DO AS A LEGISLATOR IN WORKING WITH THEM. THE BAR WITH RESPECT TO SUSPENSION, TEN YEARS AGO, THE DISCRETION WAS UP TO OUR SCHOOL PRINCIPALS AND THE SUPERINTENDENTS DESIGNEE TO DETERMINE WHAT DISRUPTION SHOULD RESULT IN REMOVAL. SO THERE WAS A GREAT DEAL OF DISCRETION. THAT WAS THE SAME FOR VIOLENCE. AND AGGRESSION. SO AN ATTACK ON A STUDENT USUALLY RESULTED IN A REFERRAL TO THE SUPERINTENDENT, DRUGS REFERRAL TO THE SUPERINTENDENT. EVACUATING THE BUILDING WITH A FIRE ALARM. PULL TO THE SUPERINTENDENT. BUT IN 2014, THE BAR JUMPED TO CRITERIA FOR CHRONIC DISRUPTION. THAT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO MEET. AND THEN THE IMMINENT THREAT CRITERIA, WHICH IS VERY DIFFICULT TO MEET PRE-K TO TWO SUSPENSION IS UNLAWFUL FOR ALMOST EVERYTHING. BUT IF YOU DID MEET THE STANDARD, ONLY FIVE DAYS FOR THE

[02:45:03]

LAST SEVERAL YEARS THERE HAS BEEN LEGISLATION PROPOSED, BUT NOT PASSED. THAT MAKES SUSPENSION ILLEGAL FOR ALL DISRUPTION EXCEPT FOR IMMINENT THREAT. SO THOSE ARE SOME WAYS IN WHICH THE BAR HAS CONTINUED TO CHANGE. AND I WOULD ADD TO THAT, I THINK IF YOU WERE TO STEP BACK AND LOOK, LOOK AT THE SITUATION, YOU WOULD SEE THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS NO SUSPENSIONS FOR ANYBODY. BUT SINCE THAT'S NOT GETTING ANYWHERE, IT'S A SLOW CHIP AWAY AT THIS POPULATION. THAT POPULATION, SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS AND MCKINNEY-VENTO STUDENTS ARE ON THE ARE ON THE BORDER RIGHT NOW OF PROBABLY BEING THE NEXT GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT WE MAY BE TOLD IN OUR TENURE THAT CANNOT BE SUSPENDED FOR ANY REASON. THAT IS BEING PROPOSED RIGHT NOW BY MSD. WITH REGARDS TO OUR MCKINNEY-VENTO STUDENTS, OTHER THAN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. SO IT'S THE PRE-K TO TWO WAS A HUGE CHUNK OF THAT. SO THEY TOOK, YOU KNOW, FOUR GRADE LEVELS. YEAH, FOUR GRADE LEVELS OUT OF OUR 13. PARDON ME. MCKINNEY-VENTO MCKINNEY-VENTO IS THE LAW THAT GOVERNS HOW WE WORK WITH OUR HOMELESS POPULATION. SO RIGHT THERE THEY TOOK FOUR GRADES OF OUR 13 GRADES. AND BASICALLY RENDERED IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DO SUSPENSION. SO IT'S SLOWLY CHIPPING AWAY TO MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT TO IMPOSE THEM, WHICH MEANS THAT, YOU KNOW, AND WE SPOKE ABOUT THIS SEVERAL WEEKS AGO REGARDING MENTAL HEALTH. IT'S WHY WE NEED TO THEN CIRCLE BACK AND DO WHAT WE CAN ON THE FRONT END, OR ELSE WE'RE GOING TO BE CHASING OUR TAILS AS FAR AS LEGISLATION, DOCTOR BOYNTON SPOKE EARLIER ABOUT THE MEETING. WE HAD LAST WEEK, RIGHT? YEAH. IT'S MONDAY LAST WEEK AND THAT WAS VERY ENCOURAGING TO HEAR THE EFFORTS THAT ARE BEING MADE TO POSSIBLY TRY TO CHANGE SOME OF THE LAWS, CHANGE HOW WE HANDLE, ESPECIALLY WITH WHEN IT COMES TO REPORTABLE OFFENSES AND THE NOTIFICATION THAT WE GET WHEN WE GET IT AND HOW WE CAN RESPOND TO THAT. BECAUSE AS MR. WILLIAMS SPOKE ABOUT, EVEN WHEN WE GET THE REPORTABLE OFFENSE, THERE HAS TO BE A NEXUS TO THE SCHOOL. SO WE HAVE TO SHOW THAT THAT REPORTABLE OFFENSE COULD COME INTO THE BUILDING AND BE A PROBLEM. I'LL GIVE YOU A ROADMAP. YOU ASKED FOR SUGGESTIONS. WE DON'T NEED THE IMMINENT THREAT CRITERIA. IT NEEDS TO GO. WE DON'T NEED THE CRITERIA FOR CHRONIC DISRUPTION. IT NEEDS TO GO LAWFULLY. ALLOW THE STATE'S ATTORNEY TO REPORT JUVENILE CRIMINAL CHARGES TO ME. I WILL KEEP DANGEROUS STUDENTS OUT OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. IF THAT HAPPENS, DEVELOP A STATEWIDE DATABASE FOR JUVENILE CHARGES SO I'LL KNOW ABOUT CHARGES IN OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS. LAW ENFORCEMENT SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO COMMUNICATE TO ME. GANG ASSOCIATION. THEY DON'T. THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO SO.

THEY SHOULD BE. LAWFULLY ALLOW SCHOOL OFFICIALS TO PLACE UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS WITHOUT SCHOOL RECORDS IN AN ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION SETTING UNTIL THEY DEMONSTRATE APPROPRIATE AND SAFE SCHOOL BEHAVIOR. CURRENTLY, I CANNOT DO THAT. ALL JUVENILES CHARGED OR CONVICTED OF A SEX CRIME AGAINST A CHILD SHOULD HAVE RESTRICTIONS AROUND CHILDREN. THEY SHOULD BE PLACED ON A JUVENILE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY. THAT WAY, I WOULD BE LAWFULLY AUTHORIZED TO PLACE THOSE STUDENTS IN ALTERNATIVE ED SERVICES AWAY FROM CHILDREN. CURRENTLY, I'M NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AGENCIES SHOULD HAVE THE DISCRETION TO INFORM ME WHEN STUDENTS ARE SUSPECTS IN FELONY CRIMES, NOT WAIT UNTIL THEY'RE CHARGED. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT MAY FACTOR SOME NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE INVESTIGATION, WHICH WOULD HAVE TO BE PART OF IT. BUT YOU ASK WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN? AND THERE'S THE ROADMAP TO SAFER SCHOOLS. THANK YOU. AND THEN I WAS ALSO JUST CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT THOSE OTHER ALTERNATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES ARE, ASIDE FROM SWAN CREEK. SWAN CREEK. AND THEN WHEN THOSE STUDENTS WHO AREN'T SENT TO THOSE ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS, WHEN THEY'RE MAKING UP THOSE ASSIGNMENTS, IS IT COUNTED AS EXCUSED? BECAUSE I KNOW TODAY IN OUR CURRENT SYSTEM, YOU DON'T HAVE THAT ABILITY TO MAKE UP THOSE ASSIGNMENTS UNLESS YOUR ABSENCE IS EXCUSED BETWEEN 1 AND 20 DAYS. SUSPENSION IS LAWFULLY EXCUSED, AND MAKE UP WORK FROM THE HOME SCHOOL IS WHAT IS PROVIDED. A STUDENT TRANSFERS TO SWAN CREEK SCHOOL, SO IT'S NOT AN ABSENCE ANYMORE. YOU JUST TRANSFER TO A DIFFERENT SCHOOL IN HARFORD COUNTY. IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT MY OFFER OF SWAN CREEK E-LEARNING SCHOOL, YOU CAN CHOOSE TO TRANSFER TO HOME SCHOOL. YOU CAN TRANSFER TO A DIFFERENT SCHOOL SYSTEM IF YOU'RE 16 OR OLDER. YOU CAN ENROLL IN THE MILTON HERSHEY SCHOOL. THE FREE STATE CHALLENGE ACADEMY, JOB CORPS. ONCE YOU TURN 18, YOU CAN GO TO HARFORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND STUDY IN THE ADULT BASIC EDUCATION PROGRAM. THANK YOU, MR. WILLIAM. COULD YOU PROVIDE US WITH THAT LIST THAT YOU JUST READ OFF? COULD YOU PROVIDE IT TO THE BOARD? I SAID A LOT OF LISTS, DOCTOR BRUCE. WHICH WHICH ONE? NO, THE LAST ONE. YOU JUST WENT THROUGH ABOUT THE LEGISLATION, YOUR RECOMMENDATION. RECOMMENDATION? MY ROADMAP TO SAFER SCHOOLS. YES, YES. OKAY.

[02:50:04]

OKAY. PLEASE. YOU WANT ME TO PROVIDE THAT AT A LATER TIME, NOT JUST REPEAT IT NOW, JUST EMAIL IT TO ME AND I'LL SEND IT TO THE PRESIDENT. HE'LL MAKE SURE WE GET IT. JUST AN ADDITIONAL NOTE BECAUSE OF THE AGES CAME UP SEVERAL YEARS AGO. SOMEWHERE AROUND 2015, 16, THE AGE FOR ENROLLMENT WENT UP TO 18. SO PRIOR TO THAT, STUDENTS AT 16 COULD GO INTO THESE OTHER PROGRAMS, GED PROGRAMS. THAT'S NO LONGER LEGAL OR SO. STUDENTS HAVE TO BE ENROLLED IN SCHOOL UNTIL THE AGE OF 18, OR IF THEY GRADUATE PRIOR TO THAT, THESE OTHER PROGRAMS, WHILE THEY'RE GREAT AND WE DO STILL RECOMMEND THEM, IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT THE STATE CONSIDERS THEM DROPOUTS.

