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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-08-17-SC-minLEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING Tuesday, August 17, 2021 Conducted by Remote Participation Meeting Minutes CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOME: 6:00 P.M. SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT Kathleen Lenihan, Chairperson Eileen Jay, Vice -Chair Scott Bokun Deepika Sawhney Sara Cuthbertson, Clerk STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE Sara Mei SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PRESENT Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent The minutes were taken by Julie Kaye, School Committee Meeting Recording Secretary. This meeting is being recorded by LexMedia for future on -demand viewing. In addition, members of the public can watch the meeting from a computer or tablet with the webinar link provided in the agenda. SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS AND LIAISON REPORTS: • Ms. Cuthbertson attended an event on antiracism, equity and justice bills in K-12 education a few weeks ago that was hosted by State Senator Jamie Eldridge. Two bills were discussed to create a commission to develop a DEI curriculum. • Mr. Bokun announced that he will not be rerunning for his position as a School Committee member. His term is up in March and that is when his last meeting will be. He was at a Dyslexia Task Force Meeting this week and they are planning lots of special events for October. • Ms. Jay added to Ms. Cuthbertson's announcement about the bills. She explained that the bills focus on ethnic studies and there is a House verison and a Senate version. • Sara Mei stated that a group of LHS senators is working on a mural, which is set to be completed before the start of school in two weeks. She shared a photo of the most updated version. • Ms. Lenihan welcomed everyone to the 2021-2022 school year. CONGRATULATIONS AND CELEBRATIONS LSC 8/17/21 - Approved on 8/31/21 JK Dr. Hackett announced some of the new LPS Administrator positions: at Bowman Elementary School, the new Assistant Principal is Edwin Francois; at Harrington Elementary School, the new Assistant Principal is Rory O'Connor; at Fiske Elementary School, the Interim Assistant Principal will be Lisa Williams; at Hastings Elementary School, there are two new Co -Principals, Katie O'Hare Gibson and Chris Wai; and at Lexington High School, Crystal Hunter is the new fifth Dean of Students. SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion o Dr. Hackett stated that the LPS Administrators' Retreat had two parts. The first part focused on reflection. The second part focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. o The School Improvement Planning Process was revamped, a new timeline was put together. o Two goals were discussed: (a) the professional learning goal focuses on DEI leadership being actively anti racist, and (b) the student learning goal focuses on a tiered system of support that will help students prior to a SPED referral. The aim of the second goal is to help with learning loss and the overidentification of Black and Brown students in special education. o Central Office is having a DEI Summer Workshop Series, every staff member is required to take two courses. • LPS COVID-19 Update o A back to school letter was sent out on August 2, 2021 that outlined back -to -school protocols and FAQs. o The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education strongly suggests masking for younger children and those not vaccinated. o We will continue to work with the Board of Health and nurses. o Children and staff, vaccinated or not, will be required to wear a mask in the fall. o Recommended Motion: I move to approve the health and safety protocols for the upcoming school year, as outlined in the back -to -school letter issued by the Superintendent of Schools on August 2, 2021. • Enrollment Update o Big news is that the October 1 enrollment is well below projections anticipated from pre-COVID modeling. The differences between actual August 1, 2021 and projected October 1, 2021 enrollment by grade level are as follows: ■ Grades 9-12: -115 students ■ Grades 6-8: -162 students. ■ Grades K-5: -376 students. o In prior years, these differences were considerably smaller (August enrollment was much closer to anticipated October numbers). • Administration Appointments o Updates were given under Congratulations and Celebrations. • Master Planning Updates LSC 8/17/21 - Approved on 8/31/21 JK o Put in place a system for updates, there will be a biannual (twice a