[1. Decision on Previously Tabled: Social Studies Curriculum Update: Human Geography 7, Mrs. Heather Kutcher, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment and Ms. Erin Lange, Supervisor of Social Studies]

IMPORTANT WORK THAT EVERY STUDENT HERE NEEDS IN HARFORD COUNTY. SO WITH THAT, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO OLD BUSINESS. THERE'S ONE ITEM THIS EVENING I'D LIKE TO WELCOME UP MISS HEATHER KUTCHER'S ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT, ALONG WITH MISS ERIN LANG, SUPERVISOR OF SOCIAL STUDIES ON THE PREVIOUSLY TABLED SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM. UPDATE HUMAN GEOGRAPHY SEVEN. WELCOME, MR. PRESIDENT. YES, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU TO EXPLAIN TO THE PUBLIC HOW THESE ELECTIONS RUN AND THE COMPOSITIONS OF THE BOARD, BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW HOW WE GET HERE AND WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT YEAR. AND THIS YEAR THE APPOINTEES WILL BE FOR FOUR YEARS. SO COULD YOU EXPLAIN LET ME LET ME JUST GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF CLARITY ON THAT. SO WE DO HAVE A STAGGERED BOARD NOW, WHICH MEANS THAT BOARD MEMBERS START AT DIFFERENT TIME. SO THERE ARE SIX MEMBERS OF THE BOARD THAT ARE ELECTED BY THEIR DISTRICT. AND THAT ELECTION IS IN WHAT, TWO YEARS? YEAH. NEXT YEAR. IT'S NEXT YEAR. WOW. THAT WAS FAST. THAT ELECTION WILL BE WILL BE NEXT YEAR. THOSE ARE TWO YEAR TERM LIMITS. I BELIEVE THAT EVERY FOUR YEARS. I'M SORRY TWO TWO TERM LIMITS. AND I BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE IS ELIGIBLE FOR ANOTHER TERM EXCEPT FOR DOCTOR MUELLER. OKAY. AND THEN THERE ARE THREE MEMBERS WHO ARE APPOINTED TO THE BOARD BY THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE AND CONFIRMED BY THE COUNTY COUNCIL, WHICH IS JUST WHAT HAPPENED. NOW, YOU MIGHT BE ASKING, WHY ARE THEY TWO YEARS? SO THE LAW WAS WRITTEN THAT SO THE FIRST SET OF APPOINTEES WERE FOR A TWO YEAR TERM, WHICH IS WHY THERE WAS ANOTHER SET OF APPOINTMENTS AND WHY MISS COKER IS DEPARTING. BUT THE NEXT SET IS FOR WAS FOR FOUR YEARS. SO THE NEW ONES ARE FOR FOUR YEARS. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE STUDENT MEMBER CHANGES EVERY YEAR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. YOU'RE WELCOME. ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING. SO WE WERE WITH YOU ALL

[01:55:04]

TWO WEEKS AGO TO FIRST REQUEST APPROVAL FOR THE SOCIAL STUDIES SEVENTH GRADE COURSE, WHICH IS HUMAN GEOGRAPHY. AND TWO WEEKS AGO, THE BOARD DID ASK THAT WE TABLE UNTIL THIS EVENING TO COME BACK AND TALK THROUGH THE CHANGES THAT MRS. LANG AND HER TEAM MADE TO THE CURRICULUM BASED ON BOARD FEEDBACK. SO WE ARE HERE THIS EVENING TO ONCE AGAIN SEEK APPROVAL FOR THAT CURRICULUM AND TO HELP CLARIFY FOR THE BOARD AS WELL AS OUR COMMUNITY WHAT CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE. AND MRS. LANG WILL WALK US THROUGH THOSE. THANK YOU. WE HAVE PUT THE BOARD FEEDBACK INTO BUCKETS BASED ON BOTH WRITTEN FEEDBACK AND DISCUSSIONS THAT WERE HAD DURING LAST BOARD MEETING, AS WELL AS THROUGH EMAIL EXCHANGES. THE FIRST PIECE OF FEEDBACK WAS A GENERAL CONCERN THAT WAS RAISED AROUND THE SHIFT THAT MARYLAND STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION MADE TO HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, AND THAT LACK OF TEACHING OF EXPLICIT GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION OR FACTS. TO ADDRESS THAT, I FIRST JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT HUMAN GEOGRAPHY IS REALLY A SYNTHESIZATION. I THINK I MADE UP A WORD, BUT MAYBE NOT THAT STUDIES PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND THEN HOW IT REALLY IS IMPACTED BY AND IMPACTS THE COMPLEX HUMAN SYSTEMS SUCH AS POLITICAL SYSTEMS, ECONOMIC SYSTEMS, HOW STUDENTS OR HOW HUMANS LIVE. SO THIS IS REALLY AN ELEVATED STUDY OF GEOGRAPHY. IT REQUIRES AN IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, WHICH IS REALLY WHAT WE THINK ABOUT WHEN WE THINK ABOUT GEOGRAPHY. SO THINGS LIKE WHAT'S ON A MAP, WHERE LOCATIONS ARE, HOW WE GET FROM ONE POINT TO ANOTHER, BUT THEN ELEVATING THAT TO THAT CRITICAL THINKING PIECE OF HOW THOSE PIECES OF INFORMATION IMPACT HOW HUMANS LIVE, AND THEN HOW HUMANS IMPACT THE PHYSICAL WORLD AROUND THEM. SO IT REALLY IS AN ELEVATION OF SOME REALLY FOUNDATIONAL PIECES OF UNDERSTANDING THAT ARE TAUGHT IN EARLIER GRADES. AND THEY ARE TAUGHT IN ISOLATION IN GRADES ONE, TWO, AND THREE. AND THEN SPIRALED INTO THAT TWO YEAR US HISTORY COURSE IN GRADES FOUR AND FIVE. BEFORE WE GET TO THIS TWO YEAR HUMAN GEOGRAPHY COURSE THAT IS MANDATED BY THE STATE. HOWEVER, BASED ON FEEDBACK FROM OUR SIXTH GRADE TEACHERS DURING THIS FIRST YEAR OF IMPLEMENTATION OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY SIX, WE'VE MADE SOME SIGNIFICANT ADJUSTMENTS TO THAT FIRST UNIT OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY. SIX TO ADDRESS SOME KNOWLEDGE GAPS THAT WE LARGELY ATTRIBUTE TO OUR YEARS OF TRANSITION. AND WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT THOSE WILL HELP OUR STUDENTS TO COME BETTER PREPARED FOR HUMAN GEOGRAPHY SIX AS WELL AS HUMAN GEOGRAPHY SEVEN AND SO WE HAVE EMBEDDED EXPLICITLY SOME OF THOSE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY PIECES OF KNOWLEDGE THAT ARE ESSENTIAL FOR UNDERSTANDING HUMAN GEOGRAPHY. THE NEXT PIECE OF FEEDBACK THAT WAS RAISED WAS REGARDING ENSURING BALANCE, ENSURING DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES, ESPECIALLY AROUND TOPICS THAT HAVE CRT THEMES. SO WE FIRST WANT TO BE VERY CLEAR, AS WE WERE LAST BOARD MEETING, THAT CRT IS NOT TAUGHT IN HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BUT WE ALSO WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT ENSURING THE BALANCE AND DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES THAT WE VALUE IN HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SO AS A RESULT OF BOARD MEMBER FEEDBACK, WE HAVE ADDED ADDITIONAL STUDENT VOICE AND CHOICE ASSIGNMENTS. THAT'S ACTUALLY THE BREAD AND BUTTER OF SOCIAL STUDIES, REALLY. AND SO WE HAD SOME THAT WERE ALREADY EMBEDDED IN THE CURRICULUM, WHICH I'VE IDENTIFIED JUST A SMATTERING OF, BUT WE ALSO ADDED SOME ADDITIONAL ONES TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE, ARE CENTERED IN WHAT THEY WANT TO LEARN IN TERMS OF THE CONTENT THAT'S MANDATED, AS WELL AS HAVING THEIR VOICE AND THEIR DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES HEARD THROUGHOUT THEIR LEARNING. AND YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN JUST SOME OF THOSE EXAMPLES, SUCH AS STUDENTS CREATING A ONE PAGER OR A VIDEO TO ADDRESS THAT ESSENTIAL QUESTION OF CAN HUMAN SYSTEMS PREVENT THE MOVEMENT OF DISEASES? A HEXAGONAL THINKING CHALLENGE, WHICH IS A REALLY COOL EXPERIENCE WHERE STUDENTS GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE SOME IDENTIFIED CONCEPTS WITHIN THE EXPERIENCE, AND THEY GET TO EXPLAIN WHY THEY ARE GOING TO ORGANIZE THEM AND EXPLAIN AND JUSTIFY THE CONNECTIONS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE BETWEEN ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT CONCEPTS. SO REALLY, STUDENTS JUSTIFYING FOR THEMSELVES WHY THESE THINGS CONNECT TO ONE ANOTHER. ONE OF MY FAVORITES, A PHILOSOPHICAL CHAIRS DEBATE, WHICH IS A STRATEGY WHERE THE ENTIRE CLASS HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A STANCE ON AN ESSENTIAL QUESTION. IN THIS CASE, IS MIGRATION INEVITABLE? A PHILOSOPHICAL CHAIRS DEBATE REQUIRES STUDENTS TO COME WITH THEIR OWN PERSPECTIVE, TO IDENTIFY RESOURCES ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT TEACHERS HAVE PREPARED, PREPARED FOR THEM. AND THEN THEY TAKE A STAND ON THE ISSUE. AND THEY ACTUALLY DO THAT PHYSICALLY. USUALLY THEY SIT IN A CIRCLE AND PART OF THE CIRCLE SAYS, YES, MIGRATION IS INEVITABLE. THE OTHER HALF SAYS, NO, IT ISN'T.

AND STUDENTS THEN ENGAGE IN SOME OPEN DEBATE FOR WHOLE CLASS. AND PERIODICALLY THROUGHOUT THAT DEBATE, STUDENTS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PHYSICALLY MOVE THEIR LOCATION TO REPRESENT

[02:00:02]

SHIFTS IN THEIR THINKING BASED ON THAT NEW THINKING, BASED ON THOSE DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES. SO YOU CAN SEE HERE JUST SOME OTHER EXAMPLES. I WON'T GO THROUGH ALL OF THEM, BUT THEY ALL REPRESENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO DO THE CRITICAL THINKING FOR STUDENTS TO ENGAGE IN MORE ADVANCED RESEARCH BEYOND JUST WHAT IS PRESENTED BY THE TEACHER, WHERE THEY GET TO IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL RESOURCES THAT WOULD SUPPORT THEIR CLAIMS, AND PROVIDE EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT WHY THOSE CLAIMS ARE SUPPORTED BY THE EVIDENCE AND GIVE THEIR REASONING FOR IT. THE NEXT PIECE OF FEEDBACK WAS AROUND THE COLONIAL AND NATIVE INTERACTIONS EXPERIENCE AS WRITTEN, AND A CONCERN THAT THERE WAS WERE THOSE CRT THEMES CREATING A BIAS THAT SUPPORTS AN ANTI AMERICAN PORTRAYAL OF OUR HISTORY. AND SO AGAIN, WE JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT CRT IS NOT TAUGHT. THE ENTIRETY OF UNIT FOUR IS OUR PROJECT BASED LEARNING UNIT. AND WE ARE REALLY PROUD OF IT BECAUSE IT PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO DIVE DEEP INTO A PROBLEM OF PRACTICE, TO USE HISTORY TO EVALUATE THE WORLD AROUND THEM. AND SO STUDENTS WILL CHOOSE A LOCAL NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBE THAT THEY WILL RESEARCH. THEY WILL GET TO TELL THE STORY OF THAT TRIBE THROUGH THE CONTEXT OF THE AMERICAN STORY, INCLUDING RESEARCHING HOW THOSE NATIVES LIVED PRIOR TO EUROPEAN CONTACT, HOW THEIR LIVES WERE CHANGED BY AND HOW THEY INTERACTED WITH EUROPEANS, AND THEN HOW THE TRIBE HAS CONTRIBUTED TO A REALLY RICH HISTORY AND THE DIVERSE PRESENT OF THE UNITED STATES. IT'S REALLY IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO MSDE WHEN THEY BUILT THIS EXPERIENCE, TO MOVE ALL THE WAY TO PRESENT, BECAUSE IT'S REALLY RARE TO SEE NATIVE AMERICANS BEING PORTRAYED IN MODERN TIMES. THEIR STORY REALLY STOPS AFTER TRAIL OF TEARS IN TRADITIONAL MODELS OF HOW HISTORY HAS BEEN TAUGHT. AND SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS TO CHOOSE A TRIBE AND DIVE DEEP INTO IT AND SHOW HOW THOSE NATIVE TRIBES HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO AND REALLY POSITIVE WAYS. THE STORY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS IT IS TODAY. ADDITIONALLY, DURING THAT PBL UNIT, STUDENTS WILL BE RECEIVING AND GIVING STRUCTURED FEEDBACK SO THEY WILL HEAR DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES AND BALANCED PERSPECTIVES ABOUT THEIR LEARNING. THEY WILL BE CHALLENGED BY NOT ONLY ONE ANOTHER, BUT BY POTENTIALLY EXPERTS, INCLUDING EXPERTS FROM OUR OWN HARFORD COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, AS WELL AS OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE WITH OUR LOCAL TRIBES. AND WE PROVIDED SOME RESOURCES WITHIN THE PBL UNIT TO SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS IN ENGAGING IN THAT PROCESS, IF THEY CHOOSE. ANOTHER PIECE OF FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED WAS THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE A LIST OF FACTS AND VOCABULARY THAT COULD BE COVERED IN EACH UNIT, AND WHILE THAT ISN'T NECESSARILY PART OF WHAT THE PURPOSE OF A CURRICULUM IS, THAT REALLY MOVES MORE TOWARD LESSON PLANNING IN THE DAILY LESSON PLANS, THOSE INDICATORS AND OBJECTIVES IN THE FRAMEWORK REALLY SERVE AS THOSE STATEMENTS OF FACTUAL INFORMATION THAT ARE REQUIRED. AND TEACHERS ARE PLANNING REGULAR ASSESSMENTS, WHAT WE WOULD CALL FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS TO CHECK THE STUDENT'S PROGRESS ON TOWARD MASTERY BEFORE WE EVEN GET TO WHAT WE WOULD CALL A SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT. SO SOMETHING BIG THAT'S REALLY ASSESSING OR CHECKING STUDENTS UNDERSTANDING OF THE ENTIRETY OF THEIR LEARNING. TEACHERS ARE MONITORING STUDENT PROGRESS THROUGHOUT THE EXPERIENCE TO ENSURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND AND ARE MAKING DATA INFORMED OR DATA DRIVEN DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT TO TEACH, AND THIS IS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF DANIELSON AS WELL, WHICH IS THE TEACHER EVALUATION THAT WE USE. SO WE ARE ENSURING THAT TEACHERS ARE DOING THIS REGULARLY. ANOTHER PIECE OF FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED WAS ON THE INCLUSION OF CLIMATE CHANGE AS THE CAUSE OF MIGRATION IS INACCURATE, NOT FACTUALLY SUPPORTED, IS ANOTHER FORM OF CRT AND IS A LOGICAL FALLACY. SO WHILE WE'VE DISCUSSED AT LENGTH HOW WE'VE REALLY ATTEMPTED TO THREAD THAT NEEDLE TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE BOTH ALIGNED TO THE FRAMEWORK AND REALLY HONORING THE DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, YOU CAN SEE THE STATEMENT THAT WE PUT ON THAT SCREEN FOR YOU THAT WE'VE INCLUDED IN THE TEACHER BACKGROUND STATEMENT TO REMIND TEACHERS TO HONOR THE DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, AND TO REALLY BE MINDFUL OF THE FACT THAT WHILE WE WILL ALIGN TO THE STATE FRAMEWORKS, AS IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY, THAT THE PERSPECTIVES THAT STUDENTS ARE ENGAGING IN SHOULD BE FIRST OF ALL, CENTERED ON STUDENT VOICE AND THEIR DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES, BUT ALSO THAT WE SHOULD HONOR WHAT PERSPECTIVES OUR STUDENTS ARE BRINGING IN. AND JUST TO BE MINDFUL OF THE BROAD RANGE OF IDEAS AND PERSPECTIVES THAT OUR STUDENTS BRING IN FROM THE BROADER COMMUNITY. ADDITIONALLY, I DO MENTION ON THIS SCREEN THAT WE SPECIFICALLY ADDED THAT PHILOSOPHICAL CHAIRS DEBATE TO PROVIDE STUDENTS WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THIS CONCERN IN A STRUCTURED WAY THAT ALLOWS THEM TO REALLY TAKE A CLAIM, BRING IN OUTSIDE RESOURCES, AND SUPPORT THAT CLAIM WITH THE RESOURCES. IN ORDER TO ANSWER THAT COMPELLING QUESTION OF IS MIGRATION INEVITABLE? RELATED TO THAT SAME EXPERIENCE, THERE WAS A CONCERN THAT THE 21ST CENTURY MIGRATION EXPERIENCE IS MISLEADING AND DISHONEST ABOUT THE REALITY OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION INTO THE US OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS. YOU CAN SEE FOCUS. QUESTION THREE REALLY ADDRESSES THAT AND CALLS OUT THAT TOPIC OF WHAT ARE THE RANGE OF RESPONSES TO ADDRESS 21ST CENTURY MIGRATION PATTERNS? AND IN THAT PARTICULAR PART OF THE EXPERIENCE, STUDENTS ANALYZE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCE DOCUMENTS AND PERSONAL NARRATIVES FROM COUNTRIES AROUND