SO A STUDENT LEAVES US TO GO TO THE FREE STATE CHALLENGE PROGRAM, OR THEY GO TO THE JOB CORPS. IT'S STILL CONSIDERED A DROPOUT, EVEN THOUGH THEY CAN GO THERE AND GET THEIR GED AND MAYBE BE A CARPENTER IN THREE YEARS FROM NOW, THEY'RE STILL CONSIDERED A DROPOUT, WHICH IS REALLY UNFORTUNATE. SO THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT WE'RE UP AGAINST IS WE HAVE A LEGAL OBLIGATION TO KEEP STUDENTS ENROLLED IN SCHOOL UNTIL THE AGE OF 18 OR AGAIN, UNLESS THEY GRADUATE PRIOR TO THAT. SO WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF PUBLIC COMMENT ABOUT THE STUDENT WHO WAS CHARGED WITH SEXUAL ASSAULT, WHAT REPORTING RESTRICTIONS DO WE HAVE? LIKE PEOPLE ARE SAYING, WELL, WE SHOULD HAVE NOTIFIED THE COMMUNITY AND ALL THAT WE HAD REPORTING RESTRICTIONS ON US, RIGHT? LEGALLY. SO WHAT RESTRICTIONS DID WE HAVE IN THAT SITUATION AND WHAT KNOWLEDGE WE DIDN'T HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF THIS PREVIOUSLY. CORRECT. SO I JUST WANT TO BE CAREFUL BECAUSE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A STUDENT. SO OUR KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT OCCURRED AND WHAT HE WAS BEING CHARGED WITH OCCURRED A WEEK AFTER HE WAS WITHDRAWN FROM OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM. SO HE IS WITH US UNTIL JANUARY. HE WITHDREW A WEEK LATER. WE FOUND OUT WHY HE WITHDREW BECAUSE HE WAS IN THE CUSTODY OF THE POLICE. SO PRIOR TO THAT, WHILE HE WAS WITH US, WE HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF ANY OF HIS CHARGES OR ANYTHING. HE WAS BEING WHAT HE WAS BEING LOOKED INTO FOR. AND THIS GOES BACK TO WHAT MR. WILLIAMS SPOKE TO EARLIER. IT GETS VERY CONVOLUTED BECAUSE THE POLICE ARE TRYING TO DO THEIR JOB AND INVESTIGATE THE CRIME, BUT ALSO UNDERSTAND WE HAVE A, YOU KNOW, OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL FROM A SAFETY POINT OF VIEW. BUT ONCE WE'RE AWARE OF IT, THEN THE STUDENT'S GOING TO BECOME AWARE OF IT. AND THEN HE KNOWS HE'S BEING INVESTIGATED. SO I CAN'T SPEAK TO THE NUANCES. THAT'S ALL. ON THE POLICE SIDE. BUT I WOULD SAY FROM A SCHOOL SYSTEM, I'VE HEARD THIS FOR SEVERAL WEEKS NOW, SEVERAL BOARD MEETINGS, PEOPLE MAKING ACCUSATIONS, AND I WILL CONCRETELY SAY WE HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF ANY OF HIS CHARGES UNTIL AFTER HE ALREADY WITHDREW AND WAS IN POLICE CUSTODY. THEN WE WERE MADE AWARE, AND I GUESS ONE OF THE NUANCE THERE IS MOST OF THE LAWS ABOUT INFORMING US ONLY COME INTO PLAY AFTER SOMEONE'S BEEN ARRESTED. AND SO IN THE LEGISLATION FROM THE MEETING THAT WE DISCUSSED LAST WEEK, THERE'S ATTEMPTS TO CONSIDER HOW TO CREATE A SPACE FOR SOME AGENCY TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH US WHEN IT'S SORT OF AN EXCEPTIONAL NATURE, AS THIS WAS. AND SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS ALREADY BEING CONSIDERED HOW TO CREATE A DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCE, BECAUSE YOU KNOW THAT PARTICULAR INCIDENT, AS WE SAID, AND I, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN VARYING INFORMATION OUT THERE, BUT EVEN EVEN THE FOX REPORT, WHEN YOU WATCHED THE WHOLE REPORT OF THE SITUATION, THEY THEY DID ACCURATELY REPORT WHAT HAPPENED. AND SO, AGAIN, I WOULD SAY THAT WOULDN'T HAVE NORMALLY WOULDN'T HAVE TRIGGERED A NOTIFICATION BECAUSE THERE HAD BEEN NO ARREST. BUT EVEN CONSIDERING HOW SERIOUS THE CASE WAS, I THINK WE'RE HOPING THAT THERE CAN BE SOME LEGISLATION THAT REQUIRES SPACE FOR SOMEONE AT SOME ENTIT, POSSIBLY THE STATE'S ATTORNEY, TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXERCISE SOME JUDGMENT, TO SHARE IN SITUATIONS THAT ARE SORT OF THIS EXTREME. ABSOLUTELY. AND THAT CAME UP LAST WEEK. IT IS DEFINITELY A SLIPPERY SLOPE BECAUSE IF THEY TELL US SOMEONE'S A SUSPECT, WE ACT TO REMOVE THEM FROM SCHOOL. AND THEN SIX MONTHS LATER WE FIND OUT THE CHILD DID NOTHING WRONG AND THEY'VE BEEN REMOVED FROM SCHOOL FOR SIX MONTHS BECAUSE THEY WERE A SUSPECT. THAT BECOMES PROBLEMATIC TOO. SO IT IS DEFINITELY A BALANCE. BUT IN THIS CASE MUCH MORE EGREGIOUS. AND I THINK THEY WERE PRETTY CERTAIN. SO BUT WE ARE NOT NOTIFIED IF PEOPLE ARE SUSPECTS OR ELSE WE'D BE GETTING NOTIFIED EVERY DAY. LIKELY. SO JUST WHEN THEY'RE CHARGED WITH THE CRIME, I APPRECIATE THAT. AND EVEN AFTER THE STUDENT WAS ARRESTED, AFTER WAS HE WITHDRAWN FROM SCHOOL OR WAS I KNOW THE STUDENT FROM JOPPATOWNE, WE HAVE TO PROVIDE EDUCATION FOR THEM AT THE AT THE DETENTION CENTER.

CORRECT. WE ARE OBLIGATED TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL SERVICES TO STUDENTS AT THE DETENTION CENTER. SO WE HAVE HAD TEACHERS, HOME AND HOSPITAL TEACHERS GO INTO THE DETENTION CENTER AND

[02:55:05]

EDUCATE YOUTH THAT ARE IN THERE FOR VARIOUS CRIMES. APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? YES. THAT WAS AN AWESOME AMOUNT OF INFORMATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH. MY ONE QUESTION REMAINING IS WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT REMOVAL, WHAT IF IT'S JUST REASSIGNMENT TO SWAN CREEK? IN OTHER WORDS, YOU SAID A REVOLVING DOOR ABOUT A 45 DAY SUSPENSION. THEN ANOTHER ONE, ANOTHER ONE. OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, YOU GET TO KNOW WHO'S HAVING ISSUES AND THEIR, YOU KNOW, TRAUMA RELATED ISSUES OR RISKY STUDENTS. ISN'T THERE ANY DISCRETION YOU'RE STILL PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL SERVICES. IT'S JUST YOU'RE BEING REASSIGNED TO SWAN CREEK. THERE ARE TWO PATHWAYS FOR DISCRETIONARY TRANSFER. WITHOUT THE DISCIPLINARY PROCESS TO OUR PARENTS CREDIT, MANY PARENTS HAVE BEEN VERY COOPERATIVE IN WORKING WITH ADMINISTRATORS AND REALIZING THAT THAT CYCLE OF 45 DAY, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE CHRONIC DISRUPTION CYCLE THAT I SPOKE OF, THOSE PARENTS WILL SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? LET'S JUST DO AN ADMINISTRATIVE TRANSFER. YOU HAVE MY APPROVAL. I'LL WORK WITH MY CHILD AND PROVIDE ADEQUATE SUPERVISION SO THAT THEY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL ONLINE. AND LAST YEAR, 430 PARENTS ACCEPTED THAT OFFER FROM ADMINISTRATORS. SO THAT'S A CREDIT TO PARENTS WHO'VE BEEN GOOD PARTNERS WITH US, ALTHOUGH IT'S RARE AND IT WOULDN'T BE FOR DISRUPTION, IT WOULD BE FOR MORE OF A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE SUPERINTENDENT CAN TRANSFER A STUDENT UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE LAW THAT JUST SAYS THE SAFE MANAGEMENT OF SCHOOLS. AND AS THE SUPERINTENDENT'S DESIGNEE, WE DO SOMETIMES MAKE THAT TRANSFER HAPPEN, EVEN IF A PARENT DOESN'T WANT IT TO HAPPEN. BUT IT'S NOT OFTEN AND IT'S FOR EXTREME CASE.

MAYBE THE BAR NEEDS TO BE A LITTLE LOWER ON WHAT THE EXTREME CASES ARE TO MORE ON THE SIDE OF KEEPING THE TEACHERS AND THE OTHER STUDENTS SAFE AND BEING ABLE TO HAVE ACTUAL EDUCATION NOT DISRUPTED, UNDERSTOOD. AND THE BALANCING ACT THAT I WALK EVERY DAY OR THAT I PERFORM IS THE FOR CONSEQUENCES THAT I OUTLINED EARLIER OR WHAT I HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND. SO I'LL CONTINUE TO BALANCE THE BEST THAT I CAN. SCHOOL SAFETY VERSUS LEGAL COMPLIANCE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I'LL JUST SAY THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT OUR COMMUNITY UNDERSTAND, WRITE THE LAWS AND REGULATIONS AND HOW WHAT WE'RE HAVING TO DEAL WITH. I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION, AND I'M HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO GET SOME LEGISLATION MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE ALL SAFE.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I CAN I CAN CENSURE THE FRUSTRATION THAT YOU HAVE WITH THE WITH THE LAWS AND A SENSE THAT YOU FEEL THAT YOUR HANDS ARE TIED ON MANY OF THESE ISSUES. SO THANK YOU FOR COMMUNICATING WHAT THOSE ISSUES ARE. OF COURSE, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE'VE GOT SOME STUDENT DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. ON THE OTHER HAND, I DON'T THINK THE ANSWER IN MANY CASES IS SIMPLY TRANSFERRING THEM TO SWAN CREEK AND, YOU KNOW, THROWING AWAY THE KEY. AND THERE'S LOTS OF STUDENTS THAT HAVE DISCIPLINARY ISSUES THAT ARE GOOD STUDENTS. I ADMIT, I MAY HAVE BEEN CALLED TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE ONCE OR TWICE IN MY LIFE, BUT WHEN I WAS IN THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE, I WAS ALSO SO SCARED THAT I WOULD BE PADDLED. DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN THEY HAD PADDLES? IT WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE 1980S, RIGHT? THEY WOULD, BUT NO ONE EVER PADDLED ME BECAUSE IT WAS JUST THE FEAR. IT WAS THE FEAR THAT YOU COULD BE PADDLED. BUT ALL OF THAT FEAR HAS BEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM THE STUDENTS BECAUSE THE SCALES HAVE TIPPED. SO I LOOK FORWARD TO, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH YOU, THE LEGISLATORS AND EVERYONE ELSE THAT WE'VE GOT INVOLVED IN THIS CONVERSATION TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN GO TO ANNAPOLIS AND TILT THE SCALES BACK TO A LITTLE BIT OF EQUILIBRIUM. SO THANK YOU AND HANG IN THERE. THANK YOU. DID YOU SAY THAT WAS ONLY A MARYLAND THING? I NEVER HEARD OF BATTLING. OH YEAH. YEAH IT WAS IT ENDED IN 1988. YOU HAD ONE MORE THING. WELL, IT KIND OF DOVETAILS NICELY WITH WHAT DOCTOR BOYNE SAID. JUST. IT'S. WE HAVE TO OUR HANDS WILL BE CONTINUALLY TIED. SO WE HAVE GOT TO SHIFT OUR EFFORTS TO THE FRONT AND TRY TO AGAIN GET THE BEHAVIORS NOT TO HAPPEN, NOT CHANGE HOW WE RESPOND TO THEM. AND ONE EFFORT WE'VE MADE MYSELF MY DEPARTMENT, AS WELL AS ELEMENTARY ED SERVICES, HAVE CALLED TOGETHER ALL THE AGENCIES IN THE COUNTY NEXT WEEK TO SORT OF PULL EVERYBODY TOGETHER TO DISSECT THIS 0 TO 5 PROBLEM THAT WE'RE HAVING THAT IS THAT IS OUR CRISIS RIGHT NOW, OUR 0 TO 5 CHILDREN. AND I MEAN FROM BIRTH TO FIVE YEARS OLD TO TALK TO

[03:00:04]

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, THE POLICE.