year) written report. • School Traffic Issues o Last year there were concerns about traffic congestion, lots of work has been done on this. Dave Coelho and Elaine Celi have done a great job developing guidance for Principals. o Issues with parents arriving early, this year parents will be asked to move. o Van riders will be dropped off/picked up in a different location for safety purposes. o Riding the bus is encouraged, discounted rates are being offered. • Athletics Update o There is a change to Thanksgiving Day games, Lexington will play Concord. o "The Battle of Battle Road" is an opportunity to take the competition beyond football. It would be a year-long competition, the winner being awarded to the school that wins the most "battles" among all of our sports and teams over three seasons of competition. The full Superintendent's Report can be found here. School Committee Questions/Comments: • Ms. Cuthbertson stated that it would be helpful if people knew how often we were going to review mask requirements, vaccinations and case counts. • Ms. Jay asked how quarantining will work this year since there is no remote option. • Ms. Sawhney asked what social distancing going to look like. • Sara Mei asked if the desks are going to still be in rows and 3 feet apart, and if drinking water protocols will be the same. • Ms. Lenihan stated the Board of Heath had a meeting with the Select Board last week and they have voted to institute a mask mandate in Lexington buildings. She also mentioned that the Commissioner of Education asked the State Board of Education for the power to determine if a school district can offer a remote option; they gave him that power so it is out of our hands. She asked "What happens when a child shows up at the nurses office not feeling well?"Will there be testing like BinaxNOW? Ms. Lenihan also asked if it would be possible to have a vaccination clinic at the Middle Schools in addition to the vaccination clinic at the High School. Dr. Hackett responded that all of these issues are being worked on behind the scenes and that there will be communication coming out very soon. She has a meeting on Friday with Karen Rufo, Director of Health Services. Today the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education met to go over these issues. We cannot guarantee 6 feet of spacing at lunch but we will do our best. Lunch will be free, students just have to put a PIN number in. There has been a change to performing arts; distances were reduced. We agreed with the Board of Health to watch carefully to see if we have signs of spread. With known exposures, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is advising that we "test and stay" instead of quarantining. Exploring the use of BinaxNOW or other free tests. There will be a COVID update in every Superintendent report. LSC 8/17/21 - Approved on 8/31/21 JK Employee and student vaccination data is current. Once we reach a 90% vaccination rate, mask requirements will be reconsidered. Dr. Hackett explained that there are no remote options and that if a student is not in school, it is considered an absence. Vaccination status and quarantining details are being worked out. Next week she will have an update from the DESE meeting that was held today. This year the students will go through the lunch line and then be asked to eat outside; some time may need to be borrowed from content learning to keep our students safe. The desks will still be in rows to help out with contact tracing. Students will still be asked to drink water outside of the classrooms; water filling stations are now open in schools. The nurses are well equipped to deal with students' symptoms. Dr. Hackett is proud of our nurses. At our vaccination clinics, we have been able to vaccinate members of the Lexington community, not just students and staff. She will explore the option of having a vaccination clinic at the Middle School. • Ms. Sawhney asked about the fencing at some schools that were from the solar panel construction, will this work be done before school starts? Dr. Hackett will get an update. • Ms. Jay asked if the new Dean, Crystal Hunter, at Lexington High School will be a fifth Dean so that Dean duties for the entire population are distributed across five deans, or if she will be continuing Kate Herman's role. Dr. Hackett stated that Crystal Hunter will be the fifth Dean. Roles between the Deans will be divided up, an update will be given once decisions are made. Ms. Jay asked what the thinking was for the 5th Dean position. Dr. Hackett replied that this has been a request from the High School due to the increased