Jun 03, 2026 Board Meeting

[1.A. Call to Order - Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Silence - School Board Chair]

[00:00:06]

PLEASE STAND AND JOIN ME FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, FOLLOWED BY A MOMENT OF SILENCE.

PLEDGE OF ALL TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN REPUBLIC FOR RELIGIOUS FANS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, LIBERTY, JUSTICE.

[1.B. Accept or Modify the Agenda - School Board]

MOU.

IS THERE A SECOND? I SECOND IT.

DISCUSSION ON THAT? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE.

AYE.

OPPOSED? NO.

THANK YOU.

NEXT UP THIS EVENING, WE HAVE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION.

MS. SEL, IS THERE ANYONE HERE SIGNED UP? IS THERE ANYONE HERE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK THIS EVENING? I THOUGHT SHE WAS COMING.

OKAY,

[1.D. Instruction Spotlight]

GOOD EVENING.

TONIGHT, I'M PROUD TO INTRODUCE TWO OF OUR TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION COACHES, MS. GRIMLEY AND MR. MICHAEL.

UH, THEY'RE GOING TO HIGHLIGHT SOME SCREEN FREE WAYS THAT TECHNOLOGY IS BEING USED IN OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS TO DEEPEN STUDENT ENGAGEMENT WITH THE VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING.

MR. MICHAEL HAS LED OUR COMPUTER SCIENCE INTEGRATION WORKING TO TIE THE K THROUGH FIVE, UH, STANDARDS OF LEARNING FOR, UH, COMPUTER SCIENCE INTO THE PACING GUIDES FOR OUR CORE SUBJECTS, UH, CREATING WAYS FOR STUDENTS TO ENGAGE WITH THOSE SOLS IN NOVEL WAYS.

AND MS. GRIMLEY HAS LED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR DIGITAL CITIZEN LESSONS, UH, HELPING STUDENTS EXPLORE RESPONSIBLE PRACTICES WITH THEIR DEVICES AND IN THOSE DIGITAL SPACES.

SO I'M JUST GONNA TURN IT OVER TO THEM.

THANK YOU.

HELLO, EVERYONE.

UM, GOOD EVENING.

UH, TONIGHT WE WANTED TO SHARE SOME EXAMPLES OF HOW CODING, ROBOTICS, AND TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION ARE HELPING BRING VIRGINIA SOLS TO LIFE IN OUR ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS. UM, AS WE GO THROUGH THE PRESENTATION, WE'LL BE JUST DEMONSTRATING SOME, UH, DIFFERENT TOOLS THAT WE USE IN OUR ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS, UM, WHILE WE, UH, WE'RE GONNA KIND OF SHOW, AND WE'LL ALSO EXPLAIN HOW, UM, THOSE INSTRUCTIONAL CONNECTIONS BEHIND THEM.

SO, UM, ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT WE FOCUS ON IS PURPOSEFUL TECHNOLOGY, UM, INTEGRATION AS TECHNOLOGY COACHES.

AND OUR GOAL IS NEVER TECHNOLOGY JUST FOR THE SAKE OF USING TECHNOLOGY.

UM, WE WORK ALONGSIDE CLASSROOM TEACHERS TO CREATE LEARNING EXPERIENCES WHERE TECHNOLOGY ENHANCES INSTRUCTION AND SUPPORTS SOO MASTERY.

UM, A MAJOR FOCUS FOR US IS COMPUTATIONAL THINKING.

UM, STUDENTS ARE LEARNING SKILLS LIKE SEQUENCING, PROBLEM SOLVING, DEBUGGING, COLLABORATION, AND CRITICAL THINKING.

UM, EVEN AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, A LOT OF WHAT YOU'LL SEE TONIGHT, UM, USES ROBOTICS, CODING, PHYSICAL COMPUTING, AND ENGINEERING AND DESIGN.

BUT THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT ALL OF THE CONNECTED DIRECT, THEY ALL CONNECT DIRECTLY TO CLASSROOM LEARNING.

SO, UM, OOPS, WRONG WAY.

SO, UH, IN VIRGINIA, COMPUTER SCIENCE STANDARDS ARE INTEGRATED STANDARDS, MEANING THAT THEY'RE DESIGNED TO CONNECT WITH CORE CONTENT AREAS INSTEAD OF JUST STANDING ALONE.

SO, WHEN STUDENTS ARE CODING OR WORKING WITH ROBOTICS, THEY'RE ALSO PRACTICING MATH, SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION, COMMUNICATION SKILLS, AND PROBLEM SOLVING.

THE STANDARDS FOCUS ON AREAS LIKE ALGORITHMS AND PROGRAMMING, COMPUTER SYS COMPUTING SYSTEMS AND DATA ANALYSIS.

BUT AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, THOSE CONCEPTS OFTEN LOOK LIKE HANDS-ON COLLABORATION AND LEARNING THROUGH EXPLORATION.

SO ONE OF THE EXAMPLES OF THIS ARE OUR SPHERO INDY CARS.

UM, THE COOL THING ABOUT THIS IS, UH, THIS IS MY FRIEND INDY.

HE'S A LITTLE ROBOT.

UM, THE COOL THING ABOUT THESE, UM, THEY ARE STUDENT, WHEN STUDENTS USE THESE, THEY'RE ACTUALLY USING THEM HANDS, UH, HANDS-ON WITHOUT A SCREEN.

THEY'RE SCREEN FREE.

SO, UM, THEY, WE USE THEM A LOT WHEN WE'RE TALKING THROUGH THEIR THINKING, HELPING OTHERS, UM, SOLVE PROBLEMS AND LEARNING THROUGH TRIAL AND ERROR.

SO, UM,

[00:05:02]

SO THEY USE THESE COLORED TILES, AND EACH OF THE TILES, UM, ARE A DIFFERENT DIRECTION THAT THE INDIE WILL FOLLOW AS THEY GO THROUGH.

SO, UM, HE CREATES, WE'RE GONNA CREATE A PATHWAY ALGORITHM FOR THE ROBOTS TO FOLLOW.

UM, SO EVEN OUR, THIS IS REALLY GEARED TOWARDS LIKE K THROUGH TWO LEARNERS.

SO RIGHT NOW, UM, WITH WHAT WE DID IN THE CLASSROOM WITH THIS IS, UM, A, OUR SECOND AND THIRD GRADERS READ A STORY AT VALENTINE'S DAY CALLED THE LOVE BUG.

AND AFTERWARDS THEY HAD TO, UH, PUT THE STORY INTO THE ORDER.

SO, UM, THAT'S PART OF OUR READING SOLS FOR THOSE GRADE LEVELS.

UM, AND AS THEY DID IT, THE, OUR INDYCAR, UM, WENT ALONG WITH THE STORY.

SO IF, UH, THEY PUT THE, THE COLORS IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, THEN THEY WOULD HAVE TO DEBUG AND TRY AGAIN.

SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND START IT, AND WE'LL SEE HOW IT DID COLOR.

AND NOW WE'RE GONNA TRY AGAIN BECAUSE THAT'S, WE'RE IN THE RIGHT ORDER.

ORDER.

LOOK AT THEM, GO.

SO THE ROBOT USES THE COLOR, THE COLORS ARE ALREADY CODED IN, SO THE ROBOT REACTS TO THE COLORS, UM, THAT ANY CAR IS LOOKING FOR.