WE'VE THE CAC, WE'VE PULLED ALL THESE AGENCIES TOGETHER NEXT WEEK TO SAY WE HAVE GOT A CRISIS IN OUR HANDS WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING FROM BIRTH TO FIVE. AND THIS IS NOT A SCHOOL SYSTEM ALONE. IT'S NOT AN ISSUE A SCHOOL SYSTEM ALONE CAN FIX. WE NEED ALL THE AGENCIES TO REALLY GET A COUNTY WIDE CAMPAIGN ON PARENTING AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, BECAUSE IT'S A SEVERE ISSUE THAT WE'RE HAVING RIGHT NOW. AND I REALLY THINK WE CAN PROVIDE THE RESOURCES AND THE HELP TO PARENTS SO THAT WHEN THEIR CHILDREN DO COME INTO PRE-K AND K, THEY ARE ABLE TO REGULATE, THEY ARE ABLE TO LEARN. BUT THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHICH WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO INTO RIGHT NOW, THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO ARE COMING INTO PRE-K AND K UNABLE TO GET THROUGH A DAY, IS JUST INCREASING BY THE DAY. SO THAT IS AN EFFORT WE'RE MAKING NEXT WEEK. AND IT'S THIS IS GOING TO BE SORT OF A COMMUNITY FORUM TO TRY TO ADDRESS THIS. AND I THINK PART OF OUR OBLIGATION AS WELL IS TO TEACH STUDENTS WHAT IS PROPER BEHAVIOR AND IN THE FOLLOW UP THAT YOU SEND WITH YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS, I'D ALSO BE INTERESTED IN LEARNING WHAT OTHER PROGRAMS THERE ARE, OR MAYBE THAT WE CAN PUT IN PLACE OR BUILD ON, SUCH AS MENTORSHIP AND PEER MEDIATION. YEAH. COULD YOU WOULD THE BOARD BE AVAILABLE, I MEAN, INVITED TO ATTEND THAT SESSION THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, POSSIBLY FIRST SESSION. I MEAN, A FUTURE SESSION. THIS FIRST SESSION, WE REALLY WANT TO LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR WHAT WE'RE SEEING AND HEAR WHAT THEY'RE SEEING. AND THEN, I MEAN, THIS IS GOING TO BE YEARS IN THE MAKING TO TRY TO SEE WHAT CAN COME OF THIS. BUT I HAVE NO OPPOSITION TO THAT. I DEFINITELY WOULD LIKE TO CONSULT WITH DOCTOR OLSON. ANY CHANGES THERE, THOUGH? OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUC. EVERYD PLEASE BE SEATED. CLEARED THE ROOM. OKAY. CAN I ASK COUNCIL TO TAKE A SEAT UP FRONT, PLEASE? AND GREG, ON SECOND CHAIR. GREG IS THE BOARD'S COUNSEL. SORRY. SORRY FOR THE BRIEF DELAY, BUT WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS. BUT BEFORE WE DO, I HAVE MADE ONE, AND IT'S ALREADY 925. I MADE ONE ADDITIONAL CHANGE TO THE AGENDA. I HAVE REMOVED OFF ITEM J PRESENTATION ON CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM LOCAL PRIORITIES. AND SHE'S ALREADY LEFT. SO THIS IS IT'S HER. IT WAS KATHY'S FIRST FIRST NIGHT IN HER NEW JOB. BUT THIS IS NOT AN URGENT ITEM AND WE'RE NOT VOTING ON IT. SO I'VE LIGHTENED THE LOAD A LITTLE BIT. SO AS WE MOVE

[Additional Items]

ON EARLIER, THERE WAS A MOTION IN A SECOND AND A VOTE TO REMOVE THE VICE PRESIDENT, MISS HAHN, FROM. EXCUSE ME. YES. I THINK THAT WAS TO ADD IT TO THE AGENDA. I DON'T THINK THAT WAS ACTUALLY A MOTION AND A VOTE TO REMOVE HER. IT WAS JUST TO ADD IT TO THE AGENDA, ADD IT TO THE AGENDA. BUT JUST TO BE CLEAR, BECAUSE THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN SOME CONFUSION EARLIER, IT WAS NOT TO REMOVE HER AS A BOARD MEMBER IS TO REMOVE HER FROM HER POSITION. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS OFTEN, SO I HAD TO CONFER WITH COUNSEL AND HERE IS WHAT WE DETERMINED AS FAR AS THE PROCESS. SO FIRST, UNDER ROBERT'S RULES, THIS MOTION AND SECOND AND VOTE WILL BE ALLOWED. SECOND. MISS HAHN, BECAUSE SHE HAS A PERSONAL INTEREST IN THE MATTER, IS PRECLUDED FROM VOTIN. SHE MAY TAKE A PREFERENTIAL VOT, BUT THAT DOES NOT COUNT TOWARDS THE MAJORITY. SECOND, WE WOULD NEED TO IF THE MOTION. I'M SORRY IF THE VOTE IS SUCCESSFUL, WHICH MEANS THERE WOULD NEED TO BE FIVE VOTES FOR IT TO PASS BECAUSE SHE IS NOT VOTING, WE WOULD NEED TO REAPPOINT A NEW VICE PRESIDENT ON THE REAPPOINTMENT PROCESS. MISS HAHN IS PERMITTED TO VOTE, SO YOU WOULD NEED SIX VOTES IN THE AFFIRMATIVE TO APPOINT A NEW VICE PRESIDENT. OF COURSE, THER. ONE SECOND I'LL BE DONE, AND I'LL BE DONE IN ONE SECOND. AND THEN I'LL OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS. AND BUT IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, IF THAT IS SUCCESSFUL AND YOU ARE INTERESTED, IT WOULD REQUIRE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO NOMINATE A PERSON. HOWEVER, THIS DOES NOT NEED TO BE DONE. THIS EVENING IF IT IS SUCCESSFUL. THE STATE LAW DOES GIVE US 30 DAYS TO REAPPOINT ANY VACANCIES. SO THAT IS WHAT I HAVE DETERMINED BY

[03:05:01]

SPEAKING WITH COUNSEL. AND THEY'VE ACTUALLY BEEN RESEARCHING IT FOR THE PAST FEW HOURS. WE JUST MET. SO AT THIS POINT I'LL OPEN IT UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON WHAT I'VE JUST ANNOUNCED. SO THIS IS MELISSA, AND PER ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER, IT STATES THAT WE GO BY WHAT OUR HANDBOOK STATES AND OUR HANDBOOK SPECIFICALLY SAYS FOR A TERM OF TWO YEARS. SO I'M NOT SURE WHERE THE INFORMATION CAME FROM. THAT THEY'RE GOING BY. BUT IT SPECIFICALLY STATES UNLESS THERE IS SOME SORT OF DISCIPLINARY, FORMAL DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS THAT INVOLVE AN APPOINTMENT OF AN INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE WITH CHARGES THAT ARE CONDUCTED IN A FORMAL TRIAL, THAT THAT IS NOT APPROPRIATE. COUNSEL, CAN YOU JUST READ IT IN OUR IN OUR HANDBOOK ON PAGE 17, IT SAYS ELECTION PURSUANT TO MARYLAND LAW, THE BOARD IS ELECTED A PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT. THE ELECTION OCCURS AT THE FIRST MEETING IN JULY EVERY OTHER YEAR. THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT EACH SERVE A TERM OF TWO YEARS. THE BOARD MUST FILL A VACANCY IF THE PRESIDENT OR VICE PRESIDENT WITHIN 30 DAYS AFTER IT HAS OCCURRED. SO MY TERM IS NOT UP UNTIL JULY. IT CLEARLY STATES THAT IN OUR HANDBOOK, AND IT CLEARLY STATES THAT IN ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER THAT WE GO BY WHAT THE HANDBOOK SAYS. THAT'S ALSO EXACTLY VERBATIM WHAT IS STATED IN THE STATUTE IN TERMS OF THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS. BUT THAT ISN'T RELATED TO REMOVAL VIA A MOTION. SO A MOTION CAN BE MADE TO DO THAT. THERE'S A SEPARATE THERE'S SEPARATE LAW THAT SPEAKS TO IF YOU'RE REMOVING THEM FROM THE BOARD ALTOGETHER, WHERE THE STATE BOARD HAS TO BE INVOLVED. AND THAT'S WHEN YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE GROUNDS THAT THAT ARE SPECIFIED WITHIN THE STATUTE, BUT WHICH IS IMMORALITY, MISCONDUCT IN OFFICE, INCOMPETENCY, WILLFUL NEGLECT, THOSE THINGS. BUT THAT'S FOR IF YOU'RE REMOVING THE POSITION AS A WHOLE. OKAY, I UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT IT STATES THAT THE TERM IS TWO YEARS. AND ROBERT'S RULES SAYS WE GO BY WHAT OUR HANDBOOK SAYS. SO IT ALSO IT ALSO SAYS IN THE STATUTE AND IN THE HANDBOOK, IF THERE'S A VACANCY. SO THERE'S A IT DOES CONTEMPLATE THAT THERE COULD BE A VACANCY WITHIN THOSE TWO YEARS, WHICH IS WHEN IF THERE IS A VACANCY IN THE, IN THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT OR VICE PRESIDENT, THE COUNTY BOARD SHALL FILL THE VACANCY WITHIN 30 DAYS AFTER THE VACANCY OCCURS. IT DOESN'T SPEAK TO HOW THE VACANCY MIGHT OCCUR. SO IT COULD BE IF SOMEONE IS NO LONGER, YOU KNOW, WANTS TO SERVE, IS ABLE TO SERVE AND IS PASSED AWAY, WHATEVER IT WOULD BE. YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T SPEAK TO THAT, BUT IT DOES CONTEMPLATE A VACANCY WITHIN THE STATUTE AND WITHIN THE HANDBOOK AND THE OTHER PROVISIONS. SORRY, I WAS ALSO READING THAT I WAS ALSO READING THAT BY LAW, BECAUSE I'M AN ELECTED MEMBER OF THE BOARD, THAT I AM ALLOWED TO VOTE. WHERE WHERE DO YOU READ THAT? LOOK IT UP. I IT'S NOT IN THE HANDBOOK. IT'S LITERALLY BY LAW, AN ELECTED MEMBER OF THE BOARD. EVEN IF IT WAS YOU THAT WAS THAT THE MOTION WAS MADE AND THERE WERE TRYING TO REMOVE YOU AS PRESIDENT, YOU COULD VOTE. SAME THING FOR ME. IT'S ALSO IN ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER. SO ROBERT'S RULES SPECIFICALLY DOES SAY THAT ANY BOARD MEMBER IS NOT ALLOWED TO VOTE IF THEY IF THE VOTE HAS IF THEY HAVE A PERSONAL INTEREST OR IF THERE'S A PECUNIARY PECUNIARY INTEREST IN THE PARTICULAR VOTE. SO THEIR VOTE WOULD BE EXCLUDED FROM COUNTING THE MAJORITY. SO THE VOTE COULD BE CAST, BUT IT WOULDN'T COUNT TOWARDS THE MAJORITY. AND THAT IS SPECIFIC TO ROBERT'S RULES. AND ROBERT'S RULES, UNLESS THERE WAS A SUPERSEDING LAW, THAT WOULD BE THE WHAT WE USE RIGHT. BUT I THINK MISS HALL, MISS HAHN WAS SUGGESTING THERE WAS A, A LAW OR SOMETHING THAT WOULD SUPERSEDE THAT. NO, NO, WHAT I'M SAYING YES. BUT IN MARYLAND OR IN HARFORD COUNTY, UNLESS SHE GIVES US A CITATION BECAUSE WE CONFERRED SO AND WE HAVE MR. SZOKA HERE TOO. SO I'M GENERAL COUNSEL FOR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.

