HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-03-12-SC-min LEXINGTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Meeting Minutes
AGENDA:
CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOME: 6:04 PM
SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT
Sara Cuthbertson, Chairperson
Deepika Sawhney, Vice-chair
Kathleen Lenihan, Clerk
Eileen Jay
Larry Freeman
Student Representatives Julia Tanin and Hailey Kim.
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS PRESENT
Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent
The minutes were taken by Julie Kaye, School Committee Meeting Recording Secretary.
The School Committee convened at the School Committee Meeting Room at Central Office and
remotely. Members of the public can view and participate in person or in the meeting webinar
from their computer or tablet by clicking on the link provided with the meeting agenda. Please
note that this meeting is being recorded and that attendees are participating by video
conference. This evening's meeting is being broadcast live and also taped by LexMedia for
future on-demand viewing. All supporting materials that have been provided to members of
this body are available on the Town's website unless otherwise noted.
CONSENT AGENDA
Ms. Sawhney read the following consent agenda items:
• Payroll and Accounts Payable Warrant Approval
a. March 8, 2024- Payroll in the amount of$4,674,427.40
b. March 15, 2024 -AP Warrant in the amount of$673,151.72
c. March 15, 2024 - BMO Warrant in the amount of$100,320.59
Ms.Jay read the following consent agenda items as amended:
• Minutes
a. January 23, 2024
Mr. Freeman motioned to approve the entire consent agenda, Ms. Lenihan seconded.
Passed, 5-0.
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SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS AND LIAISON REPORTS
Mr. Freeman gave a shout-out to the Unified basketball teams at Diamond and Clarke.
Ms. Jay attended the SHAC meeting last week, and students gave a presentation about
neurodiversity. They provided insight into their experiences as students with these neurodiverse
conditions and suggested how teachers and educators can help. The presentation will be given
again at Parent Academy on Saturday, March 23rd.
Ms. Lenihan thanked the community for voting her in for her third and final term on the School
Committee. She and Ms. Sawhney attended the SEPAC quarterly meeting. The new elementary
math program, graduation requirements, and out-of-district placements were discussed.
Ms. Sawhney attended a panel discussion on the film "Repairing the World: Stories from the
Tree of Life." Staff and students were on the panel and reflected on their experiences. Ms.
Sawnhey went to Washington, D.C., with a big group to tour high schools. She also announced
that the essay competition, "My Truth Is" will happen again this year.
The Student Representatives announced that last week, they hosted a club marketplace. Soaps
were sold, and other clubs participated to promote themselves and raise money.
Ms. Cuthbertson echoed Ms. Sawhney's report, she spoke about the trip to Virginia.
COMMUNITY SPEAK
Rachel Athens-53 Rhinecliff St, Arlington, MA (virtually): "My question is very specifically
around some of the proposed calendars. I'll make it brief. I just wanted to say that I also really
appreciate all the hard work. I can tell that the working team worked very hard on all of the
proposed calendars. And I appreciate all of that time that they spent. My question is very
specifically around the Friday before Labor Day weekend. And I'm looking for more clarification
in the future. So why was the Friday before Labor Day not in any of the proposed calendars,
especially option C1 and 133, which seem to be the front runners?There were reasons given in
the notes, and what I could find were two reasons that I'd like clarification on moving forward.
Reason number one was that many surrounding districts held school on this day. A little bit of
light research just on the Working Group's notes indicated that, in fact, this was only about 25%
of the districts that they looked at. Eight of the districts do not start until after Labor Day, six of
the ones that start before Labor Day had that Friday off, and that was left with a five on the
Working Groups list that worked Friday. However, none of those districts, so 0% of them, had
four student-facing days that last week in August. All of those other districts had two teacher
preparation days, and three student-facing days, which currently, in the Lexington model, we
have three student-facing days that day, with one teacher prep day, and then one day off on
that Friday. So, I'd like a little bit of clarification around that data. My other question was, there
was some note on the 26th of February that noted that there were challenges for Special Ed,
which was a reason why the Friday of Labor Day would be better to attend school. And I would
just seeking some more information. That was the only note about this. Obviously, Special
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Education was a very large and varied population. So I was curious about the data that
supported this, what types of challenges, what population of Special Ed, and where was the
data that supported that. And so then I just referenced some things I did send some information
to the School Committee"
Olga Guttag - 273 Emerson Rd (virtually): "I served on the School Committee from
'04 to '07 and I ran for the School Committee to help adjust the size of the LPS administration.