SO IT WILL MAKE ITS WAY THROUGH THE PATH.

AND AGAIN, SO AS YOU, AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE IS A LOT OF PROBLEM SOLVING.

THEY DO THIS IN GROUPS SO THAT THEY CAN KIND OF WORK TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS, UM, AND FIX IT AS THEY GO.

SO IT'S A GOOD TIME.

UM, WE'VE ALSO USED THESE A LOT IN OUR MATH, MATH, UH, CURRICULUM.

UM, AS YOU CAN SEE AT THE BOTTOM, THERE IS A LITTLE CHALLENGE.

SO THEY HAD TO, THEY HAD TO SOLVE THE MATH PROBLEMS, AND THEN THEY USED THE KEY AT THE BOTTOM, AND THEY SET IT UP WITH THOSE COLORS.

SO IF THEY GOT THE MATH PROBLEM WRONG, THEN THEY WOULD KNOW RIGHT AWAY AND THEY COULD FIX IT.

SO THAT'S A GOOD ONE.

UM, NEXT WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU MICRO BITS.

MICRO BITS ARE A GREAT TRANSITION AS THEY GET OLDER.

UM, IT'S MORE OF AN ADVANCED CODING.

SO, UM, WE CAN BUILD ON SOME OF THE SAME SKILLS THAT WE LEARNED WITH INDIE CARS.

JUST BUILDING ON IT A LITTLE BIT, UM, MICRO BITS ALLOW STUDENTS TO MOVE INTO BLOCK-BASED CODING AND PHYSICAL COMPUTING.

SO WE'VE GIVEN YOU EACH A MICRO BIT.

SO IF YOU TAKE IT OUT OF YOUR BAGGIE, UM, WE HAVE SET IT UP WITH A MATH PROBLEM, A MATH THING TODAY FOR YOU.

UM, IT'S MULTIPLICATION.

SO GET READY TO PRACTICE YOUR MULTIPLICATION SKILLS.

UM, AT, IF YOU, UH, TAKE A LOOK ON THOSE, THEY HAVE AN A AND A B BUTTON.

SO IF YOU PRESS THE A BUTTON AND THEN YOU PRESS THE B BUTTON, SO SAY IT WAS THREE AND EIGHT, SO YOU WOULD HAVE THREE TIMES EIGHT, YOU WOULD THINK ABOUT WHAT THE ANSWER TO THAT MATH PROBLEM IS IN YOUR HEAD.

AND THEN IF YOU SHAKE IT, IT GIVES YOU THE ANSWER TO YOUR MATH PROBLEM.

SO, UM, WE USE THAT A LOT IN, UH, LIKE, UM, ADDITION, UH, SUBTRACTION, MULTIPLICATION.

UM, AND THEN THEY, UH, PLAYED MULTIPLICATION WAR IN A FOURTH GRADE CLASSROOM, AND THEY WERE ABLE TO, UH, LIKE WHOEVER HAD THE MOST POINTS, ONE KIND OF THING.

SO IT'S BASICALLY JUST MAKING MATH A LITTLE MORE FUN, ENGAGING.

UM, IT, UH, ALSO HELPED, UH, LEARN MORE, LIKE IT FELT LIKE A CHALLENGE OR A GAME, WHICH, UM, INCREASED THE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT PART OF IT.

SO, YEAH, I ALSO USE THESE A ROADS TO, WE TRACK IF A CAR CAME PAST YOU PRESSED A, IF A, A TRUCK CAME PRESS YOU PRESS B, AND IF A SUV CAME THROUGH, YOU SHOOK IT.

AND THEN WE USED THE DATA TO MAKE A BAR GRAPH BASED ON THE CARS THAT WENT PAST THE SCHOOL FOR A SET OF TIMES.

THAT WAY WE WERE BUILDING OUR DATA FOR OUR BAR GRAPHS.

SO, UM, MICROBITS WILL ALSO, UM, DO SOME, UH, SOME SCIENCE TYPE THINGS.

UH, YOU LEARN ABOUT CIRCUITS AND ELECTRICITY WITH THEM.

THEY'LL ALSO TAKE TEMPERATURE.

YOU CAN DO LIGHTS, THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO IT'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITIES TO, UH, TO INTEGRATE SOME TECHNOLOGY INTO MATH AND SCIENCE ESPECIALLY.

UM, BUT I COULD THINK OF WAYS TO USE IT IN, IN READING AND WRITING AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

ALSO, UM, UP NEXT WE HAVE MAKEY, MAKEY.

OH, LET'S SEE.

UM, JUST SOME DIFFERENT EXAMPLES, CIRCUITS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND AS YOU CAN SEE ON THIS SCREEN, THEY ARE ACTUALLY USING LIKE,

[00:10:01]

SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT SKILL FOR LATER ON IN LIFE.

UM, TO KNOW HOW TO CODE, UH, OPENS UP A POSSIBILITIES FOR A LOT OF DIFFERENT JOB OPPORTUNITIES.

UM, MAKEY MAKEYS, UM, ARE SIMILAR TO MICROBITS.

UM, WE USE THESE A LOT WITH, UM, SCIENCE RELATED THINGS.

SO, UH, I HAVE, IS IT CONDUCTIVE? SO, UM, WITH THEIR CHROMEBOOKS, THEY SET UP A CODING ACTIVITY, UM, AND IF THEY SET DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE CONDUCTIVE AND NOT CONDUCTIVE ON THE SCREEN, SO ERASER, NOTHING HAPPENS.

UM, BUT PAPERCLIP, SO THEY KNOW IF THINGS ARE CONDUCTIVE OR NOT.

UM, SOME OTHER THINGS, UH, THAT WE TRIED WERE POTATOES, WET SPONGES, UH, JUST RANDOM THINGS THAT YOU MIGHT NOT THINK ARE CONDUCTIVE.

AND APPARENTLY I'M CONDUCTIVE ALSO, SO .

SO, UM, YEAH, THAT WAS FUN.

UM, WE'VE ALSO HAD THEM, UH, LIKE MAKE THEIR OWN CIRCUITS.

THERE'S, UH, IF YOU, YOU HAVE GRAPHITE PENCILS, YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN CIRCUIT.

SO THAT'S SOMETHING.

UM, IN MUSIC CLASSROOMS, WE'VE USED IT TO MAKE PIANOS WITH THE DIFFERENT KEYS AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF.

THE CARDBOARD GUITAR, THAT ONE.

YEAH, THAT'S A GOOD ONE TOO.

UM, WE REALLY LOVE ABOUT THOSE PROJECTS WAS, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF CREATIVITY AND COLLABORATION.

THEY GET TO TALK THINGS OUT AND, UM, ENGAGE WITH EACH OTHER, WHICH IS REALLY GREAT.

UM, AND THEN I THINK A COUPLE OF YOU, UH, SAW OUR LEGOS AS YOU WALKED IN TODAY.

OOPS, SORRY.

ALRIGHT, SO I, WE HAVE, UH, LEGO KITS, UM, AT WCPS WHERE THE KITS CAN WORK IN GROUPS OF FOUR TO, UM, USE THE LEGOS TO STUDY THINGS LIKE MOON PHASES, UM, THE FOOD WEBS.

UH, WE ALSO TAKE PART IN, UH, A GRANT WITH SHADO UNIVERSITY, WHERE WE HAVE LEGO LEAGUE AND LEGO LEAGUE.

