I see. >> Good morning everyone and thank you for being here. Uh I am calling this special board meeting to discuss and consider an independent review and invest inigation
to order. Um before we begin, uh Dr. AOF is not able to be in the room today due to family matters. Um, so I first have to ask the board um if anyone has uh an
issue with her joining remotely. >> Anyone? Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Okay. Um, Chair Clerk Thompson. Um, you're good. I just I um I just want for the record to note that the board is in agreement that Dr. Akoff can join
remotely. Um uh and just for everyone in the room, I know there was a request to be in a larger room. The reason we are in this room today is because of the sound system. If we are in the main room, there is a 2-minute delay for anyone on the phone. So, Dr. Akaf would
not be able to participate in discussion. Um and so we are here. Thank you to the board of supervisors and their technology team for making sure the sound um is available. And this will be is being recorded as well as being streamed currently. So, thank you Dr.
AOK for joining remotely. Uh we will begin as we usually do with introductions and I'm going to start with clerk Thompson. >> Christine Thompson, clerk of the board. >> Erin Stone, assistant division council. >> Josiah Black, chief legal officer.
>> Chandra Hayes, acting superintendent. >> Jason Grant, chief communication officer. We go to >> Daffy Kaiser, assistant superintendent. >> Jamie Foreman, chief technology officer. >> Megan Wood, interim assistant superintendent.
>> Dan Reading, chief HR officer. Mr. >> Bob Beard, Samuel Miller district. Jim Dylan, Rio District. >> Um, I'm Allison Spilman. I'm the ATL large representative and chair. I would like to um respectfully ask that I make a quick announcement.
Um, today I'm announcing that I've made the difficult decision to step down from the Alamaro County School Board. My final meeting will be next Thursday evening, August 13th. Sorry. [snorts] Um, this is not a sudden decision, nor
is it a reaction to the very few people who have recently demanded the resignation of this board. Um, I've been considering this transition for months and had originally intended to step down at the end of last school year, but recent events made that timing difficult, and I chose to remain longer
than planned to help support the transition to our new superintendent. I'm leaving because I feel confident in the job I've done. I've served this community with integrity, worked tirelessly on behalf of our students and families, and consistently gone above and beyond what this role has required.
I'm really proud of my service and the work we've accomplished. At the same time, serving on this board has taken a significant toll on my physical, mental, and emotional health. The personal cost has become untenable. My children deserve to have me fully
present in their lives, and they should not have to endure hatred, harassment, or criticism because their mother serves in public office. I will continue to work hard on behalf of our students, staff, families, and school division through my final meeting
next Thursday evening. I intend to finish my service with the same commitment and dedication I brought to this role from the beginning. Serving on this B ro on this role has been an incredible honor and [snorts] I'm really grateful
to the students, families, educators, staff members, and community members who've trusted me and worked alongside me. [snorts] I leave knowing that I gave this position everything I had, [snorts] but now it's time for me to focus on my
health and more importantly, my family. [snorts] Thank you. Thank you so much. [applause] >> Uh I am Dr. Rebecca Berlin with the White Health District. >> Ellen Osborne, Scotsville District. >> Judy Lee Ryana District.