[02:05:03]

THE WORLD, INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES. AND WE LOOK AT THEM IN DIFFERENT BUCKETS OF THE RESPONSES THAT GOVERNMENTS HAVE ENGAGED WITH, INCLUDING THE RESTRICTIONS PIECE. AND IN THAT RESTRICTIONS PIECE, STUDENTS EXAMINE EXCERPTS FROM US LEGISLATION FROM THE 2000 TO TODAY. AND THAT REALLY SUPPORTS THAT IDEA THAT THERE ARE BOTH LEGAL AS WELL AS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION PATHWAYS. AND SO WE REALLY TRY TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT FACT WHILE ALIGNING TO THE FRAMEWORK, WHICH DOES NOT REALLY DELVE INTO THE POLITICS OF IMMIGRATION. THERE WAS ANOTHER CONCERN ABOUT THE LANGUAGE IN A POWERPOINT OVERVIEW OF MAJOR WORLD RELIGIONS THAT DIDN'T INCLUDE EXPLICIT LANGUAGE ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN BELIEF OF ONE CREATOR GOD, AND DID NOT ACCURATELY DEPICT THE TRINITARIAN NATURE THAT RELIGION, BOTH THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND POWERPOINT HAVE BEEN EDITED TO INCLUDE THE CHRISTIAN BELIEF IN A SINGULAR CREATOR GOD. FORD FEEDBACK INCLUDED THAT LANGUAGE IN THE TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION, WHICH IS THAT TEACHER FACING PART OF OUR CURRICULUM THAT HELPS OUR TEACHERS TO IDENTIFY WHAT THEY'RE TEACHING AND TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE GUARDRAILS IN WHICH THEY'LL BE TEACHING IT, THAT THAT INFORMATION PROPOSED. OR THERE WAS SOME CONFUSION ABOUT SOME LANGUAGE THERE, REALLY. IT WAS A MISPLACED MODIFIER, WHICH WAS SOMETHING I HAD TO LOOK UP WHAT TO CALL IT, BUT IT WAS A MISPLACED MODIFIER. BUT IN DISCUSSING WITH BOARD MEMBERS ABOUT WHAT WE TRULY MEANT BY THAT STATEMENT, WE WORKED TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT THE LANGUAGE DID NOT RESTRICT TEACHERS UNNECESSARILY. SO THE NEGATIVE LANGUAGE HAS HAS BEEN REMOVED. TEACHER GUIDANCE SAYS THAT TEACHERS SHOULD ENSURE ALL MATERIALS AND PURPOSE REMAIN ALIGNED WITH THE UNIT'S ESSENTIAL AND FOCUSED QUESTIONS, SO THAT WE ARE REMOVING ANY OF THAT NEGATIVE LANGUAGE. AS ALWAYS, TEACHERS HAVE THE FREEDOM TO SUPPLEMENT WITH RESOURCES THAT THEY FIND OR THEY CREATE, AS LONG AS IT ALIGNS TO THOSE INSTRUCTIONAL EXPERIENCES AND THE PURPOSES SET FORTH BY THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION. THERE WAS A CONCERN ABOUT TEACHER FACING LANGUAGE IN THE EXPERIENCE ON COLONIAL AND NATIVE INTERACTIONS BEING ASSUMPTIVE AND EMOTIONALLY CHARGED. THAT WAS A SPECIFIC PIECE OF LANGUAGE FROM THAT TEACHER BACKGROUND STATEMENT AND IT HAS BEEN REMOVED. AND SO WITH THAT, I BELIEVE THAT THAT ENCAPSULATES ENCAPSULATES ALL OF THE SHIFTS THAT WE HAVE MADE. AND SO AT THIS POINT, WE BRING THIS REQUEST BACK TO THE BOARD AND ARE OPEN TO YOUR QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. SYNTHESIZATION IS A WORD. I LOOKED IT UP OR IS GOOGLE SAYS IT IS. SO IT MUST BE REAL. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU PUT INTO ADDRESSING THE BOARD MEMBERS COMMENTS. SO WHERE WE ARE JUST SO IF EVERYONE'S, YOU KNOW, KEEPING TRACK HERE, THERE WAS NO VOTE ON THE CURRICULUM LAST WEEK. THERE WERE SOME BOARD MEMBER CONCERNS. SO THE VOTE WAS ACTUALLY TO TABLE THE DECISION SO THAT MORE COLLABORATION COULD HAPPEN BETWEEN THE BOARD AND THE ADMINISTRATION. BECAUSE IT IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT. THE CURRICULUM IS MADE BY, YOU KNOW, THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AND GUIDED AND APPROVED BY THE BOARD. SO IT'S A TEAMWORK. SO I APPRECIATE YOU LISTENING TO THE BOARD AND TAKING THESE THE FEEDBACK INTO CONSIDERATION. SO WE'RE GOING TO START WITH MISS ALVAREZ. AND IF YOU COULD JUST IF ALL BOARD MEMBERS COULD JUST KEEP IT TO 1 OR 2 QUESTIONS AND THEN WE WILL COME BACK TO YOU IF YOUR QUESTIONS HAVEN'T BEEN ADDRESSED BY THE END. MISS ALVAREZ, THANK YOU. I, I JUST HAVE A STATEMENT TO MAKE. I JUST WANT TO THANK MISS LANG AND MISS KUSHNER FOR BEING OPEN TO DIALOG, TO DISCUSS, YOU KNOW, THE CONCERNS THAT WE HAD AND TO CLARIFY OUR CONCERNS. WE'RE BASICALLY THAT WE WANTED A NOT TO DENY THE MISSTEPS THAT OUR HISTORY HAS, BUT TO ENSURE THAT THOSE MISSTEPS WERE PRESENTED IN A WAY THAT THE STUDENTS WOULD HAVE MORE OPEN ENDED QUESTIONING, WHICH, YOU KNOW, AFTER GOING THROUGH A LOT OF THE EXERCISES THAT THEY DO, THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE THEM SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE THEIR OWN INFORMED DECISIONS. AND THAT WAS REALLY THE INTENT OF MY COMMENTS, WAS THAT THEY WERE NOT PIGEONHOLED INTO A POSITION, BUT THEY HAD THE ABILITY TO EXPLORE WHAT HAPPENED IN OUR HISTORY FROM FROM MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES, BECAUSE AS WE KNOW, HISTORY IS USUALLY WRITTEN FROM SOME PERSPECTIVE. AND SO IT'S NOT IT WAS NOT TO DENY THAT WE'VE HAD MISSTEPS. SO THANK YOU. AND THANK YOU FOR EMBRACING AND DIALOGING WITH US I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU, MISS BRUCE. I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. POKER A COUPLE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU FOR, YOU KNOW, BEING RESPONSIVE AND ADDRESSING OUR QUESTIONS.

WOULD YOU SAY THAT THE QUESTIONS OR THE CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE HAVE IMPROVED THE CURRICULUM? YES. I THINK ANY OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE IN FEEDBACK MAKES US BETTER. OKAY, GREAT. AND I HEARD YOU SAY THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED. SO THE SOCIAL STUDIES SIX ADOPTED LAST SUMMER, THEN GONE THROUGH THE FIRST YEAR, SOME OF THE TEACHERS NOTED SOME

[02:10:04]

KNOWLEDGE GAPS THAT WERE IN UNIT ONE. SO YOU'VE GONE AHEAD AND PUT THOSE BACK IN THERE. AND THAT WILL HELP BOTH SS SIX AND SEVEN. COULD YOU LIKE, YOU KNOW, SEND ME A LIST OF THOSE. I JUST BE CURIOUS WHAT YOU WHAT YOU DID ADD INTO UNIT 1 IN 6. AND THAT'S I THINK HOW THE CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND APPROVAL BY THE BOARD SHOULD WORK. YOU KNOW IT IS A, A PARTNERSHIP AND IT'S LIKE TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE. SO YOU KNOW, JUST THE NUANCES AND THE PHRASING ARE IMPORTANT. AND YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU SAY DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES AND SO FORTH, THAT DOES MEAN EVERYTHING. AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE DO, AS EXPRESSED HERE, THINK THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL. AND IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I THINK. IT'S JUST THAT THERE'S SCIENCE, A RANGE OF SCIENCE ON CLIMATE CYCLES THAT IS NOT REPRESENTED HERE. WHEN YOU MAKE STATEMENTS SUCH AS WITH CLIMATE CHANGE WORSENING FIRES EACH YEAR, CLIMATE CHANGE MAKES CALIFORNIA WEATHER HOTTER AND DRIER, CLIMATE RELATED MIGRATION WORLDWIDE. THOSE ARE ALL VERY BIASED STATEMENTS. AND AGAIN, BASED ON A LOGICAL FALLACY THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS CAUSING ALL THESE THINGS AND THAT AND THERE'S BODIES OF DATA THAT REFLECT THE OPPOSITE, THAT IT'S CLIMATE CYCLES. SO AS MUCH AS YOU'VE DONE ON THE COURSE, I APPRECIATE IT, BUT I STILL DO HAVE THAT CONCERN THAT IN ADDITION TO FOLLOWING THE STANDARDS, WHICH SHOULD BE A MINIMUM, THAT WE CAN ALSO ADD INFORMATION THAT PRESENTS BOTH SIDES. AND SO YOU'VE GIVEN KIDS A CHANCE FOR PBL AND THAT'S GREAT. ALL THOSE ACTIVITIES SOUND WONDERFUL, AND I'M GLAD THAT FOLKS ARE EXCITED ABOUT THAT. BUT SOME FACTUAL THINGS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE, I THINK ARE STILL MISSING. AND A LOT OF THE CHANGES THAT YOU PUT IN THE TEACHER FACING BACKGROUNDS, I THANK YOU FOR THAT. I THINK THAT HELPED A LOT. SO AT LEAST THAT WAS A GOOD PART OF IT. SO I THINK WE HAVE IMPROVED THE COURSE. THANK YOU. ANY FEEDBACK FOR HER OR NO. NO DOCTOR MUELLER GOOD. QUESTIONS. ANYONE JOINING REMOTELY MISS PERRY OR MR. SEWELL I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. I JUST WANTED TO EXPRESS HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE. YOU KNOW, THE PROCESS AND HOW PROFESSIONAL IT WAS, HOW PROFESSIONALLY IT WAS HANDLED. AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE VOTE. STRAUSS. THANK YOU. I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION. COULD YOU PLEASE ELABORATE ON WHAT IS STUDENT CHOICE AND VOICE? ABSOLUTELY. SO THOSE ARE TWO THINGS SOMEWHAT RELATED. STUDENT CHOICE IS ANY OPPORTUNITY THAT WE CAN GIVE STUDENTS TO HAVE SOME EFFICACY ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE LEARNING. SO A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THAT WOULD BE DOING A DEEP DIVE ON ONE OF THE NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES. SO GIVING THEM CHOICE OBVIOUSLY WITH GUARDRAILS. SO IN THE CASE OF OUR PBL UNIT WE HAVE TO STUDY ABOUT LOCAL TRIBES WITHIN MARYLAND. AND SO WE'VE GIVEN STUDENTS A RANGE OF OPTIONS ABOUT WHAT THEY COULD STUDY. WE'LL GIVE THEM A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION TO HELP THEM MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE. AND THEN THEY CAN DIVE DEEP INTO THAT. STUDENT VOICES ANY OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR STUDENTS TO SHARE THEIR OWN LEARNING WITHIN A CLASSROOM. SO THAT COULD BE A VERBAL DISCUSSION. IT COULD BE A SILENT DISCUSSION, LIKE A CHALK TALK, WHERE WE WOULD HAVE PAPERS AROUND THE ROOM AND STUDENTS COULD WRITE TO ONE ANOTHER. WE DO SOMETHING CALLED, WELL, RIGHT NOW I'M BLANKING ON IT. BUT WHERE STUDENTS WILL WRITE IN FOUR CORNERS OF A PAPER AND PASS IT AROUND TO ONE ANOTHER AND TAKE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES EACH TIME THEY GET THE PAPER. SO THOSE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO HAVE VOICE IN, IN SHARING THEIR MASTERY AND SHARING THEIR OPINIONS. THANK YOU. AND I JUST HAVE A STATEMENT THAT I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE BELIEVE IN MANY DIFFERENT THINGS AND HAVE MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES.

CLIMATE CHANGE, FOR EXAMPLE. SOME BELIEVE THAT IT IS REAL AND SOME DO NOT. I BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST IS OUR LORD AND OUR SAVIOR, AND THE ONLY WAY THROUGH TO THE FATHER IS THROUGH HIM.

AND SOME DO NOT BELIEVE THAT SO MANY THINGS BEING TAUGHT IN OUR SCHOOLS ARE CONSIDERED CONTROVERSIAL AND HAVE MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES. IT IS THE JOB OF A SCHOOL SYSTEM TO TEACH NEUTRAL PERSPECTIVES AND ALLOW STUDENTS TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS ON WHAT THEY BELIEVE AND WHAT GOES ALONG WITH THEIR VALUES. THE CURRICULUM WAS NOT BALANCED AND DID NOT OFFER BOTH PERSPECTIVES.

THESE CHANGES WILL HOPEFULLY GIVE A LITTLE MORE OF THAT BALANCE. I DO UNDERSTAND THAT MSD GIVES US GUIDELINES AND THAT WE MUST GO BY THEM IN ORDER TO BE IN COMPLIANCE, BUT AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, IT IS OUR JOB TO BE NEUTRAL AND ALLOW STUDENTS TO MAKE UP THEIR MIND WHERE THEY STAND. SO PART OF THE REASON THAT I, ALONG WITH OTHER BOARD MEMBERS, HAVE ASKED FOR FULL ACCESS TO THE CURRICULUMS TO BE INFORMED WHEN MAKING THESE DECISIONS AND TO BE ABLE TO COMPARE AND CONTRAST AND SEE THE CHANGES THAT ARE BEING SUGGESTED. CURRENTLY, WE STILL ONLY HAVE BITS AND PIECES OF INFORMATION AND THE CURRICULUM THAT IS BEING TAUGHT. WE DO NOT, NOR HAVE WE EVER HAD ACCESS TO THE ENTIRE CURRICULUM. NOT SPECIFICALLY JUST THIS ONE, BUT

[02:15:03]

ALL CURRICULUM. SO AS A BOARD MEMBER, IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO BE THOROUGH AND TO ENSURE WHAT IS BEING TAUGHT IS THE BEST EDUCATION AND BALANCED CURRICULUM FOR ALL STUDENTS. AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I ALWAYS DO. JUST WANT TO SAY THAT THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I KNOW THERE'S BEEN COUNTLESS HOURS PUT INTO THIS BEFORE WE EVEN TWO WEEKS AGO, AND ESPECIALLY OVER THE PAST TWO WEEKS WORKING WITH THE BOARD MEMBERS, I DO THINK THAT THE CURRICULUM IS IN A BETTER SPOT NOW, REPRESENTING A MORE DIVERSE VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY. SO I'M HAPPY WITH WHERE IT IS, AND I THINK IT'S TIME FOR A VOTE. IF THERE'S NO FURTHER QUESTIONS, I'LL ACCEPT A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE. SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM UPDATE HUMAN GEOGRAPHY SEVEN. CAROL BRUCE. SO MOVED SECOND. OKAY. THANK YOU. LET ME TRY THIS. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY YES. YES YES YES YES.

ANY OPPOSED? PLEASE SAY NO. NO, I'M GOING TO ABSTAIN. THANK YOU. LET THE RECORD REFLECT. THERE WAS ONE VOTE. ANY ABSTENTIONS? ONE. MISS COKER WAS A NO. AND IF THERE'S ANY ABSTENTIONS.

[C. Consent Agenda]

ABSTAIN. ONE ABSTENTION. THANK YOU. THE MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. OKAY. SO WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO ITEM C WHICH IS THE CONSENT AGENDA. NUMBER ONE RESOLUTION FOR MISS SASHA ABERDEEN HIGH SCHOOL 2024 2025. STUDENT MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF HARFORD COUNTY.

NUMBER TWO ANNUAL BOARD UPDATE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025. NUMBER THREE BOARD INFORMED REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2026 AUDIT PLAN NUMBER FOUR APPOINTMENT OF AUDIT COMMITTEE MEMBER NUMBER FIVE 2025 EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES MASTER PLAN AND COMPREHENSIVE MAINTENANCE PLAN. NUMBER SIX MINUTES OF PREVIOUS BOARD MEETINGS MAY 5TH, MAY 19TH AND JUNE 9TH, 2025. THANK YOU. I'LL ACCEPT THE MOTION IN A SECOND, JUST ONE SECOND. BUT I DO WANT TO SAY THE FIRST POINT ON THERE.

THE RESOLUTION WAS PART OF WHAT WE ALREADY DID EARLIER, BUT THE BOARD ALSO HAS ITS OWN. AND WHEN I HAND YOU THIS, THERE WILL ALSO BE A $1,000 CHECK IN THERE FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. I'M TRYING TO GET THAT UP, BY THE WAY. I THINK THAT'S WAY TOO LITTLE, BUT THAT'LL BUY YOU AT LEAST ONE TEXTBOOK IN COLLEGE. SO MAY I ACCEPT THE MOTION IN A SECOND, PLEASE? TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. I MOVE TO ACCEPT THE CONSENT AGENDA. CAROL BRUCE. SECOND.

THANK YOU. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY YES. YES, THERE ARE ANY. YES. PLEASE SAY NO. SORRY. THAT

[D. Decision on Contract Renewal: In-Person Early Literacy Tutoring, Ms. Heather Kutcher, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction and Ms. Kristine Scarry, Supervisor of Reading, English, and Language Arts]

WAS YESES THAT PASSES. ITEM D WAS ACTUALLY ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. IT WAS PULLED OFF.