population. This full time position will be included in future budgets; it was established with Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. • Mr. Bokun commented on the low enrollment numbers, he would like to remind everyone that the High School is still overcrowded and a new building is still needed. • Ms. Sawhney asked, "Since Kindergarten enrollment is down, does that free up spots for more METCO students?" Dr. Hackett replied that yes, we could take additional METCO students but Kindergarten METCO applications are down as well. Dr. Hackett is in communication with Milly [Arbaje-Thomas], the head of METCO. Ms. Sawhney also asked about incoming students who have not had formal education from some other institution, would they be placed in first grade because of age or in Kindergarten? Dr. Hackett believes that we would place them in first grade but she will double check this and get back. Ms. Cuthbertson moved to approve the health and safety protocols for the upcoming school year, as outlined in the back -to -school letter issued by the Superintendent of Schools on August 2, 2021; Ms. Sawhney seconded. Ms. Lenihan took a roll call vote (Approved 5-0). COMMUNITY SPEAK Nicola Rinaldi: Thanked the Superintendent and the School Committee for requiring everyone to wear a mask. She asked what Lexington Public School's plan is if there is a known exposure. LSC 8/17/21 - Approved on 8/31/21 JK Karin Ornstein, 12 Tucker Ave: She is a parent to an incoming 5th grader at Bowman and an incoming 7th grader at Clark. She is thankful and appreciative for the mask requirement. Karin would like to hear more plans for having a form of testing in the schools. She is wondering about extra support for students who were remote last year. She understands that if a child has to quarantine that the student will be marked absent. She is asking for considerations for other remote options. Trent Bordok, 97 Pleasant St: He has a child entering Clarke and a son at Harrington. He would like to "voice the opposition" He is against his son and daughter getting the vaccination right away. He mentioned that there are drawbacks for wearing masks; his children have asthma. Teresa Wright, 35 Reed St: She was hoping that her fully vaccinated child would be able to take their mask off this year. She would like to see testing such as BinaxNOW in schools. Dr. Hackett replied that she does agree that we should give students an opportunity to learn remotely if they have to quarantine. This is challenging because it leads to confusion, she will put some more thought into this. NEW BUSINESS Discuss Vaccinations for Extracurricular Activities In May 2021, Ms. Lenihan asked our Attorney if we have the ability to require a COVID vaccination for eligible students participating in sports and extracurricular activities. She answered yes, we can because these are optional activities. Dr. Heiger-Bernays, chairperson for the Board of Health, gave her personal support for this. She read an excerpt from the CDC website about the transmission of COVID in sports. Dr. Hackett stated that we are working with the Middlesex League Superintendents on athletic issues. Ms. Cuthbertson asked, "How do we keep the balance of allowing students to participate in extracurricular activities and keeping the students who are not safe?" Ms. Sawney asked what are we allowed to do legally in terms of asking for students' proof of vaccination. Ms. Lenihan replied that all of our school nurses have access to the Massachusetts Immunization Information System (MIIS). Ms. Jay asked, if we were to require vaccinations in order to participate in activities, does that mean the students who do not get vaccinated are excluded? Is there an alternative such as routine testing? Ms. Lenihan acknowledged that there are many questions and unknowns. She suggested that this be picked up by the Policy Subcommittee. LSC 8/17/21 - Approved on 8/31/21 JK Ms. Jay asked, if we entertain this as a policy, how would the other districts in the Middlesex League handle this? Dr. Hackett stated that anything we do impacts the whole league. Vote Increase in the LABBB Capital Plan by $900,000. Dr. Hackett read: "The LABBB board is requesting an increase in its capital fund for LABBB Collaborative as approved by the LABBB Board of Directors on June 17, 2021. We are requesting our capital plan to be increased to fund future transportation capital expenditures, improvements to our internal IT systems and infrastructure, classroom updates and other unexpected building costs where LABBB utilizes space in the host district." Ms. Sawhney asked how the money was gathered. Dr. Hackett replied that it is proportional, we have high numbers of enrollment so we may pay more than other systems. Ms. Jay asked: Do we know how much extra Lexington would have to contribute? Where is the source of funds? How does Lexington's contribution to LABBB get funneled? Dr. Hackett stated that we pay per student. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education comes in and does audits. There are 122 LABBB students. The program is housed in an LHS building, so we would get a check to host those students. What LABBB does is wait until the end and the funds are put into a capital account. This is money that the LABB program already has, a surplus after operating. They are recommending taking a portion of the money and applying it to the capital fund. David Kanter, vice chair of the Capital Expenditures Committee spoke. He stated that we have very strict definitions of what constitutes capital versus operating. Ms. Jay moved to approve an increase in the LABBB Capital Plan by $900,000 for a total of $4,000,000.00; Mr. Bokun seconded. Ms. Lenihan took a roll call (approved 5-0). UNFINISHED BUSINESS School Committee Member Roles & Liaisons Assignments Ms. Lenihan explained that during the School Committee retreat, they went over all of the member roles, and liaison assignments for School Committee members. Some roles were reassigned or changed.. The updated list is at LexingtonSchool Committee2021-2022 Member Roles &Liaison Assignments. Vote the Representative to the EDCO Board of Directors. Dr. Hackett stated that we are still going back and forth with the EDCO Collaborative. The vote will wait until we have a conversion with legal counsel. POLICY SUBCOMMITTEE LSC 8/17/21 - Approved on 8/31/21 JK • First reading of Policy IJNDB: Staff Standards for the Acceptable Use of Technology in Lexington Public Schools • First reading of Policy IJNDBA Student Standards for the Acceptable use of Technology in Lexington Public Schools • First reading of Policy IJNDC: School and District Web Pages Ms. Jay stated that revisions of these technology policies started last fall. Mr. Martellone and Dr. Chris Lyons worked with the Policy Subcommittee to revamp the previous technology policies. Ms. Cuthbertson stated that the IJNDBA policy is new and will need three readings, and the IJNDC policy had minimal updates. The School Committee discussed language and format for these documents. COMMUNITY SPEAK Sara Mei asked if we are going to go back to in person meetings. Ms. Lenihan stated that we will do a trial run and that our next meeting will be in-person. Shannon Murtagh, 20 Percy Road: Would like clarification on this year's travel policies. Alyssa Yenikomshian, 46 Meriam St: She would also like clarification on the travel policies, for example she takes her children to visit their grandparents in New Hampshire. Dr. Hackett replied that the CDC guidance is that if your children are not vaccinated, do not travel. LPS is asking families to follow this guidance but to speak with the school nurses with questions and to get permission for certain circumstances. lore] ►M4 0 11&14:1 107-11 Mr. Bokun read the following consent agenda items: Payroll and Accounts Payable Warrant Approval a. June 18, 2021 - Payroll in the amount of $4,838,271.22 b. July 2, 2021 - Payroll in the amount of $9,365,025.73 c. July 15, 2021 - Accounts Payable in the amount of $964,036.88 d. July 15, 2021 - BMO Warrant in the amount of $15,634.06 e. July 16, 2021 - Payroll in the amount of $862,639.50 f. July 30, 2021 - Accounts Payable in the amount of $924,300.39 g. July 30, 2021 - Payroll in the amount of $1,054,346.21 h. August 13, 2021 - Accounts Payable in the amount of $577,971.87 i. August 13, 2021 - BMO Warrant in the amount of $16,277.40 j. August 13, 2021 - Payroll in the amount of $1,046,811.62 Ms. Cuthbertson read the following consent agenda items: LSC 8/17/21 - Approved on 8/31/21 JK Approval of School Committee Minutes a. June 14, 2021 b. July 9, 2021 c. July 27, 2021 Ms. Jay read the following consent agenda items: Grants a. 2020-2021 LHS PTO Grants Ms. Sawhney read the following consent agenda items: Donations Hastings donation in the amount of $977.88 from the Stop and Shop A+ Program LHS donation in the amount of $1,002.25 from the Stop and Shop A+ Program Ms. Jay moved that the School Committee vote to accept the whole consent agenda; Ms. Sawhneyseconded. Ms. Lenihan took a roll call vote (Approved 5-0). Ms. Cuthbertson made a motion to adjourn at 9:15 P.M.; Mr. Bokun seconded. Ms. Lenihan took a roll call vote (Approved 5-0). LSC 8/17/21 - Approved on 8/31/21 JK