Until Superintendent Ash was appointed, the LPS administration was greatly understaffed, and
thanks to a lack of personnel, some very expensive budgetary mistakes were made. Since then,
LPS had several superintendents, and each brought with them their own people into the
administration. Unfortunately, they did not replace previous administrators but just added new
administrative positions. So, the size of our administration grew with each change in leadership.
Most of the time, a budget deficit led to classroom supplies and or teaching positions being cut.
This directly affected our students by increasing class sizes. I would like to ask the School
Committee to make the staffing of LPS public and transparent. Please have the administration
prepare and post an organizational chart where each position shows the following: name and
title of the position holder, short description of duties, percent of time in direct contact with
students to whom the position reports, and annual salary. I hope that this org chart already
exists. But if not, it's time to have one produced and published. Why am I asking? We know that
we have a literacy problem, and some number of students in grades 4 through 12 are
unsuccessful because they cannot read. We must help these students to read at grade level.
This will be labor intensive and thus expensive. So where can we find the money? I believe that
once we see the requested org chart, we will be able to identify multiple positions which were
needed 10 to 20 years ago but are no longer serving any purpose. I expect also to see that we
have a large number of educators who do not provide direct services to students. As much as it
is great to have educators do research and develop new programs, in the current budget, that
may be a luxury we cannot afford. I urge you to change some of the current non-student contact
positions into literacy teachers and assistants. So our grade 4 through 12 underperforming
students can finally be taught to read. I'm happy to sit down with anyone and show them some
of the positions that have been unnecessarily held over. I look forward to seeing the requested
org chart posted on the LPS website where parents can easily find it, please. Thank you for
listening."
Kris Elverum - 3 Penny Ln (in person): "My work is to be the CEO of a biotech company, but my
most important job is to be the dad of four kids, ages 12, 10, and twins that are 8. My oldest
daughter has dyslexia and goes to the Carroll School. And studies estimate that about 20% of
people have dyslexia, and she does. But I'm not here to talk about her. My youngest daughter is
in second grade. She taught herself to read inpreschool, and studies estimate that about a third
of kids can figure out how to read by being exposed to books and workshops. But I'm not here
to talk about her either. Because these studies leave the middle of about 50% of kids that don't
have dyslexia, can't figure out reading on their own, and need to be taught. I'm here to talk with
you about my other two children, my fifth-grader and my second-grade boy. Now, we've been
really blessed to have wonderful teachers at Hastings. They've been super thoughtful, smart,
and diligent. But if I hire the best scientists for my company, and don't give them the equipment
or reagents to do their job, whose fault is it when the results suffer? Since she was seven, my
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fifth grader has said she wants to be a better speller. Her decoding skills were below average;
the Lexington curriculum never taught her the prefix and suffix rules, syllables, and other word
parts to give her that skill. So, we hired a tutor. It turns out to learn something, you can't if you
aren't taught the rules. My second-grade boy got a little bit of phonics last year, but most of the
instruction were queuing methods or workshops that don't work. And he was just below
benchmark. So we've hired an outside tutor to teach him how to read. In my job, I need to stay
on top of the latest data and quickly adapt when new compelling data presents itself. As a
superintendent, Dr. Hackett, you're failing at this. And you Committee members, as her board,
her bosses are also not meeting expectations. The NIH conducted a meta-analysis on what
works to teach kids to read. The results were clear: phonics and systematic instruction works,
Units of Study and benchmark assessment do not. Don't be distracted by Dr. Hackett's 130
pages of PowerPoints, posts online of research reports written by the Columbia Teachers
College reading writing workshop or letter signed by Lucy Calkins. It's like a coal company
promoting its own climate research. Dr. Hackett and Ms. Calleja are taking three to four years to
review our curriculum and maybe implement changes. Lexington deserves better. We have
resources, we are a community of physicians, doctors, and professors. This is Lexington; 85% of
our kid's meeting benchmarks misses the point. People don't pay to move to Lexington to meet
benchmark. My fifth-grade daughter and second-grade son, meeting benchmark, pay 1,000's
dollars to make sure that they do. I'm here to ask you to do your job and to compel Dr. Hackett
to her's, or replace her if she doesn't. Lexington is tremendous, and teachers deserve the best
curriculum to do their job. Lexington kids deserve to learn how to read now."