DECISION ON CONTRACT RENEWAL IN PERSON. EARLY LITERACY TUTORING. AGAIN. WELCOME BACK UP. THANK YOU. AND I THINK THAT WAS MISS COKER WHO REQUESTED THE TO PULL THAT OFF, IF I'M CORRECT. SORRY.

SOMEONE REQUESTED IT WAS MISS COKER. COULD HAVE BEEN OKAY. YOUR ISSUES MAY HAVE. YOUR ISSUES MIGHT HAVE BEEN RESOLVED ALREADY. I JUST ASKED WHERE WE'RE USING ORTON-GILLINGHAM AND YOU WOULD EMAIL RECEIVED A RESPONSE, CORRECT? I DID, BUT COULD YOU REFRESH MY MEMORY AND SAY IT AGAIN? ABSOLUTELY. MRS. GARY WILL EXPLAIN KIND OF THE INTERVENTION THAT THAT PARTICULAR COMPANY USES AND WHY IT'S NOT ORTON-GILLINGHAM FOR THAT COMPANY. SO THE COMPANY FOR THE HIGH IMPACT TUTORING THAT WE ARE BRINGING FORTH TONIGHT IS CALLED RESULTS LEARNING. AND THEY'VE CHOSEN THE WILSON FUNDATIONS FUND AND FOCUS INTERVENTION PROGRAM BECAUSE IT WILL ALIGN TO THE FUNDATIONS INTERVENTION PROGRAM THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN OUR DISTRICT.

FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE AT RISK, TYPICALLY WHAT WE CALL OUR TIER TWO STUDENTS. SO ORTON-GILLINGHAM IS AN INTERVENTION WE HAVE IN OUR DISTRICT, OFTEN FOR OUR TIER THREE STUDENTS, STUDENTS WHO ARE IDENTIFIED THAT NEED THAT LEVEL OF INTENSIVE SUPPORT. WE LIKE TO HAVE OUR OUR TRAINED AND CERTIFIED SPECIAL EDUCATORS OR READING SPECIALISTS ARE OFTEN DELIVERING THE INTERVENTION. THIS COMPANY'S PROGRAM REALLY WILL BE DESIGNED TO SPECIFICALLY MEET THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS WHO ARE MORE TIER TWO. STUDENTS, AND AGAIN, THEY ARE TRAINED BY THE COMPANY. THEY ARE NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED. ORGANIZATION WILSON IS A PROGRAM THAT HAS A MULTI-SENSORY APPROACH THAT THE INTERNATIONAL DYSLEXIA ASSOCIATION, AS WELL AS THE READING LEAGUE, HAVE IDENTIFIED THAT PROGRAM AS BEING ALIGNED TO THE SCIENCE OF READING INTERVENTION. AND SO FROM THE RESULTS WE'VE HAD JUST FROM OUR PILOT, WE FEEL IT'S A IT'S A NICE COMPLEMENT TO OUR CORE TIER ONE PROGRAM IN OUR DISTRICT. WHEN YOU SAY ALIGNED WITH SCIENCE OF READING, I MEAN, IS THIS PHONICS BASED? IT'S PHONEMIC AWARENESS, PHONICS BASED. IT HAS COMPREHENSION, VOCABULARY, ALL OF THE COMPONENTS. SO IT'S NOT JUST ONE, IT'S NOT CUEING. NO OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU I'LL ACCEPT A MOTION AND A

[02:20:02]

SECOND TO APPROVE ITEM D DECISION ON CONTRACT RENEWAL IN PERSON EARLY LITERACY TUTORING.

CAN I ASK ONE MORE QUESTION? OH, SORRY. YEAH. THIS GRANT, IS THIS A CONTINUOUS GRANT THAT WOULD COVER THE THREE ADDITIONAL ONE YEAR TERMS? WE'VE HAD THIS GRANT SINCE THE 2021 SCHOOL YEAR.

WHETHER IT WILL BE RENEWED AFTER NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION. SO WE HAVE ENOUGH IN THE CURRENT GRANT. AND THIS IS A PART OF THE BLUEPRINT. THAT TRANSITIONAL SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION WAS REALLY DESIGNED TO GIVE DISTRICTS MONEY TOWARDS EARLY LITERACY. IT CAN BE ONLY USED FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES K TO THREE, AND IF IT ISN'T RENEWED, WE WOULDN'T WE WOULDN'T RENEW THE CONTRACT. SO THE CONTRACT THAT WE'RE BRINGING FOR YOU WOULD BE JUST FOR ONE YEAR. AND THE COMPANY IS AWARE OF THAT. SO IF THE GRANT DOES NOT CONTINUE, THEN YOU WOULD HAVE TO COME BACK BEFORE THE BOARD TO ASK FOR FUNDING FOR THAT. IS THAT HOW THAT WOULD WORK OR YOU JUST WOULD NOT? WE WOULD MOST LIKELY NOT CONTINUE BECAUSE OF THE COST. SO WE UNDERSTAND GOING INTO THIS AS THE COMPANY DOES, THAT THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO USE THESE FUNDS FOR SOMETHING THAT'S HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR EARLY LITERACY. BUT WE DO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WOULD MOST LIKELY NOT BE BUDGET FOR THIS MOVING FORWARD. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? I'LL ACCEPT THE MOTION IN A SECOND. CAROL. BRUCE. SO MOVED. I SECOND, THANK YOU. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY YES. YES YES YES YES. ARE THERE ANY OPPOSED? PLEASE SAY NO. THANK YOU. THE MOTION PASSES, YOU KNOW. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, LADIES. NEXT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE A BREAK. BUT. BUT WHERE ARE THE FIRST LADIES IN THE YOUNG MEN THERE? YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN WAITING SO PATIENTLY. IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO JUST SKIPPING THE BREAK AND LET'S DO THAT? OH, YEAH. WITHOUT OBJECTION. MOVED

[E. Presentation of Mentorship Programs: "First Ladies of Edgewood", Ms. Chiwy Webster, Director and "Young Men on Tour", Mr. Zeno Jones, President]

IN THE FRONT OF THE QUEUE. WELCOME. WELCOME UP. WE'RE GOING TO HOLD OFF ON THE BREAK. I'D LIKE TO MOVE ON TO ITEM E IN NEW BUSINESS PRESENTATION OF MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS. THE FIRST LADIES OF EDGEWOOD AND YOUNG MEN ON TOUR. I'D LIKE TO WELCOME MISS WEBSTER, DIRECTOR AND MR. JONES PRESIDENT, FOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS. GREETINGS, EVERYONE. DOCTOR POLSON, ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, THANK YOU FOR INVITING US HERE. THIS COMPUTER IS DOING SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW ABOUT. BUT ANYWAY, I'M HERE. MY NAME IS WEBSTER, AND I'M THE PROUD DIRECTOR OF THE FIRST LADIES OF EDGEWOOD AT EDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL. WE'RE A CLUB THAT SEEKS TO MENTOR OUR YOUNG WOMEN AT EDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL. WE HAVE BEEN IN EXISTENCE SINCE 2013. WE HAVE MENTORED OVER 200 GIRLS, AND EVERY LAST ONE OF THOSE GIRLS HAS A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA.

SO WE HAVE A 100% GRADUATION RATE IN OUR GROUP, AND WE ARE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THAT. WE TEACH THESE GIRLS TO DO SO MANY THINGS BECAUSE WE WANT THEM TO BE READY FOR POST-SECONDARY PURSUITS. WE WANT THEM TO KNOW THINGS. WE TEACH THEM HOW TO MAKE A VISION BOARD. WE TEACH THEM HOW TO MAKE GRATITUDE JARS. WE TEACH THEM HOW TO MAKE HAND SCRUB TO CARE FOR THEMSELVES. IF YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW TO DANCE, COME ON OVER TO EDGEWOOD. WE CAN TEACH YOU THAT TOO. WE'LL TEACH YOU HOW TO PLAN AN EVENT. WE WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO HOW TO DRINK TEA AND WHAT TO PAIR IT WITH. WE'LL TEACH YOU HOW TO BAKE SOME COOKIES. WE'LL LET YOU KNOW THAT HIGH SCHOOL COUNTS. WE START WITH THE NINTH GRADE TO TELL THEM WHAT'S IMPORTANT. WE HAVE THE 10TH, 11TH AND 12TH, SO THESE GIRLS WILL BE ABLE TO TELL YOU THAT THEY CAN SURVIVE ON THEIR OWN AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.

BECAUSE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TAUGHT. YOU TAUGHT THEM? I'M SORRY. WE MEET TWICE A MONTH AND WE HAVE A DIFFERENT TOPIC. WE BRING IN SPEAKERS, WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD TIME, AND I CAN TELL YOU A LOT OF THINGS, BUT I THINK WHAT WOULD SPEAK BEST IF YOU HEAR FROM MY GIRLS. SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ALBERTHA FIRST AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ELLA AND SALLY IF SHE'D LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING AS WELL. OKAY. GOOD EVENING TO THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD WHO ARE PRESENT IN THIS MEETING. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUR TIME TO HEAR FROM ME, FROM HERE, FROM US TODAY. MY NAME IS ALBERTHA JOHNSON AND I'M AN UPCOMING SENIOR. I ATTEND EDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL AND I'M IN THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM. I'M HERE BEFORE YOU TODAY TO ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF THE FIRST LADIES OF EDGEWOOD, AS OVER THE YEARS, OUR MAIN DIRECTOR, MRS. WEBSTER, HAS WORKED EXTREMELY HARD TO COMPLETE THIS ONE MISSION TO CREATE MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPERIENCES FOR YOUNG WOMEN LIKE ME. MISS WEBSTER, ALONG WITH OUR OTHER SPONSORS, DO THIS THROUGH AFTER SCHOOL MEETINGS, WHICH TAKE PLACE AROUND TWICE A MONTH. SERVICE PROJECTS, MENTORSHIPS, EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS, WITH OUR BIGGEST WIN USUALLY BEING THE CINDERELLA PROJECT, WHICH TAKES PLACE IN MARCH OF EVERY YEAR.

THIS PAST YEAR, OUR PROGRAM HAS SEEN INCREASED PARTICIPATION AND WE HAVE MADE A TANGIBLE DIFFERENCE IN OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY. BUT WITH A GROWING ORGANIZATION, OUR AMBITIONS

[02:25:04]

BEGIN TO LACK THE RESOURCES TO CONTINUE TO BACK IT. WHILE MISS WEBSTER, ALONG WITH AGAIN, THE OTHER LEADERS HAVE DONE WELL WITH WHAT THEY HAVE. WE WANT TO CONTINUE STRIVING IN THE WAY THAT WE HAVE THIS PAST ACADEMIC YEAR BY USING OUR OUTSIDE RESOURCES, LIKE THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. THIS IS THE REASON WE'RE HERE TODAY. WE WANT TO ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW IN THE FUTURE. WITH ADDITIONAL FUNDING, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO GROW FIRST LADIES TO STRENGTHEN THE SYSTEMS WE HAVE IN PLACE AND ALLOW US TO CONTINUE THE NICE EVENTS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE AT EDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL. THIS RETURN ON INVESTMENT WOULD BE WOULD INCREASE THE EDUCATIONAL ENGAGEMENT AND CREATE STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

THE YOUNG WOMEN WHO ARE PART OF FIRST LADIES LIKE I AND LIKE MISS WEBSTER HAS ALREADY SAID, HAVE A 100% GRADUATION RATE. AND I KNOW THAT I, BEING IN THIS CLUB, HAVE LEARNED MORE ABOUT WHAT I WANT TO DO POST HIGH SCHOOL. TOGETHER, WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO WORK TO REACH THE GOAL OF BETTERING COMMUNITIES ACROSS HARFORD COUNTY, ONE SCHOOL AT A TIME. SO WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, AND WE'RE EXCITED FOR WHAT'S GOING TO COME NEXT.

THANK YOU. SORRY. OKAY. HELLO. MY NAME IS AND I'M A RISING. I'M ABOUT TO BE A SENIOR AT EDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR GIVING US THIS TIME TO SPEAK. I THINK A LOT OF US, MOST OF YOU GUYS HAVE CHILDREN. WE I BELIEVE EVERYONE HAS BEEN IN HIGH SCHOOL, SO YOU KNOW HOW TOUGH IT CAN BE. YOU KNOW, MOVING FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL TO HIGH SCHOOL AND HAVING A CLUB, A COMMUNITY WHERE YOU'RE ABLE TO SURROUND YOURSELF WITH WOMEN, WITH TEACHERS WHO WHO ARE SUPPORTIVE OF YOU IS REALLY IMPORTANT. FIRST LADIES OF EDGEWOOD. WE MEET TWICE A MONTH AFTER SCHOOL IS A PLACE WHERE A GROUP OF GIRLS CAN COME TOGETHER. WE SUPPORT EACH OTHER.

WE'RE SURROUNDED BY WOMEN WHO SUPPORT US, WHO WANT THE BEST FOR US. WE DO DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THE CINDERELLA PROJECT. WE ONCE MADE COOKIES. SO YOU LEARN HOW TO MAKE COOKIES. YOU LEARN HOW TO, YOU KNOW, DRINK TEA. YOU LEARN HOW TO DO DIFFERENT THINGS THAT YOU PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO. THIS IS A THIS IS A CLUB WHERE YOUR KIDS, YOUR YOU'RE ABLE TO LEARN, YOU'RE ABLE TO GROW. SO THANK YOU FOR THIS TIME. THANK YOU. HI I'M SALLY, THANK YOU GUYS FOR HAVING US HERE TODAY. THIS CLUB REALLY HELPED ME OPEN UP MORE AND MEET PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE TO HELP YOU. AND THEY SAID IT ALL FOR THIS CLUB. IT'S A REALLY NICE CLUB. YOU GET TO DO A LOT OF THINGS THAT YOU'RE NOT LIKE USED TO DOING. FOR ME, I'M KIND OF LIKE A SHY PERSON AND THIS CLUB GOT ME OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE AND I'M SO GLAD MISS WEBSTER STARTED THIS CLUB. THANK YOU. MY LAST STATEMENT IS RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO. AND WE'RE ASKING, YOU KNOW, CONSIDER PUTTING IT IN THE BUDGET SO THAT WE CAN TAKE OUR STUDENTS TO THE NEXT LEVEL. YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT WE WANT THEM TO BE SUCCESSFUL, BUT WE HAVE TO PUT OUR MONEY WHERE OUR MOUTH IS. RIGHT NOW, I CAN ONLY FUND 50 GIRLS. WE HAVE 676 GIRLS AT EDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL, AND WE NEED SOME HELP BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT WE ARE GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD. WE TEACH THEM THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS WITH YOUR FISTS. WE TEACH THEM HOW TO TALK TO PEOPLE, HOW TO HAVE A REAL CONVERSATION, HOW TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS. BUT WE NEED SOME HELP WITH THAT. WE CAN'T DO IT ON OUR OWN. AND I'VE BEEN TASKED WITH RAISING THE MONEY FOR THE GROUP, AND IT'S A REALLY HARD JOB. YOU KNOW? I CAN'T CONCENTRATE ON THEM IF I'M TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, RAISE MONEY. SO I NEED SOME PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN MENTORING AND BELIEVE IN THESE GIRLS AND BELIEVE IN OUR MISSION TO HELP US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THANK YOU, LADIES. I DID HEAR A LOT ABOUT COOKIES AND TEA, BUT I DIDN'T SEE ANY SAMPLES FOR THE BOARD, SO WE'LL HAVE TO CHANGE THAT FOR NEXT TIME. I'M A BIG PROPONENT OF MENTORING. THIS IS PART OF AN ONGOING CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE HAD OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. WE'VE HAD SOME OTHER GROUPS IN HERE AS WELL. WE'RE LOOKING TO STRENGTHEN THIS IN THE COMMUNITY AND ACROSS THE COUNTY, BRING SOME OF THESE SORT OF SEPARATE GROUPS TOGETHER, MAYBE EVEN TO WORK TOGETHER A LITTLE BIT AND STRENGTHEN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ALL THE MENTORING PROGRAMS AND THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. WE'VE SORT OF TAPPED DOCTOR DAVIS, WHO HAS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH THIS, TO LEAD THIS FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE. AND I THINK THIS IS GOING TO BE A HUGE BENEFIT TO ALL OF OUR STUDENTS AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW THIS. I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, FUNDING IS NOT JUST A CHALLENGE FOR YOU. IT'S A CHALLENGE FOR THE BOARD AS WELL. BUT I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO COME UP WITH A LIST OF FUNDING THAT YOU NEED, AS WELL AS WAYS THAT YOU THINK THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM CAN PARTNER WITH YOU IN A NON FUNDING WAY TOO. SO WE CAN EXAMINE ALL OF THIS. YES. OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS TO THE BOARD. DOCTOR MUELLER

[02:30:04]

THANK YOU. ARE YOU REGISTERED NONPROFIT YOUR MENTORING ORGANIZATION. NO NOT YET. WE'RE WORKING ON THAT OKAY. AND SO YOU WOULD TAKE INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR ORGANIZATION. ABSOLUTELY. SO YOU NEED TO GIVE US THAT INFORMATION OKAY. WHERE IT WOULD NEED TO BE SENT TO. AND THAT AND WHEN YOU ANTICIPATE BECOMING A REGISTERED NONPROFIT OKAY. THANK YOU.