BUT WHENEVER THERE'S ANY KIND OF POTENTIAL CONTROVERSY AS IT RELATES TO THE BOARD, GREG SZOKA IS OUTSIDE COUNSEL TO THE BOARD. SO WE OBVIOUSLY WANT TO GET THIS RIGHT. AND SO, YOU KNOW, MR. SZOKA IS HERE AND WE'VE CONSULTED, AS YOU SAID, FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF HOURS. SO BUT WE'VE REVIEWED THE SITUATION AND I THINK WE'RE IN AGREEMENT AS TO THE PROCESS TO BE EMPLOYED.

OKAY. CAN YOU SPEAK TO CAN YOU. BECAUSE IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, WHEN WE DID THIS A YEAR AGO, YOU COULD VOTE FOR YOURSELF IF YOU'RE NOMINATED AND THAT VOTE COUNTS. CORRECT. BUT YOU CANNOT VOTE IF YOU'RE BEING ASKED TO BE REMOVED. YES, IF YOU HAVE IT MAKE SENSE TO ME IF YOU CAN VOTE FOR YOURSELF. AND THAT'S HOW YOU GOT ELECTED, YOU HAD AN INTEREST IN THAT, RIGHT? BUT NOW YOU CAN'T VOTE FOR YOURSELF. CAN YOU POINT US TO SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LOOK AT THAT SPEAKS TO THE REMOVAL OF A BOARD OFFICER? JUST WHEN YOU SAY THE LAW, IT'S VAGUE. I'D LIKE TO ACTUALLY READ IT AND SEE WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. THAT SPEAKS TO THE REMOVAL OF A PRESIDENT OR VICE

[03:10:03]

PRESIDENT. WHAT ARE YOU REFERRING TO? WHAT WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? SO THERE IS THERE IS NO SPECIFIC LAW THAT WE HAVE FOUND THAT SPEAKS TO EXACTLY HOW YOU REMOVE A BOARD MEMBER OTHER THAN THROUGH MOTION. AND OTHER THAN FOLLOWING ROBERT'S RULES. WHAT WE WERE SAYING IS THAT THERE IS THE LAW DOES CONTEMPLATE THAT THERE COULD BE A VACANCY IN THE POSITION. BUT WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY ABOUT YOU VOTING ON YOUR OWN SELF WHEN BEING ASKED TO BE REMOVED? THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO UNDERSTAN. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT THAT SAYS AN INDIVIDUAL CANNOT VOTE ON THAT. THAT'S IN ROBERT'S RULES. YOU'RE INTERPRETING WELL, YOU'RE INTERPRETING THE LAW TO BE TWO DIFFERENT WAYS IN TWO DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. AND IT DOESN'T. IT SEEMS LIKE THE WAY THAT IT'S BEING INTERPRETED IS BEING TWISTED IN BOTH DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. I UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH ROBERT'S RULES AND ROBERT'S RULES SPECIFICALLY SETS OUT THE PROCESS FOR VOTING, AND IT CLEARLY INDICATES THAT SOMEONE WHO IS A SUBJECT OF A REMOVAL ISN'T PERMITTED TO VOTE BECAUSE THEY HAVE AN INTEREST IN THE OUTCOME. SO ESSENTIALLY, THE RULES ARE DIFFERENT FOR VOTING, WHETHER IT'S AN ELECTION AND YOU'RE VOTING FOR YOURSELF OR WHETHER YOU'RE THE SUBJECT OF A REMOVAL. SO THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT ACTIONS OR OTHER PERSONAL INTERESTS FOR CALCULATING A MAJORITY, CORRECT? OKAY. AND WHAT SPECIFIC STATUTE IS THAT LISTED AS PLEASE? WHERE IN ROBERT'S RULES DO YOU KNOW? CAN YOU CITE THE ROBERT'S RULES? LOOK AT MY COMPUTER. OKAY, I MIGHT HAVE IT. SO I THINK THE THING THAT THIS BOARD NEEDS TO CONSIDER, IF I'M RIGHT, WE'RE A DIVIDED BOARD. WE'RE GOING TO KEEP GOING AROUND AND AROUND AND KEEP REMOVING PEOPLE. IF THIS IS THE WAY THAT WE WANT TO GO, IT'S A COMPLETE DISTRACTION. SO WHOMEVER GETS REPLACED, THERE'LL BE ANOTHER SIDE THAT SAYS, YOU CAN'T VOTE ON YOURSELF. WE'RE REMOVING YOU. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE HERE AND WHY WE. I'M ASKING YOU TO WITHDRAW YOUR MOTION, AND LET'S FOCUS ON THE MATTER AT HAND. WE HAVE SIX MORE MONTHS LEFT, AND YOU'RE WEAPONIZING THE STUDENT VOTE. HAVE YOU ASKED WHY I WANT TO SEE HER REMOVED? IT'S NOT MY JOB TO ASK YOU. I KNOW, BUT THIS THIS IS. THIS IS THE DISCUSSION. TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. SO DISCUSSION. I MEAN, YOU LOOK IF YOU LOOK ON ROBERT'S RULES COM, THERE'S A SPECIFIC QUESTION ALL THE WAY AT THE END AND IT STATES HOW CAN WE GET RID OF OFFICERS THAT WE DON'T LIKE BEFORE THEIR TERM IS UP. AND THEN IT SAYS IF BYLAWS STATE THAT THERE IS A FIXED TERM FOR THE OFFICERS, SUCH AS TWO YEARS, THEN THE GROUP MUST USE FORMAL DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS, WHICH INVOLVE THE APPOINTMENT OF AN INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE. PERSONAL PURPOSE. EXCUSE ME. AND CHARGES HAVE TO BE FILED AGAINST ME IN ORDER FOR ME TO BE REMOVED. AND THAT'S ON ROBERT'S RULES. COM AND IT'S THE VERY LAST QUESTION. SO THAT IS THAT THAT'S SPECIFIC TO THEIR QUESTION. HOW CAN WE GET RID OF OFFICERS THAT WE DON'T LIKE BEFORE THEIR TERM IS UP? AND IT STATES ON THERE? AGAIN, I'M REITERATING IF THE BYLAWS STATE THAT THERE'S A FIXED TERM SUCH AS TWO YEARS, THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO. YOU HAVE TO HAVE FORMAL DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS.

IS THAT IN ROBERT'S RULES OR IS THAT IN INTERPRETATION OF ROBERT'S RULES? IT'S ON ROBERT'S RULES. COM IT'S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WAS SPECIFICALLY ASKED FROM ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER. IT'S ON ROBERT'S RULES. COM IS THERE IS THERE. IT SAYS THAT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IN ROBERT'S RULES IS ARTICLE EIGHT, WHICH HAS TO DO WITH VOTING. IT SAYS ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER, 12TH EDITION, 6216.

62 SHOWS US THE TALKING ABOUT THE TREASURER, OFFICERS AND MINUTES. WHICH ARTICLE WAS IT? SHE SAID 62. BUT THAT IS THE THAT SPEAKS TO THE TREASURER. RIGHT? ALSO THERE'S DIFFERENT ROBERT'S RULES IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A SMALL BOARD AS WELL AS OPPOSED TO LARGE BOARDS. SO THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M SAYING. ALL RIGHT. NOT SEEING IT. TAKE YOUR TIME. WELL IF THAT ISN'T WHAT 62 IS I'M SORRY. IT SAYS 62. IT SAYS 6216. HOLD ON. I DON'T HAVE THE ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER BOOK IN FRONT OF ME. LITERALLY. I'M AT THE HOSPITAL. I CAN'T PULL IT

[03:15:03]

UP AND LOOK AT IT. I'M GOING, BASED ON WHAT THIS SAYS IN THEIR QUESTION AND ANSWER FORUM AGAIN ON ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER, ROBERT'S RULES. COM IT SAYS WE IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, WE HAVE ANSWERS. IT'S UNDER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS. I'M GOING BY WHAT THIS RESPONSE IS BASED ON THE QUESTION THAT SOMEBODY ASKE, HOW CAN WE GET RID OF OFFICERS THAT WE DON'T LIKE BEFORE THEIR TERM IS UP? IT DEPENDS. IF THE BYLAWS STATE THAT IT IS A FIXED TERM FOR THE OFFICER, SUCH AS TWO YEARS, SO WE DON'T HAVE BYLAWS. SO THAT'S THAT'S FOR THAT'S FOR OUR HANDBOOK. BUT WE HAVE A HANDBOOK THAT SAYS THE TERM IS TWO YEARS. IT'S DIFFERENT. THERE'S A DIFFERENT SPECIFICALLY SAYS MEANING. BUT IT SAYS IF THE TERM SAYS TWO YEARS THAT'S WHAT YOU GO BY.