THE STUDENTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE TOPIC FOR THE YEAR.

LAST YEAR WAS THE OCEANS.

THIS YEAR WAS ARCHEOLOGY.

SO THEY BUILT THIS ARCHEOLOGICAL DIG SITE.

UM, AND INSIDE OF IT, THERE'S ARTIFACTS.

THERE IS A, A MILL WHEEL THAT WILL SPIN WITH COATING.

THEY ALSO BUILT THE CAR THAT YOU CAN HOOK UP TO A CAMERA, AND YOU CODE THE CAMERA TO LOOK FOR CERTAIN COLOR LEGOS.

SO OUR KIDS MADE ARTIFACTS USING RED LEGO BRICKS.

SO WHEN IT, THE CAMERA SAW A RED LEGO, IT WOULD SAY, YAY, YOU FOUND AN ARTIFACT.

OR IF IT WAS A GREEN TOOL, IT WOULD SAY, OH, YOU FOUND AN ARCHEOLOGICAL TOOL.

SO THEY USED THE CODING AND THE LEGOS TO EXPLORE ARCHEOLOGY, UM, AND LEARN ABOUT A TOPIC THAT THEY DON'T COVER NECESSARILY IN SECOND AND THIRD GRADE.

BUT WHEN THEY GET TO FOURTH GRADE, THEY WILL.

SO THEY'LL ALREADY COME TO FOURTH GRADE VIRGINIA STUDIES WITH THAT KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT AN ARCHEOLOGIST DOES AND WHAT ARTIFACTS ARE.

AND THEN LAST YEAR WHEN WE DID THE OCEANS, THEY GET TO FIFTH GRADE AND THEY ALREADY HAVE SOME KIND OF BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE FOR OCEANS AS WELL.

OKAY.

SO, UM, JUST TO KIND OF CLOSING, THESE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL THINGS THAT WE, WE DO THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AS TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION COACHES.

UM, WHILE TONIGHT FOCUS MAINLY ON CODING AND ROBOTICS, THESE ARE JUST SOME EXAMPLES OF THE BROADER WORK THAT WE DO IN TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION.

UM, WE ALSO SUPPORT DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP LESSONS, PHENOMENA BASED SCIENCE INSTRUCTION, UNPLUGGED CODING ACTIVITIES, GOOGLE EARTH EXPLORATIONS, STEM NIGHTS, AND RESPONSIBLE AI CONVERSATIONS.

UM, THE GOAL IS ALWAYS TO CREATE MEANINGFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT INCREASE ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT INSTRUCTION.

UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO SHARE TONIGHT IS THE IMPACT WE'VE SEEN ON STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM.

DURING ALL OF OUR, UH, TIME IN CLASSROOMS, UM, WE CONSISTENTLY SEE INCREASED ENGAGEMENT, COLLABORATION, CREATIVITY, CONFIDENCE WITH TECHNOLOGY, AND CRITICAL THINKING.

UM, STUDENTS WERE EXPLAINING THEIR THINKING, SOLVING PROBLEMS INDEPENDENTLY, AND APPLYING CLASSROOM LEARNING, UM, IN NEW WAYS.

UM, MOST IMPORTANTLY, THEY WERE EXCITED TO LEARN DURING ALL OF THIS.

UM, TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION IS NOT ABOUT REPLACING INSTRUCTION.

IT'S ABOUT ENHANCING LEARNING AND GIVING STUDENTS OPPORTUNITIES TO CREATE, THINK CRITICALLY, COLLABORATE, AND INNOVATE WHILE SUPPORTING SOL MASTERY, OUR GOAL IS TO HELP STUDENTS BUILD FUTURE READY SKILLS WHILE MAKING LEARNING MORE MEANINGFUL AND ENGAGING.

UM, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO COME SHARE SOME OF THE EXCITING THINGS WE'VE DONE IN CLASSROOMS THIS YEAR.

UM, AND WE ARE EXCITED TO GET STARTED NEXT YEAR ALREADY.

THANK YOU ALL.

THANK YOU.

NEXT UP THIS

[2. Consent Agenda]

IS THERE A MOTION I MOVE TO ACCEPT THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED? IS THERE

[00:15:01]

AYE.

AYE.

OPPOSED? NO.

THANK YOU.

NEXT UP THIS EVENING, WE

[3.A. Superintendent]

DR. WRIGHT.

THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.

I HAVE A FEW ITEMS. FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU, UH, MR. STEFANSKI AND YOUR TEAM, UH, MS. GRIMLEY AND MR. MICHAEL FOR YOUR PRESENTATION THIS EVENING.

UH, WE REALLY ENJOYED THE, UH, THE, UH, INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY INTO, UH, SCIENCE AND MATH, UH, INSTRUCTION.

SO THANK YOU FOR THAT AND THE WORK YOU DO WITH OUR TEACHERS AT WARREN COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL.

UH, ALSO, UH, TO FOLKS WHO MAY BE LISTENING, I DID SEND A, UM, A LETTER TO STAFF ON FRIDAY THANKING EVERYONE FOR, UH, A WONDERFUL SCHOOL YEAR AND A WARM WELCOME AND SMOOTH TRANSITION INTO MY ROLE AS WARREN COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT UPON FINISHING, UH, AT LEAST A GOOD HALF A YEAR.

SO, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SECOND HALF.

I ALSO PROVIDED SOME INSIGHT INTO MY VISION FOR WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND INVITED FAMILIES AND STAFF TO THINK ABOUT THEIR OWN VISION, UH, FOR OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM AS WE MOVE INTO OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING, UH, PROCESS COMING THIS FALL.

SO MORE ON THAT COMING LATER, BUT IF YOU DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THAT, GO CHECK YOUR SPAM.

UH, MAYBE IT'S IN THERE.

AND, UH, TAKE A LOOK.

AND I LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING FEEDBACK FROM ALL OF OUR, UH, COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS.

UH, LATER ON.

UH, IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE ANNOUNCEMENTS COMING OUT FROM SODEXO, OUR FREE SUMMER MEALS PROGRAM BEGINS THIS FRIDAY.

UH, IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION ON THAT, GO TO OUR WARREN COUNTY SCHOOL'S WEBSITE AND CLICK ON NUTRITION.

AND IT HAS THE ROUTES AND THE TIMES ALL SPELLED OUT THERE.

BUT IT DOES BEGIN THIS FRIDAY.

UH, I WANNA THANK OUR PRINCIPALS AND, AND THE STAFFS AT OUR HIGH SCHOOLS FOR TWO WONDERFUL GRADUATIONS.

UH, ALSO OUR MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT, UH, AND THE WORK THAT THEY DID AND, AND SHUFFLING AND MOVING THINGS AROUND, UM, BETWEEN SCHOOLS ON, AND JUST THE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE SCHOOLS AND THE PRINCIPALS WAS SHARING RESOURCES TO, TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

AND THE FLEXIBILITY WITH STAFF AND, AND OUR COMMUNITY.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAD ONE WAS MOVED, UH, SKYLINE WAS MOVED INSIDE AND WARREN COUNTY, UH, WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

BUT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAD SOME RAIN, BUT, BUT THE ENTHUSIASM AND EXCITEMENT WAS THERE.

UH, AND IT WAS A GREAT EVENT FOR BOTH GRADUATION.

SO I WAS HAPPY TO PARTICIPATE IN THOSE.

