Board of Education, Regular Meeting transcript: FUTURE HUDSON

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0:28e e e e algi States indivisible jusice thank you I going to stop ping it because blessie whenever you ready marce here Amanda grer here kirst gson here wette Jones here Calvin Lewis Matthew mackerer here Leia Walker here thank you like to make a motion to accept the agenda as presented second all in favor okay student representative report hello everyone
3:14Hi microphones closer to you guys when you speak into them hello oh okay um so since February break we've had a couple events um on the Friday before February break we had our school talent show um went very well people enjoyed it a lot um the class of 27 also held a bake sale for Valentine's Day Before uh break and oh uh National Honors Society had a very successful pretzel sale they made the pretzels themselves and sold them during lunch and after school to teachers and uh students
3:54as for upcoming stuff uh we have a Varsity Club um basketball tournament on March 11th called go to the court um we have a student council dodgeball tournament on March 14th and oh yesterday today and tomorrow um at lunch there's a pickle ball tournament um for juniors seniors and staff um the finals are tomorrow but we've had two rounds of play today and yesterday
4:27um as for clubs um model un is hosting an adult model un on March 8th which is next Saturday um which you are invited to attend there's a QR code which you can sign up um if you are interested and mock trials first competition will be in two Tuesdays so March 11th and Environ has begun working on their oral presentation we have a uh some presentations on the clubs so you'll learn more about that in a little bit
5:05and next week is also All County um all the County's top uh band players will be coming here and Performing here uh there will be a rehearsal on Wednesday and a final performance on Friday as long as a as well as another rehearsal and I think that's it thank you very much thank you thank you
5:34okay presentations High School Club presentations Mark trial model you in hi I'm not mck trial I'm model un my name is Shannon Sullivan and I'm the adviser for model un and I thought I would do something a little bit different I thought I'd actually give you guys a chance to actually see what we do in our first meeting when you first come to model un so get it so you can have your country facing towards me and then you'll see on the back there's a couple of bullets on the back so that the first time you come to we don't expect you to do research because there's a lot of j a lot of process
6:45would run would be something like this I am not supposed to run any of this model un is all student run it's not run by adults I do chair because we want to have the students in um school to be able to participate so we might start off by doing something like the United Nations Human Rights Commission for refugees as now in session are there any points or motions on the floor Canada motion to open the speaker list the motion to open the speakers list has now been put onto the floor will all participants who would like to see the speakers list open please raise your placards indicating that you would like the speaker list to open
7:30that motion having passed Canada would you like to speak first or last first please okay Canada you now have the floor and then well typically I'd go up and speak um but uh Canada is a country who recognizes its unique place and is willing to accept all refugees climate war or um other disaster uh related events and we're excited to form a group and create a paper that will solve all of the problems we're here to discuss today I yield my time for the chair thank you Canada
8:10so then at that point in time what winds up happening is that you have your own positions on the back of your placard and what we do in model un is we spend the day brainstorming and coming up for solutions for whatever the problem is so if we were doing something on refugees you would come together with other groups and people and first we have informal discussions where people try to make blocks and then after they make blocks where they have a group of people that they agree with they then have to create resolutions based on non-governmental organizations real United Nations um laws and treaties that have been passed and financing that has to be legitimate as well
8:48so that's how we introduce students to model un so that they can come for the very first time having no information no research anything anyone can just walk in the door and they can immediately start participating with model un and then we kind of ramp it up from there so after that we'll then take you to New York City generally or now that Bard is now doing model un conferences again we're going to be going to Bard at the end of March and then you start competing with more students
9:16so we go to Horus man which is the largest single day East Coast Conference we go to Dalton which is the second largest East Coast Conference and we compete against elite private and public school schols from all over the east coast and then once we've done that we get some things that get a little weird so you can see sometimes for things like uh we have committees called crisis committees where we take imaginary ideas and we use the model un procedures for those this is one for um the Hogwarts one at Dalton this is in Manhattan where delegates were trying to organize to save Hogwarts and they had uh Dumbledore's army versus I forget the other side so things can sometimes get less un looking
9:59um we've hosted model un here at Hudson before we've had five schools here and speakers come up from uh the United Nations to come and speak and we've competed for uh prizes for other uh with other schools around the country and we've also gone to Harvard so last year model un went to Harvard where we competed against 4,000 students from all over the world um Thomas was there as well and our students did amazing really really amazing um they were in the heat of it they were able to get up to what we would consider I guess like your finals which I can't really explain in model un language but um we were able to compete very well having competed locally with the New York
10:44conferences down at Dalton and Horus man as well we have experience competing against some of the toughest travel teams in the world because we do go to these conferences so as Thomas mentioned we are going to be doing a model un down at Hudson Hall on March 8 uh we thought we'd let adults give it a try if they would like to come as well and you can contact myself or Thomas who is one of the executives for model un to find out more information about model un.
