HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-06-01-BRIDGE-min BRIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
SCHOOL-BASED SITE COUNCIL
55 Middleby Road, Lexington, MA 02421
781-861-2510
JUNE 1, 2018 MEETING MINUTES
APPROVED SEPTEMBER 21, 2018
PRESENT: Lynnette Allen, Lucia Brower, Meg Colella,Allison Gullingsrud, Kimberly Hensle
Lowrance, Melanie Tanionos, and Shawn Wood.
ABSENT: Amelia Brower, Megan Brown, Erin Cerat,Jon Cunha, Kristen Gray,Amy Kvaal,
Ruth Litchfield, Huan Liu, Zeba McGibbon, Beth Murnaghan, Sejal Petal, Deirdre Schadler,
and Debbie Side.
The meeting opened at 8 AM in the Bridge Elementary School Library. The first order of
business was the approval of the March and April 2018 meeting minutes. They were
unanimously approved.
The next order of business was to discuss the discipline process at LPS, in light of the
recent discussion (at School Committee, online, and in the media) about MA Department of
Education statistics that indicate children of color and children with disabilities are
suspended at a higher rate than white children (without disabilities) in Lexington.
Meg provided some background on this issue. The data has been consistent for the last six
years and are focused on the middle and high school level. The Town's Civil Rights
Committee had been looking at the discipline process at LPS, as has the LPS administration.
There was back and forth between the Committee and LPS about creating a survey to
gather feedback on this issue from parents and guardians. In the end, LPS did not sign off
on the Committee's survey but did agree to distribute it for them. Unfortunately,when it
was sent out,the recipients' email addresses were viewable (instead of being sent via bcc).
This was a violation of their privacy, and it also drew attention to the fact that the survey
was going out only to parents and guardians of children of color and children with
disabilities rather than all parents and guardians of LPS students. The survey was
withdrawn,but not before upsetting many people. The School Committee is looking into
the matter, and it is a top priority of the incoming superintendent.A retreat with senior
administrative staff, including the new superintendent and school principals, is scheduled
for the summer. Discipline—both the policy and how it is implemented—is on the agenda.
According to Meg,there are no district-wide criteria for a suspension (both in-school and
out-of-school suspensions); suspending a child is at the discretion of the principal. One SBC
member pointed out that this is in contrast to the process for getting an IEP for a student;
for that, clear guidance has been established so parents, students, and LPS staff understand
the process of obtaining necessary supports.
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At the middle or high school level, a physical altercation is typically the reason a student
might be suspended. Last year, LHS had 60 suspensions for 2,000 students. Meg explained
that she and her team do not like to suspend kids; the data shows it doesn't help address
behavioral problems. Therefore,they try a variety of Positive Behavior Intervention and
Supports (PBIS) to work with children who break school rules. Suspensions are rarely
handed out at Bridge,though sometimes there are no other options. This school year one
child was suspended (the details for this suspension were not shared, out of privacy for the
student).
Additionally, Meg explained that at Bridge,we don't have a discipline problem,though we
do have kids in the behavior program that may act out. Bridge staff members, including our
social workers, have strategies to deploy according to the child's needs.We have three
social workers at Bridge, one more than the other elementary schools,because we are host
to the behavior program. This expanded team is a huge help for all students and staff.
Also part of this work is educating the community about how the school works and what
discipline strategies are utilized. For example, Meg explained that some people think sitting
on the bench outside of the front office is a form of discipline,but there are many reasons
why a child may be on that bench. They could be waiting for the nurse or a parent to pick
them up early.At Bridge, sitting there doesn't mean you are in trouble,while at another
school, it might mean that it does. Bridge staff makes a point of communicating with
parents and guardians as much as possible when a child is in violation of school rules, so
they are aware of the steps in the discipline process and the options available. Meg said she
would like, in the new school year,to make discussions around the discipline process part
of the larger conversation at Bridge.
Meg emphasized that the biggest priority is to get kids to be able to successfully function in
society. This is more important than the academics. Shawn supported this point by talking
about a lecture she recently attended that addressed how kids are different today than they
were a generation ago. Changing communities, decreasing time for play, increasing access
to media, and more contribute to a rise in the number of kids who come to school with big
challenges, like anxiety and stress. Teachers have to address these needs while also
teaching academics. Shawn noted that it's important for everyone to think about how we
view these problems: for example, it's not that"these kids are giving us a hard time,"
instead it's "these kids are having a hard time" and what can we do about it.
A SBC member noted that unconscious bias could be a factor in disciplining students. Meg
agreed and said that about two years ago an expert on unconscious bias was brought to
Bridge to work with the staff on this topic and provide them with training to understand
their own biases and respond appropriately. She added that more training is needed.
On a related note, last week, Meg sent home a letter to parents and guardians explaining an
incident at Bridge where a student was found drawing swastikas. The student's teacher
alerted Meg and her team, and the matter was brought to the attention of Central
Administration and the School Committee. This matter is being taken very seriously, and
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the topic of hate speech will be addressed with staff and with students in an age-
appropriate way.
A final point was that Bridge staff members go through cultural competency training before
parent teacher conferences in order to help them enhance their skills when interacting
with parents and guardians from different backgrounds.
The last agenda topic was to generate a list of agenda items for next year. SBC topics for the
2018-2019 school year include: cultural competency (and how to get the larger community
engaged on this topic), hate speech training at Bridge, discipline, recess, Q&A with the new
superintendent (ideally, in late September), and an update on parking lot/drop-off process
and procedures.
The meeting—the last of the 2017-2018 school year—concluded at 8:30 AM.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Contact Meg Colella, Principal and Co-Chair
(mcolellaPlexingtonma.org), or Kimberly Hensle Lowrance, Parent Representative and Co-
Chair (khensle@gmail.com); or visit https://Ips.lexingtonma.org/domain/481
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