Natallia Hunik- 11 Volunteer Way (virtually): "I share the sentiment that was just shared by the
previous speaker. I was actually going to talk about the academic loss that we all experienced
during the pandemic, and the previous speaker outlined it really well. I have two kids in
elementary school at Estabrook, and I have to pay tutors to teach them math and grammar
following the European curriculum. The class size at Estabrook is 26 people. I'm just appalled
that the School Committee and the Superintendent are talking about revising the school
calendar when the priorities should be the academic loss experienced by our kids during the
pandemic and the Superintendent and the School Committee failing our kids constantly. The
academic loss that we've suffered as a community during the pandemic has never been
addressed. Moreover, the issues have been swept under the rug. We've spent so much time as a
community sending in the completion of different surveys about the second language
curriculum that was going to be introduced into the elementary school. And we were never
informed why this never happened. And there have been no follow-up emails, no beautiful
PowerPoint presentations to inform us as a community why this curriculum didn't go through.
Moreover, when I email the School Committee and the parents who just spoke, talking about
how the Superintendent is failing our schools, we're being shut down,just like the previous
parent that you just shut down in the room. This is completely unacceptable. And as a
community, we should do better. And the School Committee members who keep getting
reelected should be dropping their positions because you guys are failing this district. I pay
1000s upon 1000s of dollars to properly educate my kids. And why do I pay$50,000 in taxes
annually? Where do they go?That's it. Thank you."
SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT
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Dr. Hackett reviewed her Supedntendenfs Report with the School Committee. The highlights
from her report include:
a. Superintendent Shoutouts!
o Big Wins for Clarke and Diamond Middle Schools at the 2024 Northeast Regional
Middle School Science Bowl Regional Competition
o Massachusetts Scholastic Art Awards
b. We All Belong
o DESE Grant to Support English Language Learners
o Upcoming Holidays & Observances
c. LHS Feasibility Study Updates
o LHS Building Project Website
o Seeking Additional Community Input on a Pool, New Field House, and
State-of-the-Art Performing Arts Center
o High School Tours
d. Superintendent's Mid-Cycle Review
e. School Calendar Working Group
f. Multi-Tiered System of Supports Platform/Data Warehouse
g. METCO Reorganization Plans in 2024-2025
h. LPS Concussion Management Protocols
School Committee Questions/Comments:
Ms. Lenihan spoke about the Concussion protocol and how it leaves out sub-concussive hits and
repetitive-subconcussive hits. She would like to hear from Ms. Martin and Mr. Sheehan about
how we can make football safer.
Mr. Freeman asked how the three schools were chosen for the METCO consolidation. Dr.
Hackett replied, "We looked at enrollment trends, staff diversity, and current resident and
student diversity." Mr. Freeman finds this plan very concerning. The School Committee will ask
Barbara Hamilton, METCO director if she would come to a meeting to discuss this further.
Ms. Jay agreed it would be good to hear from Ms. Hamilton about the METCO consolidation.