THAT'S WHAT ROBERT'S RULES STATES. AND THAT'S WHAT OUR HANDBOOK SAYS. YES, MA'AM. MISS HAHN, THIS IS CAROL. BRUCE. MY QUESTION TO YOU IS ONE OF THE THINGS EMAILS THAT YOU SENT OUT AND YOU INDICATED THAT THE HANDBOOK WAS NOT BINDING ON THIS ORGANIZATION. I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT IN THIS SITUATION, ROBERT'S RULES REFERS TO THE HANDBOOK AND SAYS, WELL, BUT THE HANDBOOK HANDBOOK SAYS IS WHAT ROBERT'S RULES GOES BY. THE HANDBOOK WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REVISED, AND ONE OF YOUR EMAILS SAID THAT, AND I RESPONDED TO THE PRESIDENT TO SAY, THIS IS THE TYPE OF LEADERSHIP THAT WE'RE HAVING TO HAVE WHEN YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GO BY THE HANDBOOK. SO YOU HAVE TO PICK AND CHOOSE. YOU GO BY THE HANDBOOK OVER HERE, BUT OVER HERE YOU DON'T GO BY THE HANDBOOK. AND THAT'S A QUESTION FOR ME. I'M NOT SURE I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOUR REFERENCING ABOUT NOT GOING BY THE HANDBOOK. I THINK THAT THE PRESIDENT CAN HAVE A COPY, HAS A COPY OF THAT EMAIL THAT I FORWARDED TO HIM WHEN I QUESTIONED ABOUT IF WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE GOVERNED BY THE DOCUMENT THAT WE'RE WRITING, WE'RE WE'RE WE ARE DRAFTING, THEN WHY DO IT? I BELIEVE WHAT COUNSEL WAS SAYING WAS THAT THE HANDBOOK DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME LEGAL IMPLICATIONS AS BYLAWS. IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE SUGGESTING? IT'S. THAT'S RIGHT. RIGHT. OKAY, I UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT THE POLICY OR THE WHAT? THE HANDBOOK STATES IS, PER MARYLAND LAW, IF YOU LOOK AT THE HANDBOOK, WHICH IS ON PAGE 17, I BELIEVE I'D SA. YOU'RE RIGHT. IT THE HANDBOOK, IT MIGHT BE ON PAGE. AND IT GETS EXACTLY TO THE EDUCATION ARTICLE 36A-03, WHICH IS THE HARFORD COUNTY SECTION ABOUT PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT. IT I THINK IT'S EITHER VERBATIM OR ALMOST VERBATIM THAT SAYS THE COUNTY. I'M TALKING ABOUT WHERE IT SAYS DUTIES OF PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT. AND THEN IT SAYS A ELECTION PURSUANT TO MARYLAND LAW, THE BOARD IS TO ELECT A PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT. THE ELECTION OCCURS AT THE FIRST MEETING IN JULY. EVERY OTHER YEAR. THE PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT EACH SHALL SERVE A TERM OF TWO YEARS. THE BOARD MUST FILL A VACANCY IN THE PRESIDENCY OR VICE PRESIDENCY WITHIN 30 DAYS AFTER IT HAS OCCURRED, BUT IT DOES NOT PRECLUDE REMOVAL OR WHATEVER RESIGNATION IT DOESN'T PRECLUDE ANY OF THOSE. CORRECT. SO I, I AGREE WITH YOU, MISS HAHN, AS TO WHAT THE HANDBOOK STATES, AND IT DOES PERFECTLY TRACK THE STATUTE THAT APPLIES. SO IT DOES CONTEMPLATE A TWO YEAR TERM. IT ALSO CONTEMPLATES THAT THERE COULD BE A VACANCY. BUT ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER SAYS IF IT STATES A TWO YEAR TERM, THAT THAT'S WHAT YOU GO BY. BUT, MISS NEAL, IS THERE ANYTHING IN THERE ABOUT WHAT? LIKE HOW LIKE IT JUST JUST A MOTION. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST LOOKING THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME RATIONALE OR REASON. TYPICALLY FOR A PERSON TO BE REMOVED FROM POSITION, THERE HAS THERE ISN'T ANYTHING IN THE LAW THAT SAYS THERE HAS TO BE CAUSE THERE IS FOR REMOVING A BOARD MEMBER, RIGHT? NOT FROM A LEADERSHIP POSITION. AND I THINK, MR. PRESIDENT, THE MAKER OF THE MOTION OR THE PERSON WHO SECONDED, WE QUESTIONED THE WHOLE PROCESS AND MISS HAHN IS QUESTIONING IT. BUT THE PEOPLE WHO WHO VOTED HAVE NOT PROVIDED ANY OPPORTUNITY FOR DISCUSSION AS TO WHY THE MOTION WAS PUT IN PLACE IN THE FIRST HAY BOARD COUNCIL. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD TO THIS? NO. OKAY, LET'S CHANGE THE DISCUSSION TO THOSE WHO MADE THE MOTION. THANK YOU. FIRST OFF, IT'S VERY UNFORTUNATE THAT MRS. HAHN IS NOT HERE. I AM NOT CLAIRVOYANT.

I DID NOT KNOW SHE WAS GOING TO BE WITH A DYING RELATIVE. SO CONTRARY TO WHAT MRS. STRAUSS SAID, I HAD NO IDEA. OKAY, SO THAT'S. FIRST OFF. I KNOW YOU'RE SAYING THAT I PLANNED IT, BUT I DID NOT. NEXT, THE REASON WHY I'M ASKING FOR MRS. HAHN'S REMOVAL IS BECAUSE SHE IS

[03:20:03]

SUPPOSED TO BE BOARD LEADERSHIP. I DO NOT FEEL LIKE SHE IS LEADING THIS BOARD WHEN SHE GOES OFF ON HER OWN TWO MEETINGS IN A ROW TO TELL AN EMPLOYEE OF THE BOARD THAT THEY HAVE TO RESIGN.

YOU CAN'T GO AS A PERSONNEL MATTER. LIKE THAT SHOULD BE PRIVATE. THAT SHOULD NOT BE PUBLIC. SHE IS DOCTOR OLSEN'S EMPLOYER. AS WE ALL ARE, AND YOU CANNOT IN A PERSONNEL MATTER, STATE THAT IN PUBLIC. YOU CANNOT GO UP. IF MRS. NEAL WAS MY EMPLOYEE, I COULD NOT SAY. MRS. NEAL, YOU HAVE TO RESIGN IN FRONT OF A CROWD LIKE THIS. THAT'S A LAWSUIT. SHE ALSO TALKED ABOUT OUR LEGAL OBLIGATIONS IN THE SHOOTING IN JOPPATOWNE, WHICH IS PUTTING US ALL IN LIABILITY, WHICH SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE. SHE SHOULD HAVE NEVER DONE THAT. SO I THINK YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT HOW SHE'S BEEN ACTING AS A LEADER TO SEE WHY I WOULD WANT TO HAVE HER REMOVED AS THE VICE PRESIDENT, NOT REMOVED FROM THE BOARD. I DIDN'T ASK FOR HER TO BE REMOVED FROM THE BOARD. I JUST CANNOT LOOK UP TO MRS. HAHN AS MY LEADER ON THE BOARD. THANK YOU, DOCTOR MUELLER. I FORGOT WHO DID THE SECOND. MR. SEWELL, I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO ADD TO THAT. DO ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? YES. AS I SAID BEFORE, I'VE NOT ADDRESSED ANY ISSUES RELATING TO THE VICE PRESIDENT IN A PUBLIC FORUM. I SENT ALL OF MY ISSUES TO THE PRESIDENT AND I AND THE PRESIDENT SAID HE WOULD SPEAK TO MISS HAHN IN REGARDS TO THE ISSUES THAT WERE MOSTLY EMAILS COMING IN AND REFERENCES TO AS A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC. THE DAY SAID FACEBOOK PAGES AND THINGS THAT WERE GOING ON. AND I JUST DON'T THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S INDICATIVE OF LEADERSHIP. AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU MAKE DECISIONS ON YOUR OWN AND SEND OUT EMAILS SAYING, YOU KNOW, ZERO BASED BUDGET, ALL THESE KINDS OF THINGS WITHOUT THE BOARD'S INPUT, THAT TO ME SAYS THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT A MEMBER OF THE TEAM. AND SO THAT IS MY REASON FOR VOTING TO REMOVE HER FROM VICE PRESIDENCY. I DON'T SEE REMOVING HER FROM THE BOARD. I THINK SHE HAS A RIGHT. SHE WAS ELECTED. BUT AS FAR AS ACTING AS MY LEADER, NO, I JUST DON'T SEE THAT. SO I DO KNOW THAT THERE IS DIFFERENCES OF OPINION. I CALL IT AT THIS POINT WITH MISS HAHN AND THE BOARD. COUNCIL ON WHETHER OR NOT THIS COULD EVEN MOVE FORWARD. AS THE PRESIDENT, I'M INCLINED TO TAKE THE COUNSEL OF THE BOARD COUNSEL, WHICH I BELIEVE HAS BEEN THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED. SO I BELIEVE THAT THIS CAN MOVE FORWARD. HOWEVER, GIVEN THE TOTALITY OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES, THE FACT THAT MISS HAHN HAS NOT HAD TIME TO ADEQUATELY PREPARE, AND SHE IS AT THE HOSPITAL WITH A DYING FAMILY MEMBER, I WOULD REQUEST A MOTION AND A SECOND TO TABLE THIS ISSUE TO THE NEXT BOARD MEETING, WHICH WOULD ALSO GIVE COUNSEL AND MISS HAHN THE PROPER TIME TO PREPARE THEIR DEFENSES ON THE LAW AND WHAT THEY MAY OR MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE. YES. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I THINK MELISSA HAS BEEN A GOOD LEADER. IF YOU ALL AGREED WITH THINGS THAT SHE SAID, YOU'D PROBABLY THINK SO TOO. IT'S THE DISAGREEMENT AND THE DIVISION OF THE BOARD THAT IS CAUSING THIS. WE ALL DON'T AGREE. WE EACH HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS. A LOT OF FOLKS WOULD SAY THAT'S A STRENGTH BECAUSE WE COME AT IT FROM DIFFERENT WAYS, AND YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER ALL THE VARIOUS ASPECTS. WHEN YOU MAKE A DECISION AND SO WE ALL WANT TO LISTEN TO EACH OTHER. PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS. SHE HAS SOME STRONG OPINIONS AND SHE'S EXPRESSED THEM. SOME OF HER OPINIONS HAVE REPRESENTED HER CONSTITUENCY THAT SHE WAS ELECTED FROM, AND SO SHE SHARES HER OPINIONS. AND OTHER PEOPLE DO TOO. AND THAT'S WHAT A BOARD IS SUPPOSED TO DO. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE OPEN MEETINGS. AND THESE DISCUSSIONS CAN BE CONTROVERSIAL AND DIFFICULT, BUT THEY NEED TO HAPPEN AND WE NEED TO REFLECT DIFFERENCES OF OPINION. SO I THINK SHE'S BEEN A GREAT VICE PRESIDENT, AND I WOULD NOT VOTE FOR HER TO BE DEMOTED. AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S SUFFICIENT INFORMATION BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T AGREE WITH WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY TO BE ABLE TO SAY THIS. AND IT'S RIDICULOUS TO BRING THIS FORWAR. WHEN WHAT DID WE HEAR FROM DOCTOR WRIGHT? THE MAIN THING IS THE MAIN THING. AND NOW WE'RE DISTRACTED AND WE WASTED PROBABLY HALF AN HOUR ON THIS. I AGREE. AND YOU'RE GOING DOWN A SLIPPERY SLOPE JUST BECAUSE WE DON'T AGREE WITH SOMEONE. WE DON'T HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH AGREEING WITH HER. IT SOUNDS LIKE NOTHING TO DO IT SOUNDS. SURE IT DOES. YOU DON'T AIR PERSONNEL ISSUES IN PUBLIC. NO

[03:25:04]

ONE TOLD HER. TOLD US WE COULDN'T. WE'VE NEVER BEEN BRIEFED ON WHAT WE CAN AND CAN'T SAY. SHE CHOSE TO EXPRESS HER VIEWS. YOU'VE HAD EMPLOYERS COME OUT IN PUBLIC AND AIR YOUR PERSONNEL FILE, AND SHE DID. DOCTOR OLSON READ THE PUBLIC LETTER FROM MISS ALVAREZ. THAT WAS HIS CHOICE. PUT IT OUT THERE SO PEOPLE IN PUBLIC, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS HIS CHOICE. THAT WAS HIS CHOICE. HAVE YOU EVER WORKED FOR AN EMPLOYER WHO SAID, TERRY COKER, I WANT YOU TO STEP DOWN IN PUBLIC. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SOMEBODY OR HEARD OF ANY? IT DOESN'T MATTER. THAT'S IRRELEVANT. NO, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT. IT'S IRRELEVANT THOUGH. SO IT'S NOT IT'S NOT LIKE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A PRIVATE, YOU KNOW, ORGANIZATION. WE SIT UP HERE IN PUBLIC. WE WERE ELECTED.