BECAUSE THAT'S GOOD FOR EVERYBODY TO KNOW BECAUSE THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT THINK WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS WORTHWHILE. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FUNDING SOURCE IN THE PAST? WE HAVE SOME COMMUNITY PARTNERS, AND THEN JUST PEOPLE THAT WE KNOW FROM OUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS HAVE SUPPORTED US WELL, THE COMMUNITY PARTNERS. I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO THE SAME PEOPLE IF YOU ALREADY. RIGHT. SO WE HAVE SUPPORT FROM DONNELLY CONSTRUCTION. WE'VE HAD SUPPORT FROM APG, RFQ, WE'VE HAD SUPPORT FROM FREEDOM FEDERAL CREDIT UNION. WE'VE HAD SOME SUPPORT FROM SOME OF THE FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES. SO WE I MEAN, WE HAVE PEOPLE HELPING US, BUT IT'S JUST LIKE IT TAKES SO MUCH TO DO THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO DO. AND AN ANNUAL BUDGET AMOUNT.

WHAT WHAT WHAT WOULD YOUR BUDGET BE? OUR ANNUAL BUDGET IS $5,000. OKAY. AND THAT $5,000 GIVES YOU THE ABILITY TO INCLUDE HOW MANY 5050. AND YOU WOULD LIKE TO GROW THAT TO. I WOULD LIKE TO GROW IT TO AT LEAST 100. THANK YOU. I MEAN, WE DON'T TURN ANYBODY AWAY. ANY GIRL WHO GOES TO EDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL, THE GROUP IS OPEN TO HER BECAUSE WE WANT TO CHANGE. WE WANT TO WORK WITH THE WHOLE STUDENT. SO WE WANT TO TEACH THEM EVERYTHING, NOT JUST STUFF IN THE CLASSROOM, BUT OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM AS WELL, BECAUSE WE WANT TO PREPARE THEM. AS I SAID BEFORE, FOR THE POST-SECONDARY PURSUITS TO BE SURE THAT THEY ARE SUCCESSFUL. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU COMING HERE AND, YOU KNOW, LETTING US KNOW ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU HAVE AT EDGEWOOD AND WHAT IS WHAT IT MEANS TO THE STUDENTS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TESTIMONY. IT IT REALLY DOES MEAN A LOT TO THE BOARD. AND, YOU KNOW, WE WANT THIS KIND OF OPPORTUNITY TO BE AVAILABLE FOR OUR STUDENTS SO THAT THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, LEARN SOCIAL SKILLS AND, AND JUST ENGAGE WITH OTHER OTHER WOMEN IN POSITIVE WAYS. THANK YOU. LADIES. YOU DID A GREAT JOB SPEAKING. YOU'RE GREAT REPRESENTATIVES. I WAS WONDERING, WHAT ARE YOUR EXPENSES THAT YOU TYPICALLY IS IT TO PAY SPEAKERS OR FOR SUPPLIES. WE EXCUSE ME. SO WE WANT BECAUSE THIS AFTER SCHOOL WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THEM WITH SOME SORT OF SNACK. WE DO HAVE THE AFTER SCHOOL MEALS, BUT SOMETIMES WE LIKE TO SHAKE IT UP A LITTLE BIT AND GIVE THEM SOMETHING SPECIAL. OUR MAIN PROJECT IS THE CINDERELLA PROJECT, WHICH IS WHEN WE SHOWCASE OUR GIRLS. SO ALL THE STUFF THAT WE'VE LEARNED THIS YEAR, IT WAS WE DID A COWBOY THEME, SO THEY DANCED, THEY DID LINE DANCES, AND ABOUT 150 TO 200 PEOPLE ATTEND THE EVENT. WE NEVER CHARGE THEM ANYTHING. SO WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THAT AS A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. SO THE PARENTS GET TO COME, THE SIBLINGS GET TO COME, AND IT'S JUST A GREAT TIME. SO AND WE NEED SUPPLIES FOR LIKE THE THINGS WE MADE, WE MADE HAND SCRUB EACH OF THEM. AT THE END OF THE YEAR, THEY GET A GIFT. THEN WE HAVE A SENIOR GIFT. IF YOU'VE BEEN IN THE CLUB FOR FOUR YEARS, YOU GET A SPECIAL GIFT. BUT TRYING TO RUN OFF OF THE LITTLE BIT OF MONEY THAT WE HAD WAS HARD. AND AT ONE POINT I WAS TELLING THEM THAT I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN STILL DO THIS, LIKE IT HAS BEEN A TRADITION THAT WE GIVE THE JUNIORS AND SENIORS A PROM TICKET. WE'VE GIVEN AWAY ALMOST 200 TICKETS, BUT WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT. SO WE HAVE TRADITIONAL THINGS THAT WE WANT TO KEEP, BUT OUR BUDGET DOESN'T ALWAYS ALLOW FOR THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU, GUYS. I THINK THAT MENTORING IS A HUGE POSITIVE THING THAT WE ABSOLUTELY NEED TO SUPPORT IN ANY WAY THAT WE POSSIBLY CAN. I AGREE THAT FUNDING IS A HUGE CHALLENGE FOR US AS WELL. AT THE MOMENT. I ACTUALLY ALWAYS BUT ANY OTHER WAYS THAT WE AS A BOARD CAN SUPPORT YOU, HELP YOU BE A PART OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING. WE WOULD LOVE TO DO THAT AS WELL.

ABSOLUTELY. WE'D LOVE FOR SOMEBODY TO COME AND TELL US HOW THE BOARD OF EDUCATION WORKS.

YEAH, WE WOULD TOO. YEAH. YEAH, MAYBE. MAYBE YOU'LL HAVE MULTIPLE OF US COME LET US KNOW

[02:35:01]

THE INFORMATION. WE WOULD LOVE TO COME. AND, YOU KNOW, SHAKE HANDS, SAY HI, AND MAYBE WE'LL BRING SNACKS. THANK YOU GUYS. YOU'RE WELCOME. ANYTHING ELSE? THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. PLEASE FOLLOW UP AND GIVE US SOME INFORMATION. ABSOLUTELY. HELP. OKAY. SHOULD I CONTACT YOU VIA EMAIL? YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU. THERE IS ALSO WE DIDN'T GO THROUGH IT, BUT THERE'S ALSO A PRESENTATION YOU PREPARED WHICH IS ONLINE. THE BOARD MEMBERS HAVE IT SO IT'S AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC AS WELL WHICH GOES INTO MORE DETAIL. SO WE'LL BE SURE TO SHARE THAT DOCTOR DAVIS COMES BACK. I'LL SIT DOWN WITH HIM. GET AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROGRAM, YOU KNOW, HOLISTICALLY, AND WE'LL INCLUDE YOU GUYS IN THAT CONVERSATION. IT JUST A REMINDER THAT IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO GET YOUR NONPROFIT STATUS, BECAUSE THAT WILL BE A REQUIREMENT TO WORKING WITH THE BOARD. BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE WELL ON YOUR WAY TO HAVING THAT DONE. NONETHELESS, IT'S CLEAR FROM THESE THREE AMAZING WOMEN THAT YOU HAVE HERE THE IMPACTFUL WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING. SO KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. THANK YOU. AND ONE MORE THING, DOCTOR. THANK YOU FOR THE PERSONALIZED LETTER THAT YOU SENT ME WHEN I WON THE SBA OF THE YEAR. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. YOU'RE WELCOME. THANK YOU. WELL DESERVED. THANK YOU. TAKE CARE. ALRIGHT. LET'S HEAR. LET'S HEAR FROM THE YOUNG MEN. YEAH. I'D LIKE TO WELCOME MR. JONES. PRESIDENT. I'M SORRY, WHICH ONE IS MR. JONES? THERE YOU GO. OKAY. MR. WORKS. THANK YOU, MR. SORRY. WELCOME. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, DOCTOR BOSEMAN AND BOARD MEMBERS. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. HERE I AM ZENO JONES, AND I AM THE FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF YOUNG MEN ON TOUR. IT'S A MENTORING PROGRAM THAT WE STARTED UP HERE AT ABERDEEN. SO JOINING ME TODAY IS TWO OF MY BOARD MEMBERS, JAMES BLACKWELL, VICE PRESIDENT, CO-FOUNDER OF YOUNG MEN ON TOUR, AND DOCTOR BRIDGET BELL, DIRECTOR OF FUNDING. I ALSO HAVE TWO OF OUR ALUMNI HERE, MR. JONATHAN WALKER AND XAVIER FRANK, WHO'S JOINING US. VIVA TEAMS, I THINK, AND WE ALSO HAVE TWO CURRENT, TWO CURRENT YOUNG MEN TOUR MEMBERS, JAMES SYLVESTER AND ETHAN GILES. SO YOUNG MEN ON TOUR WAS FOUNDED ON OCTOBER 5TH, 2011 AT EBONY MIDDLE SCHOOL. AT THE TIME, I WAS SERVING AS A EDUCATOR WITH SEVERAL STUDENTS APPROACHED ME ABOUT STARTING MENTORING PROGRAM, SO MYSELF AND MR. BLACKWELL DECIDED TO GO AHEAD AND START THE PROGRAM AT EBONY MIDDLE SCHOOL THAT YEAR. SINCE THEN, YOUNG MENTOR HAS BECOME A 501 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, AND WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE OFFICIAL MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING WITH HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SO THE MISSION FOR YOUNG MEN ON TOUR. YOUNG MEN ON TOUR IS A MENTORING PROGRAM FOR AT RISK MALES. OUR MISSION IS TO SUPPORT YOUNG MEN ACADEMICALLY, SOCIALLY AND EMOTIONALLY. WE AIM TO ASSIST THEM IN THIS CHALLENGING TRANSITION FROM BOYHOOD TO MANHOOD, AS IS A CRITICAL STAGE OF THEIR LONG TERM SUCCESS. THE GOAL FOR YOUNG MEN ON TOUR IS TO SUPPORT THE STUDENTS, MALES OF ALL VARIOUS FORMS OF SOCIAL, SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS, CULTURES AND ETHNICITIES. OUR TARGET POPULATION IS AT RISK MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL MALES. SO OUR PILLARS THAT WE STAND ON AND THAT WE ARE FOUNDATION IS LEADERSHIP, RELATIONSHIP, EDUCATION AND GROWTH. EXCUSE ME. I'M NERVOUS. THAT'S WHAT WE SEE.

JAMES. GREETINGS EVERYONE. SO I WANTED TO SHARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO AS, AS FAR AS GOALS EACH DAY WE IDENTIFY AND SUPPORT AND OBTAIN FUTURE GOALS, DEVELOP AND SUPPORT SELF-RESPECT, DEVELOPING. ENCOURAGE RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY. ESTABLISHING ACCOUNTABILITY IS KEY. ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING TRUE FRIENDSHIPS, LOYALTY AND INTEGRITY OVER TIME, NOT JUST WHILE THEY'RE WITH US. ENCOURAGING POSITIVE PEER PRESSURE, TEACHING THEM WHAT IS IMPORTANT AS FAR AS PEERS ARE CONCERNED. FOCUSING ON PERSONAL CARE AND HYGIENE, AND ENCOURAGING DRUG AND ALCOHOL PREVENTION. AS FAR AS THE PROGRAM OVERVIEW, TO GIVE YOU AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHO WE WHO OUR CLIENTELE ARE, OUR MENTORING GROUP MEETS TWO TIMES A WEEK DURING THE ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR. ANY MIDDLE SCHOOL OR HIGH SCHOOL MALE WHO IS ATTENDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS ABLE TO JOIN A MEETING. FORMATS. WE. DURING OUR MEETINGS WE HAVE HOMEWORK HELP IN INCEPTION. WE ALSO HAVE MEAL. DURING THAT TIME. WE HAVE OPEN DISCUSSIONS WHERE THE BOYS ARE

[02:40:02]

ABLE TO SIT DOWN AND TALK ABOUT THEIR DAY AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF THEIR ASPIRATIONS. WE INVITE SPEAKERS. MR. JONES HAS BEEN FILLED IN A LOT OF THIS OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, BECAUSE I'VE BEEN KIND OF MISSING DOING OTHER THINGS, BUT HE'S DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB. HE AND DOCTOR BELL MAKING SURE WE HAVE SPEAKERS THAT WE PUT BEFORE THE BOYS OR FORMER ALUMNI, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEM ARE DIVISION ONE BASKETBALL COACHES, A LOT OF COLLEGE GRADUATES. I HAVE A COUPLE MILITARY LEADERS NOW. I HAVE A COUPLE YOUNG MEN THAT WE'VE MENTORED WHO ARE OFFICERS IN THE UNITED STATES MILITARY. AND THAT'S A BIG DEAL FOR OUR BOYS, WHO WE END UP MEETING AND SOMETIMES IN DIRE STRAITS DURING THE COURSE OF THE YEAR. WE DO FIELD TRIPS LIKE COLLEGE TRIPS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, WHERE THE BOYS GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT DIFFERENT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING, TO GET AN IDEA OF WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE. AND, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY WHEN WE DO THOSE, WE INTRODUCE THEM TO PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING CERTAIN THINGS AND HELP THEM TO ASPIRE TO MORE. WE THE PARTNERSHIP WITH YOU AND ME, AND WE VISITED MORGAN STATE THIS PAST YEAR. SO SPORTING INTEGRATION AND MORE. SO WE HAVE A REALLY NICE TIME DOING THAT. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE OUR WEEKLY SCHEDULE MEETING DAYS RIGHT NOW, BEGINNING EACH OCTOBER IS TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY, AND AN EXAMPLE OF OUR TYPICAL SCHEDULE FROM 305 TO 345. LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE SNACK, PEER TUTORING AND OR HOMEWORK. 345 TO 430 WE HAVE A DISCUSSION IN SPEAKER AND IN 430 TO 5 P.M, ROUGHLY WE HAVE A SPORT ENGAGEMENT. AS FAR AS OUR ENROLLMENT IS CONCERNED. AT THIS TIME, WE A STUDENT ENROLLMENT A TOTAL NUMBER OF 150 STUDENTS, APPROXIMATELY 101 HUNDRED OF THEM ARE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. HIGH SCHOOL WE HAVE ABOUT 50. BUT RIGHT NOW WE TYPICALLY HAVE LIKE NINTH AND 10TH GRADERS FOR THE MOST PART. AS FAR AS OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT, WE HAVE ABERDEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL, SWAN CREEK, AND WE DO ALSO HAVE ONE EDGEWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUNG MAN HERE TONIGHT. WELL, HE'S HIGH SCHOOL. I'M SORRY I STAND CORRECTED. THANK YOU. I FORGOT HE GREW UP ON WE. BUT OUR HIGH SCHOOLS THAT WE, WE AFFILIATE WITH ARE ABERDEEN HIGH SCHOOL, HARFORD TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL HAVRE DE GRACE NORTH, HARFORD HIGH, EDGEWOOD HIGH AND JOPPATOWNE HIGH SCHOOL. THESE ARE ALL SCHOOLS THAT WE WORK WITH AND WE HAVE YOUNG MEN AND ALL THOSE SCHOOLS. GOOD EVENING. I'M PLEASED TO SHARE SOME OF OUR PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS. WE DO QUITE A BIT WITH THE YOUNG MEN, AND AS THE DIRECTOR OF FUNDING, IT IS ONE OF MY JOBS TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE GRANTS AND PARTNERSHIPS AND ALL KIND OF THINGS IN ORDER TO MAKE THESE THINGS HAPPEN. YOU CAN SEE A LIST OF THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE OVER THE PAST YEARS. WE HAVE A COPY OF OUR ANNUAL REPORT WE'RE WILLING TO SHARE WITH THIS BOARD. WE HAVE ONE COPY HERE CIRCULATING TONIGHT IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT, BUT WE DO EVERYTHING FROM YOUTH ENTREPRENEUR WORKSHOPS. WE ATTENDED THE MANAGER SUMMIT AT UMS THIS YEAR. WE VISITED STATE HOUSE. WE VISITED THE WHITE HOUSE IN MARCH. WE TOOK THEM TO A WASHINGTON WIZARDS GAME. WE ENGAGED IN A BOOK STUDY, AND WE ALSO SPONSOR A YEARLY MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT CALLED YOU ARE A KING MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT. WE'VE PARTNERED WITH THE HARFORD COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH TO ATTEND THEIR SUMMITS.