She spoke about how this is a pilot and how METCO students will be moved; she is looking
ahead if the pilot doesn't work out and what the impact on those students would be. Ms. Jay
also asked about the Family Friends program.
Ms. Sawhney added a shout-out to both robotics teams. She also asked about the ELL parent
event that was canceled last month due to a power loss and asked to be alerted to the
postponed date. Ms. Sawhney loves that we have a concussion protocol, and she pointed out
that the METCO reorganization will decrease the time students will be on the bus.
SCHOOL CALENDAR WORKING GROUP PRESENTATION
Ms. Lenihan, Johnny Cole, and Christy Prasad from the Calendar Working Group presented the
slideshow.
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a. Recommendation #1
b. Recommendation #2
There will be two public hearings: March 18th and March 20th. After the hearings, the School
Committee will vote on this.
Nikhil Shah, a student, commented that he has been pushing for this change for two years.
NEW BUSINESS
Vote one SC Member to The Norninatinor Committee for the Executive Board of the Cary
Memorial U rareoar of Trustees.
Ms. Cuthbertson moved that Ms. Lenihan serve as the School Committee
Member on the Nominating Committee for the Executive Board of the Cary
Memorial Library Board of Trustees;Mr. Freeman seconded. Passed 5-0.
Article 4 Digital o "ces Presentation
Diane Pursley explained the Article.
School Committee Questions/Comments:
Ms. Jay and Ms. Pursley discussed the Lexington Minuteman paper and public notices. Ms. Jay
also suggested a slight change to the School Committee section.
Ms. Sawhney asked about the Lexington Times being an option. Ms. Pursley replied that the
Lexington Times only publishes once a month.
Town Meeting Articles Discussion
The School Committee discussed and voted on taking a position on the following Town Meeting
Articles:
Ms. Cuthbertson moved that the School Committee support Article 4:Appropriate FY25
Operating Budget, passed 5-0.
Ms. Cuthbertson moved that the School Committee support Article 9:Dept. Revolving
Funds (School Bus Only),passed 5-0.
Ms. Cuthbertson moved that the School Committee support Article 10 C: CPA Projects
(C-Bowman fields), passed 5-0.
Ms. Cuthbertson moved that the School Committee support Article 10 D: CPA Projects
(D-Lincoln fitness), passed 5-0.
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Ms. Cuthbertson moved that the School Committee support Article 10 F. CPA Projects
(F-Lincoln fields), passed 5-0.
Ms. Cuthbertson moved that the School Committee support Article 12 K, L, M, N:
Municipal Capital Projects(Network items),passed 5-0.
Ms. Cuthbertson moved that the School Committee support Article 15:School Capital
Projects/Equipment, passed 5-0.
Ms. Cuthbertson moved that the School Committee support Article 16 C, D:Public
Facilities School Paving and Sidewalks;Public Facilities
Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing Replacements,passed 5-0.
Ms. Cuthbertson moved that the School Committee support Article 19 D:Stabilization
Funds (D-Special Education),passed 5-0.
Ms. Cuthbertson moved that the School Committee support Article 26:LHS Project
Design Funds, passed 4-0-1 (Ms.Jay abstained).
Ms. Cuthbertson moved that the School Committee support Article 27.173 Bedford St
Renovation, passed 5-0.
Ms. Cuthbertson moved that the School Committee support Article 42:Digital
Publication of Legal Notices, passed 5-0.
Ms. Cuthbertson moved that the School Committee support Article 45:Indigenous
Peoples Day,passed 5-0.
Article 31: Prohibit Single-Serve Plastic Water Bottles (Citizen Petition) - Ms. Cuthbertson will get
more information on this article, no vote was taken.
Article 40: Integrated Pest Management Resolution (Citizen Petition) - Ms. Cuthbertson will get
more information on this article, no vote was taken.
Ms. Cuthbertson moved that the School Committee support Article 10 A: Cary
Memorial Library Renovation,passed 5-0.