>> Dr. KJ Huff, Jackwick District. [snorts] >> Thank you. >> Dr. Berlin, we skipped over superintendent. Oh, apologies. I missed him. Because this is a special meeting and not a regularly spe scheduled board
meeting, there are specific parameters by which we must abide pursuit to uh code 15.2-1418 of the code of Virginia and consistent with ACPS schoolboard policy BDB. Only
matters specific specifically noted in the public notice shall be considered during the special meeting. And again, this is the discussion and consideration of the independent review [clears throat] and investigation. Before deliberating next steps, we will hold a close session to receive legal advice about recent personnel issues and
the division's policies and practices concerning the response to allegations of sexually inappropriate conduct by staff. Following our closed meeting, we will have a public discussion, deliberation, and consideration on the
independent review investigation and how we move forward. With that, [snorts] do I have a motion to enter close session? You do. I move that the school board of Alamaro County, Virginia, go into a close session as authorized by the Virginia Freedom of Information Act,
section 2.2-3711A 2-3711A of the code of Virginia under subsection 8 for the consultation with legal counsel employed or retained by the school board regarding specific legal matters requiring the provision of legal advice by such counsel. The purpose of this item is for the school board to
seek legal advice regarding an independent independent investigation of recent personnel issues and the division's policies and practices concerning the response to allegations of sexually inappropriate conduct by staff. >> Do I have a second to this motion? Second. >> Moved by Miss Bilman, second by by Miss
Lee. I would like to do a roll call vote for this. Clerk Thompson. >> Yeah. >> Dr. Auff. >> Yes. >> Mr. Beard, >> yes. >> Mr. Dylan, >> yes. >> Miss Lee, >> yes. >> Miss Osborne, >> yes. >> Miss Splman, >> yes.
>> Chair Berlin, >> yes. >> So moved. >> U, we will now go immediately into close session. Um I do ask that everyone and we will need to remain in this room so that we can uh make sure that Dr. Ahoff
has clear um sight and sound. Um I am asking that everyone um uh uh leave this room until we are done with close session. Um I am asking um I'm just joking with this with Mr.
Black, Miss Stone, Dr. pays um to remain in and then we will invite others in as needed. >> Room 235 right around the corner um is open in auditorium.
>> Yeah. Approximately how long will Some of their sound. >> Yeah. We don't need that. >> Just tell me. Okay. >> I would like to bring this special meeting back to order. Do I have a motion? Do I have a closed meeting
motion? Yes, Chair Berlin. I move that the board certify by recorded vote that to the best of each board member's knowledge only public business matters lawfully exempted from the open meeting requirements of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and identified in the motion authorizing the closed meeting
were heard, discussed, or considered in the closed meeting. Second moved by Miss Splman, seconded by Miss Lee. Uh Clerk Thompson, I'd like to just do a roll call on just that motion. >> Mr. Beer. Yes, >> Mr. Dylan Beck.
>> Yes, >> Miss Lee. >> Yes, >> Miss Osborne. >> Yes, >> Miss Filman. >> Yes, >> Dr. Aub. >> Yes, >> Chair Berlin. >> Yes. >> So, moved. And as a reminder, we don't have actual mics, but they're in the
ceiling. So, just speak up >> louder. Thank you. >> Do I have any motions coming out of the closed session board? >> Yes. I move that the school board direct the division superintendent and chief legal
officer to engage the law firm of Harmon Clater to conduct a thorough independent investigation of recent personnel issues and the division's policies and practices concerning the response to
allegations of sexually inappropriate conduct by staff and to share the firm's findings with the school board at the earliest possible date. I'll further move that the chief legal officer be directed to ensure that
Harmon Clator is afforded access to all documents, data, witnesses, and other evidence that would be necessary to conduct such an investigation. Do I have a second? Second. Moved by
Miss Osborne, second by Miss Lee. We are now open for discussion. If any members of the board want to discuss this at this time, >> I would just like to say that uh we want a thorough, timely, and robust
investigation by Harmon Clator and we anticipate that ACBS will give them a full access to the facts. We want to know what happened and we want to know what to make sure that
our our kids and ACPS are safe always. Our staff is safe, our parents are safe, and to make what happened allegedly happened at Holly Media's other schools never happen again. Thank you.