WE HAVE AN ANNUAL TRIP TO HERSHEY PARK, AND WE'RE ALSO PLEASED, AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT IN A MOMENT TO OFFER SUMMER WORKFORCE PROGRAM AND DUAL ENROLLMENT OPPORTUNITIES. WITH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH HARFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS. BECAUSE WE ARE EMPLOYEES OF HARFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS, WE'RE ABLE TO ALIGN OUR PROGRAM WITH THE ACADEMIC GOALS ARE IN THE SCHOOLS. AND SO OUR ACADEMIC PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS. WHAT WE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT ARE AS FOLLOWS. SO FOR YOUNG MEN FOR THIS YEAR, 50% OF OUR YOUNG MEN ACHIEVE THE HONOR ROLL DURING THE 20 2425 SCHOOL YEAR, WE INCREASED STUDENT ATTENDANCE AND REDUCED CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM FOR OUR YOUNG MEN AND OUR STUDENTS, AS WELL AS STUDENTS WITHIN THE BUILDING YOUNG MEN ON TOUR STUDENTS. WE WERE ABLE TO SUPPORT THEIR ACADEMIC GOALS BY PROVIDING PEER TUTORS FOR THEIR FOR OUR STUDENTS, FOR OUR TSI STUDENTS IN PARTICULAR. SO DURING THEIR AFTER SCHOOL SESSIONS ON TUESDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS, WE HAVE PEER TUTORS THAT COME OVER AND SUPPORT AND WORK, PROVIDE WEEKLY TUTORING AND HOMEWORK HELP. WE HAVE 15 STUDENTS WHO ARE DUAL ENROLLED AT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, EASTERN SHORE AND 25 WHO WILL BE WORKING WITH US THIS SUMMER FOR THE SUMMER WORKFORCE WITH YOUNG MEN ON TOUR. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, EASTERN SHORE, PROVIDING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES. WE PROVIDE READING ENRICHMENT, SO WE DO A BOOK STUDY EVERY YEAR. LAST YEAR WAS GHOST, AND WE HAVE ANOTHER BOOK COMING UP THIS SUMMER. AND OF COURSE, WE HAVE OUR ANNUAL MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT AND LEADERSHIP EVENTS. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE SEVERAL SPEAKERS THAT COME OUT FROM A VARIETY OF PERSPECTIVES DURING THE SUMMER TIME TO WORK WITH, TO WORK WITH OUR YOUNG MEN TO PROVIDE SESSIONS. BUT WE ALSO HAVE FIELD TRIPS, FIELD EXPERIENCE. SO IT'S AN ACADEMIC PROGRAM, MENTORSHIP PROGRAM, AS WELL AS WE'RE ABLE TO OFFER EDUCATIONAL FIELD OPPORTUNITIES. SO GLAD THE BOARD ASKED OUR THE LAST GROUP ABOUT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES. YOUNG MEN ON TOUR HAS A WEBSITE THAT WE'LL BE GRATEFUL FOR. ANY DONATIONS TO HELP TO SUPPORT OUR FULLY FLEDGED NONPROFIT. THIS WORK HAS GONE ON CONSISTENTLY FOR 14 YEARS, AND WE'RE ABLE TO DO A

[02:45:05]

LOT THROUGH A LOT THROUGH IN-KIND DONATIONS FROM HARFORD COUNTY, AS WELL AS DONATIONS THAT WE RECEIVE IN THE COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS OUR GRANT WRITING. AS WE STATED THIS SUMMER, AGAIN, WE WILL HAVE OUR SUMMER YOUTH WORKFORCE PROGRAM BEGINNING JULY 14TH, WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO EMPLOY YOUNG MEN TO WORK THIS SUMMER. SO WE'RE EXCITED TO PROVIDE THAT OPPORTUNITY AGAIN THIS SUMMER. AS WELL AS STUDENTS WILL BE ARRIVING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, EASTERN SHORE FOR THEIR DUAL ENROLLMENT ON CAMPUS FOR THREE WEEKS EXPERIENCE THIS SUMMER. SO WE HAVE WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES ALL YEAR LONG. WE DON'T TAKE A BREAK WITH OUR YOUNG MEN. SO COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP AND GOALS. WE WANT TO EXPAND THE ACADEMIC, MENTORING AND ACHIEVEMENT SUPPORT FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL MALES. WE WANT TO STRENGTHEN THE DUAL ENROLLMENT CAREER PATHWAY OPPORTUNITIES. WE WANT TO PROMOTE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING, AND BUILD A SUITABLE MEMBERSHIP PIPELINE ACROSS HARFORD COUNTY, PROVIDED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR SCHOOLS AND STAFF AS WELL AS TEAMS. NOW THAT WE HAVE GIVEN YOU AN OVERVIEW OF OUR PROGRAM, WE WOULD LIKE TO SHOW IT TO OUR LIKE TO INTRODUCE OUR DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AS WE'LL BE TALKING SPEAKING. JAMES. HELLO, MY NAME IS JAMES SYLVESTER AND.

I STARTED. I ATTEND HAPPY GRACE HIGH SCHOOL AND I'M GOING INTO MY JUNIOR YEAR NOW. I FIRST JOINED YEMEN ON TOUR IN 2021 DURING MY SEVENTH GRADE YEAR AT ABERDEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL. I CONTINUE TO JOIN THE PROGRAM, EVEN WITH ME NOT GOING TO THEROS TO BENEFIT ME. YEAH, I'VE BEEN ON TOUR IS A BROTHERHOOD SENT ME. I'VE CONNECTED WITH SOME OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, AND OUR BOND HAS STRENGTHENED THROUGH OUR YEARS AT THIS PROGRAM, THROUGH THIS, THROUGH THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH THAT WE DO THROUGH OUR FOOD DRIVE AND THE COUNTLESS OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT WE DO THROUGH YOUNG MEN ON TOUR. THIS PROGRAM FEELS GOOD RELATIONSHIPS, LEADERSHIP, EDUCATION AND GROWT, AND YOUNG MEN HAS BROUGHT ME, HAS TAUGHT ME, AND HELPED ME IN DIFFERENT WAYS. IT HAS HELPED ME DEVELOP GOOD MONEY HABITS THROUGH THE YOUNG MEN ON SOUL SUMMER JOB, PROVIDING ME RESOURCES ON HOW TO SAVE MONEY AND MANAGE MONEY IN EFFICIENT WAYS. ANOTHER WAY THE PROGRAM IS BENEFITING ME IS THROUGH KEEPING ME ACCOUNTABLE FOR MY GRADES AND MY ACADEMIC RESPONSIBILITIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THE PROGRAM GIVES MANY OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO GET OUT AND EXPERIENCE THINGS. THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN AN OUTLET FOR ME TO SPEAK OUT AND EXPRESS MYSELF. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ETHAN GILES. I'M AN UPCOMING JUNIOR AT ABERDEEN HIGH SCHOOL. I'VE BEEN A PART OF YOUNG MEN ON TOUR FOR FIVE YEARS, AND THROUGHOUT THOSE YEARS I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF GROWTH, NOT JUST IN MYSELF, BUT WITHIN OTHERS. I HAVE SEEN I HAVE SEEN THOSE WHO ARE HARDLY TRYING TO CLASSROOM CHANGE AND WORK THEIR HARDEST.

JUST TO GO TELL DOCTOR BELL AND MR. JONES. YOUNG MEN ON TOUR HAS HAS SHOWN TO BE A HUGE SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR MANY YOUNG MEN. THEY SHOW UP TO GAMES AND ANY EVENTS YOU INVITE THEM TO. HAVE. NOT JUST SEEN DOCTOR BELL, MR. JONES TRY TO PUSH STUDENTS, BUT THE OTHER STUDENTS PUSH EACH OTHER AND HOLD EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE. YOUNG MEN ON TOUR HAS ALSO GIVEN ME MANY OPPORTUNITIES. FOR EXAMPLE, THIS SUMMER ME AND A GROUP OF MY CLASSMATES WILL PARTICIPATE IN A DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAM WHERE WE TAKE FREE COLLEGE CLASSES ON THE CAMPUS OF UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE. EACH EACH YOUNG MEN ON TOUR, EVENT AND MEETING I ATTEND HELPED ME REALIZE HOW FORTUNATE, HOW FORTUNATE I AM TO BE TO BE A PART OF THIS GROUP. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JONATHAN WALKER. THE SECOND I, I HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO BE IN YOUNG MEN ON TOUR SINCE I WAS IN SIXTH GRADE SINCE 2011, SO I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ONES TO JOIN. I BEGAN MY EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY AT ABERDEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND LATER GRADUATED FROM SAINT PAUL SCHOOL FOR BOYS IN TIMONIUM, MARYLAND.

I WENT TO EARNED MY UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE AT WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE. I GOT MY UNDERGRADUATE IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE. TODAY, I SERVE AS A MULTI-UNIT QUICK SERVICE RESTAURANT IN THE QUICK SERVICE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY. FOR MY ROLE. I NEVER IMAGINED THIS GROWING UP FOR MYSELF. TO BE HONEST, COLLEGE DID NOT ALWAYS FEEL LIKE A REALISTIC OPTION FOR ME. AS A YOUNG BLACK MAN, I DID NOT SEE MANY EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO LOOKED LIKE ME NAVIGATING THE PATH, LET ALONE SUCCEEDING IN LEADERSHIP ROLES. WHAT CHANGED MY LIFE WITH YOUNG MEN ON TOUR? THAT'S WHEN MR. JONES PULLED ME TO THE SIDE ONE DAY AND ASKED ME, DID I WANT TO JOIN THE CLUB? BECAUSE I JUST MOVED HERE? I DIDN'T KNOW ANYBODY AND I WAS VERY NEW TO THE AREA. MR. JONES AND MR. BLACKWELL ALWAYS TAUGHT US, YOU KNOW, EDUCATION WAS

[02:50:05]

FIRST DAY IN AND DAY OUT. YES, I WAS AN ATHLETE, BUT STUDENT ALWAYS CAME FIRST IN THEIR EYES.

YOUNG MEN ON THE TOUR HAS ALWAYS BEEN MORE THAN JUST A PROGRAM. TO ME, IT WAS A TURNING POINT IN MY LIFE. IT INTRODUCED ME TO THE POWER OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AND GAVE ME A SPACE TO SEE MYSELF DIFFERENTLY, NOT JUST AS A PARTICIPANT, BUT JUST AS A LEADER IN MAKING MAKING IT THROUGH YOUNG MEN. ON TOUR, I WAS CONNECTED WITH MENTORS AND PEERS THAT POURED INTO ME AND ALSO CHALLENGED ME IN MY MIDDLE SCHOOL CAREER AND REMINDED ME THAT I WOULD THAT I HAD SOMETHING VALUABLE TO OFFER OTHER THAN JUST ATHLETICS. THE HANDS ON EXPERIENCE AND COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS I TOOK APART DID NOT JUST BUILD SKILLS, THEY BUILT BELIEF. I DISCOVERED PASSIONS I DID NOT KNOW. I HAD TO GAIN THE CONFIDENCE TO PURSUE GOALS I USED TO THINK WERE OUT OF MY REACH. YOUNG MEN ON THE TOUR HELPED ME UNDERSTAND THAT LEADERSHIP ISN'T ABOUT HAVING ALL THE ANSWERS, IT'S ABOUT SHOWING UP FOR OTHERS, INTEGRITY AND BEING OF SERVICE TO OTHERS AND CONTINUING TO GROW. THE IMPACT OF YOUNG MEN ON TOUR IS SOMETHING I CARRY WITH ME EVERY DAY IN MY CAREER, AND HOW I LEAD MY TEAMS, AND HOW I SHOW UP FOR OTHERS AND SET EXAMPLES OF MY DIRECT REPORT FROM MY DIRECT REPORTS AND IN MY CAREER. I'M PROUD TO BE A PART OF THIS LEGACY, AND EVEN MORE PROUD TO SAY THAT THIS PROGRAM CHANGED THE TRAJECTORY OF MY LIFE AND FOR OTHERS. THANK YOU. GOOD. XAVIER. IS IT GOOD? XAVIER I'M SORRY. XAVIER. OH, YEAH. HE'S ONLINE. I'M SO SORRY. YEAH, WE'RE READY FOR HIM. OKAY. XAVIER, IF YOU'RE ON, YOU CAN UNMUTE. CAN YOU? ARE YOU ABLE TO HEAR ME? YEAH. YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. YES. NO. MY NAME IS XAVIER FRANK. I'M ON THE BOARD. I AM THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS. I'M ACTUALLY ONE OF THE STUDENTS THAT CAME TO MR. JONES TO MAKE SURE TO HELP LAUNCH. I WANTED HIM TO, YOU KNOW, START THE PROGRAM. HIM AND MR. BLACKWELL, BECAUSE THEY WERE ALWAYS SOMEBODY WHO WAS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, AND THEY BUILT A RELATIONSHIP AND TRUST AMONGST ALL THE STUDENTS ABOUT WHAT WE COULD DO AND REALLY, YOU KNOW, HELP US GROW AS PEOPLE. AND THOSE FOUR PILLARS THAT YOU MENTIONED ISN'T JUST FOR SALE, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY TRUE WITHIN THEM. SO WITH THAT, WITHIN MYSELF, I'M A I WENT TO EBONY MIDDLE, I WENT TO ABERDEEN HIGH SCHOOL, I PLAYED BASKETBALL AT HAGERSTOWN COMMUNITY COLLEGE. I THEN GRADUATED FROM BOWIE STATE SUMMA LAUDE, GOT MY MASTER'S GETTING FINISHING UP MY MASTERS RIGHT NOW IN GRADUATE SCHOOL WHERE I'M TALKING ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR AND PASTORS WHO MADE A VERY GOOD IMPACT DURING THAT TIME PERIOD. AND THEN I AM ALSO PLANNING TO GET MY PHD AS WELL AND DOING ALL OF THAT. I'M STILL GETTING I'M WORKING IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND AS WELL AS OUTREACH COORDINATOR.

SO THEY HAVE PROVIDED AND GAVE ME THE GROUNDWORK AND THE CONFIDENCE TO PURSUE ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND DO THE THINGS TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY. AND NOT ONLY THAT, I'M NOT ABLE TO NOW GIVE BACK AND BE IN A POSITION WITH THEM, AND THEY SEE THE THEY SEE AS AN INTERGENERATIONAL CONVERSATION. AND THEY HAVE BEEN VERY THEY'VE BEEN VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY ESSENTIAL TO MAKING SURE THAT EVERY ALL THE GENERATIONS ARE IN CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER, NOT JUST MIDDLE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL, BUT BEYOND. AND IT'S NOT JUST IT DOESN'T JUST STOP WITH MIDDLE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL. IT'S ALL THE WAY TO WHEN YOUR ADULT AND DIFFERENT PHASES OF LIFE. AND I FEEL LIKE I'M ONE OF THOSE EXAMPLES. YEAH. SO THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT YOUNG MAN IS, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE NAME OF IT, WE CALL THE YOUNG MAN ON SOAR BECAUSE OUR STUDENTS ARE SOARING FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL TO HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGE. AND AS SOON AS THEY'RE DONE THAT TOUR, WHAT DO THEY DO? THEY COME BACK AND BECOME TOUR GUIDES. SO HE'S A TOUR GUIDE. JOHN WAS A TOUR GUIDE. SO THAT'S WHAT WE DO. WE WANT THEM TO GIVE BACK. WE GIVE TO THEM TO GIVE BACK. SO ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE BOARD AND THE STUDENTS, WE SINCERELY THANK THE BOARD AND THE ADMINISTRATORS. THANK YOU, DOCTOR BOLSON, DOCTOR DAVIS, DOCTOR PAULA STANTON, MISSUS VICKIE JONES, MISSUS SHARON FOSTER MORE, MISSUS MARY BETH STAPLETON, AND THE INCREDIBLE PRINCIPALS WHO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT OUR PARTNERSHIP AND US PROGRAMING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, YOUR ONGOING SUPPORT. GREAT. THANK YOU, MR. JONES. AND YOU SAID 14 YEARS, RIGHT? YES.

AND THAT'S THAT'S AMAZING TO KEEP ANYTHING GOING THAT LONG. SO CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. WE'LL OPEN IT UP TO THE BOARD FOR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP IN THIS IMPORTANT ENDEAVOR AND ALL THE STUDENTS THAT PARTICIPATE IN IT, THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY HAVE, IT'S SURELY PAYING OFF. AS YOU'VE SHOWN IN YOUR TESTIMONY AND IN YOUR PATH THAT YOU'RE MERGING INTO ADULTHOOD. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. HI, GUYS. YEAH, I MET THIS AWESOME GROUP AT ANOTHER EVENT AND IT WAS ENCOURAGING BECAUSE THEY HAD

[02:55:06]

SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION FOR A GRANT. AND WHEN THE ORGANIZATION GOT THE APPLICATION, THEY SAID, WHY ARE THEY SUBMITTING IT FOR THIS AMOUNT? SO THEY GAVE THEM MORE MONEY. SO I AM REALLY ENCOURAGING ORGANIZATIONS TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THIS GROUP. AND WHATEVER I CAN DO, I'M HERE.

THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR COMING HERE TONIGHT AND SHARING YOUR EFFORTS WITH US. THEY SOUND FANTASTIC. I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE REMARKS ABOUT THE POWER OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AND THAT THE PROJECTS BUILT BELIEF IN YOURSELF. I THINK THAT'S FANTASTIC. HOW MUCH OF YOUR IS HOW MUCH OF YOUR FUNDING IS LIKE INTERNAL FUNDRAISING THAT YOU DO VERSUS CONTRIBUTIONS, SAY, FROM, YOU KNOW, COMPANIES OR OTHER GRANTS? OKAY, SO WE'RE ABOUT 50% FUNDRAISED AND 50% IN-KIND DONATIONS AND GRANT FUNDED. SO WE'RE ABOUT 50 OVER 50. SO WE FUNDRAISE ALL THE ACTIVITIES THAT YOU SAW THAT WE LISTED WITH THE KIDS, WE DON'T CHARGE THEM FOR ANYTHING. SO OUR MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT, ANY OF THE FIELD TRIPS, WE WANT EVERYTHING TO BE EXPENSE PAID FOR THE FAMILIES. WE WANT THIS TO BE A TOTAL BENEFIT FOR THE PROGRAM. SO WE'RE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN FUNDRAISING, BUT AS WELL AS GRANT WRITING, SPONSORSHIPS, ALL THOSE THINGS AS WELL. OKAY. THANKS. AND ARE YOUR MEETINGS IN A SCHOOL EVERY WEEK? SO DO WE MEET IN ABERDEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR MOU. SO WE MEET FROM 3 TO 5 AT ABERDEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL. SO OUR CHILDREN STAY AFTER SCHOOL. THOSE DAYS IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS, HIGH SCHOOLS COME OVER AND STUDENTS FROM OTHER SCHOOLS GET TRANSPORTATION TOO. OKAY. HOWEVER, TRANSPORTATION IS ONE OF THE ITEMS. SO AS WE TALK ABOUT DONATIONS AND THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN, ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK ALL THE MENTORSHIP PROGRAMS ARE KIND OF ASKING FOR IS TRANSPORTATION FOR OUR KIDS, BECAUSE THAT IS A BARRIER FOR MANY OF THE STUDENTS. WE HAVE A STUDENT THAT COME FROM NORTH HARTFORD. WHEN HE CAN GET THERE, HE LIKES TO COME DOWN FOR THE PROGRAM. HE CAN GET THERE. YEAH, YEAH. IF HE CAN GET THERE, HE'LL GET THERE. SO THE KIND OF THINGS THE IN-KIND DONATIONS LIKE TRANSPORTATION, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT CAN HELP, NOT JUST THE BIG CHECKS WILL TAKE A BIG CHECK. HOWEVER, THOSE THINGS ARE VERY BENEFICIAL. THE MEALS AFTER SCHOOL ARE VERY BENEFICIAL TO OUR YOUNG MEN. THEY CAN EAT. SO WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE PARTNERSHIP WE HAVE WITH FOOD SERVICES AND THE SCHOOLS, THE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS WHO ARE PROVIDING MEALS FOR US. THAT'S THAT'S A WONDERFUL ADDITION. BUT THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT, AS WE'RE TALKING THROUGH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM TRANSPORTATION SOUNDS LIKE A SMALL THING, BUT IT REALLY IS A BIG THING AS WELL.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR SHARING EVERYTHING YOU DID TODAY. YOUR YOUNG MEN THAT ARE HERE WITH YOU, OUR AMAZING SPEAKERS, YOU GUYS DID A GREAT JOB IN SHOWING WHAT WAS GOING ON IN YOUR PROGRAM AND HOW IT AFFECTS YOU. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. AND THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE A YOUNG MAN TELLING US THAT HE'S WORKING ON HIS MASTER'S DEGREE, BUT PLANNING ON GETTING HIS PHD.