WE WERE PUBLICLY APPOINTED, PUBLICLY ELECTED INDIVIDUALS, NOT EVERYBODY. IT IS A PERSONNEL ISSUE. IT'S A PERSONNEL ISSUE. HE'S OUR EMPLOYEE. IT'S A PERSONNEL ISSUE. PERSONNEL ISSUES ARE NOT AIRED IN PUBLIC. I DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE AIRED. SHE CALLED FOR HIS RESIGNATION. SHE DIDN'T AIR ANYTHING THAT WAS A PERSONNEL ISSUE. SHE ASKED FOR HIS RESIGNATION. WE'RE ALL WITHIN OUR RIGHT TO DO THAT. THAT WE CAN DO THAT. THAT'S ALL SHE DID WAS ASK FOR HIS RESIGNATION. WE CAN DO THAT. WELL, THAT'S. THAT'S NOT ALL SHE DID, BUT THAT'S FINE. I PUT OUT FACTUAL INFORMATION THAT WAS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC THAT ANYONE CAN FIND OUT. AND ALSO, MISS BRUCE, THOSE CONCERNS WERE NEVER ADDRESSED WITH ME. AND IF YOU GO BACK AND LISTEN TO THE BOARD MEETINGS DURING THE DISCUSSIONS FOR THE BUDGET, MULTIPLE PEOPLE, INCLUDING YOURSELF, SAID THAT WE NEEDED TO DO A ZERO BASED BUDGETING. I ACTUALLY WENT BACK AND LISTENED TO THEM OVER THE WEEKEND, THIS PAST WEEKEND, AND LISTENED TO THE ZERO BASED BUDGETING DISCUSSION BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE SURE WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT. I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU HEARD THAT, BUT I'VE NEVER SAID THAT BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT A ZERO BASED BUDGET IS AND I'VE NEVER SAID IT. I HAVEN'T WRITTEN DOWN AT HOME THE MEETING AND EVERYTHING. I'M NOT AT HOME, SO I CAN'T SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH YOU. BUT I DO HAVE IT WRITTEN DOWN AT HOME. WHAT MEETING? YOU SAID IT AND I WILL SEND THAT TO YOU ONCE I FIGURE OUT WHERE IT'S AT. AT THIS POINT, I HAVE A LOT ON MY MIND AT THE MOMENT, BUT I DO HAVE IT IN WRITING. THAT OR NOT IN WRITING, I HAVE IT WRITTEN DOWN. WHAT MEETING YOU SAID ABOUT ZERO BASED BUDGETING AND SEVERAL OTHER BOARD MEMBERS ALSO SAID THAT ZERO BASED BUDGETING IS WHERE WE NEEDED TO START THIS YEAR, BECAUSE WE WERE GOING TO HAVE VERY TOUGH DECISIONS TO MAKE BASED ON THE BUDGET AND WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH THE COUNTY AND WITH EVERYTHING THAT AS A BOARD, WE HAD TO CHOOSE. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE TOUGH DECISIONS. SO I WROTE EVERYTHING DOWN BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE SURE WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT WHEN I SAID SOMETHING ABOUT ZERO BASED BUDGETING. SO THERE'S THAT. AND I WAS NOT. NO, I WOULD I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU IF THE PRESIDENT SHARED WITH YOU ANY OF MY EMAILS TO HIM. HE DID NOT. OKAY. HE DID NOT NOT THE EMAILS DIRECTLY, BUT THE MESSAGES HAVE BEEN SHARED IN VARIOUS FORMATS. I, I DON'T TYPICALLY, AS THE PRESIDENT, MAKE A MOTION, BUT I'LL MAKE A MOTION AND REQUEST A SECOND TO TABLE THE VOTE INTO THE NEXT BOARD MEETING. AND THE REASON FOR THAT SO THAT MISS HAHN CAN BE HERE TO DEFEND HERSELF. OR WHY NOT VOTE? A VARIETY OF REASONS. BUT I ALSO DON'T THINK IT'S FAIR FOR ANYONE TO BE IN A POSITION WHERE THEY'RE DEFENDING THEMSELVES. THEY'RE NOT PRESENT, AND THEY'RE AT THE BEDSIDE OF A LOVED ONE. I SECOND THE MOTION.

THANK YOU, MISS ROLLO. ROLL CALL. VOTE, PLEASE. MISS ALVAREZ. YES? EXCUSE ME ONE SECOND. IS THAT A PERSONAL ISSUE THAT SHE WOULD OR WOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO VOTE ON? TO TABLE A TABLE? YEAH. NO, NO. OKAY, SO EVERYONE HAS A VOTE, INCLUDING THE STUDENT. YES. AND MISS HAHN, THANK YOU, MISS ALVAREZ. YES, MISS BRUCE, I ABSTAIN, MISS COKER. YES, DOCTOR. MUELLER. NO, MISS BOUZOUKI. YES, MISS PERRY? YES, MR. SEWELL? ABSTAIN. MISS STRAUSS? YES, VICE PRESIDENT.

HAHN. YES. PRESIDENT. BOYNTON. YES. THIS MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. WE WILL CONTINUE THAT AT

[G. Presentation of Proposed New Board Policy 22-0018-O00 Appeals and Hearings to the Board of Education, and Deletion of Current Board Policy 22-0018-O00 Hearings Before the Board of Education of Harford County or the Hearing Examiner, Kimberly H. Neal, Esq., General Counsel and Gregory A. Szoka, Esq., Board Counsel ]

THE NEXT BOARD MEETING. AND COUNCIL, SINCE YOU ARE STILL HERE, YOU ARE THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS PRESENTATION OF PROPOSED BOARD POLICY. 0018 APPEALS AND HEARING TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND DELETION OF CURRENT BOARD POLICY. 22-0018 HEARINGS BEFORE THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. MISS KIMBERLY NEAL AND GREG SZOKA AND BOARD COUNCIL, RESPECTIVELY. SO WE ARE

[03:30:01]

HERE TO INTRODUCE A NEW POLICY THAT WOULD ACTUALLY REPLACE AN EXISTING POLICY REGARDING APPEALS. AND SO THIS IS ENTITLED APPEALS AND HEARINGS TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. THIS IS IN OUR STANDARD FORMAT EXPLAINING THE PURPOSE AND CITING TO THE RELEVANT LAWS. AND THEN IN THE POLICY STATEMENT, OBVIOUSLY, IT INDICATES THAT WE'RE GOING TO COMPLY WITH THOSE LAWS AND REFERENCES A PROCEDURE A NEW PROCEDURE THAT HAS BEEN DRAFTED BY MR. SZOKA. BOTH THE POLICY AND THE PROCEDURE WERE PRESENTED TO THE POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE, AND SO THAT WE COULD THAT THE COMMITTEE COULD CONSIDER BOTH THINGS, BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THE PROCEDURE ISN'T SOMETHING THAT A BOARD, THE BOARD VOTES ON OR GOES OUT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, WE OBVIOUSLY ARE REFERENCING IT IN THE POLICY. WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT WAS, AND THE REASON THAT WE DECIDED TO CREATE THIS PROCEDURE IS REALLY THAT IT'S A DOCUMENT THAT WOULD BE SORT OF A ONE STOP SHOP FOR ANY TYPE OF APPEAL. SO ANYTHING THAT SOMEONE MIGHT HAVE THINK I WANT TO APPEAL THIS DECISION, THIS WILL BE THE SPOT WHERE THEY CAN GO TO AND THEY CAN DETERMINE ONE IF IT'S EVEN AN APPEALABLE ISSUE. AND THEN WHAT ARE THE STEPS AND REQUIREMENTS. SO THERE'S DIFFERENT TIMING REQUIREMENTS. THERE CAN ALSO BE DIFFERENT PLACES YOU SEND IT TO. SO WHETHER YOU'RE SENDING IT TO THE SUPERINTENDENT OR YOU'RE SENDING IT TO THE BOARD OR THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, AND SO IT'S DIVIDED THE PROCEDURE ITSELF IS DIVIDED AND IT IS ONLINE NOW INTO THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF APPEALS THAT ONE MIGHT TAKE AND THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ACTIONS. SO. I GUESS OPEN IT FOR QUESTIONS. AND I'M GOING TO REALLY DEFER TO MR. SZOKA. HE DID THE HEAVY LIFTING ON ALL OF THIS BECAUSE AS THE BOARD'S COUNSEL, HE HANDLES THE APPEALS ON YOUR BEHALF. AND THE MY INTENT IN, YOU KNOW, REDRAFTING THE POLICY WAS TO REALLY SORT OF MAKE IT A MORE COMPLETE AND ROBUST POLICY. THE PRIOR POLICY HAS BEEN IN EFFECT FOR CLOSE TO 25 YEARS. AND THE IMPACT OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING NOW IN THE VARIOUS APPEALS THAT CAN BE TAKEN THAT COME BEFORE THE BOARD OR THE BOARD HAS A HAND I, YOU KNOW, INCLUDES THOSE AT FOUR, 2057305 AND 6202. SO IT WAS INTENDED TO ENCOMPASS ALL AVAILABLE APPEALS WITH THE MECHANISM SO THAT SOMEONE GOING TO A DOCUMENT WOULD UNDERSTAND HOW THE PROCESS WOULD WORK. AND THAT WAS OUR OUR INTENT TO MAKE IT A MORE COMPLETE POLICY. AND WE DID INCORPORATE FEEDBACK FROM POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE USER FRIENDLY. SO IT TRACKS THE LAW, BUT TRIED TO NOT HAVE AS MUCH LEGALESE SO THAT IT WOULD BE AN EASIER THING FOR SOMEONE TO ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO. AND SOMETIMES THE LEGAL LANGUAGE IS A LITTLE MORE CHALLENGING, AND WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY BECAUSE PEOPLE WANTING TO REFERENCE THE APPEAL PROCEDURES COULD GO TO A DOCUMENT AND IMMEDIATELY UNDERSTAND AND FOLLOW IT AS TO WHAT WAS REQUIRED, INCLUDING THE TIME IN WHICH AN APPEAL HAS TO BE TAKEN AND THE MECHANISM AFTER AN APPEAL HAS BEEN ACCEPTED FOR PURPOSES OF THE SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTATION, MEMORANDA AND THINGS OF THOSE NATURE, YOU KNO, AND IT WOULD, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE ANYONE THE ABILITY TO FOLLOW THROUGH, UNDERSTANDING WHAT THEIR RIGHTS ARE WITHIN THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY. OKAY. SO THIS WOULD BE OPEN FOR 30 DAYS OF PUBLIC COMMENT, AND IT WOULD BE TWO DIFFERENT ACTIONS, POTENTIALLY ANOTHER BOARD MEETING TO DELETE AND THEN REINSTATE. OR WOULD IT BE ONE ACTION? IT WOULD BE TWO. SO THE DELETION WOULD BE DELETING THE POLICY WHICH IS CURRENTLY TITLED HEARINGS BEFORE THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF HARFORD COUNTY OR THE HEARING EXAMINER. THAT WAS MOST RECENTLY REAFFIRMED NOVEMBER 22ND OF 2004. SO 20 YEARS AGO AND IT'S OBVIOUSLY OUTDATED. IT DOESN'T EVEN USE THE WORD APPEAL IN THE TITLE. SO THAT WAS ANOTHER THING IS, IS FRANKLY, SOMEONE WOULDN'T, YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE SEARCHING FOR APPEAL POLICY, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FIND IT IS EASILY. AND SO THIS IS ALSO RENAMING THE POLICY TO CALL IT APPEALS AND HEARINGS TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. OKAY. GREAT. THANK YOU. WE'LL OPEN IT UP FOR BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS. THIS SEEMS LIKE A WORTHWHILE POLICY TO HAVE SO THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS BETTER. THE LINK THAT'S ONLINE RIGHT NOW DOESN'T WORK. IS THAT IS IT SUPPOSED TO WORK BECAUSE IT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME WHEN I YEAH, I'M NOT I'M NOT IT. SO I DON'T KNOW. BUT YEAH OKAY. WELL ANYWAY SO THAT LINK WILL BE WORKING WHEN IT GETS POSTED. YEAH. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. GREAT. OKAY. IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE, WE'LL SEE

