Note: these proposed minutes should be considered preliminary until they are approved by the committee at a future meeting.
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Windham Southeast School District Policy and Amendment Committee
Monday April 3, 2023
Regular meeting 2:30 PM
Hybrid meeting: WSESU Central Office, 53 Green St., Brattleboro VT and
Remotely via Zoom
Draft Minutes
Policy and Amendment Committee members present: Deborah Stanford (DS), Tim Maciel (TM), Eva Nolan (EN), Anne Beekman (AB)
Other Board members present: Shaun Murphy (SM)
WSESD/U Staff and Administrators present: Mark Speno, Paul Smith, Keith Lyman, Barb Nowakowski
Community members present: Liz Adams, Jody Normandeau, David Schoales, Jaime Contois
The meeting was called to order at 2:33 PM by Mark Speno
I Reorganization
a) Deborah Stanford was elected chair unanimously
Tim Maciel was elected vice chair unanimously
The position of Clerk remains unfilled. It is suggested that hiring a recorder may be required
b) It was unanimously decided that the Committee shall use Robert’s Rules for Small Boards
c) The Policy and Amendment Committee will meet on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month at 2:30 PM at the WSESU Central Office.
II Approval of Minutes
The minutes of March 13, 2023 were approved unanimously.
The next committee meeting will be held on Monday April 24, 2023 to allow for Spring Break
III Updates
The following policies will be presented for adoption at the April 11, 2023 WSESD
Board meeting:
F35 School Animal Policy
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l8hq9d8d8TAU–Z6vU88CzsiglBUB0KPv/view:
D17 Policy on Nondiscriminatory Mascots and School Branding
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FtkU7ol6Xeyihe3yK–GbFySZMtTVq1NK/view
The following policy will be presented for a 2nd reading at the April 11, 2023 WSESD Board meeting:
H7 Leadership Councils
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rqtdczdg_FKrZZCVNRAhyGA6Q8IIapQT/view
A discussion regarding the legal requirements of recording Leadership Council meetings ensued. It is noted that the general consensus among the Councils is that they would prefer not to record their meetings. It is suggested that participation in the Council meetings might increase if they were not recorded. It is also noted that recording the meetings may raise privacy concerns, including among abuse survivors and undocumented residents. It is noted that the fact that meetings are recorded may prevent them from delving into :”sensitive” topics that may not be suitable for discussion in that venue. It is also noted that the board is able to view the recordings and hear more directly from stakeholders.
The Chair will consult with counsel regarding the legal requirements of recording the meetings.
IV Update concerning community response
LSP1/F42 Student Dress Code
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qUEktOmJ7U3U5QQdWxplPZpYetR7wJwy/view
It is noted that some definitions require clarification. For example, the current definition of a shirt disallows several types of commonly worn shirts.
There are questions regarding logos, accessories (eg spiked jewelry) and cultural appropriation. Students will be invited to a Zoom meeting on April 24, 2023 to discuss concerns.
The language around hats and hoodies will be changed to “Hats and hoodies must allow the face to be seen.”
Language involving the terms enforce and enforcement will be reduced.
V New Business
G8 Local Action Plan (Continuous Improvement Plan)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NA4BakSoKO_N_9GxXWnsC2zr9JWFZdNK/view
This policy was removed by the VSBA from its policy manual.
It has been replaced with Continuous Improvement Plans, administered by the Vermont Agency of Education.
https://education.vermont.gov/education–quality–assurance/continuous–improvement
The WSESU Continuous Improvement Plan can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19uTXpCLlioYq9YDbhLydOhFBPoUC0d1aPIFwC6bjIqs/edit
It is noted that this must be discussed with the Administration, and that a Committee of the entire Board may be required. The CIP will be discussed during the Board Retreat.
VI Next Agenda
The next meeting will be on April 24, 2023.
LSP 1/F42 Student Dress Code
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qUEktOmJ7U3U5QQdWxplPZpYetR7wJwy/view
H7 Leadership Councils
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rqtdczdg_FKrZZCVNRAhyGA6Q8IIapQT/view
G8 Local Action Plan
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NA4BakSoKO_N_9GxXWnsC2zr9JWFZdNK/view
E14 Environment Awareness and Responsibility
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1icsL2JiiQKxodehGjZni–tQxNS86c43h/view
Meeting adjourned at 4:41 PM