AND IT WAS JUST A GREAT, UH, IT WAS A GREAT TIME, AND I LOVED, UH, THE EXCITEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM FROM, FROM THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.

UM, COUPLE OTHER THINGS OF INTEREST COMING UP, UH, ON FRIDAY AT 9:00 AM I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COFFEE AND CONVERSATIONS MEETING.

UH, AND WE'LL GET A CHANCE TO DO SORT OF A Q AND A ABOUT OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM AND WHERE WE ARE.

SO THAT IS, UH, HOSTED BY THE FRONT ROYAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AND IT TAKES PLACE AT ON QUEUE, AND IT'S THE FIRST FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH.

AND, UH, SO THIS FRIDAY, UH, THEY WILL BE FOCUSING ON OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM, AND THERE'LL BE QUESTIONS FROM THE MODERATOR, UH, AS WELL AS THE, THE AUDIENCE CAN ASK QUESTIONS.

AND IT'S JUST SORT OF, IT'S LITERALLY COFFEE AND CONVERSATION.

SO IF YOU HAVE TIME FRIDAY MORNING, COME OUT, IT'S AT NINE O'CLOCK.

UH, ALSO THIS FRIDAY AT SIX 30, UH, I'LL BE ATTENDING ANOTHER EVENT, UH, CALLED THE LET'S GET CHEESY EVENT, SPONSORED BY THE WARREN COALITION AND SUPPORTING PROJECT COURAGE TO PROVIDE SUPPORT, SUPPORT TO OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE DEALING WITH TRAUMA.

SO, UH, THIS EVENT IS LOCATED AT NORTH WARREN CELEBRATION HALL.

UH, CHECK OUT THE WARREN CORE COALITION WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

I STILL THINK THERE ARE SOME TICKETS AVAILABLE.

UH, AND IF YOU HAVEN'T PURCHASED YOUR TICKET TO THE HIKE KIDS DISCO DANCE OFF ON JUNE 27TH, YOU MAY BE TOO LATE.

SO, UNLESS YOU KNOW SOMEONE, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET A TICKET.

I, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

THE TEAM, THE TEAM AT WARREN COUNTY SCHOOLS, UH, CAN'T REVEAL ALL THE NAMES, BUT I WILL SAY WE HAVE, WE HAVE A PLAYER COACH, UH, MS. VERNA, AND WE ALSO HAVE A, A PROFESSIONAL COACH, AND MS. BRAGG, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH US.

AND, UH, IT'S LOOKING REALLY SHARP.

SO, UH, I JUST CAME FROM OUR LATEST PRACTICE, AND, UH, IT WAS, IT WAS, I'M, I'M STARTING TO FEEL IT, SO I'M DANCING THE MOVES, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE AT HOME.

I'M WORKING THESE MOVES AND MOWING THE GRASS.

YOU KNOW, I'M, WE'RE ROLLING.

SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, TO THE COMPETITION.

SO, UH, I ALSO WANTED TO INTRODUCE, UH, CAPTAIN POWELL'S IN THE BACK.

HE'LL BE TAKING OVER FOR OUR, UH, LEADING OUR S-O-R-R-O PROGRAM.

UH, SO WE APPRECIATE HIM, UH, BEING HERE TONIGHT.

AND ALSO, UH, IN THAT IMPORTANT ROLE, UH, AND WITH OUR SROS.

I THINK THAT IS IT FOR ME.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, DR. WRIGHT.

WE HAVE SCHOOL BOARD REPORTS,

[3.B. School Board]

UM, IT'S BEEN KIND OF QUIET, UM, IN A GOOD WAY.

SO I WENT TO MY, WENT TO THE FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOL GRADUATION I'D BEEN TO IN MY LIFE, AND IT WAS, WENT

[00:20:01]

I LOVED IT.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS LIKE, WOULD'VE BEEN LIKE OUTSIDE, BUT IT WAS GREAT BEING ON THE INSIDE.

AND I, I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY WELL ORGANIZED, AND, AND IT WAS A, IT WAS GREAT TO SEE THE, THE KIDS GRADUATING, GETTING THEIR, GET THEIR DEGREES AND MOVING ON.

AND UNFORTUNATELY, I WAS SICK FOR THE NEXT NIGHT, AND IT WASN'T THE WEATHER THAT KEPT ME OUT, BUT I, I WAS SICK.

BUT, UH, I WANNA CONGRATULATE ALL THE GRADUATES.

IT'S A, IT'S A BIG ACHIEVEMENT TO DO THAT, AND I WISH THEM ALL THE BEST IN, IN WHATEVER THEY'RE GOING TO DO.

UM, I AM VERY EXCITED FOR THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS THAT DR. WRIGHT JUST MENTIONED IN GETTING FORWARD TO THAT.

IT, I WASN'T PART OF THE LAST ONE THAT WAS FIVE YEARS AGO, BUT I THINK THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF ANY ORGANIZATION, HAVE A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT YOU'RE STICKING TO, YOU COME UP WITH AS, AS A COMMUNITY OF WHAT THE GOALS ARE, AND THEN HAVING THAT AS YOUR GUIDING LIGHT FOR THE, FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.

AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, OUR LAST STRATEGIC PLAN KIND OF WENT ASUNDER HERE AND THERE.

WE, WE, WE DON'T FOCUS ON IT VERY WELL.

I THINK THIS TIME WE'RE GOING TO KIND OF GO, GO INTO IT AND STICK WITH IT.

AND AT THE END, YOU CAN SAY, HERE'S WHAT WE DID.

AFTER FIVE YEARS, I'M, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

UM, I DID DO ANOTHER, UH, SBMA, UM, TRAINING MICROCREDENTIAL ON WHAT FORENSIC AUDITS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT, AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORENSIC AUDITS AND REGULAR AUDITS.

VERY EXCITING STUFF.

BUT, UH, IT WAS, UM, THE SBMA DOES PROVIDE SOME GREAT TRAININGS FOR THAT.

SO I WAS ABLE TO DO THAT.

AND, UM, THAT IS IT.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, MS. JONES.

UM, LET'S, I ALSO ATTENDED SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL'S GRADUATION.

UH, THAT WAS THE FIRST INDOOR GRADUATION, UH, I'VE EVER SEEN HERE IN WARREN COUNTY.

UH, IT TURNED OUT VERY NICE.

UM, AND THEN I CHICKENED OUT ON THE RAIN FOR WARREN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL'S GRADUATION .

BUT I DID WATCH IT FROM HOME.

UH, SO I WANNA THANK THE ADMIN TEAMS AT BOTH HIGH SCHOOLS FOR PUTTING ON TWO AMAZING GRADUATION CEREMONIES FOR OUR SENIORS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

UH, I WANNA SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF OUR DEDICATED SCHOOL STAFF.

UH, THIS SCHOOL YEAR HAS BEEN A GREAT ONE, AND KNOW THAT YOU ALL ARE DEDICATED.

YOU HAVE THE PASSION TO LEAD OUR STUDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY FORWARD IN LEARNING.

SO I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH.

ENJOY YOUR SUMMER BREAKS, SPEND TIME WITH FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND LOVED ONES, AND GET READY TO COME BACK FOR ANOTHER GREAT YEAR NEXT YEAR.

.

UM, THAT'S ALL I HAVE.

THANK YOU, MR. KLEIN.