Farmers' Marketir�er� euest d Dose Bear Fare ink
The School Committee discussed whether to allow vendors at the Lexington Farmer's Market to
sell cider and mead at its location on the LHS Practice Field.
School Committee Questions/Comments:
Mr. Freeman brought up the YRBS data and how the student alcohol use and abuse number was
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unfortunate. Leslie Wilcott-Henrie from Lexington Farmers Market explained that vendors have
to go through a rigorous process in order to sell, "I just want to make clear that nobody is
consuming or has any access to it. It's also one of the regulations we have at the Farmers'
Market, that there's no consumption of alcohol by anybody on the Farmers' Market site"
Ms.Jay moved to allow alcoholic beverages(cider and mead) to be sold at the
Lexington Farmers'Market for the 2024 season from May 28, 2024, through November
26, 2024, at the Lexington Farmers'Market grounds, Ms. Lenihan seconded. Passed
4-1, Mr. Freeman opposed.
FY 24 Second uarter a ort
Dave Coelho, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations, presented the report.
School Committee Questions/Comments:
Ms. Sawhney is concerned with how much "red" she saw in the report. She requested to meet
with Mr. Coelho.
Ms. Cuthbertson spoke about the legal lines and how much they were utilized this year.
Mr. Freeman asked about behavior subs and where we would get the $7,000 to cover it. Mr.
Coelho replied that it would come from salaries. Mr. Freeman is also concerned about all of the
red and states that it seems like a lot of it is related to special education.
First Reading_2f Policy IJLA-_Library Resources
Ms. Cuthbertson and Ms. Lenihan explained the policy; there will be three readings.
First Readin ®f Policy IJL- Li rary aterials Selection an Ado °on
Ms. Cuthbertson and Ms. Lenihan explained the policy; there will be three readings.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Vote on LHS Building Project Educational eLqgram and Space Su ar
Ms. Jay recused herself from discussion of this agenda item, as an abutter to the high school
property.
Dr. Hackett gave a brief overview of the Ed Plan and Space Summary; she recommended that
the School Committee vote to approve.
Ms. Sawhney was uncomfortable with some of the wording used in the Ed Plan on page 71
about science graduation requirements; she sent the School Committee an email outlining
these concerns. One of the topics of concern is the wording in the science section. Dr. Hackett
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read the following from the Ed plan:
"Currently, the LHS Science educators are working together to develop a
recommendation to determine an appropriate science sequence for our students. The
Science teachers hope to increase opportunities for students to explore beyond the
traditional classes via a recommendation that will articulate the sequence and structure
of a 9-12 science program designed to serve all students. The Science Department hopes
to finalize a recommendation that will be submitted first to the Principal and Director of
Secondary Education for feedback and approval and then to the Superintendent of
Schools. Any Superintendent-approved changes in the science sequence will also be
reviewed by the School Committee Secondary Education Liaisons and then the full
School Committee. As noted in the educational visioning of 2017, there is no graduation
policy in the Lexington Public Schools, and none has existed for the past 30 years. A lack
of policy contributes to what some educators perceive to be an organizational ambiguity
that exists regarding the sequence of the science courses. To address this concern, the
Superintendent and School Committee have developed collaborative goals for
2023-2025. We are in the process of working on goals to adopt a new graduation policy,
and the recommended changes to the science sequence will be incorporated within the
new policy, along with any other approved pedagogical or curricular shifts from the
other departments."