SO THAT'S REALLY IMPRESSIVE. SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DO. AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS WITH US. THANK YOU, DOCTOR MARELLA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING. I TOTALLY, 100% SUPPORT IT. I THINK IT'S AMAZING. AGAIN, ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO, FUNDING WOULD BE AMAZING IF WE COULD.

YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY WE'RE CONSTANTLY STRUGGLING WITH THAT AS WELL. BUT OTHER THINGS THAT WE CAN DO, PLEASE LET US KNOW HOW WE CAN HELP YOU, WHAT WE CAN DO. AND I DID HAVE ONE QUESTION.

SO YOU CURRENTLY DO HAVE LIKE A COUNSELOR OR SOMETHING AT THE OTHER SCHOOLS OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? DO YOU, DO YOU DO LIKE FOR THE KIDS THAT AREN'T AT YOUR SCHOOL BECAUSE YOU HAVE YOUR I GUESS HOME BASE IS ABERDEEN? YES. SO LIKE HARFORD TECH, IF THERE'S A STUDENT AT HARFORD TECH AND THEY CAN'T GET THERE, CAN THEY JOIN LIKE VIRTUALLY OR DO THEY HAVE TO BE THERE IN PERSON OR IS THERE SOMEBODY AT TECH THAT KIND OF STEPS IN THAT ROLE AND KIND OF FILLS IN UNTIL THEY CAN GET THERE WITH YOU GUYS, OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? SO THAT'S THE PROCESS WE WANT TO BE WORKING ON. SO LIKE ALL OUR STUDENTS THAT ARE IN TECH, WE HAVE LIKE FIVE TECH RIGHT NOW.

SO THEY THEY DO IS THEY JUST THEY MAKE THEIR WAY OVER. THEY THEY CARPOOL AND THEY COME OVER AND STUFF LIKE THAT. BUT THEY ALSO LIKE DOCTOR BELL WILL SAY IT'S A DISCIPLESHIP TOO. SO MORE THAN LIKELY THE REASON WE HAVE LIKE 150 NOW IS BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST BECAUSE I PUT THE FORMS OUT THERE FOR THEM TO SIGN, TO GET PERMISSION TO COME, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO GET PARENTS PERMISSION AND STUFF LIKE THAT, BUT THEY BRING THEM THERE. THE STUDENTS WILL BRING THEM IN. THEY LIKE, MR. JONES, I GOT MY FRIEND HERE. CAN YOU COME LIKE THAT? SURE. SO HERE'S A FORM FILL TO GET THIS FORM FILLED BY PARENTS. YOU CAN DEFINITELY BE A MEMBER. AND LIKE I SAID, WE DON'T TURN ANYONE AWAY. THAT'S AWESOME. YOU GUYS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB. THANK YOU. GUYS ARE DOING AN AWESOME JOB. I'M REALLY PROUD OF ALL OF YOU. AND WE'RE TOTALLY HERE FOR YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MISS HOME. YEAH. JUST ECHOING EVERYTHING THAT THEY SAID THAT THIS IS A VERY IMPRESSIVE PROGRAM AND IT'S TRULY ADMIRABLE TO SEE CONNECTIONS WITH OUR STUDENTS ACROSS ALL DIFFERENT SCHOOLS IN HARFORD COUNTY, BECAUSE EACH SCHOOL HAS A DIFFERENT REFLECTION OF THEIR STUDENT, THEIR BACKGROUND. AND I THINK IT'S REALLY ENCOURAGING TO SEE EVERYONE COMING THROUGH IN ONE ORGANIZATION. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE AND TAKING TIME OUT.

THANK YOU. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. I'LL GO WITH DOCTOR DAVIS, FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN FORGE

[03:00:05]

THEIR RELATIONSHIP EVEN FURTHER. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YOU GUYS. HAVE A GREAT NIGHT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

FOR STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES, WHO DID YOU MAKE UP SO UPSET TO GO LAST OR NEAR. ALMOST LAST PUBLIC COMMENT LAST. YEAH. WELL WE TRIED THAT. JUST WE'LL HAVE TO TAKE THAT UP WITH THE BOARD.

ALL RIGHT. WELL WE'RE STARTING WITH ELOPEMENT OR TELEHEALTH. ELOPEMENT. NO, NO, I'M SORRY.

[F. Decision on Board Policy: Student Telehealth Access, Mr. Bernard Hennigan, Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services]

YOU'RE RIGHT. LET'S START WITH TELEHEALTH. OKAY. SO WE'RE ON ITEM F. GREAT. OKAY. SO GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT HAHN, DOCTOR BOLSON AND BOARD MEMBERS, I COME BEFORE YOU TONIGHT TO FOR A VOTE ON THE STUDENT TELEHEALTH POLICY. JUST AS A QUICK RECAP, OUR FIRST TIME THROUGH, WE BROUGHT THE POLICY FORWARD, WENT OUT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT FOR 30 DAYS. ON OUR SECOND TIME THROUGH, WE BROUGHT IT BACK AND IT WAS DECIDED TO INFUSE THE PROCEDURE INTO THE POLICY, WHICH IS WHAT YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU NOW. SO THE ELEMENTS OF THE PROCEDURE, OUTLINING EXACTLY HOW WE'RE GOING TO CARRY OUT THE TELEHEALTH WORK STARTING NEXT SCHOOL YEAR, HAS BEEN EMBEDDED IN HERE. AND BECAUSE THAT WAS SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE, WE HAD TO PUT IT BACK OUT. AND THEN WE'RE HERE TONIGHT FOR A VOTE. SO NOTHING NEW HAS BEEN ADDED SINCE OUR LAST MEETING. IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, WE CAN ANSWER THOSE. IF NOT, THEN WE'RE READY FOR A VOTE. GREAT, THANKS.

JUST A REMINDER, THIS IS BECAUSE THERE'S A STATE LAW ON IT. YES, SIR. AND SO WE'RE WE'LL BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAW AFTER THIS. I THINK SOME OF THE QUESTIONS BEFORE THAT WERE ADDRESSED HAD TO DO WITH SORT OF SPACE AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO ON MY LAST CHECK, THE BOARD'S CONCERNS HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED IN THIS. AND SO I THINK IT'S RIPE FOR A VOTE.

SO UNLESS THERE'S POINT I HAVE, I DO HAVE I DID SUBMIT ONE COMMENT TO THE DOCUMENT AND I DON'T THINK THAT IT WAS RECEIVED. I DON'T KNOW WHY. AND IT'S ON PARAGRAPH FOUR OF THE PROCEDURES, A THREE WHERE IT SAYS THAT IT IS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE PARENT GUARDIAN AND STUDENT, AND WITH APPROVAL OF THE HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER. I WOULD LIKE THAT TO SCRATCH AND STUDENT AND WITH APPROVAL AND PUT IN PLACE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT WITH THE HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER. SO AFTER PARENT THAT JUST AFTER PARENT AND GUARDIAN. SCRATCH THE WHAT IS THERE NOW AND REPLACE IT WITH IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT WITH THE HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER, MISS KIMBERLY ONLINE. NUMBER FOUR, ARE YOU IS THERE A SPECIFIC DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT YOU'RE REFERRING TO? NUMBER NUMBER THREE. NO, I'M SAYING WHEN YOU SAID IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT, TYPICALLY OR HOWEVER IT SHOULD BE WORDED, THERE'S A AN AGREEMENT MADE WITH THE HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER WITH THE PATIENT OR THE PARENTS IN THIS CASE, BECAUSE IT WOULD BE WITH A MINOR CHILD. SO THERE, INSTEAD OF HAVING THIS END STUDENT AND APPROVAL, IT SHOULD BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH WHATEVER DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT THAT THEY PREPARED PRIOR TO THE. WELL, I WOULD RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE ON THAT BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO DEPEND ON THE SITUATION. SO, FOR INSTANCE, IF IT'S A THERAPIST, THE THERAPIST MAY WANT THE PARENT IN THE SESSION FOR PART OF IT, OR THEY MAY NOT WANT THE PARENT IN THE SESSION. SO TYPICALLY A THERAPY SESSION WITH A MINOR THE PARENT IS NOT GOING TO BE PRESENT PHYSICALLY. SO BUT THERE MAY BE A TIME WHERE THE THERAPIST DOES WANT THEM TO COME IN. SO THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN A THERAPIST AND A FAMILY THAT THE PARENTS NEVER OR NEVER, NEVER OR ALWAYS PRESENT IS GOING TO BE SITUATIONAL. SO WHEN THE CHILD COMES INTO SCHOOL, HAS THEIR SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT, THEIR THERAPIST, WE'VE ASKED THAT THE PARENTS, VIRTUAL OR IN PERSON, THE PARENT IS NOT GOING TO SIT IN ON THAT SESSION MOST OF THE TIME BECAUSE IT'S A THERAPY SESSION. YOU DON'T SIT IN ON THERAPY SESSIONS UNLESS THE THERAPIST HAS ASKED YOU TO COME IN FOR A SPECIFIC REASON. THAT WAS NEVER THE CASE WITH MY CHILDREN. SO YOU SAID IT ON ALL YOUR CHILD'S THERAPY APPOINTMENTS IN THE ROOM. I WAS ALLOWED TO IN THE ROOM. YES. WELL, THAT'S VERY ATYPICAL. I MEAN, YOU WERE ALLOWED TO. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WHERE? I MEAN, YOU HAD ALREADY MADE THAT ARRANGEMENT OR NOT. 99% OF THERAPY APPOINTMENTS WITH CHILDREN. THE PARENT IS NOT GOING TO BE IN THE ROOM. THAT'S

[03:05:05]

THE POINT OF THERAPY. SO THAT WE WOULD NOT REQUIRE THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A DISCLOSURE, BECAUSE MOST OF THE TIME THE PARENT'S NOT GOING TO BE PRESENT. WE ARE ASKING AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR THE PARENT TO COME TO THE SCHOOL AND BE PRESENT IN THE BUILDING FOR THE SESSION, BUT NOT TO BE IN THE SESSION UNLESS THE THERAPIST IS REQUIRING IT. I DON'T KNOW IF THERAPY HAS CHANGED SINCE MY CHILDREN WERE YOUNG, BUT I WAS ALLOWED TO. I DIDN'T ALWAYS SIT THROUGH THE ENTIRE SESSION. YEAH, AND THERE WILL BE TIMES WHERE PARENTS WILL BE IN THAT, BUT I JUST IF WE PUT THAT INTO THE POLICY, THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE AN EXISTING DISCLOSURE THE THERAPIST GIVES TO A PATIENT TO SAY THE PARENT WILL ALWAYS OR NEVER BE THERE. IT'S GOING TO BE SITUATIONAL, WHICH IS WHY IT'S LEFT UP TO THE DISCRETION AT THE TIME, MOSTLY OF THE PRACTITIONER OF WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE GOING TO WANT THE PARENT IN FOR PART OF THE SESSION. UNDER THE PROCEDURES, A PARAGRAPH, A SUBSECTION THREE, THE PARENT MUST BE PRESENT, PARENT OR GUARDIAN MUST BE PRESENT IN THE SCHOOL BUILDING OR VIRTUALLY. I DID YOU WAS THAT ADDED? I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST THEY HAD TO BE PRESENT IN THE SCHOOL BUILDING. WHERE ARE YOU REFERRING TO? THE SAME ONE. SAME ONE? A THREE BUILDING OR VIRTUALLY DORMANT? YEAH. SO WE DID INCLUDE THAT. NO, THAT, THAT WAS THERE FROM THE BEGINNING BECAUSE AND I'LL JUST GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. IF A CHILD IS GOING TO MEET WITH THEIR NEUROLOGIST AND THE PARENT WORKS IN BALTIMORE CITY AND IT'S GOING TO BE A TEN MINUTE APPOINTMENT, WE DON'T WANT THE PARENT TO HAVE TO LEAVE WORK DRIVE ALL THE WAY TO ABERDEEN HIGH SCHOOL TO SIT IN A TEN MINUTE APPOINTMENT TO DRIVE ALL THE WAY BACK TO BALTIMORE CITY, TO THEIR JOB, WHEN THEY COULD JUST GET ON VIRTUALLY WITH WITH THE DOCTOR AND BE PRESENT THERE FOR THAT APPOINTMENT. SO WE WANT WE DON'T WANT TO SAY YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO BE PRESENT IN THE BUILDING IF THE VIRTUAL OPTION IS MAKES THINGS A LITTLE BIT EASIER FOR THE FAMILY, WHO'S RESPONSIBLE THEN TO GET THE STUDENT OUT OF CLASS INTO A SPACE AND THEN BACK TO CLASS? IS THAT ALL THAT'S THAT'S SPELLED OUT HERE THAT THEY'RE BASICALLY THEY'LL BE GIVEN A PASS TO COME DOWN TO, TO HAVE THE SPACE. SO THE PARENT HAS TO REQUEST THE APPOINTMENT, THE ADMINISTRATOR APPROVES IT OR DENIES IT. ONCE THE ADMINISTRATOR APPROVES IT, THEN THE CHILD WILL BE GIVEN A PASS, JUST LIKE THEY'RE COMING DOWN TO SEE THE SCHOOL COUNSELOR OR THE NURSE OR WHOMEVER COME DOWN, HAVE THEIR APPOINTMENT IN WHATEVER SPACE HAS BEEN ALLOCATED TO THEM. SO IN SOME IN SOME CASES, AGAIN, WE DON'T WANT THE PARENT TO HAVE TO TRAVEL A GREAT DISTANCE OR MISS A HALF DAY OF WORK FOR WHAT COULD BE A TEN MINUTE APPOINTMENT. IS THERE ANY CONCERN THAT THE STUDENT MIGHT BE UPSET AFTER ANY APPOINTMENT, EVEN IF IT'S NOT A THERAPY APPOINTMENT? BUT, YOU KNOW, IS THERE ANY CONCERN THAT THERE IS? AND THAT'S WHY WE WERE ONE OF THE LEADERS IN THE IN THE STATE TO MANDATE THAT PARENTS HAVE TO BE PRESENT. THE LAW DOES NOT CALL FOR THAT AT ALL, BUT WE DID NOT WANT TO PUT THAT ON OUR STAFF TO HAVE TO BE PRESENT AND CHECK IN WITH THE CHILD AFTER EVERY DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT. SO WE SAID THE PARENT HAS TO BE PRESENT. SO FOR INSTANCE, IN THIS CASE, THE EXPECTATION THIS IS WRITTEN INTO THE INTO THE POLICY. HERE THE PARENT HAS TO CHECK WITH THEIR CHILD, WHETHER IT'S IN PERSON OR VIRTUAL, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE FEELING OKAY, TO RETURN TO CLASS AFTER THE APPOINTMENT. IF THEY'RE NOT, THEN THEY WOULD EITHER EITHER IN PERSON OR IF THEY'RE VIRTUAL CALL TO EXPLAIN TO THE SCHOOL THAT THEIR CHILD'S NOT, YOU KNOW, HANDLING THE SESSION WELL OR WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE. BUT FOR THE MOST PART, THE EXPECTATION IS THE PARENT'S GOING TO COME IN AND BE PRESENT, MAYBE NOT IN THE SESSION, BUT BE PRESENT IN THE SCHOOL BUILDING SO THEY COULD DO THE QUICK CHECK IN WITH THE CHILD AND THEY COULD RETURN TO CLASS. I'M JUST WORRIED THAT THAT IS THERE SOME BURDEN, EITHER IN TERMS OF PROVIDING SPACE OR SOME KIND OF SUPPORT THAT THIS WILL CAUSE TO OCCUR IN SCHOOLS. SO ABSOLUTELY, THERE'S THE BURDEN, WHICH IS WHY THAT WE ARE DOING TWO THINGS. WE'RE SAYING THE SCHOOL HAS THE RIGHT TO DENY THE APPOINTMENT. IF THEY DON'T HAVE THE SPACE, THE CHILD'S ABUSING IT. THINGS HAVE NOT GONE WELL IN THE PAST. THE PARENT CAN'T CAN'T ATTEND ALL THOSE REASONS. AND THEN SECONDLY, THAT'S WHY WE'RE HAVING THE PARENT COME IN. SO WE'RE NOT HAVING A SCHOOL COUNSELOR SIT AND WAIT FOR AN APPOINTMENT TO END TO CHECK ON THE CHILD. SO THE LAW IN NO WAY ASKED FOR ANY OF THAT TO HAPPEN. SO WE WERE PRETTY CONSERVATIVE WITH OUR APPROACH TO THIS, TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS A SITUATION THAT CAN BE ACCOMMODATED BECAUSE IN ALL IN ALL SCHOOLS THAT WON'T BE ABLE TO BE ACCOMMODATED WITH, WITH, WITH THE FREQUENCY WITH WHICH SOME PEOPLE WOULD WANT IT TO BE. YEAH. AND GOOD EVENING.