UM, I ATTENDED ONE DRIVE GRADUATION AND ONE WETLAND.

AND I WILL, I DO WANT TO SAY THAT THE ATMOSPHERE AND ENTHUSIASM WAS NO DIFFERENT AT EITHER ONE.

IT WAS WHY IT WAS RAINING.

IT WAS STILL FUN, AND IT WAS GREAT TO, UM, TO SEE ALL OF THEM ACHIEVE WHAT THEY DID.

AND, AND IT DID NOT LOOK LIKE THE RAIN BOTHERED ANYBODY AT WARREN COUNTY PERSONALLY.

BUT, UM, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY, UH, OFF OF THAT IS, UM, I WAS PRETTY IMPRESSED WHEN THEY CALLED THE NAMES OUT FOR EVERYBODY THAT HAD EACH STUDENT THAT HAD A 3.5 AND HIGHER GPA, UM, THAT WAS A LOT OF STUDENTS THAT STOOD UP.

THAT WAS A VERY PROUD MOMENT.

UM, AND, AND I JUST WANT TO, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT, THAT THAT'S NOTHING SHORT OF HOW GOOD OF TEACHERS WE'VE GOT.

UM, AND, UH, I'LL DEFEND THAT ALL DAY LONG.

UH, ONCE IN A WHILE, WE GET A LITTLE MESSAGE HERE OR THERE THAT NOT SO NICE.

BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT, THAT I WILL DEFEND THAT, BECAUSE THAT WAS A LOT OF STUDENTS THAT STOOD UP.

AND, I MEAN, IT WAS A REFLECTION OF THEM WANTING TO LEARN, BUT IT, IT WAS ALSO A REFLECTION OF, OF THE TEACHERS TEACHING IT.

AND, UH, I JUST WANNA THANK EVERYBODY, ALL THE, ALL THE STAFF FOR THEIR HARD WORK THAT THEY PUT INTO, TO EACH CHILD.

UM, I DID ATTEND THE, UH, WARREN COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL, FFA PLANT BINGO.

DID NOT WIN A THING, BUT HAD A REALLY GREAT TIME.

AND THE, UH, THE TURNOUT WAS SUPER.

UM, IT'S A VERY, IT'S, IT'S A VERY GREAT ORGANIZATION.

AND IF YOU EVER GET TIME TO, TO, UH, GO OUT AND ATTEND SOMETHING WITH THE FFA, IT, IT'S A GOOD TIME.

I GUARANTEE IT.

BUT, UH, OTHER THAN THAT, THAT'S ALL I GOT.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, MS. SALEM.

UM, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO CONGRATULATE ALL THE GRADUATES.

UM, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND OUR FACILITIES COMMITTEE MEETING.

UM, MR. KLEIN ALSO, UH, ATTENDED THAT.

UH, WE DISCUSSED THE REPLACEMENT OF ROOFS, THE PROGRESS WITH THE LAND LAB, AND ALSO THE, UM, THE AIR CONDITIONING THAT WENT OUT AT HILDA.

UM, WHICH OBVIOUSLY, AGAIN, I FEEL LIKE A BROKEN RECORD LOOPS US BACK TO THE ISSUE WITH THE MEALS TAX.

UM, AS WE ALL KNOW, THE COM, I, I'D LIKE FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY TO

[00:25:01]

UM, IN 2003, THE VOTERS OF THIS COMMUNITY DECIDED TO, TO VOTE AND IMPLEMENT A MEALS TAX.

SO EVERY MEAL THAT YOU GET, EVERY FOOD, EVERY BREAD, BEVERAGE, THEY'RE TAXING YOU AN EXTRA FOR FOUR AND A HALF PERCENT.

THAT MONEY PER THE REFERENDUM, IS SUPPOSED TO BE USED SOLELY AND EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS OF WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

UM, FURTHERMORE, ON TOP OF THAT, OUR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ACTUALLY ENSHRINED THIS INTO AN ORDINANCE.

FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, AN ORDINANCE IS A LOCAL LAW.

AND THAT LAW SAYS THAT THE REVENUES COLLECTED FROM THE COUNTY'S FOOD AND BEVERAGE TAX SHALL BE USED SOLELY FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.

WHILE SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINES, WE ESTIMATE ABOUT FIVE, SIX YEARS AGO, UM, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STOPPED PROVIDING THAT MONEY TO THE SCHOOLS.

THEY'RE STILL COLLECTING THAT TAX, AND THEY ARE USING IT TO PAY THEIR OWN DEBT, NOT COMING TO OUR SCHOOLS ANYMORE.

SO WE DO NOT HAVE A FUND FROM WHICH TO PULL FOR THESE TYPES OF REPAIRS WHEN WE NEED ROOFS, WHEN WE NEED AN AIR CONDITIONER THAT GOES OUT.

THESE ARE THINGS LIKE AN AIR CONDITIONING GOING OUT IS SOMETHING WE CAN'T PREDICT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ASK FOR IN OUR BUDGET.

SO WE ARE VERY PATIENTLY AWAITING, UM, THE SUPERVISORS TO TAKE ACTION ON THE DOCUMENT THAT WE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED TO RETURN OUR MONEY TO US.

BECAUSE AT THIS POINT, IN MY OPINION, THE COUNTY HAS BEEN BREAKING THE LAW FOR THE LAST FIVE PLUS YEARS AND USING THE SCHOOL SYSTEM AS THEIR PERSONAL PIGGY BANK.

AND I AM FED UP WITH IT.

AND OUR STUDENTS AND OUR TEACHERS DESERVE TO KNOW THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE LEAKING ROOFS ABOVE THEIR HEADS AND HAVING SWELTERING HEAT BECAUSE THEY'RE STUCK WITH A BROKEN AIR CONDITIONER.

UM, I'M HOPEFUL THAT, YOU KNOW, THE SUPERVISORS DID PUT IT ON THEIR AGENDA YESTERDAY, AND THEN THEY TABLED IT AND DID NOTHING WITH IT.

UM, THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON IN THESE CONVERSATIONS FOR OVER A YEAR NOW, AND WE ARE STILL GETTING NOWHERE.

THE NEW BUDGET CYCLE STARTS JULY 1ST.

AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERY CITIZEN IN THIS COMMUNITY TO REACH OUT TO YOUR COUNTY SUPERVISORS AND TELL THEM IT'S TIME THAT THE SCHOOLS GET THEIR MONEY BACK AS THE VOTERS DECIDED, AND AS THEIR OWN LAW DICTATES THAT THEY SHOULD BE DOING.

THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR TONIGHT.

THANK YOU.

UM, I JUST WANNA SAY REAL QUICK FOR ANYBODY LISTENING AT HOME, WE ARE AWARE THAT THE FEED IS CUTTING IN AND OUT, AND THE COUNTY IT DEPARTMENT IS ALSO AWARE OF IT, AND THEY ARE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH THE ISSUE.

SO IF, UM, MR. BUDD WAS JUST LET ME KNOW THAT WE'RE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE.

SO HOPEFULLY YOU'RE CATCHING MOST OF OUR MEETING THIS EVENING.

UM, BUT WE ARE AWARE OF THE, THE ISSUE.

SO, UM, I JUST WANNA SAY ALSO, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR GRADUATES.

I ALSO, UM, WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO ALL THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, MIDDLE SCHOOLS, AND HIGH SCHOOLS WHO DID ALL THEIR INDIVIDUAL AWARDS CEREMONIES.