I'm also in favor of this investigation. And I think it's vital for a healthy school division to have uh our practices um examined and to to get
feedback. I also um will be proposing in the near future at some point um contracting with an independent inspector general type of role for an
annual review. not just in this particular case and circumstances that we're we're talking about today, but uh an annual audit and review of our policies and procedures
um by somebody outside of ACPS because I think it's important for us to have at some point um that feedback from uh from somebody in an inspect ctor general type of role. Uh so I I'll be proposing that
at some point in the future. Um we've gotten lots of feedback from various people both teachers, parents, and um I want to uh raise some of the questions that that we're going to encourage the
law firm to investigate. Um these are from Taylor Greenwood. Uh uh question number one, was there any mechanism to aggregate concerns about a single staff member over time so that a series of separate reports would be recognized as
a pattern rather than handled as unconnected events? Number two, was the reporting pipeline understood and followed consistently so that proper reporting didn't depend on any one person getting it right in the moment? Number three, what visibility existed
above the building level so that concerns reached people with the authority to act. The goal isn't to relitigate one case. It's to find every point where a single failed a signal failed and to fix those
systems so that the next time a concern is caught at the first signal rather than the fifth. If the review maps the failures carefully and the findings are made public, it will do more to rebuild trust and to protect children than any
single personnel outcome. >> Thank you. >> Um yeah, I'm fully in favor of this investigation. I think it's really important that we find out what we got right and what we got wrong.
Um and it needs to be from the top down. it needs to not just be at the school level. Um, but we need to figure out what the systemic failures are and how we can fix them. Um, and so not just I
mean and and not just point out what was right or what was wrong, but what actionable items do we have going forward that we can put in place. Um, our students as a parent, an ACPS parent, I want my kids to be safe in school. Um, and I want to feel like when
I send them to school that they're coming home safe. Uh, and so I have confidence in this division. I am proud of of what we do, but I think that there are gaps and I think that there are holes and I think we need to figure out where they are. And I think having
um an outside uh attorney team looking at it in all aspects and giving us all the facts and giving us not just the facts but recommendations of what we can do to improve um is what we deserve. Um not just our staff but our students and
our families. So I fully support this. Um, I'm in favor of this. Uh, and I want us to keep, uh, our focus on the primary goal, which is what can we do to come out of the situation that makes Alvar
County public schools a safer and stronger division for our students, our parents, and our employees. And I want us to keep us focused on that goal moving forward. What can we do to make this a safer place?
Um, I'm also in favor of this and I don't have anything profoundly different to say. Um, I after Allison leaves I'll for at least a time to be the only ACPS parent on this board and it is
very very important to me that our kids be safe and that our staffers and um, everyone in the community in the APS community be safe. cuz I'm I'm very much in favor of this. >> Dr. A,
>> I don't have much to add. I'm in favor of this route to getting to the bottom of what happened and uh I have confidence that we will do so. >> Thank you. Um I too am in favor of this investigation. We need to have a robust
investigation on how we can best protect the students that we are responsible for and provide improved safety for our children, our employees and our families. We need to look at what the failures were in our system uh particularly the policies, procedures
and practices and how they can be improved for the future. This is the best decision that is in the best decision of the students and the school division now and in the future. So I have a uh a motion on the floor
with a second. Uh do I have any other discussion before we move to an immediate vote? I think it's important to make sure that uh you understand this is going to be quite
a long process and um there may be information that we're not able to share uh with public and um so we ask for patience. We're all committed obviously to greater
safety [clears throat] and and better structures. Uh but it's going to take some time. So we appreciate their patience >> and we asked for updates along the way so that it's not just waiting till the end. Um, we committed to, uh, updates
every 60 days with hopefully actionable items coming out of each of those close session meetings with the investigators. Um, so that we can continue to be doing the work. Um, and this doesn't replace the work that the division's already doing and that our interim
superintendent is already putting in place to make our school safer and uh, change uh, and improve already. any other discussion items to bring forward? >> Um I I just want to mention that in
addition to the 60 days, um if there are any insights that come up and need immediate attention, um we'll act on those as well. >> Um I would clerk Thompson, I would like now like to move to an immediate vote.
Does anyone need me to read the motion reread or are we ready to vote? >> Mr. Dylan Beck, >> yes. >> Miss Lee, >> yes. >> Miss Osborne, >> yes. >> Miss Spilman, >> yes. >> Dr. Akob,
>> yes. >> Mr. Beard, >> yes. >> Chair Berlin, >> yes. >> With a vote 70. The motion carries. >> Thank you so much. I now declare this August 4th special board meeting adjourned.