THIS IS KIMBERLY. NEIL. I'M THE GENERAL COUNSEL. I JUST WANT TO SUPPORT WHAT BUCK HAS JUST SAID BECAUSE, YEAH, IF WE WERE JUST STRICTLY FOLLOWING ONLY THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS HERE, WE WOULD ACTUALLY NOT HAVE THOSE ADDITIONAL PROTECTIONS FOR THE STUDENT IN TERMS OF THE SCHOOL DAY AND THE DISRUPTION AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND THEN FOR THE FAMILY TO ACTUALLY HAVE THAT

[03:10:03]

ABILITY TO BE, YOU KNOW, MORE INVOLVED. SO WE ACTUALLY EXPANDED IT IN AN APPROPRIATE WAY, OBVIOUSLY. BUT BUT WE DIDN'T JUST FOLLOW BARE MINIMUM LEGAL REQUIREMENTS. WE ACTUALLY THAT WAS THE GOAL THAT MR. HENNIGAN AND HIS TEAM HAD WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS COULD IF WE ARE REQUIRED TO DO THIS BY LAW, WE WILL DO IT BY LAW. BUT WE ARE ABLE TO ADD SOME EXTRA SAFEGUARDS TO PROTECT THE STUDENT AND THE STUDENT'S PARENTS. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NOT QUESTIONS. I'VE BEEN PRETTY VOCAL ON MY OPPOSITION TO THIS LAW AND THIS POLICY. RIGHT. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TAKE ON IT AND TRYING TO PROTECT US FROM FROM PARENTS BEING THERE. I REALLY STRUGGLE WITH IT. RIGHT. OUR FOCUS NEEDS TO BE ON EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES. AND ADDING TELEHEALTH RESPONSIBILITY DILUTES THAT MISSION COMPLETELY. OUR LIMITED FUNDS SHOULD GO TO ACADEMICS, NOT FACILITATING HEALTHCARE. I UNDERSTAND IT'S A LAW, BUT YOU KNOW, THE STATE SHOULD SHOW UP WITH THE RESOURCES AND THE PEOPLE TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. SO.

I'M HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING TO. YES, BUT I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'VE DONE. IT'S NOTHING ABOUT THAT. I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEM COME FORWARD EITHER WITH ANY SORT OF POLICY.

I THINK WE'RE KIND OF LEADING THE WAY. BUT WHAT ARE OTHER SCHOOLS DOING? SO I CAN SPEAK TO THAT BECAUSE THE DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SERVICES MEET MONTHLY. SO EVERY, EVERY SCHOOL SYSTEM IN THE STATE IS MANDATED TO HAVE THIS POLICY IN A WEEK OR SO. AND SO, AS I SAID IN THE PAST, AND I'M NOT, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO PAT MYSELF ON THE BACK, BUT AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, AS HARFORD COUNTY, MOST OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS AROUND THE STATE TOOK OUR LEAD IN SAYING THAT WE ARE GOING TO MANDATE PARENTS BE HERE, THAT WE'RE GOING TO MANDATE THAT PARENTS HAVE TO ASK PERMISSION AHEAD OF TIME, THAT THE SCHOOL HAS THE RIGHT TO REFUSE BASED ON ALL THOSE FACTORS THAT WERE TALKED ABOUT, BECAUSE WE REALIZE WE CAN'T NOT DO THIS. IT'S LAW THAT WE DO IT, BUT WE CAN DO IT IN OUR WAY. THAT IS GOING TO MAKE THIS A SITUATION THAT YOU KNOW, WHEN POSSIBLE THAT IT CAN OCCUR. AND I WOULD SAY, WHILE I DO AGREE WITH ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS THAT YOU MADE, I WOULD SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THE POSITIVE SIDE TO THIS IS WE MAY HAVE STUDENTS MISSING A LOT LESS SCHOOL BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TO LEAVE SCHOOL TO GO TO AN APPOINTMENT BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, A CHILD COULD HAVE A TEN MINUTE NEUROLOGY APPOINTMENT AND JOHNS HOPKINS, THEY'RE GOING TO MISS THREE HOURS OF SCHOOL TO GET THERE AND BACK AND HAVE THE APPOINTMENT WHEN THEY CAN WALK DOWN TO THE OFFICE, HAVE A TEN MINUTE APPOINTMENT, BE BACK IN CLASS. SO THERE IS I UNDERSTAND THE REASONING FOR IT, BUT THAT'S WHY WE WANTED TO BE CONSERVATIVE IN OUR APPROACH TO MAKE SURE THAT IT ALSO FITS OUR NEEDS AS WELL. ANYTHING ELSE? IF WE DON'T HAVE THIS POLICY, WHAT WILL HAPPEN? THE POLICY ITSELF? IF WE DON'T GET A POLICY APPROVED, THEN I'LL JUST HAVE TO REPORT THAT, I SUPPOSE. BUT WE HAVE A PROCEDURE THAT WE WILL ESSENTIALLY CARRY OUT SO THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAW. AND I WOULD JUST ENDORSE MISS STRAUSS COMMENT THAT I'M A BIGGER PICTURE PERSPECTIVE. I THINK, YOU KNOW, ONE THING TO HAPPEN DURING THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS. EVERY BILL THAT COMES FORWARD NEEDS A BETTER FISCAL NOTE. THERE NEEDS TO BE RECOGNITION OF THE COST WHEN I MEAN, I I'M KIND OF WITH BUCK ON THIS. LIKE THERE'S SOME BENEFIT.

SURE I BELIEVE, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT. THE INTENT IS GOOD. THERE'S A BURDEN ON THE RESOURCES TO DO IT. RIGHT NOW YOU'RE TAKING AWAY. AND I HAVE PARENTS WALKING IN AND OUT OF THE BUILDING THAT HAVE TO BE MONITORED. IT'S UNTENABLE. AND CUTTING 160 TEACHERS. AND NOW I HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO DO THIS. I'M A NO, I JUST I CAN'T GET THERE. AND THIS IS THIS IS ONE OF THE. I GUESS, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WITH THE WAY THE STATE DOES A LEGISLATIVE SESSION WHERE EVERYTHING IS SO RAPID FIRE AND BECAUSE THERE'S VERY LITTLE TIME FOR CONSIDERATION OF THESE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, IMPACTS TO SCHOOL SYSTEMS. AND, I MEAN, YOU'RE CREATING INEQUITIES. NOT ALL HEALTH SHIRTS OFFERS TELEHEALTH, RIGHT? SO THAT'S NOT OKAY EITHER. YEAH. BUT I THINK I THINK THE OTHER POINT MR. I'M SORRY, WERE YOU SPEAKING, MR. SEWELL? YOU'RE MUTED. YES, YES.

THANK YOU. SORRY. IT TOOK ME A SECOND TO GET OFF MUTE. YEAH. SO I THINK THAT THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS LEGISLATION AND WHY WE NEED TO BUILD A POLICY AROUND IT, IS TO CREATE GREATER ACCESS FOR STUDENTS, YOU KNOW, AND FAMILIES, YOU KNOW, MANY STUDENTS DON'T HAVE AND FAMILIES DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE OFF. TRANSPORT STUDENTS TO THESE TYPES OF

[03:15:04]

APPOINTMENTS. SO ALLOWING THIS TO BE IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM WOULD CREATE GREATER EQUITY. ACTUALLY, AMONG STUDENTS WHO DON'T HAVE THAT ABILITY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, YOU KNOW, MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES AND WHATNOT. THE WHOLE POINT IS THAT WE WANT TO TRY TO, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, GIVE THEM THAT OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE. SO I THINK THAT'S THAT'S WHAT'S, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WE'RE SETTING GUARDRAILS HERE, YOU KNOW, FOR DIFFERENT SITUATIONS, YOU KNOW, AS STUDENT POPULATION CHANGE, YOU KNOW, IN SCHOOLS, SCHOOLS THAT MAY BE MORE MORE CROWDED. MAYBE THEY DON'T HAVE THE SPACE OR THE RESOURCES TO DO IT. THEY CAN SAY NO, RIGHT. IT'S NOT MANDATED. THIS IS JUST CREATING A FRAMEWORK SO THAT THIS WE CAN BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH. THE LAW. IMPORTANTLY AND ALSO ENSURE THAT WE'RE GETTING GIVING GREATER ACCESS. THANK YOU, MR. SEWELL. YES, MA'AM. AND I THINK THAT I UNDERSTAND THE RESOURCES ISSUE, BUT I THINK THAT THIS IS A WAY TO ACCURATELY DOCUMENT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IT IS IT'S COSTING. NOW, WE DON'T KNOW. WE DON'T KNOW WHO'S GOING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. SO WE YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE OUT THERE FIRST SAYING, HEY, THIS IS WHAT IT'S COSTING.

AND IF WE FIND OUT IT'S NOT COSTING ANYTHING, THEN WE'RE JUST GIVING A SERVICE. I THINK WE CAN'T SAY WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE THE DOOR TO THE WHOLE CONCEPT, THAT IDEA, WITHOUT HAVING SOME FACTUAL INFORMATION IN REGARDS TO COST. THANK YOU. I JUST A FEW FINAL COMMENTS AND THEN WE'LL I THINK IT'S READY FOR A VOTE. SO FIRST OF ALL, ANNAPOLIS IS GREAT AT PASSING STUFF WITHOUT FIGURING OUT HOW TO PAY FOR IT. BUT THAT'S A BATTLE THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE TO ANNAPOLIS. IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN HERE. SO, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THAT COULD BE PART OF OUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA FOR NEXT YEAR BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING IT NOT JUST WITH TELEHEALTH, BUT WITH EVERYTHING ALL THE WAY UP TO BLUEPRINT. OKAY. SO THAT'S A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GETTING MORE MONIES AND WE'RE NOT MONEY AND WE'RE NOT GETTING MORE EDUCATORS, AND WE'RE PILING MORE AND MORE AND MORE ONTO OUR EDUCATORS. HOWEVER, WORKING WITHIN THE CONSTRAINTS OF THE LAW THAT WE HAVE TO WORK WITH YOU AND YOUR TEAM DID AN AMAZING JOB OF WORKING THE PARENTS INTO IT AND REDUCING THE BURDEN ON ADMINISTRATORS TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY, AND I APPRECIATE THAT. SO WE DO NEED TO HAVE SOMETHING IN PLACE. SO LET'S ACCEPT THE MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE STUDENT POLICY. STUDENT TELEHEALTH ACCESS BOARD POLICY I MOVE TO ACCEPT THE STUDENT TELEHEALTH ACCESS POLICY. SECOND, PLEASE, CAROL BRUCE, I SECOND, THANK YOU. I WILL DO A ROLL CALL VOTE ON THIS ONE. MRS. ALVAREZ. YES, MISS.

BRUCE? YES, MISS. KOCHER. YES, DOCTOR. MUELLER. YES, MISS. YES, MISS PERRY. MRS. PERRY, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE. AND COME BACK TO HER. OKAY, MR. SEWELL. YES. MISS. STRAUSS? NO, VICE PRESIDENT HAHN. I'M SORRY. I'M GOING TO ABSTAIN. PRESIDENT BOYNTON. YES, MISS. PERRY? OKAY, WELL, WE HAVE SEVEN AND ONE. ALL RIGHT. MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU. THE MOTION PASSES. WE WILL

[G. Presentation of Proposed New Board Policy, Student Elopement, Mr. Bernard Hennigan, Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services]

CONTINUE ON WITH NOT A VOTE, BUT A PRESENTATION. WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM G, PRESENTATION OF PROPOSED BOARD POLICY. STUDENT ELOPEMENT. THANK YOU. SO NOT TO RUB SOME PROVERBIAL SALT IN THE WOUND, BUT ANOTHER PIECE OF LEGISLATION HERE. SO THIS IS NOT FOR A VOTE TONIGHT BUT A PRESENTATION. AND THIS I WILL SAY IS DEFINITELY LESS CUMBERSOME. WELL, SOMEWHAT LESS CUMBERSOME. SO IN THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION, HOUSE BILL 1204 ASKS THAT WE DO FOUR THINGS WITH STUDENT ELOPEMENTS AND WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. STUDENT ELOPEMENTS IS A STUDENT RUNNING FROM THE SCHOOL AND THEY DEFINE IT. ELOPEMENTS ARE DEFINED DIFFERENTLY DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ASK, BUT AS FAR AS THEIR DEFINITION OF IT, IT MEANS THE SCHOOL IS ACTUALLY LEFT. THE SCHOOL STUDENT HAS LEFT THE SCHOOL GROUNDS. SO IF A STUDENT RUNS OUT OF THE CLASSROOM ONTO THE PLAYGROUND, THAT'S NOT AN ELOPEMENT. ONCE THEY LEAVE THE SCHOOL GROUNDS, THAT'S CONSIDERED ELOPEMENT FOR PURPOSES OF THIS POLICY. AND, BILL, SO WHAT THEY'RE ASKING SCHOOL SYSTEMS TO DO IS REALLY FOUR THINGS. NOTIFICATION TO THE PARENT THAT IT HAPPENED. TRACKING WHEN IT HAPPENS.

[03:20:01]

REPORTING TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT WHEN HOW OFTEN IT HAPPENS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO TRY TO REDUCE IT. SO WE'VE CREATED A POLICY THAT SORT OF SPELLS OUT EXACTLY HOW THAT WILL HAVE TO OCCUR MOVING FORWARD, STARTING WITH THIS NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. AND THE BEGINNING OF THIS POLICY, AS YOU SEE, IS DEFINITIONS. THEN IT MOVES INTO THE GENERAL PROCEDURES AGAIN. WELL, NOT AGAIN, BUT LET ME JUST SORT OF SUMMARIZE. SO SCHOOL SCHOOLS WILL BE ASKED TO NOTIFY PARENTS WITHIN 24 HOURS THAT ELOPEMENT OCCURRED. THEY'RE DOING THAT ANYWAY. ANYTIME A STUDENT IS RUNNING FROM SCHOOL PROPERTY PARENTS ARE GOING TO BE NOTIFIED. BUT WE'RE JUST SORT OF CODIFYING IT HERE AND MAKING SURE THAT IT'S STATED THE SCHOOL. IT WILL USE A TRACKING SYSTEM FOR ALL THEIR ELOPEMENTS. WE'VE MADE THIS VERY SIMPLISTIC WITH THE OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY HAS ADDED A CODE INTO OUR DISCIPLINE DATA SO THEY CAN GO IN. IT'S A DISCIPLINE CODE. IT WILL NOT COUNT AGAINST OUR DISCIPLINE. THERE WON'T BE DISCIPLINE FOR IT, BUT IT'S JUST A VERY EASY WAY FOR THE STAFF TO TRACK THE ELOPEMENTS. I WILL COME BACK TO THIS BOARD EVERY SUMMER TO REPORT ON HOW MANY ELOPEMENTS WE HAD THE PREVIOUS SCHOOL YEAR, AND THEN PRIOR TO OCTOBER, I WILL REPORT TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT COUNTY ELOPEMENTS WE HAD DISAGGREGATED BY RACE, GENDER, AGE, GRADES, SCHOOL, SO ON AND SO FORTH. SO THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE GIST OF THE BILL. WE HAVE CREATED A PROCEDURE THAT GETS A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ABOUT WHAT IT, BECAUSE IT ALSO SPEAKS TO A STUDENT WHO IS ATTEMPTING TO ELOPE. AND SO WE'RE WE'RE CLEARLY DEFINING FOR SCHOOL WHAT AN ATTEMPT IS. AND SO JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE REALLY CLEAR UNDERSTANDING FROM OUR SCHOOL STAFF ON WHAT TO DO WITH ELOPEMENTS, AGAIN, THEY'RE DOING MOST OF THIS NOW OTHER THAN TRACKING EACH INCIDENT AND THEN REPORTING IT. SO THAT'S GOING TO BE THE CHANGE. BUT I REALLY DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE A HUGE BURDEN BECAUSE AGAIN, THEY COULD JUST USE THE DISCIPLINE CODE THAT WE'RE GOING TO CREATE FOR IT. SO THIS WILL BE OPEN FOR 30 DAYS. BUT TODAY IS THE 23RD THE NEXT BOARD MEETING, THE 21ST, WHICH MEANS IT WOULDN'T BE UP FOR VOTE UNTIL AUGUST. IS THAT OKAY? YEAH THAT'S FINE.

OKAY. ANY QUESTIONS? I HAVE A QUESTION. HOW DO WE COME UP WITH A 24 HOUR NOTIFICATION TIME FRAME ONLY BECAUSE LIKE IF A STUDENT LIKE IF IT WAS MY KID THAT LEFT THE BUILDING, I'D WANT TO KNOW, LIKE. IMMEDIATELY. RIGHT. YOU KNOW, LIKE HOW HOW DO WE COME UP WITH A 24 HOUR I MEAN, I GET FOR, YOU KNOW, BECOMING AWARE OF AN ATTEMPTED ELOPEMENT, THAT KIND OF THING.