Dr. Hackett asked Ms. Sawhney what she would change, and she said that she would be happy
to make adjustments. Ms. Sawhney replied that she had not rephrased anything in her notes;
she suggested that the author (Dr. Hackett) articulate more explicitly. Ms. Sawhney expressed
her concerns about students having to take a prep course before they can take an AP class,
Honors for All, and Standards-Based Grading. Dr. Hackett added that the science department is
looking to add more student opportunities, not less. Dr. Hackett also stated that there is no
"code speak" in the document and that the School Committee has been intentionally included
in her decision-making process. Ms. Sawhney explained that she is uncomfortable because of
"systemic decisions" that have been made in the past and that "this process does not center
parent feedback early on in the process." Dr. Hackett responded, "So for the issue of parent
feedback, there has to be something to give feedback to. And that has been developed by the
teachers. And it doesn't mention it explicitly in this draft. And I think we can add those
sentences in parents' need to be part of this process" and "We know that we can't do
something as big as graduation requirements without the input of a lot of people." Dr. Hackett
and Ms. Sawhney discussed change and its effects.
Ms. Lenihan added that she thinks the discussion about options and pathways is good. Mr.
Freeman stated, "I still feel like there are some unspoken undertones in this conversation that
find very troubling." Ms. Cuthbertson acknowledged that the School Committee has been aware
of a problem with graduation requirements and science course sequencing.
Dr. Hackett: "A big point here is that this is a document about an educational plan for a new
school. It is not the plan. It's not the graduation requirements. The references should not be an
all-encompassing plan about how something's going to unfold. That, to me, happens through
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the work of our goals"
Mr. Freeman mentioned the sentence, "any Superintendent-approved changes will be reviewed
by the School Committee" He would like the School Committee to review changes before the
Superintendent approves them. Dr. Hackett explained that it won't be a change but an
endorsement; she will edit this.
Dr. Hackett informed Ms. Sawhney that she could edit something around family engagement,
add an acknowledgment about change, and that she's not limiting students from taking
advanced classes.
Ms. Lenihon moved to approve the Educational Program and Space Summary with the
recommended amendments on page 71, and Mr. Freeman seconded. Passed 4-0(Ms.
Jay recused herself from this vote).
COMMUNITY SPEAK
Parnika Mysore (virtually): "I'm a freshman at LHS. And ever since I was a child, I've been
reading and hearing about ancient Indian history. The stories are mostly about the battles
between the gods and the demons, which in my culture symbolizes the good and evil that is
present within all of us. The defeat of the demons isn't about killing an external evil but about
uncovering and eradicating the negativity within all of us. I find this an amazing concept that
nothing better embodies than the festival of Diwali, celebrating the defeat of the Demon King
Ravana. The Festival of Diwali is the one time where I can celebrate this knowledge, learn about
ancient Hindu traditions, and perform the same rituals that my ancestors have been doing for
thousands of years. Since last year, as Diwali was on a weekend, I was able to spend my day
making colorful patterns on the floor called rangoli, distributing sweets, worshiping Lakshmi and
Ganesh are gods of prosperity and good fortune, and lighting lamps. But according to the Hindu
calendar, most times, Diwali does not fall on weekends, and taking this moment to understand
and imbibe my culture is nearly impossible while balancing eight hours of school, which comes
with at least an additional one to two hours of homework. Being a second-generation Indian
already in danger of losing my culture, it is a shame to not be able to devote even one day of
the year to celebrating my vibrant culture when many other groups here in Lexington have been
granted that ability. Though the celebration of Diwali and all that it stands for has been going on
for the last 2,500 years, it has never become outdated and has, in fact, become more pertinent
than ever in a time riddled with wars, social injustice, and disharmony. Diwali empowers us all
to come together to eradicate the negativity and celebrate the peace, harmony, and good
present within all of us. So, I urge the School Committee to make the decision to have Diwali as
a holiday. Thank you all for your time and consideration."