[H. Presentation on Disability Awareness - Focus on Dyslexia, Ms. Colleen Sasdelli, Director of Special Education ]

YOU IN 30 DAYS. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. SO WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO PRESENT ITEM H

[03:35:02]

PRESENTATION ON DISABILITY AWARENESS. FOCUS ON DYSLEXIA. I'D LIKE TO WELCOME YOU IF SHE'S STILL HERE MISS COLLEEN SAYS DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. AND NOTEWORTHY AS WELL. THIS IS ON THE AGENDA BECAUSE IT IS DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH, CORRECT? CORRECT. GOOD. WELCOME. ALL RIGHT, SO DOCTOR OLSON, DOCTOR BOYNTON, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AS DOCTOR BOYNTON SHARED, I'M HERE THIS EVENING TO DO JUST A VERY BRIEF PRESENTATION ON DISABILITY AWARENESS WITH A FOCUS ON DYSLEXIA. AS DOCTOR BOYNTON SHARED, DYSLEXIA, OR OCTOBER IS DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH AND THE BOARD DID ASK FOR A BRIEF PRESENTATION ON DYSLEXIA THIS EVENING. BUT I DID ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE OTHER DISABILITIES THAT ARE CELEBRATED IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER. SO NOT ONLY DO WE CELEBRATE DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER, BUT WE ALSO CELEBRATE DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS MONTH, NATIONAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT MONTH, ADHD MONTH AND THEN WE ALSO HAD NATIONAL BRAILLE WEEK DURING A WEEK IN OCTOBER THE 10TH THROUGH THE 16TH. SO WHILE THE PRESENTATION THIS EVENING IS A FOCUS ON DYSLEXIA, I DID WANT TO MENTION THE OTHER DISABILITIES THAT THAT WE PROMOTE AND REALLY CELEBRATE AWARENESS OF THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF OCTOBER. SO THINKING IN TERMS OF DYSLEXIA, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS EVENING IS I'LL JUST DO A BRIEF DEFINITION OF DYSLEXIA. WE'RE GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SCREENING INTERVENING AND PROGRESS MONITORING THAT WE DO OF STUDENTS WHO ARE AT RISK FOR READING DIFFICULTIES. WE'RE ALSO GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES THAT ARE REQUIRED TO ADDRESS WEAKNESSES ASSOCIATED WITH DYSLEXIA, AND THEN JUST SHARE SOME BRIEF INFORMATION ABOUT STRUCTURED LITERACY INTERVENTIONS THAT WE DO USE IN HCS. SO LAST DECEMBER, MY TEAM DID A, A FULL PRESENTATION ON ON DYSLEXIA, WHERE WE DUG INTO EACH OF THESE TOPICS IN A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL. TONIGHT I'M GOING TO JUST DO A VERY BRIEF OVERVIEW. SO WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN HERE IS THE DEFINITION OF DYSLEXIA. AND THIS IS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL DYSLEXIA ASSOCIATION. SO WE KNOW THAT DYSLEXIA IS NEUROBIOLOGICAL IN ORIGIN. IT DOES IMPACT OR IS CHARACTERIZED BY DIFFICULTIES WITH ACCURATE OR FLUENT WORD RECOGNITION, POOR SPELLING AND DECODING ABILITIES. AND WE TYPICALLY RESULT FROM DEFICITS IN THAT PHONOLOGICAL COMPONENT OF LANGUAGE. SO WE'LL OFTEN HEAR OF STUDENTS WITH WEAKNESSES WITH PHONEMIC AWARENESS OR PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSING. AND THAT IS OFTEN A COMPONENT OF DYSLEXIA. AND ONE OF THE RESULTING WEAKNESSES THAT RESULTS IN THOSE WEAKNESSES WITH THE ACADEMICS. DYSLEXIA. WHEN A STUDENT IS IDENTIFIED AS WITH BEING DYSLEXIC WITHIN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, WE DO NOT RECOGNIZE DYSLEXIA AS ITS OWN DISABILITY, BUT RATHER IT FALLS UNDER THE EDUCATIONAL DISABILITY OF A SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY.

AND ON THE SCREEN HERE, YOU'LL SEE THAT DEFINITION OF SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY. IT IS A DISORDER IN ONE OR MORE OF THOSE BASIC PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESSES THAT INVOLVES THE UNDERSTANDING OR USE OF LANGUAGE, EITHER SPOKEN OR WRITTEN. AND AS YOU CAN SEE THERE, DYSLEXIA IS ONE OF THE CONDITIONS THAT FALLS UNDER A SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY, AS WELL AS DYSGRAPHIA AND DYSCALCULIA, WHICH ARE OFTEN KIND OF ASSOCIATED WITH DYSLEXIA. ONE OF THE THINGS TO NOTE IS WITHIN HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND THE STUDENTS THAT ARE SERVICED WITH AN IEP ABOUT 33% OF OUR TOTAL POPULATION IS IDENTIFIED WITH A SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY. SO THERE ARE 14 EDUCATIONAL DISABILITIES THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE IDENTIFIED WITH AND OF THOSE 14 DISABILITIES SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY DOES REPRESENT THE LARGEST CATEGORY OF DISABILITIES THAT ARE OUR TEACHERS. YOU KNOW THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE. SO I'M GOING TO JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT EARLY INTERVENTION AND SCREENING PROCESS. I KNOW YOU'VE ALL HEARD ABOUT THE READY TO READ ACT OF 2019. WE'VE WE'VE COME FORWARD WITH A COUPLE

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PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THAT. BUT THE READY TO READ ACT OF 2019 DOES REQUIRE THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM SCREEN ALL OF OUR KINDERGARTEN, FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD GRADE STUDENTS. AND WHAT WE'RE SCREENING FOR IS CONDITIONS OR FOR THOSE STUDENTS THAT ARE AT RISK FOR READING DIFFICULTIES. ONCE WE'VE SCREENED STUDENTS AND WE'VE IDENTIFIED THEM AS BEING AT RISK, WE ARE REQUIRED TO DO SUPPLEMENTAL READING INSTRUCTION OR INTERVENTION, AS WE OFTEN REFER TO IT. AND THEN THROUGH THAT PROCESS, WE HAVE DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS FOR MONITORING PROGRESS OF THOSE STUDENTS SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT OUR INTERVENTION IS EFFECTIVE IN ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENT. THE SCREENING TOOL THAT WE USE WITHIN HARFORD COUNTY IS DIBELS, OR THE DYNAMIC INDICATORS FOR BASIC EARLY LITERACY SKILLS. YOU'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT DIBELS, BUT WHAT I HAVE ON THE SCREEN HERE IS A SHIFT THAT WE MADE FOLLOWING OUR PRESENTATION LAST YEAR, AND SOME OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT AND, YOU KNOW, INPUT FROM OUR BOARD MEMBERS. SO WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, THERE IS OUR GUIDELINES FOR THE SCREENING OF OUR STUDENTS. SO STARTING WITH THIS YEAR AND IN THE 2425 SCHOOL YEAR, ALL KINDERGARTNERS ARE SCREENED THREE TIMES A YEAR USING DIBELS. IF YOU RECALL FROM LAST YEAR, WE WERE LOOKING MORE AT STUDENTS WHO WERE CONTINUING TO SHOW THAT AT RISK SCREENING THROUGH THEIR KINDERGARTEN YEAR, AND IF A STUDENT IN KINDERGARTEN HAS SCORED EITHER AT GRADE LEVEL OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL ON THE DIBELS, THEN WE WERE NOT SCREENING THEM AGAIN AT THE START OF FIRST GRADE. SO WE HAVE SHIFTED THAT PRACTICE AND NOW ALL KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS ARE SCREENED IN DIBELS THREE TIMES A YEAR. ALL FIRST GRADE STUDENTS ARE SCREENED AT THE BEGINNING OF FIRST GRADE AND THEN FROM THERE, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT THE PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS AND THOSE THAT ARE PERFORMING AT OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL ARE NO LONGER SCREENED AFTER THAT. FIRST, THE BEGINNING OF FIRST GRADE, AND THEN WE CONVERT TO THE IREADY ASSESSMENT TO MONITOR THEIR PROGRESS FOR STUDENTS THROUGH THAT SCREENING PROCESS, WHO ARE IDENTIFIED AT AT RISK, WE ARE REQUIRED TO PUT IN PLACE LIKE WE SAID, THAT SUPPLEMENTAL READING INSTRUCTION OR INTERVENTION. SO ON THE SCREEN HERE, YOU CAN SEE OUR TIERS OF SUPPORT, OUR UNIVERSAL SCREENING OR OUR UNIVERSAL TIER IS THAT TIER ONE, WHICH INCLUDES CORE INSTRUCTION. SO THAT IS THE MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE THAT CORE INSTRUCTION IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION SETTING. AND THEN FROM THERE, OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE DETERMINED AT RISK ARE PLACED IN DIFFERENT INTERVENTION PROGRAMS DEPENDING ON THEIR LEVEL OF NEED AND WHAT NEED IS IDENTIFIED THROUGH THAT DIBELS SCREENING.

AS WE MOVE UP IN THE INTENSITY OF INSTRUCTION, AS WE SEE HOW STUDENTS RESPOND TO THAT INTERVENTION AND THOSE INTERVENTIONS, WE MAY COME IN AND DETERMINE THAT THE STUDENT NEEDS MORE INTENSIVE SUPPORTS AND THAT STUDENT MAY MOVE INTO A HIGHER LEVEL TIER, POSSIBLY A TIER THREE INTERVENTION INTENSIVE INTERVENTION. I WILL SAY THAT THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS WHO HAVE IEPS AND WHO ARE IDENTIFIED WITH DYSLEXIA ARE RECEIVING THAT INSTRUCTION IN THAT TIER THREE INTENSIVE INTERVENTION. BUT THE SCREENING, INTERVENING AND PROGRESS MONITORING THAT WE'RE DOING WITH OUR KINDERGARTEN THROUGH SECOND GRADE STUDENTS IN RESPONSE TO THAT READY TO READ ACT HAS REALLY BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN IN HELPING US TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS EARLIER AND MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE INTERVENING WITH THE MOST INTENSIVE AND APPROPRIATE INSTRUCTION, REALLY FROM THE START. AND REALLY PROMOTING THAT EARLY INTERVENTION THAT WE KNOW IS SO IMPORTANT. SO THINKING IN TERMS OF THE INTERVENTION THAT WE DO USE WHEN WE KNOW THAT A STUDENT IS SHOWING RISK OF READING OR HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED WITH DYSLEXIA, WE RELY OFTEN ON THE THIS GRAPHIC ACTUALLY IS FROM AGAIN, THE INTERNATIONAL DYSLEXIA ASSOCIATION. AND THIS GRAPHIC DOES KIND OF OUTLINE THE FULL CYCLE OF OUR USE OF SCIENCE, OF READING AND INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE BASED IN STRUCTURED LITERACY. SO YOU CAN SEE HERE THE INTERNATIONAL DYSLEXIA ASSOCIATION HAS REALLY OUTLINED THAT TIER ONE, TIER TWO