BUT, I MEAN, CLEARLY, IF A STUDENT LEAVES THE BUILDING, WE'RE GOING TO NOTIFY THEM SOONER THAN 24 HOURS, BUT THAT'S WHY. CORRECT? YEAH. I MEAN, PROBABLY A FAIRLY ARBITRARY USE OF TRYING TO FIND, OKAY, WITHIN A 24 HOUR PERIOD. SO I'D BE OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS ON THAT. WE COULD JUST SAY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT HAPPENS. IT HAPPENS IN A TIMELY MANNER, BUT ALSO KNOW THAT THERE'S A MILLION THINGS GOING ON IN THE SCHOOL DAY AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO, YOU KNOW, THE MOMENT IT HAPPENS, IT'S GOING TO STOP AND MAYBE MAKE THE NOTIFICATION BECAUSE THEIR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS GETTING THE STUDENT BACK. ABSOLUTELY. SO I'D BE OPEN TO ANY SUGGESTIONS ON THAT. BUT WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I MEAN, AT THIS POINT THE CHILD WILL HAVE BEEN RETURNED TO SCHOOL. AND WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE PARENTS KNOW, HEY, THIS HAPPENED TODAY. SO. WHICH AGAIN, THEY'RE DOING THIS ANYWAY, BUT WE'RE JUST MAKING SURE IT'S DOES THE REPORTING INCLUDE THE OUTCOME OF THE ELOPEMENT. THE YOU KNOW THE STUDENT ELOPED AND WE GOT HIM BACK AND HE WAS OKAY OR. NO, JUST NUMBER OF ELOPEMENTS BY STUDENT. SO HOW MANY PER BUILDING AGAIN ALL THOSE DISAGGREGATED CATEGORIES. BUT THEN ALSO YOU KNOW HOW MANY FOR AN INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS OF THIS CHILD MAY HAVE HAD TEN THIS YEAR. SO WE HAVE TO REPORT PER SCHOOL, PER DISTRICT. THAT'S THE REPORT I'LL BRING TO YOU ALL NEXT SUMMER. AND THEN WE HAVE TO THEN REPORT THAT TO THE STATE. I'M SURE THEY'LL GIVE US SOME SORT OF REPORTING TOOL. I MEAN, INTRUSOS AS WE GET THE. YEAH, YOU SEE, YOU SEE YOU DO SEE THE SOS FOR THE ELOPEMENTS. YEAH. SO I GUESS WHAT'S. OH, SORRY. SORRY. GO AHEAD. YOU KNOW, THE WANDERING, I GUESS. YOU KNOW, I NOTICED UP HERE WHERE YOU HAVE STUDENTS WITH AN IEP AT HARTFORD ACADEMY. WE WERE AT THE GRADUATION. ONE OF THE COMMENTS THAT THEY MADE WAS IF WHATEVER THE STUDENT'S NAME WAS, SHE MAY GET UP AND GO OUT. DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. SHE'S OKAY AND SHE MIGHT COME BACK AND SHE MIGHT NOT COME BACK, DIDN'T SHE? I MEAN, SO YEAH, I GUESS I LEFT A COUPLE PIECES OUT THAT I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED. SO ONE PIECE IS THE REASON WANDERING IS IN THERE IS BECAUSE THE LEGISLATION DOES SAY YOU DON'T HAVE TO REPORT ON WANDERING. SO IF A STUDENT IS, YOU KNOW, LEAVING THE WHERE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE BUT NOT LEAVING THE CAMPUS, THEN WE DON'T NEED TO REPORT ON THAT. BUT ALSO THE BIG THING, WHICH IS A HUGE PLUS FOR US. YOU DO NOT

[03:25:04]

HAVE TO REPORT AN ELOPEMENT FOR A STUDENT WHO HAS PROVISIONS FOR THAT IN THEIR IEP. YEAH, I SEE THE IEP. BUT I WAS JUST YEAH, BUT THE WANDERING I YEAH. SO THE STUDENT WHO ELOPES AT HARTFORD ACADEMY WHO HAS WHO HAS PROVISIONS IN THEIR IEP REGARDING ELOPEMENT. WE DON'T HAVE TO REPORT ON THAT. YEAH. OR ANY SCHOOL. YOU DON'T REPORT ON WANDERING ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE IT HERE. CORRECT. THEY HAVE TO ACTUALLY LEAVE CAMPUS. OH. SO YEAH, THE REASON IT'S DEFINED IS BECAUSE WE SPEAK TO THAT. WE DON'T HAVE TO REPORT ON IT. OKAY. BUT IF A SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENT OR ANY STUDENT LEAVES CAMPUS, YOU NOTIFY THE PARENTS. YEAH. THAT'S THE YES. YEAH.

THAT'S THE ELOPEMENT. WHETHER IT'S IN THEIR IEP OR NOT. CORRECT. NO. WELL WE'RE GOING TO NOTIFY THE PARENT AS A COURSE OF ACTION FOR HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE LEGISLATION NONE OF THIS APPLIES TO A STUDENT WHO HAS IT IN THEIR IEP. OKAY OKAY. THANKS. I'M JUST ANOTHER THING WHERE I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN. RIGHT. AND I DON'T KNOW IF I'M LOOKING AT THE BILL, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT'S GOT TO BE COLLECTED. THE DISABILITY RACE, GENDER, AGE I GUESS WHAT SCHOOL THEY WENT TO. SO WHO WHOSE JOB WOULD THAT BE? AND DOES THE STUDENT'S NAME GET ALSO REPORTED UP? NO. WELL, I OBVIOUSLY THE REPORTING TOOL HASN'T BEEN CREATED YET, BUT TYPICALLY WHEN WE GET THESE TYPES OF REPORTS FROM MSD, IT'S STUDENT IDS. SO IT DOESN'T HAVE NAMES OR WELL, TYPICALLY IT'S STUDENT IDS. BUT THE, THE BEAUTY OF, OF OUR OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY IS SO THROUGH E-SCHOOL. PLUS WHEN A STUDENT HAS A DISCIPLINE INCIDENT AND I GO IN AND PUT IN THAT, YOU KNOW, HE GOT IN A FIGHT TODAY, WHATEVER IT IS THAT GENERATES, YOU KNOW, AN INCIDENT WHICH THEN HAS ALL THOSE DISAGGREGATED PIECES TOGETHER.

THAT REPORT I GAVE YOU ALL A FEW A FEW WEEKS AGO IN OUR DISCIPLINE DATA. SO THIS IS JUST GOING TO WHEN I PULL THE ELOPEMENT FOR FOREST HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, IT'LL PULL ALL THAT AUTOMATICALLY WITH THE RACE AND GENDER. SO WE CAN BASICALLY TELL THE REPORT IN COGNOS, WHAT DO WE WANT FROM THIS? AND IT'LL AUTOMATICALLY PULL IT. SO BASICALLY WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IS IT STAFF AT A SCHOOL IS GOING TO GO IN RECORD THIS THE SAME WAY THEY WOULD LIKE A CLASS CUT OR A FIGHT. IT'LL JUST BE AN ELOPEMENT. IT'LL BE A NEW CODE WE CREATE AND THEN IT'LL ALL THAT DISAGGREGATED DATA WILL COME TOGETHER WHEN WE PULL THE REPORT, AND THEN THE STEPS TAKEN BY THE SCHOOL TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ELOPEMENT INCIDENTS.

YES. SO WE HAVE WE HAVE A SAFE SCHOOLS PRESENTATION THAT STUDENTS, STUDENTS AND STAFF HAVE TO DO EVERY YEAR. AND MISS ALTON HAS HAS A SAFE SCHOOLS MODULE THAT DISCUSSES A LOT OF THINGS AROUND MENTAL HEALTH. SO WE'RE GOING TO INFUSE THAT INTO THIS FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR BECAUSE SHE HAS TO REDO IT ANYWAY. SO THAT'S GOING TO TALK ABOUT WAYS TO PREVENT ELOPEMENT.

SO IT'LL JUST BE A PART OF THAT SAFE SCHOOLS MODULE THAT THEY'LL DO. SO THAT'S THAT'S OUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO WE WILL SEE YOU. THIS WILL BE OPEN FOR THE

[H. Presentation of Proposed Changes and Renaming of Board Policy 04 0023 000 Final Examinations, Report Cards, and Calculation of Final Grades, Dr. Dyann Mack, Deputy Superintendent for Academics and Ms. Natalie Holloway, Director of Secondary Schools]

BOARD AND FOR PUBLIC COMMENT FOR AT LEAST 30 DAYS. SO WE'LL SEE YOU SOON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU OKAY SO THE FINAL ITEM FOR THIS EVENING IS ITEM H PRESENTATION OF PROPOSED CHANGES RENAMING BOARD POLICY 04-0023 FINAL EXAMINATIONS REPORT CARDS AND CALCULATION OF FINAL GRADES.

WELCOME. WE SHOULD NOTE THAT DOCTOR MAC IS STILL SMILING. ARE YOU SMILING? MATT? I'D LIKE TO WELCOME DIANE. MAC, DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT. RIGHT. SO NATALEE HOLLOWAY. THAT'S RIGHT.

WELCOME. GOOD EVENING. TONIGHT, WE ARE HERE TO PRESENT A PROPOSED POLICY CHANGE FOR FINAL EXAMINATIONS, GRADE CHANGES AND CALCULATIONS OF FINAL GRADES. THE PROPOSED POLICY CHANGE IS DESIGNED TO ALLOW ALIGN WITH GOAL TWO OF THE HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL STRATEGIC PLAN TO ENGAGE FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN EDUCATION FOR OUR STUDENTS. THE PROPOSED POLICY REVISION UPDATES HOW STUDENT PROGRESS IS REPORTED AND HOW FINAL GRADES ARE CALCULATED.

CURRENTLY, THE POLICY STATES THAT STUDENTS PROGRESS SHOULD BE REPORTED QUARTERLY FOR ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, WITH THE REPORT CARD BEING THE PRIMARY VEHICLE FOR THIS COMMUNICATION. THE PROPOSED POLICY WILL REMOVE THE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENT FOR REPORT CARDS TO BE THE SOLE METHOD OF COMMUNICATION. AS A MATTER OF POLICY, WE KNOW THAT DISSEMINATING REPORT CARDS IS OUR PRACTICE AND THAT WILL CONTINUE. HOWEVER, AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, THE SHIFT IN THE LANGUAGE WILL ALLOW OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS TO ENGAGE IN PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES DURING THE FIRST QUARTER IN LIEU OF REPORT CARDS, AND THAT ALIGNS TO GOAL TWO OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN. THE SECOND REVISION OF THE POLICY FOCUSES ON LANGUAGE RELATED TO FINAL GRADES. THE REVISION ADDRESSES HIGH SCHOOL COURSES THAT ARE TAUGHT AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL. FINALLY, THE REVISIONS OF THE POLICY THAT ARE INCLUDED IN

[03:30:01]

THIS THIS REVISION ADDRESS POSITION TITLE CHANGES THAT ARE NEEDED BECAUSE OF THE REORGANIZATION, AND THOSE ARE THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THIS POLICY. ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU. WE'LL OPEN IT UP. JUST A FEW QUESTIONS. SO WITH THE CONVERSION TO PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES HOW ARE WE GOING TO ACCOMMODATE PARENTS THAT ARE UNABLE TO MAKE IT TO THE SCHOOL? THE PLAN ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS IS WE'VE HAD SEVERAL DIFFERENT MODELS. WE HAVE SET THE EXPECTATION OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF OR SO THAT OUR SCHOOL OFFER PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES TO ALL OF OUR FAMILIES, AND SO EVERY SCHOOL MAKES THAT INITIAL EFFORT. AND THE HOPE IS, IS THAT THEY CAN MAKE THAT THE FIRST APPOINTMENT.

AND THEN OFTENTIMES OUR TEACHERS WILL MAKE A SECOND APPOINTMENT. BUT THE GOAL IS TO CONNECT WITH THE PARENTS THIS YEAR BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE CALENDAR IS SET UP, WE DO HAVE A DESIGNATED CONFERENCE DAY. OUR TEACHERS REALLY WANTED THAT DEDICATED CONFERENCE DAY DURING THE FIRST QUARTER. THAT IS WHAT WE DID PRIOR TO COVID. AND SO THAT'S THAT'S THE PLAN THAT WE HAVE TO REPORT REVERT BACK TO THAT PREVIOUS PRACTICE. AND ALSO THE PERCENTAGES THAT YOU HAD IN THE ORIGINAL POLICY, LIKE NOW IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW. A NUMBER ASSOCIATION, LIKE HOW DO YOU GET TO THAT NUMBER. LIKE WHY DO WE TAKE THE RANGE OF PERCENTAGE HOW. I DON'T THINK WE MAKE ANY WE DIDN'T MAKE ANY CHANGES TO I DON'T BELIEVE WE MADE ANY CHANGES TO THE PERCENTAGES.

CROSSED OUT MY VERSION. I THINK. OH THEY'RE, THEY'RE THEY'RE REMOVED THAT'S WHY. RIGHT. YEAH.

IT WAS JUST OH I'M SORRY. OH SO YOU'RE REFERENCING LETTER C. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE REFERENCING? YES. THAT'S BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT ROMAN NUMERAL THREE WHERE IT SAYS THE POLICY STATEMENT THAT IS REFERRING TO THE ELEMENTARY REPORT CARD, BECAUSE WE'RE SAYING WE'RE NOT GOING TO REPORT, WE'RE NOT GOING TO INCLUDE IN THE POLICY THAT WE'RE GOING TO DISSEMINATE REPORT CARDS, BECAUSE THAT IS A PART OF OUR PROCESS. THAT'S WHY THOSE IT'S CROSSED OUT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT INCLUDING REPORT CARDS IN THIS POLICY. THE GRADING THE GRADING PIECE STILL STANDS.

WE'RE JUST NOT INCLUDING IT IN THIS POLICY. WILL THERE BE ANOTHER POLICY ON REPORT CARDS THEN? I DON'T THINK WE NEED A POLICY ON REPORT CARDS BECAUSE THAT'S OUR PRACTICE. WE KNOW THAT WE'RE A SCHOOL SYSTEM. WE'RE GOING TO REPORT PROGRESS. AND SO WE DON'T WE'RE PROPOSING THAT WE TAKE THE REPORT CARD PIECE OUT OF THE POLICY, BECAUSE WE WANT TO ALLOW THE FLEXIBILITY, PARTICULARLY IN THIS INSTANCE, WHERE WE CAN HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO DO PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES. THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE NOW. THAT'S WHAT THE BOARD IS FOCUSED ON WITH THE WAY THE POLICY EXISTS RIGHT NOW. WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THAT FLEXIBILITY TO SAY WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO REPORT CARDS FIRST QUARTER AND BE IN LINE WITH THE POLICY. AND SO IN TALKING TO DOCTOR POINTON, WE DISCUSSED THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION IS TO LOOK AT THE POLICY AND MAKE SOME RE AND IT MAKES SENSE. WHY CAN'T WE DO BOTH? WELL, WE COULD DO BOTH. HOWEVER, WE ALSO WANT TO BE MINDFUL OF THE WORKLOAD OF OUR TEACHERS AND ESPECIALLY ALL OF OUR TEACHERS.

BUT AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, WE SET THE EXPECTATION THAT OUR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS MEET WITH ALL OF THEIR PARENTS. WE KNOW OUR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS ARE GENERALISTS, AND SO THEY HAVE ALL OF THEIR CONTENTS ALL DAY LONG. WE KNOW THAT THEY HAVE CLASS SIZES UP TO 30 STUDENTS AT OUR SECONDARY LEVEL. OUR OUR OUR CONFERENCES ARE OPTIONAL, AND THEY ARE WHEN PARENTS OPT IN, WHAT WE'RE DOING IS SET AN EXPECTATION AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL THAT WE INVITE ALL OF OUR PARENTS IN. AND SO TRADITIONALLY WHEN WE'VE HAD PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES, WE'VE NOT HAD THEM DO REPORT CARDS AND CONFERENCES. AND THAT'S JUST TO REALLY BE MINDFUL OF. LET'S FOCUS ON ESTABLISHING THAT RELATIONSHIP FIRST QUARTER AND THEN MOVE TO THE REPORT CARD PIECE FOR THE SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTER. I, I AGREE WITH THAT. YOU KNOW, THAT MAKING THAT CONNECTION, I'M JUST CONCERNED THAT THAT WILL HAPPEN. I THINK THIS IS THIS WAS OUR PRACTICE BEFORE COVID. IT'S NEVER BEEN AN ISSUE. A LOT OF OUR TEACHERS WILL STILL CREATE A GRADE, ESPECIALLY IN OUR THIRD, FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADES, TO SAY, HERE IS THE GRADE. IF I WAS GIVING REPORT CARDS, THIS IS WHAT THE GRADE WOULD BE. WE ALSO SHOULDN'T FORGET THAT WE STILL HAVE OUR HOME ACCESS CENTER, AND SO OUR PARENTS CAN STILL ACCESS STUDENT PROGRESS ALL THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE FIRST QUARTER. THEY JUST WILL NOT GET A TRADITIONAL REPORT CARD. THANK YOU. OKAY, SO IT'S NOT STATED HERE, BUT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THE PARENT CONFERENCE IN THE FIRST QUARTER. AND THEN IN QUARTER TWO, THREE AND FOUR FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. THEY STILL WILL GET A REPORT CARD. ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE AND HIGH WILL STILL GET. YES, BECAUSE IT'S