Lana Panisuk- 28 Saddle Club Rd (virtually): "So first, since I've heard the recent discussion at
the School Committee, I would like to express my agreement. I really agree with Ms. Sawhney
about consistently late enrollment of community input was in the School Committee and
general LPS questions, solutions, and initiatives. In our computer-aided age, it seems very easy
to distribute the questionnaire and the feedback forms along to the parents and the community
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to get the community temperature. And for some reason, it's not done. Maybe it's a good
initiative to embrace for the Lexington Public Schools. I wasn't planning to talk about it, but
since I've heard the discussion, I would really support that. Anyway, I was planning to do the
Community Speak at the first one before all my night responsibilities for my family occurred, but
unfortunately, I wasn't able to. So to my second suggestion would be, is it possible to have a
Community Speak at the beginning of the meeting? Because it was really really disruptive for
my three kids, I needed to put to bed and prepare the dinner and have a dinner family so, and I
missed a lot on that. Now, finally, bear with me; finally, I wanted to contribute today about the
calendar discussion. I am a working mother who loves to travel with kids during school vacation.
That's my passion. I like visiting National Parks, I like visiting my extended family, and I hate
when the kids miss school. I really do. So, my suggestion to the calendar, let's expand school
vacations to maximize the quality of family time. For example, next year the winter vacation is
seven calendar days, from Wednesday to Wednesday, that's it. Let's add two days on either side
and then we get 16 calendar days of cheap travel to many, many places. So now let me outline
three points I really would like to deliver here; no matter what calendar is created, we will
survive. There are many challenges in our lives, and the calendar will make it a little bit easier or
a bit a little bit harder. Now second, my perspective is practical because I'm, I am a scientist.
Therefore, this is the project with goals, requirements, and variables. Now, I'll skip that part
because you probably discussed that. So, my main thesis: Let us reshuffle required days off
towards weekend and vacation. One example I have already given was a winter vacation.
Another one. Let's move professional professional learning days to either Monday or Friday."
Megan Klein Hattori -44 Forest St (virtually): "Thank you, Dr. Hackett and School Committee, for
your time. I'm reading a statement from a parent who would like to remain anonymous. The
statement I'm going to read is not sensational and sounds mundane, except that it's the same
story that those of us who are open about our children's reading difficulties hear again and
again on the sidelines at the softball fields, the soccer fields, and while volunteering at PTO
events, the story is my kid doesn't have dyslexia, but they are not okay. Here's the parents
snipped. Dear School Committee, I'm writing to encourage a rapid review of the current
approach to how reading is taught. My son is currently in fourth grade, and he's behind in his
reading. He receives Tier Two support, for which I'm grateful. I wish his challenges could have
been identified earlier and that support could have been in place in second grade. Struggling on
his own caused stress, and frustration eroded his confidence as a learner. I thought my son's
experience was unique and possibly the result of falling behind during the pandemic. However,
I've begun to realize that other children are having similar journeys with their reading
education. I believe that a review to the current approach could, I believe that a review just the
current approach could lead to improvements that would benefit all students. Thank you for
your attention to this important issue. Thank you all."
Monica Davis - 26 Davis Ln. (virtually): "Thank you, School Committee members and Dr. Hackett,
for the opportunity to speak tonight. I wanted to follow up with you on the recent literacy
session that was held at the elementary through the Fiske PTO general meeting on March 5th.
The mCLASS/DIBELs presentation at the PTO meeting was attended in person by about 10 to 15
parents and online by about four. This is a very small number compared to the 335 students at
Fiske. An announcement was included in Mr. Baker's weekly update the Friday before, and an
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email blast was sent by PTO presidents on Monday morning. This gave only 25 hours of direct
advance notice for an in-person meeting during the work day. Parents had to ask to get this
converted to a hybrid format. And even then, the webinar option was only embedded in a PTO
communication entitled Supersized March. No remote questions were allowed. As shared with
Mr. Baker and the PTO presidents at that meeting, a PTO meeting really isn't the right forum for
communication of academic topics. Looking back, other academic-related communications were
treated very differently. For example, grades four and five Human Growth and Development
sessions were communicated by direct emails from the Principal, with three sessions offered in
person and virtually approximately a week or more ahead. The rollout of Illustrative Math was
communicated via direct email to all families from the Principal for an evening virtual
presentation with at least one week's notice under direct Fiske family communication letter
about universal literacy screening was sent by the Principal in September to indicate that
mCLASS/DIBELS was being implemented,although, at that time, there were no accompanying
sessions. As parents, we look for important academic-related communications to come to us
from the principal of our schools. As was done in these other instances, we need sufficient
advance notice and flexibility for parents' attendance. When I attended those other sessions,
there were many more parents present and these were effective means of communication on
important matters. Sharing information on literacy screening results from mCLASS/DIBELS ought
to have been worthy of the same quality, direct communication. I've learned separately that
Sara Calleja has created a nice video to share with parents. But I only received a link to this
video through another parent, not through LPS. Sara was kind enough to answer a question and
to correct my misunderstanding of what happens for students who meet the composite
benchmark, but have subscores below benchmark in one or more subtests. I know from other
parents that I am not the only one who misunderstood. Having individual parents reach out
with the same question is not efficient. I encourage LPS to directly send the video link to
elementary parents by email from the Literacy department or principals and to include a link to
a live FAQ document, which could be used to correct any misunderstandings and to respond to
questions as they arise. Thank you".