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AND TIER THREE INTERVENTION SUPPORT AND REALLY HAS THIS ROADMAP, SO TO SPEAK, FOR HOW TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS WHO REALLY REQUIRE THAT INTENSIVE INSTRUCTION TO ADDRESS THAT SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY OR WHO ARE SHOWING AT RISK, WHO ARE SHOWING TO BE AT RISK FOR READING DIFFICULTIES AND REQUIRE THAT INTERVENTION. SO WHAT WE KNOW FROM THE PRINCIPALS AND FROM THAT THE SCIENCE OF READING IS THAT STRUCTURED LITERACY APPROACH IS WHAT IS REQUIRED TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE AT RISK FOR THOSE READING DIFFICULTIES AND OUR STRUCTURED LITERACY LITERACY APPROACH INCLUDES ALL OF THESE COMPONENTS THAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN ARE INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE CONSIDERED STRUCTURED LITERACY, ARE SYSTEMATIC AND CUMULATIVE. THEY HAVE COMPONENTS OF EXPLICIT INSTRUCTION WHERE WE ARE DIRECTLY GOING THROUGH AND TEACHING THOSE EXPLICIT SKILLS. THERE'S A DIAGNOSTIC COMPONENT WHERE OUR TEACHERS ARE UTILIZING THAT DAY TO DAY DATA. AND THE PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS TO MAKE INSTRUCTIONAL DECISIONS FOR WHAT COMES NEXT AND WHAT THOSE STUDENTS NEED. AS FAR AS THE SKILLS THAT ARE BEING ADDRESSED, IT'S INTENSIVE, IT'S MULTISENSORY, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT'S APPLIED TO PURPOSEFUL READING AND WRITING SO THAT WE KNOW THAT THOSE SKILLS THAT WE'RE TEACHING DURING THIS INTENSIVE INTERVENTION ARE TRANSFERABLE, AND WE SEE THAT GENERALIZATION OF SKILLS INTO THAT PURPOSEFUL READING AND WRITING. SO THINKING IN TERMS OF THE STRUCTURED LITERACY INTERVENTIONS THAT WE USE IN HARFORD COUNTY IN OUR PRESENTATION LAST DECEMBER, WE WENT INTO A LITTLE BIT OF DETAIL ABOUT HOW WE TEACH THE CERTAIN SKILLS. BUT ON THE SCREEN HERE, THESE ARE SOME OF SOME OF OUR MAIN STRUCTURED LITERACY PROGRAMS. WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OTHER INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE USED FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLERS THAT ALSO HAVE STRUCTURED LITERACY COMPONENTS. BUT YOU CAN SEE HERE WE HAVE TWO INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE BASED ON THE WILSON READING SYSTEM FOR NATIONS IS OUR PRIMARY VERSION THAT IS REALLY USED IN OUR KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE CLASSROOMS OR WITH OUR YOUNGER STUDENTS. AND THEN WILSON READING SYSTEM IS AN INTENSIVE INTERVENTION THAT IS APPROVED FOR LANGUAGE BASED LEARNING DIFFICULTIES. SPECIFICALLY, STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA. AND WE DO USE THE WILSON READING INTERVENTION ACROSS THE SYSTEM IN GRADES TWO THROUGH THROUGH 12 THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL. OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS ALSO USE THE CIPS INTERVENTION. AND HEGARTY, I KNOW YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THAT. THAT IS A PART OR A COMPONENT OF OUR CORE INSTRUCTION FOR OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS. AND THEN THE OG PLUS IS, IS ONE OF OUR INTERVENTIONS THAT WE'VE REALLY HAD A GREAT DEAL OF SUCCESS WIT. AND OG PLUS IS ALSO USED ACROSS THE SYSTEM, AND WE ARE USING THAT IN OUR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS AS WELL. SO THESE ARE JUST THE HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME OF OUR STRUCTURED LITERACY INTERVENTIONS. BUT ANOTHER BIG COMPONENT TO ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF OUR OUR STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA AND OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE AT RISK OF READING DISABILITIES, IS THE TRAINING AND BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF OUR STAFF, NOT ONLY TO IMPLEMENT THESE REALLY INTENSIVE INTERVENTIONS, BUT ALSO TO BECOME GREAT TEACHERS OF READING. SO OUR 2024 COMPREHENSIVE LITERACY PLAN, WHICH IS AVAILABLE, DOES OUTLINE SOME OF THE ADDITIONAL TRAINING THAT IS HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM. AND SOME OF THE GRAPHICS HERE ARE JUST SOME OF THE DIFFERENT TRAINING COHORTS THAT WE HAVE. WE'RE USING REAL GREAT READING AND LETTERS ARE TWO DIFFERENT TRAINING MODULES AS WELL AS MSD IS PUTTING FORWARD SOME DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT WE ARE PROMOTING FOR OUR TEACHERS.

AND THOSE ARE COMING THROUGH THE AIM INSTITUTE AND ALSO THE SCIENCE OF READING CENTER. SO THOSE ARE, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THAT ARE HAPPENING THAT IN COLLABORATION WITH OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AS WELL AS CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION, WE'RE COMING TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR TEACHERS, WHETHER THEY'RE SPECIAL EDUCATORS, GENERAL EDUCATORS, READING SPECIALISTS, HAVE ACCESS TO SPECIFIC TRAINING TO HELP THEM BECOME BETTER

[03:50:03]

TEACHERS OF READING, AS WELL AS THE SPECIFIC INTERVENTIONS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS. SO I AM JUST GOING TO KIND OF BRING US BACK AGAIN TO DISABILITY AWARENESS. AND, YOU KNOW, THIS EVENING, WHILE WE ARE FOCUSING ON DYSLEXIA, I DO HOPE THAT PERHAPS, YOU KNOW, NEXT OCTOBER WE CAN COME FORWARD WITH A PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTING ONE OF THE OTHER DISABILITIES THAT WE DO ACKNOWLEDGE DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER. AND I DO WANT TO DO A DISCLAIMER THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SO MANY NATIONAL DAYS OF CELEBRATION THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A NATIONAL DYSLEXIA DAY AND SEVERAL OTHER DAYS WITHIN THE MONTH THAT I REALLY JUST COULDN'T ADDRESS IN THIS PRESENTATION. AND ON THIS SLIDE. BUT, YOU KNOW, WE DO CARE VERY DEEPLY ABOUT THE SERVICES THAT WE ARE PROVIDING TO ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ACROSS THE SYSTEM WITH, YOU KNOW, EVERY EDUCATIONAL DISABILITY THAT YOU KNOW, THAT WE ARE ADDRESSING AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE JUST CELEBRATING EVERYBODY'S UNIQUENESS AND INDIVIDUALITY, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE DO WHEN WE SERVICE IEPS. SO I'M GOING TO END THERE AND JUST LET YOU ASK QUESTIONS IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS THIS EVENING. THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE IT. GIVEN THE HOUR I'M GOING TO ENCOURAGE BOARD MEMBERS TO LIMIT THEIR QUESTIONS TO THOSE THAT ARE IN THE IMMEDIATE PUBLIC INTEREST. AND ANYTHING OTHERWISE THEY CAN FOLLOW UP WITH YOU AFTERWARDS OR SEPARATELY. SO WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE BOARD. YES, MA'AM. I'D JUST LIKE TO ASK, DO WE HAVE PEOPLE AT EVERY SCHOOL TRAINED IN THESE PROGRAMS, LIKE WILSON AND OG? YES, AT EVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WE HAVE PEOPLE TRAINED IN THAT. OUR MIDDLE, IN OUR HIGH SCHOOLS, WE MOST OF OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS HAVE. AND I'M REFERRING TO OG. OG TRAINING. WE REALLY LOOK AT THAT TRAINING ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AS WE GET UP INTO OUR HIGH SCHOOLS, WE HAVE FEWER STUDENTS WHO REALLY REQUIRE THAT INTERVENTION. SO AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, SOME OF THE COURSES ARE MORE DESIGNED WITH THAT INTERVENTION IN MIND. FOR INSTANCE, CORRECTIVE READING OR READ 180 HAVE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS. SO THE ANSWER IS YES, BUT AT THE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL IT IS REALLY BASED ON THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS. SO I CAN'T SAY IN EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL, BUT WHEN THERE IS A NEED, WE DO THE TRAINING AND WE MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE TEACHERS THAT ARE TRAINED TO DELIVER THE INTERVENTION THAT THAT'S NEEDED. THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION ALSO. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU FOR INCREASING THE MONITORING AND THE SCREENING THAT WE DIDN'T SEE LAST YEAR. AND THAT WAS THAT WASN'T ME THAT WAS COLLECTIVELY AND IN IN COLLABORATION WITH CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION. YOU KNOW OFFICE OF ACCOUNTABILITY. SO YES, WE'RE HAPPY WITH THAT. AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT DATA AND THAT INFORMATION. AND I'M SURE THAT MISTER JACOB WILL BE WE'LL BE HAPPY THAT YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP TONIGHT. I HAD ONE MORE. OH, OKAY. SO YES. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY.

[I. Presentation of Harford County Public Schools Academic Performance: State Assessments 2023-24, Ms. Heather Kutcher, Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Mr. Andrew Renzulli, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Mr. Phillip Snyder, Supervisor of Accountability, and Mr. Andy Wachter, Assistant Supervisor of Accountability ]

WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE YOUR WAY UP HERE, PRESENTATION ON HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE. STATE ASSESSMENTS, 2023 AND 24. WELCOME, MISS HEATHER KUTCHER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT, MR. ANDREW RENZULLI, DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT. MR. PHILIP SNYDER, SUPERVISOR OF ACCOUNTABILITY. AND MR. ANDY WALKER, ASSISTANT SUPERVISOR OF ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE PRESENTATION. THAT'S A MOUTHFUL. YOU GOT IT. WELCOME, WELCOME. SO I AM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION ASSESSMENT. AND BEFORE I GET A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT FOR THIS PRESENTATION, I'M GOING TO ASK THE TEAM TO IDENTIFY EACH OF THEMSELVES SO YOU KNOW WHO IS WHO. GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. ANDY RENZULLI, DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT. MY NAME IS NOT ANDY, BUT I AM PHIL SNYDER, SUPERVISOR OF ACCOUNTABILITY. AND IN CASE YOU'RE WONDERING, THE RAVENS ARE WINNING. GOOD. I'M ANDY WALKER.

I'M THE ASSISTANT SUPERVISOR OF ACCOUNTABILITY. SO, AS YOU MAY RECALL FROM THE SEPTEMBER 23RD, 2024 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING, WE WILL BE RETURNING THROUGHOUT THIS SCHOOL YEAR TO SHARE STUDENT PERFORMANCE DATA WITH YOU AND ALSO ARTICULATE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE VARIOUS PERFORMANCE DATA THAT WE'RE SHARING AND THE WORK OF OFFICES CENTRALLY TO SUPPORT THE SCHOOL PERFORMANCE AND ACHIEVEMENT OR SPA PROCESS AT EACH INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL. SO, AS WE SHARED AT THAT BOARD MEETING, SPA TEAMS USE SCHOOL AND STUDENT SPECIFIC DATA FROM SOURCES SUCH AS STATE ASSESSMENTS TO IDENTIFY SPECIFIC AREAS OF GROWTH, TO TARGET AND MONITOR A SPA TEAM'S DATA

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