UM, ABSOLUTELY LOVED SEEING EVERYONE POSTING, UM, ALL OF, ALL OF THE CELEBRATIONS THAT WERE HAPPENING, NOT JUST FOR OUR GRADUATES, BUT FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THAT PAST WEEK OF SCHOOL.

I HOPE EVERYONE'S GOING TO HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER AND BE READY TO COME BACK IN THE FALL.

AND THAT IS ALL I HAVE THIS EVENING.

[3.C. Proposed Restructuring to Self-Contained Elementary Special Education Classrooms]

GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.

UM, THE VIRGINIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY RECENTLY PASSED, UM, HOUSE BILL 4 6 1.

UM, IT IS ENTITLED SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENT AGE RANGE RESTRICTIONS IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS.

THIS STATUTE EXPLICITLY PROHIBITS ANY STUDENT WITH A DISABILITY IN GRADES KINDERGARTEN THROUGH SIX FROM BEING REGULARLY PLACED IN AN EDUCATIONAL SETTING, INCLUDING SPECIALIZED ENVIRONMENTS IN WHICH THE MAXIMUM AGE RANGE AMONG THE STUDENTS EXCEEDS FOUR YEARS.

CURRENTLY, OUR ELEMENTARY SELF-CONTAINED, UM, PATHWAYS AND CONNECTIONS EDUCATION, OR PACE CLASSROOMS SPAN A BROAD DEVELOPMENTAL RANGE FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH FIFTH GRADE WITHIN A UNIFIED SETTING.

WHILE THIS BILL DOES HAVE A DELAYED EFFECTIVE DATE NOW OF JULY 1ST, 2027, THE FOLLOWING YEAR, WE ARE PROPOSING TO RESTRUCTURE FOR THE UPCOMING 26 27 SCHOOL YEAR.

BY DIVIDING THE PACE CLASSROOMS INTO TWO SMALLER AND HIGHLY FOCUSED GRADE BANDS, WE WOULD HAVE A PRIMARY BAND, WHICH WOULD INCLUDE KINDERGARTEN THROUGH SECOND GRADE

[00:30:01]

ADDITIONALLY, WE FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT STUDENTS BENEFIT MOST WHEN THEY REMAIN WITHIN THEIR ASSIGNED GEOGRAPHIC ATTENDANCE ZONES, KEEPING STUDENTS IN THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES PROMOTE STABLE RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEERS, ENSURES CONSISTENT ACADEMIC EXPERIENCES, AND FACILITATES SMOOTHER TRANSITIONS AS THEY PROGRESS THROUGH SCHOOL WITHIN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD PEER GROUP.

A CORE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESTRUCTURING IS TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS REMAIN ON THE SIDE OF THE COUNTY WHERE THEY ARE ZONED TO ATTEND SCHOOL, PRESERVING CONTINUITY IN THEIR EDUCATIONAL PATHWAY FROM ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ALL THE WAY THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION.

TO SUPPORT THIS COMMUNITY-BASED MODEL, REGIONAL ELEMENTARY PACE SITES ARE PROPOSED TO BE ORGANIZED AS FOLLOWS.

ON THE WARREN SIDE, WE WOULD HAVE LESLIE FOX KAISER AS THE K TWO CLASSROOM, HILDA J BARBER AS THE THIRD THROUGH FIFTH GRADE CLASSROOM.

AND THEN ON THE SKYLINE SIDE, RUSSY JEFFRIES IS PROPOSED FOR THE K THROUGH TWO CLASSROOM AND E WILSON MORRISON FOR THE THIRD THROUGH FIFTH GRADE CLASSROOM.

NARROWING THE CLASSROOM STRUCTURE TO K TWO AND THREE FIVE BANDS ENSURES THAT CHILDREN ARE LEARNING ALONGSIDE PEERS WHO ARE CLOSER TO THEIR OWN AGE AND DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES.

THIS FOCUSED ENVIRONMENT FOSTERS MORE RELATABLE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL INTERACTIONS, ENCOURAGES MEANINGFUL FRIENDSHIPS AND NURTURES AGE APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR.

MODELING.

OUR SPECIALIZED INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES AND CURRICULA ARE NATURALLY ALREADY SEGMENTED INTO K TWO AND THREE FIVE FOUNDATIONAL BLOCKS.

THIS PROGRAM ADJUSTMENT WOULD ALLOW OUR DEDICATED SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS TO FOCUS DEEPLY ON THE PRECISE PEDAGOGICAL TOOLS, TESTING STANDARDS AND INTERVENTION STRATEGIES MEANT FOR THOSE SPECIFIC AGE GROUPS, THEREBY MAXIMIZING ACADEMIC GROWTH AND INSTRUCTIONAL INSTRUCTIONAL EFFICACY.

WE DO UNDERSTAND THAT CHANGES IN SCHOOL CONFIGURATIONS CAN NATURALLY RAISE QUESTIONS, AND WE DO PLAN TO SEND A COMMUNICATION TO EACH PARENT OF A STUDENT WITH A DISABILITY WHO MAY BE IMPACTED BY THIS PROPOSAL, AND ALLOW TIME TO TALK PERSONALLY WITH THEM ABOUT ANY CONCERNS.

UM, ADDITIONALLY, THERE WOULD BE NO FISCAL IMPACT.

UM, WE WOULD KEEP THE SAME NUMBER OF CLASSROOMS, THE SAME NUMBER OF STAFF.

WE WOULD JUST BE DIVIDING, UM, THE, THE STUDENTS BY THOSE, UM, GRADE BANDS K THROUGH TWO AND THREE THROUGH FIVE.

I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU NOW.

UM, IF I'M ABLE, IS THERE ALREADY A TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN THE SCHOOLS? SO TRANSPORTATION WOULD BE A CONSIDERATION? UM, SO THERE ARE, RIGHT NOW ONLY A HANDFUL OF STUDENTS WHO ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SPECIAL TRANSPORTATION.

WE DO HAVE QUITE A FEW PARENTS THAT ARE CHOOSING TO TRANSPORT THEIR CHILDREN TO THE SCHOOL.

UM, THAT WOULD BE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION THAT WE WOULD HAVE WITH PARENTS.

OF COURSE, IF THEY'RE ELIGIBLE FOR TRANSPORTATION AS A RELATED SERVICE, IT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD WORK THROUGH AND WE WOULD OFFER THROUGH OUR TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.

UM, AND AGAIN, WE HAVE MANY PARENTS THAT CHOOSE TO PROVIDE THAT TRANSPORTATION ON THEIR OWN.

UM, BUT WE WOULD ABSOLUTELY MAKE THAT TRANSPORTATION AVAILABLE TO THEM.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT I CAN ANSWER FOR YOU? THESE, UH, IN THE DIVIDING INTO THE TWO SMALLER GROUPS, IT'S STILL IN THE SAME ROOM.

IT'S JUST, IT'S NOT LIKE YOU HAVE TO PUT UP A WALL OR SOMETHING THEY CAN STILL BE IN.

NOPE.

OKAY.

SO WE WOULD HAVE, SO RIGHT NOW, UM, THERE IS ONE CLASSROOM SELF-CONTAINED SETTING AT EACH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, UM, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF AS ROADS.