Dihua Xu -455 Waltham St (virtually): "Before I speak my main talk, I would like to echo Dr.
Sawhney. Please give the community, especially those whose kids are still in younger grades, a
chance to change their opinion before you approve or endorse a policy that would directly
impact them in the near future. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the School
Calendar Working Group for their diligent efforts, it's evident that a lot of consideration has
gone into the draft. However, I do hope we could bring back option to only close school for legal
holidays. First, as with any decision we made in this forum, it's important to remember that the
discussion surrounding the school calendar should not be approached as a zero-sum game. We
must ensure that no single religion or culture group feels marginalized or excluded. Secondly,
while it's true that we have a sizable Asian population in our town, it is essential to recognize
that our community is diverse in many other ways as well. We have a considerable
first-generation immigrant population, double-income family, and individuals with various
backgrounds. I hope before implementing any new holiday not required by federal state, our
school district could offer childcare options, which could greatly benefit families in our
community. Additionally, let's not overlook the educational opportunity that comes from
embracing diversity in our school calendar. By being in school during diverse holidays, our
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students have the chance to learn and appreciate the traditions of others, fostering a more
inclusive environment. With that said, I propose that we would reconsider the option of
observing only legal holidays. Perhaps this could also save days and allow us to start the school
year after Labor Day. So thank you for your consideration"
UNFINISHED BUSINESS (continued)
Co unity Speak Memo
Ms. Cuthbertson read the Community Speak Memo.
While discussing the speaker from the last meeting, Mr. Freeman asked: "If that were to happen
next School Committee meeting, we would just have to sit here and listen to all of that again?"
Dr. Hackett responded, "The thing that we have to watch out for is what they call the "chilling of
speech" when they talk about First Amendment rights. The point that was emphasized by both
attorneys also, is that we all have a First Amendment right. And people in the audience have a
First Amendment right. And if something is unfavorable or doesn't align with our community
values, we can speak up and say, in our town, this is what we believe. In our town, this is what
we feel is important. So, people should not sit through what we heard the other night and feel
powerless. You can use your voices in very good ways, in positive ways, to send the message,
especially to vulnerable people in our community and students"
Ms. Cuthbertson read the following guidance from Legal Council: "The public body may
encourage the public to be civil and respectful and to avoid personal attacks or offensive
language. But we cannot silence or remove members of the public simply for ignoring the
advice, so long as they were otherwise respecting the rules governing requests to speak and
time limits." She summarized by saying time limits are the only thing we can limit, and what
happened at the last meeting is not considered a crime.
Dr. Hackett shared that our legal team is involved, and they "filed a formal incident complaint
with a transcript of what was shared, and then also reported it to the police department" Our
legal team followed up with the chief of police.
POSSIBLE ACTION ITE - No items were discussed or added.
ADJOURNMENT
Ms. Lenihan made a motion to adjourn at 10:00 PM, Mr. Freeman seconded. Passed
5-0.
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