11:11we want to say a sincere thank you to all the support that the board has given us for both funding to go to Harvard as well as considering mock trial in barathon and model un as Academic Teams which now enables us to get Transportation the same way that our athletic teams do and that has enabled us to focus all of our energy on just research and organizing instead of on fundraising so thank you very much for your support.
11:35and if by the end of this um time period where we had been doing our competition if you had created the winning resolution and you had participated and written and organized and managed to out organize the people that were with you you win this which is the grand prize of all things model un which is the gavl and the gavel will have a metal band on it that says best delegate and this is what we're all competing for all the time so thank you again for your support and thank you for um continuing to keep this going at our school thank you amazing thank [Applause] you
12:18how many students are in model you great and it starts in nth grade awesome some schools have a junior model un um which can have separate conferences but we don't have that poten
12:40all right so now I'm going to talk about our school's mock trial team um just so you know I'm president of this club it I've I was elected president for last school year as well and I hold it very de dear to my heart um so first I'll explain what it is um the rules and procedure of it and then I'll talk about how our club runs and the history of our club.
13:05so first off what is mock trial mock trial is ran by the New York State Bar Association um it's run our county is run by a county coordinator and students engage in competitions for points uh over a case that the New York State Bar Association sends out these cases mimic those um of real life though they have different names different places um and are always centered in Nirvana New York which is a fictional place.
13:37um so each team has 13 roles um on the plaintiff or prosecution there's six roles and on the defense there would there's also six and there's one timekeeper which can be played by anyone but it is necessary to have one during a competition. um both sides need to be played by an individual mock trial team so say you only have six or seven members you have to play both sides but if you have 12 or 13 you have enough for each person to just be one role.
14:11as of right now we have 16 members um that was a little more in the beginning of the year and it was um very unique we I don't think we've ever had that many people be in a mock trial meeting before which was very nice um our advisers are uh Mr Max scheller and uh former teacher uh Miss sore.
14:33so how a competition works is a competition is judged and scored by either a New York State Bar Association attorney or actual judge so local competitions between our County teams are scored by judge or scored sorry are scored by attorneys and then our County finals and sectionals and Beyond are scored by actual judges.
14:58so for over 15 years um judge kek if you guys are familiar with him our County judge was our County finals judge but he's now since retired so we have a new County final judge. um and yeah so one side from each school that either being plaintiff or defense goes into the competition against another school's plaintiff or defense.
15:26um this year we're three three teams competing in the county so each so both sides are plaintiff and defense will go against each other school's plaintiff and defense which is a good change from last year where we had only Four competitions this year no sorry actually we only had three competitions we have four this year.
15:46um on each side as I said there's three individuals this is split between lawyers and Witnesses there's three Witnesses and three lawyers each witness is paired with a lawyer and those two people will work together throughout um their time working on the case both sides start by presenting an opening statement and end by presenting a closing statement um much like in a real court case.
16:14sorry uh we Witnesses also receive direct examination questions and cross examination questions both which are prepared by the lawyer for that witness um well sorry the friendly lawyer uh prepares the direct questioning and the opposing lawyer um prepares the cross questions directs or open response crosses are yes and no.
16:37um questions are always subject to objection and those objections are the same as in a real courtroom um objections are also always up for contention from the other lawyer um and then the point the judge assigns points to sides based on opening statements closing statements direct questions cross questions and other things as well if you look behind you if you look behind you this is the uh scoring sheet and sorry uh the judge will fill this out while the competition is going and at the very end Whoever has the most points wins.
17:22the win is not based on which side wins the case so the judge can say that the we rule in favor of the plaintiff however the defense got more points and they won. sorry as for an impact on students so students face real time on your feet thinking um critical thinking and creating arguments on the spot for example if you're objected to on a question you didn't think you were going to objected to you have to defend your question and you have to make sure you're your uh question goes through otherwise you will lose points.
18:04um this is also a great confidence Builder you're speaking in a competitive form for long periods of time in a very high stress environment you're also working together with these kid with each other for six months um you become really close with your teammates uh kids from different grades friend groups join this club and have a
18:30new uh place to be you also research real case law um each case is supplied with New York State cases that are up for reference within closing and opening statements to try to get your team to win um and in any further careers or paths that a student takes these skills are applicable. As for uh meetings lawyers and Witnesses run their directs countless times practicing and preparing for an actual trial trial uh these questions are you know prepared for months in advance of the first uh competition but you know every school goes about this case in a completely different way and it's always fun to see how you thought this was the only way something could be done and then you get into competition and someone took it a completely different way everyone has the same case same details but it's it's really cool actually.
19:33As for our schedule we typically meet on Mondays but with our competitions being so soon uh March 11th again our first one we meet much more frequently we have one this Wednesday one next uh Monday and then Thursday again so we're meeting a lot.
19:54Uh and then as for our goals and achievements mock trial H sorry mock trial at Hudson has been a team for over 20 years U Miss naramore who's one of our current advisers has been an adviser for 20 years um and we are the only team that has remained consistent for this long within our area so kakaki has has had a team they don't anymore tonic had one a couple years ago they don't uh wiam Mash Le jwi has been pretty consistent as well as now we just had Pine ples from Duchess County start competing because they're closer to us so and our goal for this year is to make it to sectionals.
20:36Uh two years ago we made to sectionals and we've also been a couple other times um sectionals is really competitive we're competing against a lot really big private schools um who have a lot more resources a lot more access to actual attorneys and judges to come and help them but it's always really awesome to compete against to compete against them because you know we're not on a different level they're not somehow leagues ahead ahead of us we've gone very close two years in sectionals we made it to the end of it so it's like a day where you run two trials and you can either be kicked out after the first one or stay until the second one and we stayed which was really fun but we hope to make it back this year again.
21:22All right and any questions so each competition you do the same case yeah each competition we do the same case and then the next year it'll be a new case it also switches between civil and criminal this year it's a civil case next year it'll be criminal and so does your strategy evolve from competition to competition yes absolutely um I remember we entered a case uh I I think it was last year but we had our first competition and it didn't go very well and we had to complete restructure that side's argument and it also helped our other side because they now had new ideas from the other team so yes all right thank you very much thank you thank [Applause] you.
22:27Hello hello my name is Autumn and I'm currently the president of the environmental club and am a four-year member of Environ. I am Anthony I am the vice president of the environmental club and I am also a four-year member of Environ.
22:42Um Environ is a competition where students get to go and learn about the environment through uh multiple different topics such as um ecological Aquatics um Forestry soils and land use a current issue that changes every year wildlife and an oral presentation thank you.
23:09Um and our high school Marathon team currently has 17 members we meet twice a week throughout the entire year as our competitions are in our last competition is in late May and uh our advisor Mr mcdarby who is our beloved science teacher he every meeting we meet he teaches us about the different topics that we need to learn with study guid that he personally took his time to create and we also have opportunities um through problem solving and working as a group in the oral presentation.
23:43As you can see behind you is one of the most difficult aspects of the Environ competition we are given a problem based on a real life current pressing environmental issue and we need to come up with a solution to it and every year it is based on that Year's current issue and uh this year it is based on forestry in the ader Onex. This is are some snapshots from or presentation we've created in the past which was based on um renewable energy at andaron uh students get the chance to learn uh many things about uh the wildlife of New York and um we learned to identify them based on pictures tracks sounds feathers um and general things like that.
24:35Um we also need to learn U about the amphibians and reptiles of New York um and we learn about many things about the wildlife such as their behavior and their habitat.
24:50Aquatics similarly to Wildlife has a large identification component we have to be able to identify a number of different New York fish species macro invertebrate species and there is also um a lot of terminology associated with Aquatics and um the breakdown of limnetic um anatomy And as you can see with stream order up there it includes a very complex uh development of the streams and of the Lakes.
25:20We also get the chance to learn about forestry um we learn to identify trees based off of their barks and leaves and we learned about many different forestry categories topics such as tree anatomy and civil culture.
25:36Soils and land use to most people is one of the most boring subjects of Environ but it has personally become one of my favorites we learn about soil structure soil texture consistency and how soil affects um all of living ecosystems.
25:54This is a picture from last year's Regional competition uh at these competitions multiple teams from Hudson will go uh to the competition and they will compete um against many other teams from different counties and there are different levels to the competitions so there is a state competition Regional competition and a national competition. And at regionals as you can see it is although it is a multiple choice test on paper it has a lot of hands-on experience and we get real field experience doing things like measuring trees with built more sticks or trying to figure out soil layers um in a soil pit and it is overall a really
26:38exciting experience where you get to work as a group and also um test your knowledge of things that you've been studying for for an entire year. These are pictures of awards that the Hudson teams have received over the years from Regional competitions. And a step up from regionals is state States uh it is more difficult competition more rigorous. Once a team has won um in their County they move on to a state competition which has happened at various locations such as Hobart William Smith and uh Sunni courland uh this year it will Happ be happening at Sunni courland uh as as same as last year.
27:15But um as you can see there are many School uh many counties that send teams and we all compete against each other during a two-day competition. The first day is designated to the oral presentation and the next is with the five multiple choice tests. And this is after a much more difficult test than the regional competitions. Awards that Hudson teams have received over the years from State competitions.
27:43These photos also just showcase how it is not just the competition that andaron is all about. We also have fun to form bonds and it is much beyond the test of competition. Lastly uh we would like to boast the accomplishments that the Hudson teams have won over the years. We are Regional Champions two times, we have Columbia County Champions 11 times, and it at States we have eight top 10 finishes, five top three finishes, two top three finishes and we have and one um first place in different categories such as Wildlife soils forestry and a second place in oril presentation.
28:25And this year we are hoping that we will win States and get to Nationals because although Hudson has never done it uh a team that we have been on in the past has gotten second at States uh which was also uh the first place of a public school in New York state. So Hudson currently holds the title as the best public school at Environ in New York state. So we hope to bring it to the entirety of school system New York and possibly bring it even to Nationals as well. And are there any questions?
28:55No I I want to you forgot to mention that our inviron team have sat with royalty last year. We were chosen out of maybe I don't in in the cap region I think one of two schools in the cap region to sit down with the king and queen of Denmark to discuss climate change. So our environment Environ team has sat with royalty. I didn't want you to forget to mention that.
29:26Yes no it's very impressive and good luck at all your competitions this year. Thank you for being here, thank you.
30:03Okay no need for executive early executive session at this time. I'd like to make a motion to accept Personnel agendum items A1 through five.
30:15Second. All in favor?
30:19Thank you. Okay welcome on new staff staff um then old business um policy committee and a number of our administrators are currently reviewing policy 5300. Um all faculty have been given the opportunity to give feedback on uh segments of the policy um or a code of conduct. It's rather lengthy uh they're given different segments to give feedback on um and once we have all the feedback compiled will generate a new policy um uh later this spring at which point it'll be presented to the public and have a uh 30-day public comment period um so that's underway in policy uh facilities committee was supposed to meet earlier today but uh that meeting was postponed and they will uh meet next week and have a update at the next board meeting.
31:18Okay thank you lesie um public form uh we have Kiara Rivera. We're about to convene into the public comment period of our meeting. Although state law does not require us to hold a public comment period we've chosen to do so because we believe it's crucial for us to hear from members of our community. Having said that please note the board is here to listen. The public comment period is not designed to be a discussion uh don't expect the board to respond to your concerns or questions tonight. We take these concerns and questions seriously and we'll have the proper staff member or administrator get back to you at the appropriate time.
32:03Under state and federal privacy laws we're unable to entertain any comments or questions about school Personnel. Each speaker receives three minutes.
32:11Thank you um my name is Kiara Rivera um I'm a senior at Hudson. I've been involved in the music program, I was put in band in fourth grade and I've been pretty much been Paving the way since um I joined Choir in sixth grade and then took a bit of a pause because of scheduling issues. I wasn't able to be put into choir 9th and 10th grade but um 11th and 12th I was able to be back in um today.
32:41I have prepared um something to share my personal experience with being in the music program this basically six seven years um I've been prepared. Throughout my time at Hudson High I've been both personally affected and have seen others around me affected by scheduling conflicts surrounding music. Both the Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band are substantially smaller compared to last year and students were not able to join. Some students were not able to join choir concert choir or select choir that was recently brought to the schedule this year which I'm very grateful for not because of lack of student participation but because it didn't fit in their schedule.
33:28I understand that there won't be enough room in a student's schedule for every class that they'd like to take. However I believe we should do something to ensure that students who are highly interested in music are able to fit music into their schedule, especially students who plan on pursuing music in the future. As someone who plans on pursuing music education and is currently going through the audition process as an instrument student there were many ways I could have been more prepared for my college auditions.
33:52Certain colleges require that you take oral skills site reading or site singing tests as part of the audition. I have never taken a music theory class which puts me along with other students pursuing music at a significant disadvantage. Both the wind wait sorry um I bring this forward today because I am just a student. I know my position and I know that I don't have the experience or knowledge to solve these issues. All I know is what I have observed and all I can do is bring it to your attention. We already have incredibly talented kids with such deep-seated connections to music in this
34:27program and there are plenty more throughout the school that would love to be involved in ban and chire if given the opportunity. the following I have some bullet points of how music helps teens according to the NIH and other reputable sources um it aids cognitive development AIDS motor dexterity allows for emotional regulation um less stress freedom of creative expression and a source of coping with difficult situations and and this was my personal but music is a universal language um music can help students make new friends make new connections um I have made more than a handful of friends that I am near and dear to today because of the music program and because of the yeah the experience um and now I have a Reflection from um another peer of mine who's also in the play her name is Cadence Weiss um sorry he can keep going.
35:36on a personal level music has helped me to better my focus and teach me discipline music helps me grow through my feelings when I feel anxious I play music to tone out my thoughts or worries during band and music classes you can learn how music can be made and how rhythms are for formed. this is a very common this is very common information but as a person who has grown through music in band drama club and dance because she's also a dancer throughout the community it has helped with coordination and memory. not only is the program incredibly fun but it has also helped my performance in core classes as it helps to promote your memory because in band and music classes you have to memorize songs just like memorizing notes in a history or science class.
36:23that's all I have prepared thank you.
36:25thank you we appreciate you being here
36:30sorry just real quick as Kiara's equal in the fact that I also went through the audition process this year I would like to validate the fact that um not receiving certain musical training puts students at a disadvantage when trying to audition for music schools um there are specific requirements for specific schools that vary however they all would be um met with one music theory class. um within the past couple years our music theory class hasn't reached the numbers of participants or signups to have a actual class within the umin the schedule and there's also been a lot of scheduling conflicts with the music theory class but it is important for um a group of students progression After High School that's thank you.
37:23thank you
37:28next we have Lua barud
37:40hello everyone uh you know first I wanted to say how uplifting it was to hear the clubs that each of the clubs you know they spoke with nothing in front of them no prepared speech really just from their heart and their interest and you know I commend the school for that to uh spark that flame within them. I'm here really it's not a um it's a comment on how hard it is to hear you know I sit in all different places every meeting and I said well you know it's me because I'm old but I started to ask do you hear Do you hear and most people have told me no really don't hear well and the last meeting when they made the um presentation for the uh public school we could hardly hear anything they spoke quickly but uh you know the system has to be improved I don't know if we need to be over there where you project out but there's something wrong okay all right thank you.
38:55yeah we we'll try and perfect our sound
39:01that's it that's it thank you thank you
39:12all there's a second session so if you'd like to sign up you can still sign up here
39:31good evening tonight my um superintendent's report will begin with Spotlight on Excellence for our staff and so what the spotlight on Excellence it's given to a faculty or staff member that is caught doing something great which is worth spotlighting. and so tonight there's a few names that I have now everyone was invited some people couldn't make it but I will still go through the list and speak about every staff member and then tomorrow what I'll do is find that staff member and get a picture with if it's a teacher with their class or colleagues.
40:14so the first person that is receiving a spotlight on Excellence tonight is Christopher Pio and so this has been given to to Mr Pi or Chris as we call him because of all of the hard work that he completed during the time when we didn't have a payroll clerk uh Chris grabbed the payroll by the helm and really helped us through where he supported to make sure that everyone was paid on time Etc and he continues um to give his support where he's needed he is very much a team player.
41:03Katerina Pullin I'm not sure if she's here so this Spotlight on Excellence is given to miss Pullin because when I walk around and I visit the classes um there's always um something happening within her class um that is worth spotlighting so where the students are integrating technology or they're just having conversations um I have seen that in her classroom and she's receiving a spotlight on excellence and she's the junior high school teacher.
41:38Miss Schmidt our special education teacher Miss Smith SMI Schmidt is receiving this Spotlight on Excellence you talk about a teacher who goes 110% for her students she's a risk taker she does whatever it takes for her students to make sure that they're successful and she will Advocate Advocate Advocate to the end and so Miss Schmidt deserves a spotlight on Excellence tonight and she did tell me she couldn't be here tonight.
42:17miss spanakos another teacher who she's not here tonight this is another teacher who Advocates consistently for her students who you know has relationships with her students who makes sure that her students get whatever support they need to be successful in that classroom and V and Miss spanakos is also a team player she volunteers for just about every committee she works our Saturday stem program so she's very very much uh a teacher who um consistently is involved and like I said advocates for her students and deserves a spotlight on Excellence award.
43:04April carasca is our secretary at the elementary school so why is she receiving a spotlight on Excellence well we needed to clean up um some information in the HR department uh with um whether it be um attendance matters attendance matters for staff or for but April took this by the helm on her own she was one along with another employee and they were able to help us um catch up on on the HR areas that we needed to um things that
43:46needed to be done urgently also Tracy Gaffney gets the spotlight on Excellence for this because she went through and made sure all of the teachers attendance Etc was updated we had a little bit of snafu with wind cap when things were switched over and so Tracy um went above and beyond to get that done.
44:08this award is the next one has been given to miss Carrie patch she she couldn't be here tonight but she'll be at the next one so I'm just going to wait till the next one to talk about her at the next board meeting.
44:21aurelis sto our business um office assistant also above and beyond to help us through the transition of the business official and uh Miss Soo wears many hats she's also been there to help us above and beyond within the transportation department and she's the go-to person for registration she's bilingual and she's gone above and beyond um for helping us in those areas and just holding things together in the business office through the transition of the business of official.
45:00we have uh Mr MTZ or ta again a uh you know just an employee who goes above and beyond for students he's also here on the weekends working uh for the um stem program he volunteers for many other programs uh throughout the district all right there ends our Spotlight on Excellence for um this uh for this evening.
45:37so spring Sports our registration is now open you can register for students on activate online and then the sports will begin March 17th um with the modified uh beginning on uh Monday March 24th and you can check the website for more information.
46:00so I saw the most exciting invigorating talent show um just before we left for the break wow our students are really talented in a district I couldn't stay for the whole thing because I had some other things going on but I stayed for a while and the talent that I saw and the acts and the singing and the rapping Etc was just phenomenal and so next time you you hear that the Multicultural Club is putting on a talent show I will make sure you know so you can just stop by because it's really worth um seeing.
46:35I also had the privilege of being chosen by Colombia green uh to participate on a panel that advised their um head hunters or or the the recruitment firm for their next um for their next president so I was able to set in a panel and talk about the qualities of of uh the next Columbia green uh President.
47:01also um just for fun around the office I had a a hot chocolate bar in central office um thank you lesie for your support we had chocolate bums that you know could uh in know hot chocolate that uh actually could explode and all these neat toppings Etc so it was a great way we did that on Valentine's Day.
47:23at the elementary school they create AED wooden toolbox and pretty much um the hands the activity um was um ran uh in the elementary school by the trades Workforce um Coalition and it was also uh members of the the Harington Building Supply and uh quest star bosies and so as you can see the students made some great toolboxes which I thought was a very creative you know getting those Hands-On type of activities and still creating things like toolboxes I think that's uh it's it it's it's very important today because a lot of times we know that sometimes our students we we're pushing technology but some of these things that you know we did as student uh woodworking Etc still I think they still need to be exposed and have the experience.
48:19second quarter honor rooll at the junior high all students who had um honor roll who made the Honor rooll there was an mbly they were given a certificate and then um just on the 31st they had a a grade level assembly and for students who had perfect attendance in December and I do want to give a plug for the junior high school their attendance rating is is has been really improving this year the student attendance reading which is great.
48:49thank you thank you very much okay consensus item.
49:12I'd like to make a motion to I'd like to make a motion to accept consistent items a through I.
49:23second all in favor okay let's the public for Christine jonesr Jones uh Miss Jones.
50:00thank you Happy New Year I haven't seen you since last year um I'm here because I had a board meeting today with the Hudson development Corp I'm the president Christine Jones you remember me um and the board is curious about your reaction to our proposal in December on December 10th at the executive session to since we were not moving forward with purchasing the building but we we asked if we could cons you would consider collaborating with us to remediate the building um and work together to do that to get state and local grants and we um have not heard from you so I thought I would check in and see if someone could I know you don't answer questions here but if someone could get back to me with some sort of communication on your thinking about that we would appreciate that.
50:47understood okay we can go back to you okay great abut thank you uh Tiffany Martin Hamilton Tiffany Martin.
51:10I am a parent of two students in this district and as I understand it the code of conduct is currently being Rewritten which is very interesting to me considering the fact that it was suggested by one of your administrators last year that I said on the code of conduct committee nonetheless I was excluded not shockingly.
51:31um I would like to say that a I know that dress code is being discussed um and it seems rather subjective um I don't know who determines what's appropriate and what's inappropriate but I would think that it would be um in the students best interest unless it is something that is absolutely scandalous to be comfortable um rather than be singled out and sent home.
52:00um but I wanted to go a little bit deeper into the superintendence conference which Dr Penman I know you no longer do as prior superintendent did um but that's something else else that's being discussed and something that I would like to bring up is that students with disabilities whether they have IEPs or 504s uh um uh in particular with the 504 are given the opportunity to have a manifestation meeting during the conference interestingly though as someone who has been through this process first there's the hearing where the student with a disability maybe a disability for I don't know let's call it anxiety is
52:52seated um before an attorney from Questar online um and questioned and uh told at the end that they are either there there is a a determination at the end let's call it we find you guilty the student who then has anxiety is falling apart then the manifestation committee comes in and has the meeting and determines if the disability is somehow tied or if or if the occurrence was a manifestation of the disability and the parent is or whomever is uh then forced uh to or put in a position very quickly to uh to tie that together um it would seem to me uh as it was in the past from my time on the board that the manifestation committee would meet first to Shield the student who had has this disability from that kind of trauma of having to actually sit through a hearing before it's determined whether or not what happened was an outward manifestation of their disability so I'm just going to say that um I um I find it concerning that I know my three minutes is up but I'm just going to keep talking until somebody boots me out um I find it very concerning that when um that when I am specifically asked by administrators or a recommendation is made that I should sit and help rewrite the code of conduct or be on that committee that I am no longer invited to the table because I'm considered to be one of those parents that you know when you draw the Short Straw you're the one who has to call me that day very disturbing um I can the policy committee meetings are open to the public you're welcome to attend any of those meetings right understand that but I wanted to be on the committee and that was offered to me and then no followup whatsoever so that's one thing um I also the letter that's received by parents who have a child a child who's going into the superintendence hearing is full of conflicts it actually says it says two very conflicting things in one letter it says your student if the student is found on student property will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law then later in the letter it says your student you should get in touch with the tutoring center to make arrangements for your student.
55:41now in a litigious Society right and in a society where kids are getting in a lot of trouble for a lot of things I as a parent would not send my child to school when it say says if that child is found on school property they will be ex they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law can I can I suggest that you submit these uh no I'd like to finish my comments thank you I sat on this board for four years busting my butt so I would like for somebody to listen to what I'm saying because frankly what happens in this school district and what I pay a tremendous amount of school taxes for is appalling so I would like my words to be heard thank you so in terms of the code of conduct I've walked through these Halls I've heard these mouths I've had my child thrown down on their head and had to go to the emergency room for it there is no such thing as sanity and really the parents that are the most affected no one wants to hear from us because we're the problem parents when in fact the district is the problem district and this board and its admin Administration is a tremendous problem so I'm going to ask everybody sitting here to do something about it because frankly it's an embarrassment and it is a huge disservice to our kids and I don't mean my kids or any other kids I mean all of our kids because as parents every kid in this district is our kid okay so I ask that when a parent is proactive and says this letter is a mess let me help you rewrite it let the parent help you can run it by legal laughter I'm I'm sorry am I am I bothering you yes you are well you know what I don't really care because the district really bothers me you can you can be done yeah so can you thank you have a great night you too and by the way you're all elected whatever whatever thanks foring your job okay important meetings policy committee meeting March 11 2025 5 to 5:45 p.m. at the high school library Board of Education meeting including budget committee Workshop 11 March 11 2025 6 p.m. at the high school auditorium facilities committee meeting March 25th 2025 4 4 to 4 4: to 5:00 p.m. in the district conference room in the high school poli mean March 25th 2025 5 to 5:45 p.m. in the high school library Bard Education meeting including budget committee Workshop March 25th 2025 at 6 p.m in the High School auditorium at this time we need we do have a Le did we say facilities was moving next week yeah yeah um it's not Tuesday when it facilities next what day are they meeting oh next Tuesday oh next Tu so that's not March March 4th March okay 4 P.M okay facilities facilities committee Mee in March 4th at 4 P.M where at the uh district office conference district office conference room okay thank you have a lovely evening at this time we have a need for the executive session being resolved the Board of Education enters an executive session at 7 p.m. for the purpose of proposed acquisition sell El leas of real property discussing employment history of particular persons and to appoint Mark Pace as clerk Pro term discussing real real estate second all in favor okay there'll be no further business after uh this executive session thank you all for being here e e e for

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