SO WE HAVE FOUR OF THESE SELF-CONTAINED, HIGHLY SPECIALIZED CLASSROOMS. AND RIGHT NOW IN THAT ONE CLASSROOM, YOU HAVE KIDS RANGING FROM KINDERGARTEN ALL THE WAY THROUGH FIFTH GRADE IN ONE CLASSROOM.

SO BY DIVIDING THOSE OUT INTO GRADE BANDS, YOU HAVE ONE CLASS, TWO CLASSROOMS THAT ARE FOCUSED ON K THROUGH TWO AT TWO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, ONE ON EACH SIDE OF THE COUNTY, AND THEN THE SAME THING WITH THIRD THROUGH FIFTH.

SO WE WOULD NOT BE, WE WOULD NOT HAVE A K TWO AND THREE FIVE CLASSROOM AT EVERY SCHOOL THAT WOULD HAVE A FISCAL IMPACT AND AN IMPACT ON STAFF.

UM, BUT WE BELIEVE THAT THIS IS, UM, AN, AN EQUITABLE AND, UM, A REALLY TARGETED INSTRUCTIONAL WAY TO PROVIDE EFFECTIVE STUDENT, UM, EFFECTIVE SERVICES TO OUR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS.

THANK YOU.

I, I BETTER UNDERSTAND THAT.

THANK YOU.

YES, SIR.

THANK YOU.

WE DO PLAN TO SEND OUT A LETTER TO FAMILIES TOMORROW.

UM, SO I WANTED TO BRING THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION FIRST FOR ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS OR DISCUSSION BEFORE REACHING OUT TO OUR IMPACTED FAMILIES.

UM, AND WE WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR ANY CONCERNS THAT MAY BE BROUGHT TO YOUR ATTENTION.

I'M HAPPY TO, UM, PARTICIPATE IN ANY CONVERSATIONS THAT MAY COME UP.

ALL RIGHT.

ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

NEXT UP THIS

[4.A. Approve Renewal of Policy Services]

THE FIRST ITEM IS TO APPROVE OUR RENEWAL OF POLICY

[00:35:01]

OUR CURRENTLY CURRENT POLICY SERVICES ENDED, UM, MAY 31ST, 2026.

WE HAVE, UM, SBMA AS AN OPTION, OR VSBA, WHICH WOULD REQUIRE US TO ONE REENTER MEMBERSHIP OF THE VSBA, UM, WHICH WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY DOING.

AT OUR LAST MEETING, WE HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ABILITY OF OUR ADMINISTRATORS, DR. WRIGHT AND DR.

COSTNER SPECIFICALLY, UM, AND MS. DRAKE, MS. BRAGG, AS NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO CONTACT, UM, THOSE POLICY WRITERS AND ASK THEM QUESTIONS DIRECTLY.

IS MY UNDERSTANDING, AND PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, ANY OF YOU, UM, THAT THAT'S BEEN WORKED THROUGH.

AND YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO CONTACT, UM, SBMA POLICY WRITERS WITH QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE.

WE ALSO CONFIRMED THAT THERE ARE TWO ATTORNEYS ON STAFF AT SBMA, UM, TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS.

UM, AND THERE WAS ALSO A QUESTION ABOUT THE, UM, CURRENT LETTERING SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE VERSUS THE NEW NUMBERING SYSTEM.

MY UNDERSTANDING IS THEY'LL BE WORKING WITH US TO FIGURE OUT SORT OF A NUMBERING LETTERING SYSTEM THAT MATCHES WITH, UM, WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING AND FIGURING OUT WHERE THOSE NEW POLICIES GO.

UM, FLIP SIDE OF THAT, WHERE WE LEFT IT WITH VSBA, UM, WE EXITED, I DIDN'T WRITE DOWN THE STATE.

IT'S BEEN A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO.

UM, BASICALLY, IN MY OPINION, WE CAN'T, WE COULD NOT VOTE THIS EVENING, UM, TO GO WITH VSBA POLICY SERVICES WITHOUT FIRST GOING THROUGH THE STEPS OF, UM, HAVING A VOTE TO HAVE ME SEND A FORMAL LETTER TO THE VSBA TO ASK THEM TO CONSIDER OUR RERAN FOR MEMBERSHIP.

UM, STATING THE REASONS THAT WE WOULD WANT TO BE MEMBERS AGAIN, AND THEN WAIT FOR THAT PROCESS TO GO THROUGH THEIR BOARD.

THAT'S THE INFORMATION THAT I'VE RECEIVED, UM, TWICE FROM THE, UM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GINA PATTERSON AT VSBA.

SO THAT'S THE BACKGROUND THAT I CAN PROVIDE OUR BOARD.

IF THERE ARE OTHER QUESTIONS, PERHAPS I CAN ANSWER THEM.

UM, DISCUSSION THOUGHTS.

WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE SPMA.

UH, I'VE BEEN ON THE POLICY OFFICIALLY, THE UNOFFICIAL COMMITTEE AND THE OFFICIAL COMMITTEE FOR OVER A YEAR.

AND I, I FOUND IT BE VERY EASY TO WORK WITH.

THEY'RE VERY NICE PRICE AT $2,900 INSTEAD OF 12,500.

UM, I THINK THEY'RE, THEY'RE, UH, VERY CUSTOMER SERVICE KIND OF A BOUTIQUE EFFORT BECAUSE THEY'RE TRYING TO BUILD CUSTOMERS, I GUESS.

AND I, AND, AND, UH, THE, THE CUSTOMERS THEY HAVE, THEY LIKE TO KEEP.

SO I FOUND I HAVE A ZERO PROBLEMS WITH THEM.

WE THINK WE'VE, WE'VE HAD A, UH, IT'S BEEN A GREAT FIND TO HAVE THEM.

UH, THEIR TRAININGS ARE ONLINE, ARE JUST AMAZING.

THEY'RE VERY EASY TO DO.

AND IF, IF YOU DO 'EM ON TIME, YOU CAN DO 'EM FOR FREE.

IF YOU WAIT A LITTLE BIT, YOU HAVE TO PAY MONEY.

BUT IF YOU DO 'EM, IF YOU DO 'EM RIGHT WHEN THEY COME OUT, YOU GET TO DO 'EM FOR FREE, WHICH IS GREAT.

SO, UH, THE OTHER THING IS WE ALL GET TO GET DIFFERENT MEMBERSHIPS AT A CHEAPER PRICE.

SO I HAVE, I'VE HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE WITH IT.

I KNOW MISS LOW THAT WAS ON BEFORE, SEEMED TO HAVE A GOOD EXPERIENCE WITH IT.

I THINK MS. JONES HAS BEEN WORKING WITH IT, HAS, HAS BEEN HAD FINE.

SO I DON'T, I'M, I'M HAPPY TO, TO, TO CONTINUE ON WITH THEM.

I'VE SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS, MANY, MANY HOURS, UM, WATCHING QUITE A FEW PREVIOUS SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS AS IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, , UH, AND, AND TAKING NOTE OF WHAT DIFFERENT BOARD MEMBERS SAID, UM, AND REASONS WHY, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY STAYED, BUT, YOU KNOW, WERE SKEPTICAL AND THEN EVENTUALLY LEFT.

UM, AND SO I CAN UNDERSTAND THE REASONING AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST REASONS, UM, FOR ME WAS, UH, JUST HEARING THAT THE COST VERSUS THE RETURN ON THAT INVESTMENT, UM, A LOT OF THE SERVICES WERE NOT BEING UTILIZED BY BOARD MEMBERS.

AND SO IF WE DON'T, IF WE'RE NOT GONNA TAKE PART IN THAT, UM, THEN WE PROBABLY SHOULDN'T.

UM, AND I, I SPOKE, UH, MET WITH SHELLY OF THE SBMA, UM, AND SHE ANSWERED ALL OF MY QUESTIONS AND SHE WAS ABLE TO, UM, COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY TO ME THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR NEEDS WOULD BE MET.

UH, SO I AM POSITIVE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD CONTINUE IN THE DIRECTION WITH THE SVMA.

RIGHT NOW.

I DON'T SEE THAT WE HAVE ANY FLAWS.

UH, TALKED TO DR. WRIGHT AS WELL ABOUT WHAT HIS STAFF NEEDS ARE.

IT SEEMS LIKE WE'VE GOTTEN THAT WORKED OUT NOW THAT THEY CAN ACCESS THE PORTAL AND, UH, SPEAK TO THEM AT ANY TIME ABOUT ISSUES OF ENFORCEMENT, OF POLICIES OR, UM, LEGAL

[00:40:01]

SO I'M CONFIDENT SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T, WE DON'T FIX IT IF IT'S NOT BROKEN.

I'D JUST LIKE TO REITERATE, I MEAN, I WAS, UM, EXTREMELY SKEPTICAL WHEN WE FIRST, UM, WENT WITH SBMA AND I'LL JUST SAY IT AGAIN.

IT'S GONNA BE THE SAME MOVING FORWARD.

AND IT'S THE SAME THING WE DID WITH VSBA AS WELL.

IF SOMETHING COMES DOWN POLICY-WISE THAT WE THINK IT'S CONTROVERSIAL OR WE'RE NOT QUITE SURE ABOUT IT, WE'RE ALWAYS GONNA RUN IT THROUGH SAN SANDERSON ANYWAY.

UM, THAT'S NOT GONNA BE DIFFERENT.

SO, OKAY.

UH, IS THERE A MOTION I MOVE THAT THE WARREN COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD CONTRACTS WITH THE SBMA FOR SCHOOL BOARD POLICY SERVICES FOR THE PERIOD OF JUNE 1ST, 2026 TO MAY 31ST, 2027? IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.

ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE.

A I, AYE.

OPPOSED? NO, THANK YOU.

WE WILL, UM, RENEW OUR CONTRACT WITH SBMA THROUGH MAY 31ST, 2027 FOR POLICY SERVICES.

NEXT UP THIS EVENING,

[4.B. First Reading of KCG/GBEC/JFCH Policy - Mrs. Drake]

THIS IS DRAKE.

GOOD EVENING.

UH, SO THIS IS A FIRST READING.

UH, SO I'LL JUST KIND OF GO OVER WHY THIS IS BEING INTRODUCED AS A FIRST READING.

SO THE PROPOSED REVISION TO POLICY KGCB, G-B-E-C-J-F-C-H, TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND NICOTINE VAPOR PRODUCTS WOULD ADD A SENT AWARENESS LANGUAGE TO SUPPORT THE SAFETY AND HEALTH, OR, EXCUSE ME, THE SAFE AND HEALTHY, HEALTHY LEARNING OF OUR WORKING ENVIRONMENTS FOR STUDENT STAFF AND VISITORS.

THE REVISION RECOGNIZES A STRONG FRAT SCENTED PRODUCTS MAY NEGATIVELY IMPACT INDOOR AIR QUALITY.

IT MAY TRIGGER ALLERGIES, ASTHMA, HEADACHES, OR OTHER HEALTH RELATED CONCERNS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SENSITIVITIES.

THE ADDED LANGUAGE ENCOURAGES VOLUNTARY COOPERATION TOWARDS MAINTAINING A SCENT REDUCED ENVIRONMENT BY MINIMIZING THE USE OF HEAVY, HEAVILY SCENTED, UH, PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS, DEODORIZERS FRAGRANCES, CLEANING PRODUCTS WITHIN THE SCHOOL FACILITIES.

THIS REVISION SUPPORTS THE DIVISION'S COMMITMENT TO PROMOTING WELLNESS, SAFETY AND CONSIDERATION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITHIN WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

UH, THIS SEEMS TO BE THE MOST FITTING AREA TO ADD IT AS WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR JUST ONE GROUP TO IMPACT.

WE'RE LOOKING FOR OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, OUR STUDENTS, AND OUR STAFF.

UM, AND THIS HAS RELATIONS TO, UH, THE AIR QUALITY AND WHAT WE'RE BREATHING QUESTIONS FOR MS. DRAKE, AS I'VE COMMUNICATED TO OTHERS, I AM, I'M ALL BY THE WAY, I I AM AFFECTED BY SMELLS AND THINGS LIKE THAT TOO.

SO I, I UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS.

I JUST DON'T KNOW WHETHER IT'S A LEVEL OF A POLICY BECAUSE READING THE WORDS THAT ARE IN IT, THERE'S, THERE'S, IT'S A LOT OF, IT'S, IT'S AN AWARENESS POLICY WHERE THAT CAN BE PUT INTO A STUDENT HANDBOOK OR A SCHOOL HANDBOOK SAYING, HERE'S SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT.

BUT THIS JUST, I MEAN, WE REQUEST ALL STUDENTS REFRAIN FROM OR MINIMIZE THE USE OF PERFUMES, COLOGNES, AND OTHER STRONG FRAGRANCES.

I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU, HOW YOU REGULATE IT.

PEOPLE STINK SOMETIMES.

DR. WRIGHT WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING ABOUT THAT, YOU KNOW, GEORGE, YOU CAN SUE DOWN THERE, .

UM, I MEAN, PEOPLE HAVE GOOD DAYS AND BAD DAYS, OR, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE'S HANGING OUT IN A, A CAR THAT SMELLS LIKE SUBWAY AND, AND YOU'RE GLUTEN FREE.

I, THERE'S ALL KINDS OF STUFF THAT HAPPENS.

YEAH.

AND SO I DON'T, I JUST, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT YES, YOU, YOU SHOULD TRY TO, AND THERE'S, AND THIS RECOMMENDATION'S IN THERE, BUT TYPICALLY SCHOOL BOARD POLICIES ARE LIKE, IF YOU DO THIS, THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN.

IF YOU DON'T DO THIS, THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

THIS IS JUST SORT OF LIKE, HEY, EVERYBODY BE AWARE.

AND, AND I, I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD BE AWARE.

'CAUSE PEOPLE MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND HOW IT, HOW IT AFFECTS PEOPLE.

BUT I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN DO A POLICY ABOUT HOW IT'D BE ENFORCED BECAUSE JUST BECAUSE IT'S, THERE'S TOO MANY SMELLS AND, AND YOU CAN, AND YOUR NOSE MIGHT, YOU KNOW, MY WIFE WHEN SHE GETS PREGNANT CAN SMELL EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME.

I CAN'T DO DO ANYTHING.

SO I MEAN, IT, IT, IT, THINGS CHANGE ALL THE TIME.

SO I JUST THINK IT'S HARD TO REGULATE.

I THINK IT'S FINE IF A SCHOOL WANTS TO PUT IT IN THEIR, IN THEIR HANDBOOK AND SAY, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO.