teacher gets that message, she should be calling the lockdown and using her panic button to do that. >> Correct. Correct. We we can follow up and add that layer of um of training as we're working with the teachers right now as they're back in their buildings.
>> Okay. And then in regards to the age level uh with rolling this out in elementary school, um Dr. Herman, what is your what is your thoughts on that? So I I I'm thinking of two things compartmentalized. So we have policy
that is often broad and we have our operational uh processes that are you know often narrow. Um and right now operationally academically we're not exposing elementary kids to to AI in the form that we're doing for uh secondary schools. I do know that some schools
have um very I would call a soft version of teaching kids about what AI is and how how do you code um and things like that using um what's the like Minecraft type activities. Um but as far as the
whole language learning model, the the chat bots and all of those things, that's we're not doing that in elementary school at all. that's been a a specific uh strategy of ensuring that we're not exposing elementary school kids to that. So, I probably more of a question for the GC if if baking that
into the policy, but operationally, academically, we're, you know, very narrow in our scope of h of who what age group of students that we're going to allow to use it. >> So, if I may add to that what Dr. Heper um just said. So, in addition to what's
going to be included in the standard operating procedures in the guidelines, the policy based on the board's motion at last Tuesday's meeting does now have language that says for students in grades preK through 2 grade, access to standalone generative AI applications,
AI chat bots, and similar conversations and AI systems is restricted. So, that is in the policy based on your vote last week, >> right? So that's up to second grade and um >> sorry I thought just point of order I
thought that would that it motion was up to fifth grade. I thought it was all elementary school. Does anyone remember differently? >> I asked for that. I don't pass. >> Yeah, I think it's K. Yeah, K1. >> No, we're talking about one to one. That
was the one screen time. The AI chatbot piece, >> Miss Bulman. >> That was that was all elementary. Yeah. Uh, Miss Bulman, >> I think, you know, I think the context was with Magic Schools that it was going to be middle and high school, but I
think to the point that the expectation from the board was probably that we're not going to have it in in elementary school at all. >> If I'm remembering the motion correctly, the it was the third motion and it was specifically about AI and it was elementary school. The first motion
dealt with onetoone screen like screen time devices. >> So I would if we could go back and review I just it if the board gives me direction to make it from prek to fifth grade then we will do that. I just need the direction.
>> That would be that would be my suggestion. >> Is there any objection to that Miss Thompson? No. >> I was just going to say I think that's my substitute motion and that's what it was. Elementary school. It's >> okay. So, no objection to Miss Alhadf's proposal. >> There you go. >> No. >> How is this proposal different than what
we approved last week? >> Last week, the motion was very specific to AI chatbots. Miss Dribero, could you read what the language that you just read? It was a little bit broader. Based on what um the board is indicating, you wanted to go to fifth grade. So the
language would say for students in grades prek through fifth grade, access to standalone generative AI applications, AI chat bots, and similar conversations and AI systems shall be
restricted. >> So why is what you're speaking to not reflected on page 111 under instruction, student use of AI? Part of the reason is that the um policies that were uploaded because we have to upload it within a
week those policies don't reflect the motions that were done at that meeting. So we have captured it you know and updated those policies and it will come to you on August 11th fully revised. >> So will it also be revised on page 111? >> Yes.
>> Okay then I'm good. Thank you. >> Anything else Mrs. Miss Hixon, >> thank you. Excuse me. I just I have two questions. So, my numbers are are different, but page 30 um of the
specific policy there where it says transparency. In the second paragraph, it says parent communication and opt out where legally required or administratively permitted parents may opt out of AI based district tools, assignments, or assessments. that what
does what does that mean? I mean, legally required makes sense, but what does administratively permitted mean? I think that's it's it's very ambiguous. >> For the opt out, it will have to go through the instructional materials opt out process, which is an administrative
process. That's what that is referring to. >> So, is there a way to word that better? Because Dr. Zan has said this a number of times. Our policies are not people friendly. Yes. like we know what it means, but someone reading it might not
know. So, I think it needs to be more clear that there's um and it doesn't really say in here where to go to find that that procedure because I know we don't want to put procedures in our policy, but it should at least direct
them somewhere to find out how they how they can opt out if they want to. >> Absolutely. And um my understanding because I wasn't at the last meeting but my understanding is that the board directed for me to also draft a family or parentfriendly process document for
the parents. So I am working on that and that will be something that will be part of the whole AI release and education of parent with simple steps on how to do the opt out and then I'll also try to fix the language as well in the policy. >> All right. And with knowing that may change after the August 5th. Well,
interestingly enough, the rule does also include the opt out as we have it pursuant to Florida statute 106.28. So, it's quite interesting that it has the opt out, but then it has an optin. And one thing I think the board needs to
um be aware of that rule, the way that is drafted, it's extremely broad, which means that even using your spell check in Word could qualify as something that a parent has to opt in or go through the instructional process to challenge as an
opt out. So, I think there's going to be some clarification from the state board when it reviews um the rule because it's very very broad. >> Yeah. and and we have seen just in our own policy with the cameras opt-in is not is not very efficient way to get things done which I'll bring up later
today. Um so my other thing is on page 33 it's under employee use of AI under E workflow enhancement. The last sentence in that paragraph says the use of AI tools for such purposes should be disclosed when disseminating AI output.
So my question to that is for example we have co-pilot and when you're which is an a form of AI sometimes you use that to help you word your so does does this policy mean that at the bottom of our emails we have to put a disclaimer that
says we've used co-pilot to help us craft this email >> I'm going to ask um Mr. to custoa to address that question. >> That that's an excellent point because as AI becomes more and more embedded into our processes, what is the
notification threshold? The intent of it was if you create a a a uh large document or policy document or procedural document, you use AI, it should be disclosed somewhere. But I take I take that question that's that's an important point as to what is the
threshold for how much do you use AI and that would trigger notification or should we just put a blanket notification if AI was used in any part of the creation of a document or or presentation? >> Yeah. Because the way I read the policy,
it's right now it says if you write an email to someone, you would have to put a disclaimer that it's been enhanced or whatever by AI. That will be very cumbersome, especially to our our teachers if they're writing an email to
parents. So, I I don't think that that's my personal intent. I mean, you know, but I I I don't know what my board members think, but um I think it needs to be a little clearer because I don't want someone to get caught up in saying
that they're not following policy if if they were to write an email that was enhanced by AI and someone said, "Well, you you know, checked it out, found it was AI," and then said, "You're you're breaking policy because you didn't disclose it."
So I I I guess I'd like to know what my colleagues think. >> Any thoughts on Miss >> Mr. Civera? Dr. Zean >> after you. >> Thank you, Chair. Um I guess we learn
something new every day in life. I did not know that you can use a chatbot to respond to your emails. Um, that's actually quite frightening uh when I think about it. Um, that being said,
I think everyone knows my take on AI and I think if you're going to use it and the policy requires a disclosure, I I think that would that that would and should include emails. Um, I know in the legal profession, as I'm sure Miss Bowman is well aware, the uh, state
supreme court has recently come down with some rules that if you use any AI and any kind of legal pleadings, you have to put a disclaimer on there. So, I I would be in favor of of such language. If in fact a chatbot or co-pilot or
something is used to respond to anything, um I think you should have to disclose it in in fairness to let people know that um it's being used. Um incidentally, to my constituents listening, just know if you email me, you will get a response solely from the
mind of Servera. It will not include any AI responses, but um if people choose to do that, um that's certainly your prerogative. I'm not um casting judgment upon anybody, but certainly I think uh some type of disclaimer should be in there. So, it's obvious that the text
and context of the messaging or whatever it may be was used with AI and not fully with the person who's hitting send. So, uh I would be in favor of uh requiring that language and any emails or documents that were created in part with
uh with AI. >> Dr. Zean, >> thank you very much. Um, you you can imagine a high school student um being assigned a paper and asking an AI chatbot, can you tell me 10
great sources to read on this topic? And the chatbot will respond with 10 or 100 um might put it together in tables, might sort it by when it was done, might sort it by reviews very very efficiently as a very effective use of AI, right? We
all have to go find sources to read in order to write you know an intelligent paper about something. Um we've used AI probably a lot of us to uh summarize 500page technical papers you know in a few pages so that we can understand the gist of it and decide if we really want
to you know go in and dive in further into that paper. Again I think that that's a very effective mind expanding uh use of AI. I don't think the mind necessarily expands by doing trivial tasks a thousand times when a machine can help us sort through it and then our
mind can go back to actually learning because we're doing something that's a stretch for our for our for our capability at that point. I would just ask chair that the staff think a little bit about a good delimter for this. You know if if you're using AI to write a paper uh absolutely one you shouldn't do
that. to um you know, you need to disclose any kind of AI that actually produces content that you um purport to be your own. And and I'm I'm not even sure we want to say that that's an okay thing to do. I don't I don't believe that it is. But um we have a lot of AI
assist devices that are very good things like I described things like uh statistical analyses which they can do without you having to understand statistical programming. Um, all of those things are very healthy ways to use AI in order to expand your brain faster than you could without AI. Um,
but to me that this is a tough thing to describe in words, Miss Hixon, because um, you know, we we don't want uh someone to use part of AI without disclosing it. You like writing the essay or writing the introduction, the essay. No, no, you got you shouldn't do
that. One, and two, there's some things we may want to dis disclose. things that I described I'm not sure are going to be abnormal. In fact, today I think they're very normal for high school students to be using these tools to to create sources to summarize sources to know
where to go to explore further to understand reviews of some of that material so you can really uh move forward in a good pedagogical way. You know, expand your capability. So I would just ask the staff to think a little bit about a sentence that describes what is it that really needs to be disclosed
versus what are kind of good solid uh consistent with what we know about pedagogy method uh techniques for using AI to kind of accelerate the learning and to make it more efficient. >> This particular piece is about employee use of AI. It's not about students
>> but in including employees. So, an employee uses uh it to find sources to assign to students. I don't think they need to disclose that. That's just a much more efficient way to find great articles to share with students. If um if they produce a lecture in Toto from
an AI tool, yeah, I think that should be disclosed. You didn't you didn't do it. Uh the machine did it. You just wrote a clever prompt and it and it produces. Um if you use AI to make your PowerPoint look better, I don't think you need to disclose that because it's your content. you're just making it visually appealing
so that uh you can communicate better to the audience. I still believe that whether it's staff or students that there's a type of AI that is should be disclosed uh about did the machine actually create this as opposed did they just make it better or allow me to do something more efficient
>> and what about the the specific question was about emails. I I think the staff should come back in kind of in the next version that we're going to get and kind of try and delimmit, you know, give us some words or some options on some words that would say, hey, this is disclosed and this is
like uh normal business practice. That would be my suggestion. >> Hixon, if you don't mind me. Um, so the intent of B was really not about emails. It was more about teachers using it for instructional materials, assessment, and feedback, but not related to any
communication that they're doing via email. is really around their instructional use of AI >> and and that that's fine. >> When I read it, my mind immediately went to emails because I do use it to help me with the emails. So, if that's the
intent, I think we need to be clearer because I just wouldn't want someone to get caught up in where they have used it to help answer an email and someone comes back and says, "You didn't disclose that." Because somebody else, if I read it that way, I'm sure other people could take it. So that was my
point was do we want to include that and if not then it needs to be clearer I think in the policy >> we can absolutely tighten the language >> Miss Thompson >> thank you chair and I apologize to my cy colleagues for my tardiness I was kicking off one of our movein projects
um my personal opinion is we don't have to disclose it for email because as another speaker said your spellch check is now using AI so if you use spellch check does that mean you're not authentically responding to people. I don't think that's an accurate assumption or should be the assumption
of anyone on the board. Um both of us writing emails to our constituents, our teachers, drafting first day of school emails to parents. Um I think the policy as Dr. Con said was about more substantial um works from teachers or
from administration. So, I don't think the disclosure should be and therefore there should be some clarifying language. >> Miss Bowman. >> Oh, real quick, just point of order. Are we doing each policy separately or how are we giving our remarks? >> Um, I I think just everything that you
want to >> Okay, perfect. Thank you, >> Miss Bulman. >> Um, so I was following up on Mr. Sea because I was looking it up. Um, but it looks like in June the
Florida judicial administrative rules or whatever change to be updated so that you don't have to disclose AI use but you do have to um uh confirm that your citations and authority are verified. So I mean if we
were going in a similar direction with that. So if you're using sources or things like that, you have to verify that that's actually accurate instead of just generating AI and then using that as if that's the truth. I think that's probably a little bit cleaner way to do
it. Um, and if we could add something, I'm just kidding about this, but limiting the emails if you're using them. If you're using AI, we don't need 12 paragraphs. >> This is Ala try to keep it concise.
>> Yes. So on the emails at the bottom of your email, you have your your name and then we have disclosures already on the bottom of our emails. I think we should direct Dr. Hein to have staff put together with the legal jargon to
reference our AI policy and that gets added to the bottom. this way, whether they're using AA or AI or not, it's covered under our policy that we're abiding by our AI policy. And so, like
we reference anti-bullying in our disclosure on the bottom of our email. Yep. Are you wanting consensus on that? I mean, is there any objection to that? >> No. >> All right. No. >> Dr. Heburn, Mr. Free Brun, you have your
direction on that. Okay. Thank you. Um I just wanted to add a piece to to Miss Hixon's um concern. So, you know, in my conversations with students. Um they were mostly concerned, they weren't necessarily concerned about like
teachers using AI to help develop lessons um or to develop PowerPoints. they were concerned about teachers using AI to grade their assignments. And so I think I have the similar I I I
actually have more concerns about just like h how this applies to a teacher in a day-to-day basis. So like if I you know we're using Magic School, it's this great tool to help teachers develop curriculum and and differentiate instruction and all of that. How do they
disclose that? you know, so I think so I have a concern about that with the grading. I think it needs to be disclosed like I used AI to help me grade. Obviously, it needs to be very clear that the
teacher was the final say um that that the teacher didn't just put it into AI and then take the AI grade and put it in the grade book. Like that would be absolutely inappropriate. Um, but I I do think when it's being used for grading, it it does need to be disclosed. I have
a concern I think that other people have brought up like, you know, if I'm writing a lesson plan and I used spellch check, do I need to disclose that? How do I go about disclosing that? If I'm if I h had AI create a graphic for my class
um to to look at and analyze, um, does that need to be disclosed? like that puts a lot of extra work on the teachers having to add a disclosure to everything that they are putting out. Um, so I guess I'm wondering how staff can help
us grapple with that. And Miss Bulman, >> yeah, I think I appreciate the concerns. I think we need to identify really what we're trying to do here and what we're trying to protect and what we're trying to disclose to
whoever's receiving this information. Because if we're using AI as a general tool that everyone's using in their day-today um work life, then we can assume that they're using AI. Do they have to disclose every because that that
we're really getting into the weeds if we're using, you know, we're talking about spellch check and things like that like every single person that's using a computer is basically using AI for something. So, what are we really trying to um put people on notice about? I think
we need to kind of dig down to, you know, what that what we're trying to do with that. Where's the harm? Madam Chair, if we may, >> if if I may, Madam Chair, I think giving us an opportunity to go back and see what we can do to define that and get
that fine line because there is a difference. I've heard from Miss Bowman, Miss Thompson, Dr. Zean, um, using Grammarly or Spellcheck is one thing, but actually creating the entire instrument or document with AI giving you the information is something else.
So >> yeah, because I think that's where in my opinion the big the big thing is you're taking I would much rather know that my teacher read my assignment that I was working on and actually gave me a grade instead of ran it through AI and then
we're all getting the same I mean you know the rest of it I think we're assuming you're using AI like we're brow powered by AI people are using the tool the tools we have the partnership we're using co-pilot we're doing all this stuff so I And at some point this is
just going to be what we're doing and that's the tool you're using. So >> I don't know if we need to like fall over ourselves like um disclosing every single time we're typing something and it's using AI. >> Yeah. And if I may, I I do think um to
your point and and I think I'm going also back to Miss Lonard's point. I think there are things that are high impact decisions that we definitely need to delineate in the in the policy and certainly a teacher shouldn't use AI in
the decisions that AI make to have the be the final say of grades and decisions related to students and furer and IDA and all of those things. It's a tool like a calculator like a computer when they're doing using Google. uh these are
tools and ultimately this the teacher has to make the decision to discern that information uh and ultimately that decision has to be his or hers at the end and so it's simply a tool and I think if we think about it just as a tool like any other instructional tool
uh at the end of the day it is the teacher's discretion and decision- making that determines whether they use it or not but it is there to support and to help. >> Thank you. So, we have uh attorney pre Bruno uh telling us that they'll go back and rework the language to make it a
little bit more specific. Um so, we appreciate that. Miss Hixon, you still have the floor. >> That was it for me. Thank Okay. Um anyone else on Mrs. Alhadaf? >> Yes. Uh so, just going back to the
teachers using AI to check the students work. Uh I don't know if you guys heard about one of the not our teachers but a teacher that did use AI and put a special code within the AI to check the students work to check that if they were
using AI in the assignment and they used like a certain word uh Madagasc uh when like out of 40 kids 35 of them did use AI to write the paper because that word kept popping up. But because
the teacher coded the the way they coded with AI, they were able to find that they were using AI. So my point is that AI could help to figure out if kids are cheating and are using AI.
>> Yep. Anyone? Well, we're still on round one, so would anyone else like to share? Miss Bulman. >> Well, I Yeah, I mean, obviously there's two things happening. One is are to dis to determine whether or not someone's
cheating. If you were um assigned to write something not using AI and then you use AI to figure out if they used AI, that's one thing. But if you but if you are not using AI and you're working for
hours on a paper and then to have it just run through a you know I guess it's kind of like what are we trying to accomplish here too? If you're not allowed to use AI and you're working hard to write it yourself out of your own brain, what's the is the teacher just going to run it through AI and then
you get like a generic determination of how well you did on it or are we going to have a reciprocal effort on it? I mean, I guess that's a philosophical question for my colleagues, but >> Miss Bulman, did you have any other
comments on the policies? >> No, I did not. just okay posing that question >> Mr. free Bruno. >> So, board um I would direct you to look at page 110, lines 21 through 28. I think it answers
some of the questions that were posed during this discussion with regards to transparency and professional responsibility. um specifically for employees and our teachers who are using AI. When using AI to create instructional materials, assessments or feedback, employees shall
maintain transparency by disclosing the role of AI in these processes. Employees must review and verify the accuracy and appropriateness of the AI generated content. While AI may be used to assist, as Dr. Con was saying using as a tool
with routine support functions. Employees remain responsible for the intellectual core and the final verification of all professional work products including lesson plans, evaluations, and communication to ensure the accuracy and appropriateness of the content.
>> Thank you, Miss Thompson. >> Thank you. I'm going to jump off AI for a second. Uh and page 11 uh for our organizational meeting uh the value adjustment board. Is that the Broward County Value Adjustment Board?
Okay. So, it says that it's the responsibility of the board to appoint one citizen member who owns a business that has never occurred. Where did that come from? It's page 11 at the bottom under value adjustment board. The board shall elect one member to serve on the county value
adjustment board which is me. Additionally, it is responsibility of the board to appoint one citizen member who owns a business occupying commercial space. That has never been disclosed to me. I don't there is no member on the board that's a citizen member. So that's
statutory. 0151 organizational meeting. >> Well, can we get some feedback from Broward County then? Because no one on their staff has ever said they have citizen members, but they're not appointed by the school board. They're I don't know how they count to be. They're
appointed by Broward County. >> Um so I think some clarification >> we'll look into that >> is needed on that. Um, and then page 47, I think my comment on this, uh, this is the teacher bill of rights, is that we
as a board have been doing a lot of stuff that one could say could impact teacher autonomy. Um, so how does this work then if we have now said there's no screens allowed in in preK, kindergarten, and first grade? Is that
in um would general counsel say that that goes against this policy? >> So Dr. Con has been u really looking into this and trying to define teacher
autonomy as well as excuse me as well as academic freedom and I have also been um speaking to him and we're going to provide a clearer definition that is based on law in terms of what that academic freedom and autonomy is. I
will say in a nutshell, yes, there is teacher autonomy, there is academic freedom, but it must be in accordance with what is the state law, the state standards and the board policy and the direction that is given by this governing body. Um, but we will have
more of a definition for you as we work that through. But that's in a nutshell of what that is. So saying no screen time for this particular age group if that is the will of this board as a governing body that is you now you're going to have to work within that governing body's policy in terms of what
you can and can't do in the classroom. >> Okay. Then I think just making sure that's clearly laid out um so everybody understands both the board and our teachers. All right. Um page 83 which is in the section of legal services for
employees, officers and public officials. On pa uh on line 11 it says the board member must file with the clerk of the board. Who is the clerk of the board? >> That's usually the board um secretary,
if you will. So broad's a little different. I know that you have your own individual executive assistants that serve as your board secretary, but there's normally a person, I'm going to think that it's Andre Hill through the chief of staff's office that serves as
the clerk or the secretary of the board um making sure that the minutes are taken. Any of those formal processes, that will be that person. >> So, if we don't have that position, should the position in our policy be named something else? >> We can change the wording so that it
aligns. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, Minnie, but that's the the language specifically from the statute, right? Yeah. So, we we'll we'll we'll realign this to make sure that it follows Broward and maybe it's just um um revamping that job description so that
we have those statutory people who are required. So, that is one that we probably need to look into. >> Okay. And then on page 92, which is the section on student internet safety,
this is more of, let me see. Um, so starting on line 26, in addition, pursuant to federal law, students shall receive education about the following. When are we actually giving them this education? That's statutoily required.
And this is safety and security while using email, chat room, social media, the dangers inherent with online disclosure of personally identified information. The consequences and unauthorized access dot dot dot and unauthorized disclosure use and dissemination. Um because I think as we
talk about this, I've been talking about needing scaffolding in our our internet use and AI use. And I don't actually know what class we are teaching these things that by law we are supposed to be teaching.
>> So I don't know this is um policy 7540.03 student internet safety and acceptable use. So I don't know if um Mr. Castinetta or Dr. Con can address. So, I would probably say we probably need to follow up to see specifically
are if there are core courses or elective courses where this information is shared in order to know specifically when students actually get access to this particular training. >> Dr. Washington might be here for the assist. >> Yeah. >> Oh, good. Go ahead. I was going to say
the same thing. This is more probably around the beginning of the year when we go over student code of conduct information. Go ahead, Dr. Washington. >> Good morning, everyone. I don't know. Can you hear me? >> Yes, we hear you. >> Okay. Jodie Washington, director school culture and student support. The internet safety module is actually part of the required resiliency instruction
that is offered to all students every year. >> Perfect. And that covers hacking, personal disclosure, safety, security, all all that. We're federally required to do it. It covers that. >> It covers everything that is statutoily required. >> And that's given typically when in the
year. I can if you give me a second to look up the instructional focus calendar, I can come back and give you that information. I can't remember what month it's done, but it's it's one of the months that >> Yeah, I don't think we need to know right away, but I do think it's something to be intentional about if we are starting to give students more and
more access to this that that happens earlier in a year beginning. Yeah, >> if if I may, a lot of those topics are actually covered throughout um because it's also covered where we cover the topics of child exploitation um because that and internet safety go hand in hand. So, it's actually not always just
a specific month, but covered throughout as well. >> Awesome. Thank you. >> Um okay, so page 102, the district issued student email account. Um, so we and we've talked about this before in
the response from staff because we have student accounts, but they can't actually access it. And now we have a whole policy about what students can can and cannot do with their student email that we don't give them access to. So I'm guessing I'm I'm wondering either
the relevance of this policy or the better idea, which would be to give our students access to their email, especially high schools. So, I'd like some conversation and dialogue around that policy, which for my colleagues is 102 districts student email account.
>> I had the same question. So, any of my colleagues have input on the student email? I'm just curious if we have any evidence that our high school students want another email address. uh there's a lot of restrictions that come with a government email address
that you don't have with a you know Gmail or other you know kind of account. So they want one. The majority of the high school students I have talked to would like a more formalized email for when they're applying to colleges, when they are applying to jobs that because right now they have I'm not going to
make up an email, but whatever girl@gmail.com and I think having a more professionalized email account would actually benefit them. We also as board members have no way to contact students to share that there's volunteer events
to share that there's internship opportunities or specialized scholarships that might be based in our city. We have no way to communicate with students and we pay for their email access. And the response I got from staff was, "Oh, it's too dangerous to allow them to have it." I
would venture to say that it's dangerous for anyone to have an email because anyone can do fishing click fishing things and and all that. how we see adults do that all the time. Um, and so that would be my main argument is that I
would like to see a way to give them that access, especially our high school students. Um, but also if they don't have access, we don't need a policy about how they can join list serves or email services because again they don't have access.
So that's it's a kurfuffle. Anyone else? >> Mrs. Alha, >> I guess I just need to better understand, Dr. Herburn, what is the concern about getting our high school students email addresses?
>> Yeah. Um, so there's various reasons. I'm going to ask Dr. Diamond um in a minute to kind of chime in on the on the specific reasons why, but I do um just want to let the board know. We do have uh mechanisms of contacting or providing information to all of our students,
especially high school students. uh most of them um uh get it through canvas and other various means. So they all get the same type of information at the same time and we can u definitely the board sees fit that they want to share information u to students that's relevant to them and for activities or
events we can do that too but I do know um you know that as far as vulnerability for a system our size where we're always trying to get people are always trying to penetrate our systems when you open up more doors it makes it easier um for
that to happen and also uh as I'm listening to Miss Thompson with some of the asks or some of the students like um uh using the email for outside things that have nothing to do with the school such as job applications and things like that. Um the the board does uh bear some
liability if something happens um on our email ex uh our student issued email addresses um where students are interacting with other people besides um school staff. But go ahead um Dr. Diamond. Well, I was just going Daryl Diamond, uh, director of project management office. Um, I was just going
to add that there are some students who do have email accounts or student government students, uh, I believe have it. Um, and you said it perfectly. I think that the reason we haven't, uh, given email accounts out to students is the vulnerability. Um I think that maybe
we should canvas the students to see whether or not there is an appetite for email but to our knowledge in ISD there has not been. So we have aired on the side of caution by not giving out email accounts. So I would say that I think we
should pilot this at three of our high schools this year. I know private schools give out email addresses for their students. It's it's not that they probably don't want it. They want it, but they're just not speaking up about
it. So, we should raise the bar. We should figure out what our security measures are to put in place that there are not issues and then if it goes smoothly, then all the high schools will get emails in the following year. >> So, um I just want us to think about uh
our scale compared to private schools. Um, you know, you're talking about 180,000 open doors. We are uh virtually uh penetrated attempts every day, every second. Um, and I I wish uh Fabio, our cyber
security, um, person would was here and he would be able to educate the board on, you know, the uh, kind of managing that, which is a very large job just with staff. Our staff even have issues of pressing on the wrong thing when they see something and they're not, you know,
sometimes don't follow the training and uh we have to shut their email account down. We have to retrain them just to make sure. So, just want to think about um when you have 180,000 plus students, let's say high school, let's say about 50,000 plus students still double the amount of staff and and having that many
open doors. We can survey high school students to see if they actually want it. uh we can uh let the team work something out to see what's the demand and what can we implement that can
reduce security as much as possible. Um, probably I don't know, we'll talk to the GC, figure out what's closed door, what's what's um open to the public as far as this discussion. But I think it needs to be a little bit more of a discussion before we open up that door because it the the vulnerabilities are
are massive and when it happens, it's hard to back out of that and retrieve and it will cost the district a lot of money on the back end. So, I think more conversation about it. I understand the concern. Um, but our scale just makes it very difficult to open that hundreds of
thousands of doors and all it takes is one student to make the wrong click. >> Right? So I I I mean I'm thinking high school students. So it's not hundreds and thousands. >> Uh secondly, I would like to know what does Miami date and Palm Beach do? Are they giving email addresses to high
school students? >> And then maybe we do as an opt-in. So then out of the 50,000, you're not getting 50,000. >> Yeah. And we can we can do that research and um talk to the team, figure out our vulnerabilities and figure out how we can make something work. Um some of it may be closed door conversation about
how we manage our um internet security and and all of that. Um and the vulnerabilities from our cyber security team. >> Miss Bullman. >> Yeah. I' I'd like to see a cost benefit analysis to that. So like how much how vulnerable we are what the cost would be
versus you know what because I understand that it would you know in an ideal world everyone gets an email address and you use it professionally but the other thing is that everyone has access to an email address because you can get them for free outside and then that's not our
we're not liable for that. Um, and I I hear what you're saying about the potential and the vulnerabilities, and I I don't know that I want to take on that cost. Um, I'd like to see, right, like what our potential liabilities are, what like a worst case
scenario, and then really what we would use, how that would benefit the students versus using an outside email address so that we can make a decision on that. If I could add too, I I'd be curious about um student optin of their cell phone numbers. You know, to Miss Thompson's
point, you know, we're moving way past email. You know, people communicate largely by text um or or social media. Um there are some students that would probably like to opt in so that they they're a member of the volleyball team and the volleyball coach wants to get to them really quick. That's a very normal
thing, but they may want to opt in so that a schoolboard member or a principal or a club that's looking for new people uh might get to them. They they actually read those. Um a lot of high school students just are allergic to email. It's a very formal thing and uh but they
sure as hell read their text and they visit social media sites in order to, you know, get a lot of information. If we're really curious about communicating with our students, I'd like to see the costbenefit analysis of that as well. Mr. superintendent >> and and to that point to Dr. Dr. Zean's point if that's the better way to communicate with a student. I mean, you
have to also keep in mind you're dealing with minors. So, are we I always am, you know, concerned about that. I don't need to be having a lot of contact with minors that aren't consented to. have if there's a app that we can get student
volunteers and do things like that that's maybe monitored or whatever because then there's a protection for the students when you're interfacing with adults so that it doesn't go sideways which might be the easier way to monitor
something. >> We'll research it. >> Research it get back. >> Anyone else? Miss Thompson. >> So then I guess my my next question is if they don't have access, why to the general counsel, why do we have all this
language about what they can and can't do with that thing they don't have access to? >> The reason that Thank you, Miss Thompson. The reason that we have this policy is because there are some students that do have access to email. So this policy is directing any student
um even if it's one or 50 or 100, this is what the process is. This is what you can and can't do with your email account. It's just part of the technology policies and it covers us for anyone any student who may have access. >> Okay. Um and then 154
which is the school visitors. And on line 21 it says in keeping with board policy such board member visits shall not be considered to be official unless designated as such by the board. What
does that mean? So when I go to a school unless my colleagues approve my visit to the school it's not official. like what what is that? >> I would say basically that's true. If the person isn't designated by the board
to make an official visit, then it's not considered >> well then I would like to take that line out because I think when we as school board members visit our schools, that's an official visit. Unless someone can give me a better definition of >> that,
>> we we can take that out. >> Does everyone statuto >> is there any objection to that? >> Let me just suggest maybe where this came from, which is other boards more often uh designate somebody as an expert in a field and they say, "Hey, can you go visit 10 schools and gather some data
on this?" You know, "Hey, uh social worker, can you go and do a site visit of 10 middle schools? we hear this thing and we'd like you as a board member to go gather specific data on 10 randomly chosen middle schools and go in without telling anyone you're coming and and collect some data and bring it back to
the board. Uh that's not our normal policy here, but there are boards that kind of break down by specialty and they do some things like that. Um, and I think that's what's inferred by this is that would be, you know, like an official schoolboard business visit as
opposed to uh any school board member dropping in on any school. And that that's official too in another sense of the word. But I think what they were trying to get to is uh as designated by the board to do a specific thing. I um how about like the diversity committee? They're required by our policy to go
visit exchools and ask these questions about these nine topics from the lawsuit. Um, to me that is a different visit than um, you know, a volunteer saying, "Oh, we're just going to pop in because we're checking out playgrounds or something like that, right? Something that's not part of the policy." So, I
could see why they would distinguish one for the other. I just don't think it's necessary. I think if you're tasked by the board to go, you know, visit some schools and gather data, uh, they, you know, they know what that is. >> Okay. So, we can take it out. >> That's the direction. We'll take it out.
>> Is there any objection to taking that piece out? Seeing none. >> No. >> Okay. And then so back to our AI policy. I don't know if Andre has sent it out yet, but there was something created um by the Ed
Edward Kennedy Institution, which is a part of the United States Senate, um called the Students First Act, um where they kind of discussed from a student perspective what we should have as an AI policy. And I wanted to
Oh, he just sent it. He heard me wherever he went. um to have my colleagues review and also Dr. Cohen and and Dr. Heppern about how we can really make sure that our our students have rights within the policy that we're
creating. Um and so one of the and a lot of it actually was already covered. So good job team. Um, but one of the sections they talk about is having a formal appeal process because, and this is something our gifted chair
has brought up to us as well, is that his student was accused of cheating with AI. We don't have any formalized appeal process for a student who is um accused, thank you, that's the word, accused of
using AI. Um, so I would like to see that added if that's in agreement with my colleagues. >> Is there any objection to that? >> If if I may. Um, Miss Thompson, I just want to make sure. Um, do we have a procedure or process for student appeal
for for cheating? Because it's I'm not just thinking about AI. It could be for any any cheating. There is I was just uh saying that because we could probably lump that into that policy and just make sure it also indicates AI related. So I
think we can go back to that without creating anything separate from there >> for this >> because the policy should be linking to one another anyway. >> So yes, we can do that. >> Mrs. Alive, >> it's in the student code of conduct. Mhm. >> And I had a student in my district that
was accused of using AI in her paper, but she did not use AI in her paper. So it the other way too >> that you know she didn't have a the ability to fight it even though she's saying and she didn't use AI.
>> Yeah. And I think um also what what these students recommended is having teachers at the beginning like either in their syllabuses or the first day of class review what um the AI expectations are both for within themselves. Like I
use AI to make specialized lessons or however they use it, but AI expectations for their students. Um, and I think that might go into this teacher autonomy situation as well, but I think there needs to be clear expectations. Like Dr. Zean said, you can ask AI to produce 10
sources on trees. But so is that okay within this science class or does the teacher want you to actually go to the library or find out? Just clear expectations for our students I think would be um helpful. also tools
for our teachers on if they don't want to use AI um requiring oral defenses if there is um concerns that AI was used and then um
I'm looking over my notes and I think the rest is is either covered already in our policy um but I just wanted to bring that to everyone's attention that that is something like a group of students across the nation have been proposing. Um, and it's important
that we have a section of our policy, and I know we have a tiny little chunk, but a section of our policy that's clear to students what the AI expectations are as well. And if I may, um, so we're looking at statue right now. I think when we come back in the next iteration, uh, I was
just, um, talking that maybe we need to be a little bit more, uh, intentional when we think about AI related cheating because it does look a little bit different than something else. And I think that we may need to formalize those steps a little bit more in depth
when a student wants to appeal or a parent wants to appeal. So we can certainly take that back. Thank you. That's it. Thank you, Dr. Holes. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Um,
uh, wonderful questions on the AI material, AI policy, but I do have some questions on the homeless, uh, student, um, policy. Uh, that starts on page 50. Um,
so, uh, let me see where to start. Um I appreciate the accommodations in terms of transportation barrier barriers to enrollment having a liaison and so on. Um but uh Miss Bruno it also indicate
the definition of homelessness which could include students who are living um out of cars in parking lots under a bridge. I mean um these students have significant barriers
uh to their learning in terms of uh the environment being conducive to academic success. So um while I appreciate the policy um ensuring that there are no barriers
to their enrollment in specific schools and that transportation is provided. What appears to be lacking in the policy to me is how do we include in the policy um the kind of accommodations that would
ensure their academic success as a result of the barriers to their environment that they're living in. So I'll give you an example. Um, and I think if we all put ourselves in in that position, just imagine you're a
kid living out of a car and imagine that you're inundated with homework from multiple teachers that require internet uses that require certain resources that you don't have,
but you're still expected to meet the same requirement as all other students. and you're not playing on a level field. So, how can this policy provide added sort of support for these students
outside of getting them to school, but being at home, which their home could be a a car? Um, so I don't see that in this policy, and I think it is very very much needed.
Um, so I'll ask Dr. Heburn. Uh, a couple of questions. Um, for our homeless students, Dr. Hepern, what kind of provision do we have? For one, resources given to them such as
computers, internet access, um, and obviously if they're living out of a car, they may not even have a phone. So how do we ensure that teachers and schools are not putting added burden on them that they cannot meet because
they don't have what it takes to get it done. Just like we provide accommodations to our students with disabilities, right? Uh that is a little different from what we do for mainstream kids. This is not these are not students with disabilities, but they have significant
barriers just as our students with disabilities would have. So I don't see that in this policy and I think that this policy should be a lot more extensive in really addressing the needs of these students.
>> Go ahead. U Mr. Preer, >> thank you so much. So this policy is specifically related to the McKenna Vento Act and really regurgitates what that law is and we're looking at policy 511.01, 01 the homeless students the um
different um applications and how to effectuate this policy is going to be a standard operating procedure because I'm sure that our social workers will get involved and they will do their various tasks that they need to do to assist the student. So that process in terms of how
we effectuate the policy and going to and you rais a very good point um Dr. wheness um you know what are the services that we provide and I don't know if it actually belongs in this policy which is specifically with regards to the legal obligation versus
having it in the standard operating procedure on how to effectuate this law properly. >> Okay. So I have a a follow-up question to that. Is there any reason we cannot if it cannot be placed
in this policy, is there any reason in addition to having a procedural service sort of um manual, is there any reason we cannot have a policy that would sort of mandate
having certain services for homeless children? So, there's a couple things for the board to consider, not for just this policy, but for every policy that we have that's coming before you. You want to be very careful with putting processes in policy. And you want to be
very careful with being overly prescriptive in policies because whatever is in your policy is what you're going to be held accountable to for whomever wants to come and audit and see whether or not you are actually following your policy. So, that's the first thing. The second thing having
things in process documents. For example, um if the student requires um internet, are we going to provide them with a um router? Are they going to have a um a Chromebook that's connected to a particular cell cellular tower or
service? Those are things that are operational that can change from time to time. So you want to be able to give the flexibility to the administration to be able to provide the best service to the student without being prescriptive and having to come back every single time
there's a change in that operational function. >> Right? So so Miss Bruno, here's my concern. if we don't say have sort of a a micro approach to this right where you
know students who don't have internet service and so on um I am concerned that if we're not even able to provide that why can't we have something in policy that would inhibit
teachers from requiring like homework with internet access to kids who live under a bridge to kids who live in a car. Why can't there be alternative ways, provide them with materials, provide them with paper? Um, now if we
just leave it up to process, my concern is how will it be monitored and how will it be mandated? I I just I just don't want us to leave these kids behind because I I want the the shest means
that we can put in place and I much rather be held accountable to help homeless children who are living under a bridge in a car that we have in our policy that we have to follow and if we don't follow we should be held accountable,
you know. So I I am concerned about that aspect and I don't see why we can't have that in a policy even if it's in a generalized format as far as uh what teachers or the
schools can require of a homeless kid in terms of uh academic activities after school whether it's homework that require you know I I just would want you to look into the into that and see if we And because I prefer a policy that I that we can all hold ourselves
accountable for. Dr. Heburn, how many homeless kids do we have in Broward County Schools? >> Uh, we have quite a few. I don't have the specific number. Um, go ahead, Miss Hollingsworth. I see you have yourself some team members here. >> Yes. Good morning. Simone Hollingsworth,
chief student services officer, and I will have uh Director Marissa Sotella over student services mental health give you that number, Dr. Holes. >> Okay. So I think it's worth it that we hold ourselves accountable through a policy to ensure that the homeless kids do not have unnecessary burden placed
upon them that would inhibit their success because of what a teacher is requiring. If it's in some sort of a process manual and a and a a teacher is not necessarily going to go figure out what that is. They just give homework and it's required to come back, you know. So, I don't like the idea of we're
dotting our eyes, crossing our tees, and we have it looking good on paper, but in practice, it's not happening, and these kids are suffering. >> Mr. Chair, so um because you said a general statement.
>> So, let me ask you if if what we have here would satisfy um the concern that you have because it's a valid concern. If we go to page 53 and start at line six with the specific services to homeless
children and youth. Um advise if you think that is enough or if you think we need more. >> You said page 56. It's um yes, it's going to start on page 53 actually and
it's going to be starting with line six, services to homeless children and youth and it talks about the services that the district has to provide which includes transportation but it also includes um services related to the educational
programs um and there's a McKini Vento liaison that is required as well. So ju just if you could tell me if that's enough. >> Okay. So the this is the part where it shows programs for children with disabilities, programs in career and
technical education and so on and so forth. >> Yes. >> Okay. So I don't see even a general statement that would address um a kid a homeless child academic success um out of the school environment
as it is imposed upon by the school or the teacher. That's the part I'm concerned about because how can I it's almost like asking somebody to run and their legs are broken. So how do we prevent the school and the teachers? What can we put
in policy from having undue burden on this homeless child or homeless children to perform these tasks beyond the school environment where the resources are not available and get it done so it doesn't impact their academic success. >> I understand. And so your point is taken
if I can have an opportunity to speak to the academic team and student services team to see what kind of language can be added there to kind of bolster that a little bit. >> Okay. And and Dr. Heburn, I don't know if there's anything that you can do on your end uh as far as what happens
outside of school because I can't even imagine what it's like living under a bridge or out of a car and there are students with this kind of situation. And how do we expect them to to perform and do homework and do stuff that requires internet services? So, we can't
just put it to the wayside. There are people living these lived experiences and we have to think about them as much as we're thinking about all of the other mainstream kids. So, that that's part of my concern. Dr. Hebron, so I wanted to talk um also
>> Dr. Holes. >> Yes. Um, we were just confirring and I think as I'm looking at this list, um, I think we could potentially take a look at paperbased alternatives where appropriate. >> Um, so as another maybe an eight and
that could satisfy um the instructional side of of the piece as well because there are opportunities where a teacher could provide paperbased as opposed to digital learning opportunities for a student. >> Okay. So, could we put in policy for
homeless children? And there are different types of homelessness, right? Because there are kids who are homeless living out of a motel. There are kids who are living under a bridge in a car. I mean, it's it's it's different. Um, so could we have in policy where any
homework or activities, academic activities given to homeless children that they have an alternative for paperbased? >> Yeah. So I think we just have to be careful because not everything can be paperbased. But I think that's why I say we're appropriate.
>> Okay. So if it cannot be paperbased and a kid is living out of a car, it should not be given for homework. Plain and simple. >> Yeah, we'll have to look at the nuances of the of the additions. Dr. Hoess, I I know the spirit of what you're talking about. Um and like you said,
homelessness is complex. It's not just one type of situation. So let uh have the team take a look um see what we can add to policy and um also look at our operating procedures as well just to make sure is supporting it. >> And I think that the the challenge with
that Dr. Holdings as I'm thinking about your process it could be one homeless student in a class of all and so if you don't give it to the one and you give it to the rest now you start to create inequity issue uh for that particular student. Um so I but I think to your
point I think we have to look at the totality of all of it um and come back. >> Okay. So I would like Dr. Con for that to be looked into. They they should have uh an option an option for
computer-based or paperbased if you're homeless. All right. So, um, on page 54, 154 rather, um, regarding legislative, um, let me go down to 154.
Um, regarding school visits, um, I'm sorry, it's taking me a while to scroll. Just give me one second. I'm almost there. Thank you. >> Okay, there we go. Thank you, Dr. Zean. You have it all printed out. I may I dare not say that too loud because some
people are against printing stuff out. All right, so >> don't tell Lori. >> I won't tell Lori. I promise you I won't. Okay, so >> um there is a part on here. Um let me see. Is this
the legislative uh school visits? Um just give me one second. Okay, there's a part on here that shows that um leg the leg members of the legislative body
um can only visit schools within their um member boundaries that they serve. And the question I have is why why can they only visit schools within their boundaries? I mean I know that as a
board when we gather all of our legislative body um and we talk about our legislative priorities they're all of them are advocating for us uh for our schools. So why are we limiting them to visit schools specific to their to their
um district? Why can't they visit schools anywhere in Broward County? >> That that language is directly from the statute. >> Okay. So, it it cannot be changed then. >> Well, I think what it's really saying is
that a board member may visit any it doesn't it doesn't prohibit I don't think it it it visit. >> So, I'm not talking about school board members. I'm talking about members of like state reps, state senators. >> Okay. So, this is u state
representatives and um school board members. >> Correct. But it specific to um to state it says schoolboard members can visit any schools, >> but members of the legislative body can
only visit schools within their member district. Why are we restricting them? Dr. Hoes, if we can, this is language from the statute, but we want to pull the statute up and just verify um just
to make sure. So, if you can come back to that, we'll have an answer for you. >> Okay. All right. And um let me just see for page 72 with the different holidays that we see that a student may be absent
and excused. Um, are teachers provided with a list of these holidays, Dr. Heeper, and when they occur? Um, or is it the parent responsibility to say, "My child is going to be absent this day for this specific holiday."
>> Um, so that would be on the the student and their parent to provide a specific note. Uh, we don't provide a list of uh religious holidays to teachers. >> Okay. But once with with these numerous holidays listed here, once a parent
says, "I'm absent for this particular holiday, then it has to be excused." Correct. Correct. >> Okay. All right. And Miss Bruno, if you can get back to me on on the legislative would appreciate it, Madam Chair, I'm done for now. >> All right. Thank you, Mr.
>> Sea. I want to go back to the AI policy um in our rules and I just need a little bit of clarification from our our general counsel and I want to thank you for sending over the proposed administrative
rule change that the state board of education is voting on. Is it this week, Miss Bruno? We're anticipating August 5th will be the discussion and most likely the vote. We'll see. >> Okay. So, looking at that version of
administrative rule 6A-1.0957, 0957. The way I read it, and I heard you um say something extremely similar, is that in order for a child to use any type of AI configuration, including chat bots,
>> the parents would need to formally opt in. >> That's the proposal in the rule. >> Okay. So, we don't have anything like that in our policy as of today. Correct. >> Correct. >> Okay. So clearly if the state board of
education votes to approve this version of the proposed administrative rule, we would have to as a district would have to adopt that as well. >> Yes. >> Okay. Do we have a perspective plan of
action or a way about going to do this? because I'm going to go out on a limb and I'm going to suggest that this probably has a good chance of of uh passing or at least getting some serious um consideration. I think a lot of
people are craving this throughout the state and despite the fact that uh most in this district seem to be very desirous of of cramming this AI stuff down the throats of our students and teachers. I don't think overall in the
state of Florida that that is the sentiment and uh I am hopeful that when the state board meets they will adapt a more restrictive type of policy than what we're contemplating today. So um I guess to
simplify my question are we ready for something like this should it come down the pike? So, with regards to drafting the language that will go into the policy, yes, we're prepared and I know that staff um Dr. Con and um superintendent
and team academic services, they're um going to think it through in terms of how that will become into um effect in terms of how we will have our students opt in and educating the parents in terms of what it is. So, that will be a process that they will be working on if
this does indeed pass. >> Okay. I will keep my fingers crossed and uh I guess moving forward with something like this just for the benefit of the public. I know we went over this debate with the cameras in the classroom but uh would you mind explaining assuming this
passes and we have to adopt um explaining how this optin process would in fact work? Would this be a situation where everybody in, let's say we're in um a ninth grade classroom and there's 30 kids, would all 30 kids need to opt
in before this AI could be implemented or could it apply to half the classroom if only half opts in? What would that procedure look like in the event that this administrative rule were to pass with the state board of education? Without going into the um actual
operational process, I can just tell you generically how normally something like this would happen. Sure. If an opt-in is required, that means anybody who will be using this particular chatbot or generative AI would have to opt in. So, it would be the entire class. Um the other thing that I will say is that we
have to be very careful with this rule because this rule is so so broad which means even again as I said earlier even your word spell check or your Grammarly would require an opt-in. So I again until we know exactly where the state
board's going to go um I'd just be very cautious and then of course the operational implementation of whatever the policy is or the state board rule that will be the administration reviewing it. >> Okay, fair enough. And I don't know that I buy this whole thing that like spellch checker is AI because
I remember my first PC uh as a very young um individual in the '9s having spellch checker on that. And um I don't know maybe the technology has changed but uh I certainly don't think anybody would argue that there was no such thing as AI in 1995 when I got my first
Windows PC. Um that being said uh I I don't think I got a clear answer. Uh, Miss Bruno, with my hypothetical, if there are 30 students in the classroom and only 15 of those students parents opt them in, would only half the class
be required to use the AI or is it all or nothing? >> So, this is going to be again an operational decision because at that point, the teacher and I'm sure going up to Dr. Con in terms of instructional materials, what to be used in the classroom. So that's really an operational question
>> that that that would be very nuanced for the teacher. Um depends on the course. If that teacher could have 50% 30% who opt in be able to um continue to work on uh whatever AI uh platform they're working on. Uh it's it's up it'll be up
to the teacher and the difficulty of providing instruction when all of your kids are not using the same tools and resources. So, a teacher may choose to pivot and say, "I'm going to use this because I can't provide the same level of instruction um um to all of my
students in this method." So, it's um it's it's a very nuanced situation inside of a classroom. >> So, Dr. Heper, if I'm hearing you correctly, we are allowing for teacher autonomy with this. >> We've never stopped allowing for teacher autonomy. >> Oh, man. That does that not make me
happy? I'm I'm so glad to hear that. Thank you. Um, Miss Bruner, I appreciate um I appreciate your comments and to our cabinet uh especially Dr. Conn who I know um has a very very high admiration
for AI. Uh I hope that we are starting to contemplate a plan in the event that the state board of education does pass this. Uh I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Obviously I have no inside information whatsoever or any idea what they're going to do. Um, I just know what a lot
of people uh in South Florida have been telling me from parents to students about the AI stuff. So, I'm I'm hopeful that they uh pass this or a very similarly worded version um of this rule and I look forward to um I'm going to listen to their meeting. Is it tomorrow?
>> August 5th. >> August 5th. That's tomorrow. I'm going to listen to it. I'm going to listen to the meeting and I'm going to be one of the people who finds out as soon as they make the ruling. So, uh, between that and the teacher autonomy from Hepper, I could not asked to be in a better mood
this morning. So, thank you for that. >> Thank you. Um, so I have some I have a lot of questions and some comments. Um, and I would they're all on the AI policy and I think for me the way I look at the
different policy concerns are one around safety, two around the need for a govern governance structure and standard operating procedures which I know is not the purview of the board but the purview of the superintendent. Um, and then
transparency and communication, training, and clear expectations, which I think are all issues that my colleagues have brought up today. Um, I want to clarify something that was said about, you know,
we are not exposing elementary school students to AI. I remember very distinctly on the la on the first day of school last year, we visited an elementary school where student where we saw students using AI to generate images. Um so I just whatever we do with
the policy there needs to be very clear communication to our teachers especially about what is allowed and what is not allowed moving forward. Um, and that kind of brings me to, you know, we made some very big decisions last week. I'm
wondering how that was communicated out to our parents and our employees because even I was speaking with a a parent yesterday who was very concerned about AI in elementary school and I said, you know, well, we made a decision last week that uh we're not doing doing AI
chatbots in elementary school. So, how are we communicating those big policy decisions that went out last week? Dr. Hepern. >> Go ahead, Dr. Con. >> Great question. Uh, multiple ways. So, we uh cascaded that information in our our second parent forum that happened
last week. We had a large show rate of parents. I believe we had about uh close to 200 parents log in to that session uh which was pretty successful. We got a a lot of great feedback. Uh this week we're also uh launching our um AI
website which will also include uh once the policy is approved, it will include the policy. It will provide governance, our ethical guidelines. It'll have all the updates from uh any uh board meetings that we've had. It would also include the monthly board reports uh
that we provide as well as additional training for parents, students, and teachers available. So, uh, look forward to launching that website this week and that will be kind of our main hub to communicate with parents. Uh, that's what we heard from our DAC, our TAC that
they want a central place, a repository of information that they can go to that's accurate as opposed to getting multiple information from multiple people in multiple ways. So, that will be the main uh place that uh we'll actually uh uh provide updates to our
parents and our communities. Okay. Um I think there needs to be some additional very simple very clear communication to parents. This is how this is these are the guard rails we put in place. Um I don't know if that
includes like a social media post or or something, but I also think like this needs to be very clear to our employees. Um is there any objection to that directive? Miss Hixon, >> I just have a question because if we
could be more specific. So, we said no chat bots, but you mentioned because I was there on that first day of school where the students used it to make their picture that they put up. So, I personally don't have a problem with
them using that. Those were also fourth and fifth graders if I'm not mistake. they were the older students not younger and that was part of what they what they do right and if you say okay they can't use AI but they put it in Google's now
AI so are we being very specific about they can't use a chatbot which I thought was what our direction was we saying that they can't use AI in any way shape or form because it goes back to the
other idea of um it is true if you do spellch check. Everything has now been bought out through AI and honestly when we used it before it was just the pre AI because it's all ro Google was basically what AI does now. Um so I I don't want
this to be that broad because I think it really limits teachers to what they've already been doing in the classroom and and I don't particularly want to do that. So, I I think we need revisit what we were talking about.
>> Okay. But my my question about whether there was an objection to clear communication about what we did last week. >> Oh, yeah. No, I don't have a problem with that. Sorry. >> Um, and I I would argue that uh to to the other piece with the elementary Miss Prio, could you reread the language that
we discussed earlier today on AI? I think was it on page 113? So, the language is, and I've changed it to fifth grade. Now, for students in grades preK to fifth grade, access to standalone generative AI applications,
AI chat bots, and similar conversations with AI systems shall be restricted. >> And I wouldn't say that we should communicate that out right now because that we haven't voted on this policy. But I do think we need to do a better job of communicating what we did last
week. um because there are plenty of people. I mean, my husband was at a a meet and greet for the principal at his school and they weren't clear about what that looked like uh last week. So, you know, I think um I would really like some clear communication on what we did
last week. I also support the language that we discuss we gained consensus on earlier today. Miss Bullman, >> c can you explain what the application piece is like doing the pictures on AI?
Would that fall under what we just the wording that you just said like >> that is generative AI? No. >> Right. >> Totally generative. I don't know if it falls under the policy >> part of generative. >> So it would be based on the definition.
So this the let me go to the definition section of the policy. So I I think Miss Leonardi I think the the reason why we haven't really done clear communication is because we're waiting for this meeting and the other meeting which is the brow powered by AI
to really define what the board's expectations uh for this because I mean as as you we could hear I think there's different versions or iterations of what we believe or want desired and we'll do whatever the board wants u us to be able
to do. But we we need to be able to be clear in terms of what that is and walk away with clear guidelines on what it is that we want teachers to do, what students are to do or not to do, so that uh we can clearly communicate that um to our stakeholders.
>> So I I'll just say I I I agree with the chatbot part of it, but I don't agree with just blanket saying no AI. >> But that's not what it says. It's very specific about the kinds of AI that
>> are identified there. >> It would be generative large language me um models the regular chatbot that we think about. We can clarify this in in there but that's really what this is. >> So I guess I don't know what gener gener >> generative
>> thank you application means. So it to me it sounds very broad. So anyway, I guess it needs to have clarification because that's where I'm getting tripped up right now. Thank you, >> Miss Bowman. >> Um, I agree with this. I think we need
to get ahead of the conversation because then the rumors start going and people start complaining and people start having their side stories and it all goes sideways. So it, you know, time is of the essence with this. I So I think
can we see a cop, you know, like have I don't know how that happens. We're not necessarily voting on it, but can we have at least um a draft of what I'd like to see the final draft of what we voted on last week because it was done orally and then we haven't seen it
written. Um and then less is more with this. I think we need to be very concise and just some bullet points of what we've decided to do so that parents understand the steps that we're taking and that we can control the narrative.
>> Yeah, I would probably even go a little bit further um because this the AI is evolving so rapidly. I almost feel as if we need a matrix of what generative AI can and cannot do explicitly because
teachers are going to use it for different reasons and different purposes. Um, and so if that is if the desire is for it not to be used for students in K through five, but I'm hearing that it it sounds like it it can or should, then I think we need to
formalize what it looks like uh in practice and list that out and then bring it back to the board and say here are here are some uh examples of how teachers could use it uh so that I think we're clear and give guidance because I think if we just blanketly say what
we're saying to teachers, it's going to leave it open uh for misinterpretation. >> But are we talking about what teachers can do or what the kids are doing? Because I think what the the parents are worried about what the >> kids >> kids are actually doing, >> but it's what the teachers are having
the kids do, >> right? So, >> yeah. So, >> yeah. So, I think that's the policy that we are setting right now is what the kids what the kids are actually >> correct >> doing themselves. >> Correct. Um uh and also um this is what
we're going to have to go back as a team and and review. Uh last year um Dr. Martin Luther King Elementary School, they have an AI component um for a specific program that students are coming to that school for. This is what we saw last year. I think it was the
first day of school. Um also we have three schools. One of them is the elementary um in a different beach elementary school that has artificial intelligence in media um program uh this school year too. So um some of these decisions are going to impact those
programs. I know um Martin Luther King um their program has been a going on for a whole entire year. So we need to research and see what the parameters are. Some of it is generative AI um that we witnessed ourselves at Martin Luther King and I certainly don't want to go
backwards for students that are leveraging those opportunities um for for for other um for other things. So, we just need to go back as a team, make sure we're we're not uh causing a huge barrier for these for certain schools that have already rolled something out
and for schools that are rolling something out for this upcoming school year, but also put the guard rails around what the board is asking for as far as how our students, especially elementary school age students are interacting >> and not doing them any harm with that type of interaction, but whatever those
guards look like. So I think it's more to this conversation for the team and I and also the general counsel's office um because we do have I think two that would be a total of two elementary schools with specific programs around artificial intelligence >> whether those are created as exceptions
to the rule. So I I would say I mean obviously this is we're we're setting a baseline and then there's always the ability to have carveouts, optins, things of that nature as long as people are advised and they're consenting to it and it's going to evolve.
>> Yeah, absolutely. >> So but you know, so that's getting into the weeds. I mean, that's complicated and whatever, but I I think that for just in general, what we're doing to protect the students needs to be
>> agreed >> communicated to the parents because we're hearing all kinds of stuff that's just not true. I mean, that's and it this is the same with various topics. is like if we can get ahead of the narrative and tell them what's actually happening then you know we don't have
this kind of going around in the public realm of you know misinformation but very simple I don't think it I don't think it has to be a really complicated treatise on what we're doing I think just like basic steps so people have a basic understanding if they want more information we're happy to provide it we
can reference the website or whatever where we have the matrix and they can seek further information but >> so I think To Miss Bulman's point and even to your point, Dr. Con, things are evolving very quickly and the more
we delay getting communication out there, the more it allows a narrative to be created and misinformation to spread. So, we did three things last week that were very clear that actually came up in principal meet and greets last week. So,
a parent asked, "Will there be iPads in first grade?" and the the question was not able to be answered. That is why I think it is very important that we need to have clear communication as the board acts. If we continue to wait and wait and wait, I'm not saying
that we communicate on a policy that we haven't voted on, but we took very clear action last week. And I think it it addressed some of the concerns that are coming to us. And a second piece of this is the level of credibility that we have
as communicators. Because earlier today we were told, well, we're not using generative AI in elementary school, but now it turns out that we are in some schools. Um, you know, I was
told last week that we're not using iPads in VPK. Well, I've walked through VPK classrooms where there were kids on iPads. So number one like we have to build trust with our community and number two we need to do that by
communicating honestly and clearly and I think right now there is a gap in that. So that is why I think it is important that as we the board makes these decisions these things are communicated out. Is there any objection to that? >> Thank you Miss Bulman.
>> Can we can we have a deadline? I mean we need to have this out this week. School starts on Monday. When is it going out? Because >> it needs to happen like last week. >> Yeah, we can get it out this week. Not issue. >> Okay, >> Dr. Zan, >> thanks so much, Chair. Um, absolutely on
the clear communication and I think that the community should expect for that communication to be iterative over time. We're going to communicate now what we did, I hope, which is your direction and our concurrence. Um but there will be further modifications and that and the
public I think in general is aware of the evolving nature of AI and very likely the evolving nature of how we govern AI whether it's by state board of education mandate legal mandate through the legislature um and others. I want to
I want to warn the staff about bringing us lists of things. We are not structured to make those kinds of decisions. That is not our job. It is the superintendent's job to take the direction that we gave him last week and to implement it operationally. It is not
uh the purview of this board to look at whole lists of what's generative in and what's generative out. I trust the superintendent to bring us decisions if he needs to in one-on- ones, but other than that, that that is his perview to decide kind of what is. We also just to bookend what we've done. Chair, last
week we made very clear three decisions. I thought it was very good discussions. We made a I thought a very mature decision today. We also said that AI's a great use of AI is to enhance the human experience between teachers and their students and there may be some push and
pull about kind of what those two things do. I think that will land us in a very nice place. Um last point um you asked Miss Hixon about generative AI and Google expansions into AI and all that stuff. uh it's really making what's already very blurry to a lot of people
worse, like much harder to understand what is AI and what isn't. Yes, AI is baked into um virtually every software tool that you have anymore. Uh if it isn't baked in, AI wrote the code anyway. Um and so we're in a whole new world where um it's very difficult to
untangle AI from uh things that were created by humans. Um, but we can do this and we must do this and we must come up with some good parameters that safeguard our students but also allow for the greatest uh learning experience we have. And I think we're we're going to have to overcommunicate now. And I
don't want lists of things Mr. Dr. Heer brought to this board for us to say in out in out. That's just not uh that's just not where uh we are legally empowered to go and it's just not the way that we're structured. Thank you. >> Thank you Mrs. Alf then Miss Hixon then Mr. Seiver.
>> Thank you. I'd like to thank Miss Thompson for bringing to this board's attention the Students First Act. My first question, Dr. Heper, is in our policy, everything in the Students First Act, this federal law, is it encompassed
in the policy today? >> Mr. Preo. >> Yeah. So, pretty much all federal law is encompassed in the policy. It's considered in the policy. I would have to review that student first act to be able to completely review and vet to
ensure um I don't have that yet and I haven't had a chance to do that but all of the other federal laws relating to student data privacy etc is encompassed in our policies. >> Okay. Thank you. I appreciate that. And I I will push back uh to say that the
students first act provisions are not in this policy. I don't think we cross-referenced it. Uh it it clearly has very insightful, very specific standards for AI which I do not see in
our policy. It speaks to >> it's just a proposed law has not passed. It's not a federal law. >> Oh, we didn't pass. >> Yeah. And we were still on my point about the communication that I haven't gone to round two yet. So this was separate from the point that I brought
up. Okay. I thought that's why I thought you wanted to speak to the communication piece. >> No, communicate. Miss Hixon, >> thank you. Um I I agree that we need to communicate because I'll just tell you
as a teacher for a very long time. Um it may get to principles, it may get to APS, it may get to other people, but sometimes it doesn't trickle to the teachers. So I want to also say that as you communicate it, I wouldn't just communicate it to the principles because
what will happen is we'll walk into a classroom and a teacher is just not going to know or understand. Um, but I would also like to ask if before you send that out that the board could see what's going out because sometimes what we thought we said, what you all put
into the communication doesn't always jive. So, I don't know like if if it makes sense to send it to all of us or just the chair or how that looks, but I think that it would be really important for us to see it before it goes out to make sure it says what it is we want it
to say. But it should be very concise and not overly um not too wordy because they're not going to read it and then they're not going to follow it because they haven't read it. But I I think it's important to understand that it can't just go to leadership. Whatever it is
that you put out has to go directly to the teachers as well. Thank you. >> If I may, um, Miss Hixon, so um I know it's been because we're trying to get something out uh probably tomorrow because we have the information, right? Um and the comm's team can put together
and make it look pretty for teachers and and um parents to understand. Um, so I would prefer because I know it's gonna be difficult to get to all of you guys to to see that before it goes. Um if uh I guess I can give it to the chair for a
review tomorrow or even later today or if there is something that the board um with consensus want us to absolutely make sure it um what information other than the uh what was voted on last week
is in there. other than what was voted on last week is in there because we're going to put it in parentfriendly and teacher friendly language to make sure that it's easily understood. Um I think we have a link to a website as well for additional information >> at the very least send it to us at the
same time. I would be fine if the chair looked it over first to just make sure it encompassed all of the pieces that she's gathered that we all have talked about and then just make sure you send it because they're going to email us. >> If we don't know what it said, it makes
it really difficult. >> Thank you, >> Miss Bullman. I would say just add a disclaimer that this is an ever evolving landscape and that you know we're we're continuing to moni you know whatever monitor the situation but not
really in that language but you know like we're we're taking the steps that we think are important right now but we will continue to be working on this as we're moving forward and AI continues to develop >> Mr. Sea.
So, um, obviously very pro communication. I think we need to do, um, whatever we can to get our messaging out instantly, just not on this stuff, but on everything we do collectively as a board. Um, I think from social media
to email blast to text message um, blasting, if that's what it's called, when you send mass text messaging, uh, I think we have to do a better job of advising the community as to the decisions that, uh, that we make. So, I'm I'm certainly all for this. As far
as having the chair review things before they go out, I don't know that I would necessarily be opposed to that. I would just hope that that wouldn't add um days of delay. I hope we can get that turned around timely, which uh I have all the
faith in the world that uh that we can on that. So overall uh 100% in favor with more communication as we go in and incidentally on the topic Dr. Heepern what is our primary method of communicating board decisions uh
especially like the the screen time decision that was made at the last meeting uh to the community? Is it is it social media? Do we put something on the website that you have to click through like nine things before you can finally see what it is? What is our primary means of communication with the community?
>> It varies based on a targeted audience. For parents, we can we send parent links which goes directly to the targeted audience. Text, email, uh phone call, um if it's for a broader um audience um social media and also um directing
people to our website. >> Okay. F >> social media. >> Fantastic. And um >> but the board may not see certain things because we are sending it when we use parent link. it is going straight to the parent. Um so unless you have a child in the school, you may not like Dr. Zean
and Dr. Hoess um Miss Bowman, some other folks will see that because they have kids in the school. But if you don't um um receive that is because we send it straight to the targeted audience, which was the parent, right? And so we can bypass all because all parents may not
be monitoring our social media. All parents may not be watching the news. All parents may not go to our website unless they actually need to go to our website for something. So, but the parent links um directly go straight to the parent. >> Good to know. And that includes those roocalls too, right?
>> Yep. It includes robocalls, emails, text messages. >> And we love the robocalls. Um Okay, good. That's uh that's encouraging. I'm I'm all for this. And uh again, as far as having the chair uh sort of I guess for lack of better terms, double check what goes on. Um I'm in favor as long as
obviously that's not going to create any kind of continued delay. Thank you. >> Um I would just say like I think we need to be careful about uh our role. So I think my directive was to communicate. Um I don't think it's my role to like
double check or review um something that's going out. I don't think it's the board's role either. That's like an operational thing. Like I'm happy to do it, but I I do want to be cognizant of the what the board's role is, which is like setting the policy. And I think Dr.
Zean spoke to this earlier today. Um and like not micromanaging um the staff. So I just I just want the communication to go out um however the the superintendent and staff best see that. Um that is their their role. Um I
I do have a question about the items past week and how the items that we passed last week and how they were incorporated if so in the policy where they fit into the policy. Attorney Dupri Bruno. So the first one with regards to
prek through fifth grade in the chat bots that's going to be in 7540.08 artificial intelligence and we'll send the board the revised. And then the other one was an acceptable use with regards to the screen time
and I have to um find that policy and I can advise the chair and the board. Um I just I would just generally like to understand were those items incor or will they be incorporated into the policy and is that even appropriate? I know I know we have something about like
real-time threat detection and things like that um in the policy. Uh so I guess I'm the one I'm I'm wondering about is the one to screen time. >> Yes, that that is in the >> policy 7540.03. I don't have
>> Thank you. Um and then in that vein, do we need to define threat detection uh further or is it for the purposes of the policy? Um does that need to be
more on the vague side? >> So I'll have to take a look at the language um and and then I can advise going back to your original question. So thank you Mindy for that. 7540.03 03. There is language that has been
added that specifically states the district shall include the maximum restrictions allowed by law on student device use for students in preK through grade 1. Screen time shall be limited to state testing requirements and documented accommodations for students
with disabilities or other special needs. >> Thank you. Um, I think that it's important for us to review this policy on an annual basis given the changing nature of the
technology. I'm wondering do we need to add something in the policy to to um codify that like that we we will be in a review cycle or does that belong in policy or is that more of just a standard practice that we should initiate
>> if the board wants to have an annual review? We can put that in the policy. I do think the training is annually. Let me look at the um language. >> Is there an objection to having the board review this policy annually? No,
it's also in the recommended F uh DOE rules. So, we have to do it anyway >> at least annually. >> Okay. Do you have your direction on that? Okay. >> Um, did we include anything about the AI
student council in the policy and does that belong in the policy? Dr. con or Mr. Castetta, if you have the answer faster than I do, please chime in. I'm not I don't see that's why I'm I didn't see it. So, that's why I'm
asking. I would just say uh the board gave consensus about creating an AI student council. I think that should be in policy to codify student voice in this. Is there an objection to including that in the policy from my colleagues? Dr. Zean,
>> just curious if um the chair if u general counsel wants to talk about that. If if we're going to put um you know, student activity groups into policies, great. We can do that. We have a bunch of them. Um I just don't know if it fits into our policy or if it's something that we would handle
otherwise. General counsel. So that's one that I would like to talk to the team about. Um we have some other policies that will be dealing with the advisory committees task force and other things of that nature. So maybe it
belongs there. Um but however, let me talk to the team and refresh my recollection with regards to that language. Dr. Con, do you remember? >> Yeah. So I I um initially I think we were going to put it in a process and not necessarily in policy. Um and so we
do have the the document uh the rules of engagement for the student panel to form. Um so um we're fine whichever the direction but we thought it was more appropriate in the process guidelines as opposed to the policy. >> If it's not appropriate chair I would want something in there that talks about
the student voice regardless of the actual technique that is used. It's it's really important as a policy that we say that we must get the students voice related to AI. We'll we'll be lost without it to be honest with you. Okay. Um,
does this policy speak to the use of um like facial recognition, emotion detection and biometric identification? I think specifically in the AI policy it does not it discusses the generation of
images but it doesn't discuss biometric detection that likely would end up in another policy though not in in AI unless unless you're you want to provide some context as to >> so do do I guess any of the policies before us the acceptable use the safety
and all privacy and and security does any do any of those policies speak to the software being able to use biometric identification. Um, uh, the emotion detection.
Um, does it speak to any of that facial recognition? I don't believe it it speaks to facial recognition. Um there are there is some limited language with regards to um
on page 131 it says that we will not collect, obtain or retain biometric information. >> Okay. I would be interested to see if there are if there is language that we can include
around facial recognition and emotion detection that the software is able to use. Yes, Mr. Bass. I'll have to look it up, but I believe there's the limits on what facial images we can collect in a school system, but
those type things will be addressed later on in the operations policies. Okay. Okay. Got it. Thank you. >> And safety and security. >> Thank you. Um I am increasingly concerned about the use
of AI companions among our students. This is something that students spoke to in roundts that I hosted. And I'm wondering like I know we don't have any authority over what students do at home.
Um but what we give them access to in school um obviously I think we can all agree that there should not be any kind of companionship component to what we're giving them access in school. And so I'm
wondering if there is a place to include anything around AI companionship in the policy, the tools that we give students access to. Mr. Cassinada, >> if I may address that, Mr. Superintendent, uh, uh, that is what is
meant and maybe we need more clearly define it by real time moderation because one aspect realtime threat detection is detecting threats, self harm, harm to others. Moderation is is a layer monitoring the conversation between the AI and the student. Not just
looking at what the student says, what the AI says. And if the AIT steers the conversation toward that connection or continues to engage, it steers it away. That's that's what moderation does and it's very difficult to apply. uh but the
tool we insist upon that for any tool that we put in front of our students ex precisely because of that risk of a student uh creating an attachment uh an anthropomorphicizing AI.
So yeah, I I mean the more that I'm thinking about this and the and based on your response, I do think we need clearer language around like emotional support, companionship, and the tools that we give students access to. I for
me that is an absolute red line. Um that if you know if we do give middle school and high school students access to a chatbot um that there cannot be any kind of emotional
mental health conversations happening. Um I'm sure there's more articulate language for that. Uh I guess I'm wondering if there's any objection to including language around that from my colleagues. >> No,
>> the only the only challenge chair I think is that there's a kind of a growing use of uh u counseling uh that's available. I can think of teenagers who um have gotten
great value out of using um AI counseling because it's available all the time and there's this really difficult thing to define. You know, sometimes people get online and they start talking all of a sudden they end up in an AI chat room and they're getting useful information about things.
So, it's uh I think the companion part of it is is very there's a lot of fear around that and there should be. Um, but there's also this again this really difficult definition of kind of what is a companion versus what is uh uh you know some uh you know mental health
tools that have proven to be valuable because they're available 247. So it's a it's just a fine line. I think that the companion uh the I in our policy, what would we say about companions that they um >> we would have a prohibition on AI
companions and the tools that we give students access to that we would have um guard rails in place for any tool that we put that we give students access to around emotional support and companionship. Um, I, you
know, again, I'm not speaking to what the students will do outside of the tools that we give them access to. Like I'm, you know, I'm very much aware that I know adults that go to chat GPT and have conversations like mental health conversations. I just do not think that
that should happen in with Broward County Public Schools resources that if a student ha has, you know, mental health needs that they are addressed by a human being. um not by any piece of technology in our schools.
>> So our policy would be our devices, our school days, no companion uh AI companions. >> Yes, >> I love it. Thank you. >> Uh Miss Hixon, Miss Thompson, thank you. I I don't necessarily disagree. Just have a question. Do any of our mental
health resources that we use now fall in line with what Mrs. Leonard is talking about? So I guess that would be to Miss Hollings. >> Go ahead, Miss Hollingsworth. >> Good morning. I think Simone Hollings with student services. We don't engage
with anything that would um allow for that um you know in regards to a companion option or mental health services um through an AI agent or option. >> Perfect. Thank you. I just wanted to clarify Miss Thompson. >> I just want to be on the record that I'm
strongly opposed to any use of AI in mental health. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Bulman. I agree. Thank you. Um, and to that point, so kind of in a in a different direction, but in that same
vein, I have a question that I I think I asked back in June about who is responsible or liable for in inappropriate exchange of content between
a student and generative AI. So, for example, if I am a student and I'm speaking to I'm I'm chatting with Copilot 13 plus and I say, I want to hurt myself. Please don't tell anyone.
And the co-pilot 13 plus responds, don't worry. Like, you should seek help, but don't worry, I won't tell anyone. If that chatbot was a teacher and a teacher responded in that way, there would be severe consequences.
So if we are giving students access to a chatbot that has that exchange, who is held accountable for that, who was held liable for that? And do we need to include something in our policy that speaks
to that kind of situation? I'm not a legal expert, so I'm going to lean on the on our legal team for uh liability and and um that type of risk. Um yes, if it was a teacher, there would be um some concerns there that we would we
would have to address. Um, I know contracts are structured in in a way where um sometimes they're shared shared liability. Sometimes the liability tilts more to the to the vendor than the than the district. But I'll I'll let um Miss Debrie Bruno and her team. >> Well, I just want to be clear, it's not
just concerns like if a teacher knows that a child is expressing thoughts of self harm and they don't tell anyone about it, like >> we would address that. >> Yeah, >> correct. >> There are like serious legal concerns to that. >> Yeah. So um I would like to research the
particular AI tools that for example I know magic schools um let me just look into that a little bit more because there are liability concerns both for the school district but as well as for the provider and we all know what has happened with chat GBT and some others
and they've taken some steps to um protect students or young people if you will with certain keywords when that comes up it kind of shuts down it doesn't continue the conversation so let me do a little bit more research in terms of the tools that we're thinking about so I can better answer that question for you.
>> Okay, that cons that remains like a very extreme concern for me. So I I would really like to see some something you know around that and the policy moving forward. May excuse me
madam chair may I ask one question >> to Mr. um custoa if he can answer he may need some additional time to answer it as well. Um if there is some keywords that are being entered even if it's with the chatbot or just doing Google
research but the we're capturing those keywords wouldn't that trigger um linewise as well? >> Yes it would. And I'd like to address because one of the reasons that we decided to set a higher bar for studentf
facing tools like magic student is we're ensuring a higher level of detection. That's why I I keep mentioning real time threat detection and real time moderation. And in those cases it's not just a keyword check but it's also a
detection of the context. Now uh uh uh chair Leonardi brought up copilot 13 plus and co c co c co c co c co c co c co c co c co c co c co-pilot 13 plus is not authorized for general student use. It is it is that has not
passed the protocols for a a general distribution of a studentf facing tool. it is used only in the AIMMIES as part of the instruction that those students receive to receive their Microsoft uh Azure AI certification and that's the
only exception that has been made as far as student facing tools. Um, since we brought up the threat detection, when can we expect that to be implemented? >> So, that'll um so the threat detection will be implemented uh at the beginning
of the school year. Um, so we've already had conversations with safety and IT in terms of the protocol. We're also sharing that at the next board workshop in terms of those escalation procedures. Um, and right now we're actually identifying um the flag words as well as
the phrases that typically uh will be generated. So we're also taking a look at other districts who already done some flagging phrasings to just to take a look at it. But the protocol is already in place. We've already had the conversations with uh Chief Gregory and we have a subsequent meeting this week
to kind of iron out all the final details of that. So we can be assured that by August 10th there will be real time threat detection on any schoolisssued device
and any uh any kind of software that we are giving students access to. >> Yes. >> Okay. Um, we passed an item back in April to give parents access to screen time like
the the screen time their kids are on devices on schoolisssued devices. Um, when can we expect that to be implemented? >> Our hopes is probably in the in the next couple of weeks. I know the the ISD team and myself and some of their team
members, we're trying to iron out what's the best way of displaying that information um and the updates cuz um just for the sheer volume to make sure it's not static and it's real time as much as possible. Um but we have we've kind of isolated the capabilities. It's
just about how do we display the information um for the parents and for the students. So, more to come on that and we may have to uh u we've discussing to broaden out the capabilities that we may have to um come back to the board and and ask for some additional funding to make sure the
capabilities are what we want to get the right information out to the parents, but it's it's it's getting there. um the the conversation that came up around like AI like using AI to plagiarize. Um
I think Miss Thompson said there needs to be very clear expectations about how AI is used in our schools. Um I know Miami Day County Public Schools has like a scale that you know teachers can refer to. um you know this assignment you
don't use any AI at all all the way to the top where you're using AI to create something um I think so that everyone can be on the same page about what the expectations are for any given assignment that would be very important.
Do we have a plan to implement something like that at all? Like how are we communicating clear expectations for teachers and students about AI use? >> Yeah. So yes, we do have a plan. We did see that that that rubric that you're referring to, and it's also part of the
training for teachers who opt into Magic Student, but we're also going to share that out with all teachers who are planning on using any vetted AI tool. So that that actually we're sharing with uh some of our AI task force members to provide uh some feedback to it.
>> Okay. Um, and to that point, the t I cannot emphasize enough the need for substantial training. I know that it's referenced in the policy, but um, you know, in my
conversations with students, I had students talk about they always mentioned like one or two teachers that they had that had like a really good understanding of how to use AI in their classroom and to teach kids how to use it for themselves. Um, and in those
classes, like kids are not cheating at the level that they might be in other classes where it's completely banned. And I think that has a lot to do with, you know, the the training that those teachers chose to do and the interest that they have in this topic. So to the
extent that we can really codify um solid training, not just like a canvas course like we have for the you know the AED training and and all of that where you just have to click through and pass a 20 question quiz. Um I would really love to see some
substantial training um that that can be you know helpful for our our teachers and students. Which brings me to I think like the overall question that I have is do we have or is there a plan to implement a governance
structure like standard operating procedures which I know is not the purview of the board to to review standard operating procedures and to create them. But I do think what I hear a lot from parents and a lot of my questions stem from like what is what is
the road map or the structure in which we're doing all of this? What's the plan? Um any everywhere from like you know the proc where it starts with procurement. What is the purpose of it? What tools are we giving teachers access to? What tools are we giving students
access to? What are the guard rails around that? Um what is the timeline for different phased in training? Um I know New York City public schools has a a pretty substantial roadmap. So I guess do we do we have that kind of expansive
plan in place and SOPs in place >> for AI use? >> No, we don't. Not that expansive right now. Our um plan covers um academic and instructional and classroom aspects. Um but that it's a great question because that's what the team and I have been
discussing in cabinet um to and it's more about building capacity and expanding um you know efficiencies across the system with with AI use especially with our co-pilot adoption. So I think like a lot of the concern could be addressed by having a governance structure like that um and
that that is public facing so that people can see like okay so these are the standards for for you know what tool is procured and even like the question I get a lot is you know what tools in magic school are they going to get be given use to do we have
a plan for that about magic school being rolled out like what does that look like >> go ahead. I'll let Dr. Con elaborate on that one. >> Yes. So, there's a plan for what that looks like and that and that also will be included in uh and on the website. We
did review that plan with parents during the forum. Um and we um are using parents to kind of vet that process as well to get some of their feedback before formally rolling that plan out. So, we did talk to parents about that implementation plan that one, uh, it's
available for for teachers during pre-planning week to opt into it. Two, if teachers who've used Magic School for a year and they want to have access to uh, Magic student, there's an opt-in portion and we have some guidelines around there. The training has been
developed for those teachers. Um, and then what that looks like in implementation as well. And so all of that is kind of built out and so absolutely we can kind of share that with with the board members. >> Okay. And is all of that on the broward schools.ai?
>> Yes, that will be included when it goes live this week. >> Okay. Um so that it'll include like these are the different tools that that we are giving people access to >> the vetted tool. >> This is the timeline for roll out. This is when students will have access to
these tools. All of that, >> right? >> Okay. Yeah. And we only have a a very few small tools that are AI. All most of our tools, all of the tools that we have, our instructional materials that have AI are turned off currently. Even our adopted materials, they also have AI
embedded in them. They're turned off. So, we're doing a slow roll out of specific vetted tools to make sure to Dr. Heburn's point uh we're vetting it. We're building capacity uh with our AI leaison to make sure that it's launched very carefully, very deliberately. um
and we're getting feedback along the way. So we don't want to do full launch of multiple AI systems or tools at the secondary level only as it applies to maybe uh credentiing or acceleration or for core courses that teachers have the
ability to want to engage in this work. >> Okay. Um and I guess to my question to the general counsel would be um if the board were to give direction that we want a go like an expansive governance structure or SOPs
um would that it would it be appropriate to include that general directive in the policy or is that should that be separate from the policy that like the superintendent shall maintain a governance structure that outlines like
pro, you know, procurement standards and use like acceptable use standards and things like that. Would that be appropriate in the policy or outside of the policy? We >> we can definitely add a a line that specifically says that the superintendent shall develop standard operating procedures or um guidelines to
effectuate this policy. >> Okay. Is there any objection from the board on that? >> Okay. Do you have your direction in that? >> Yes. >> Okay. Um, that's it for me for round one, Miss Rupert. >> Thank you. Um, Madam Chair, I wanted to
um I guess emphasize what what um Jeff was saying um Dr. for homelessness about the homeless um homeless children as well as and I I don't know if they gave you a figure but the last time I asked they said it was around 5,000 um
and also to uh emphasize the need for mental health in those particular areas as well. I know our our um our group does a great job um with that. So perhaps moving forward we could have um a a workshop about our atrisisk kids. Um
what areas are we are we talking about and how are we helping them and you know best practices and what do we need to do to be able to to meet our not only our obligation uh from the state but our moral obligations. So I uh agree with
that. Um honestly we need clear communications. I think my colleagues did a terrific job of asking the questions about AI and um the only other thing I wanted to say was the clear
communications is has to get better because I know the board gave a directive about having art and music to return to all elementary schools and yet I'm hearing from teachers and PTA parents that that are back helping the
teachers move in and finding out that they're not having art or music at their schools when they've had them before. So, I don't know um Madame Chair if if maybe the superintendent can say what kind of communications went out on that
and what um obligation can the principal sign off and say yes and uh this is what I'm doing because for me having our students take double science instead of art and music doesn't
cut it for me. you know, we we're doing our students a disservice because they are not getting their their basic music and art and we have terrific programs in Coconut Creek with um our middle schools music and one of our schools had steel
drum bands which are now sitting and not being used. So um I really wanted to hear from the superintendent on that particular communication. um was it sent out and was there a clear um ownership from the principal that the
directive was to do this and this and yet I'm not going to be doing it. >> Um oh sorry go ahead Miss Rupert. >> No I was actually going to say um Madam Chair if you want to ask the superintendent. Yeah, I mean so right now we're still
workshopping the policies. So I don't know this is I mean we'll have some time at the end of the workshop or after the special where we can you know bring up general items. So I don't know if you had any comments on the policies and then um I think we can discuss this further at the end of you know at the
general discussion portion of the meeting. >> Sure. I only brought it up because you say clear communication so it was a a tangency that I just went for. Um, no, mine are further along in the in the meeting. So, thank you. I appreciate you.
>> Round two, Mrs. Alhadf. >> Thank you. So, um, in my time, uh, I put into AI to compare our policy with the student first document,
student first act. And so, uh, I I sent it to Miss uh, Dupri Bruno and Dr. He and there is I think some opportunities that we can strengthen our policy. Uh one of the things I thought was interesting was they are looking to use
AI from 9th through 12th grade starting in 9th grade. So I think that's something that we have to you know seriously reflect on uh when we are going to give access to the AI. Uh so
that's that but there is some improvements things that we can be stronger in and uh one of the key takeaways was due process rights for students appeals and investigations parent involvement
transparency and classroom use detailed academic integrity procedures and student choice and apt opt out protections. Uh then in Dr. Holes's uh point, I wanted to, you know, bring up the
opportunity that we should be providing our homeless students with hotspots for their laptop computers so that they can access and have the same abilities as other students that have Wi-Fi. And I think Dr. Dr. Heburn, we can work with
our community partners like T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T to have these hotspots donated for our homeless students. Thank you. >> Dr. A, >> I wasn't sure the question. She was she was making a statement. Um, yes, we'll
do a team with research. Um we we uh have a lot of information from all of those um wireless entities so we can bring back uh there is a cost. Nothing's free. Um we've already uh had that discussion with them. There are free options for parents but they have to um
fill out the information to actually get it for free. Not we can't because we're not the parent um and we can pass along the information um to to kids. But we do, Miss uh Rupert had a great point of probably having a workshop because we we
do have a robust program to support our homeless students and tons of partners that partner with us to make sure we're supporting them. They they get a lot of services, uh a lot of resources as well. So, a workshop to kind of clarify the understanding of um the partnerships
that we have and how Broward County School supports the homeless students is um definitely warranted. So, I made a note of that, but um we'll have the ISD team um see if there's any changes with any of the um wireless entities that we work with. The last time most of them
were either most of them were lowcost options. There are some free options, but the parents have to fill out the information and we can certainly get that to the um impacted students to make sure their parents and also our partners partners work very well with the parents to make sure they follow through. We can work with the partners to make sure they
get the information too. >> Yeah. And I think that if we can sit down with our our parents and help them facilitate to fill out the application would be very helpful with them being able to submit it to get the free
hotspot. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Hixon. >> Thank you. Um just one couple of quick things. So first I just want to remind all of us on the board that we actually have an AI academy at NOVA. I believe
it's middle and high school if I'm not mistaken. So we I don't think it makes sense to write a policy that then takes away a program that has been in existence for at least the last year. Um and students are doing very well in that. Also on that realm there, you
know, there are schools, one big one is the alpha school that's actually out there. people pay $50,000 a year >> 60,000 >> to have well when we were they must have upped it when we were on the Zoom call that they had um and there's one in Miami they're all over the country
actually that this is the wave of the future so we just need to put into context some of it that that not everybody is against having AI in their schools so as we said with screen time we're trying to find a balance so I
don't think um limiting it to just high school would do us justice considering we have an AI academy already in existence for our students. Um I do also agree with the student appeals because I don't know how many people are familiar
with this but when tested popular AI content dete detectors mistakenly flag the United States Constitution as roughly 92 to nearly 98% AI generated. >> Totally. So, um, when you put that, you know, and Google used to have I, again,
I was a teacher a long time ago, Google, you'd put in there, I feel lucky, and it would pop up what they had copied and pasted off of Google, and we use that a lot to be able to to do similar things. So, when I say that AI has been around a long time, there are a lot of precursors
to where we landed today. So, I do think it's important for our students to have an appeal um process where they can um prove that they didn't necessarily get it all off of AI even if it flags that
for them. Um and again, just you know, I I think not to make judgment, but our public comments are empty today. We're working on a huge AI model. I didn't get any emails about it. I there's no one here to tell us what their thoughts are on
it. And so I think, you know, it's important that we we balance what we believe the public wants and what our teachers as professionals know is necessary to teach our students in terms of skills to be successful when they
leave us. So I think it's important to find that balance. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Thompson. Thank you, chair. Uh, I just had a quick comment on Dr. Holes's proposal about the homeless youth. I think we need to be extremely careful writing in policy about what um
what dictates services because every child is different. Also, through our heart program, teachers don't necessarily know which of their students is homeless. So, then you are outing a child that probably doesn't want them to know. Uh we also have amazing social workers and school counselors that help
people fill out the forms that are making sure they get the services appropriate. So I think the language in the policy is broad enough that it encompasses and enshrines their right to those services without defining
any individual need. Um I don't know if Miss Dr. Hollingsworth Mrs. I forgot wants to add anything about our heart program, but I think it's really important to know that these services are already in our school and it's incredibly important that we don't out
students that are struggling with this to anyone other than the people that absolutely need to know. Uh, and I think that would kind of conflict with like teacher options because you would have to then tell the teacher that this was happening. >> So, thank you, Miss Thompson Wilson. Um,
our heart program does connect our families with both school as well as community resources and as Miss Thompson also mentioned with the school social workers, school counselors to make sure that students and families are getting what they need and helping them um navigate that that work while keeping
the confidentiality in place because we know that that is certainly something that not every family is comfortable with and we want to obviously honor that. >> That's it. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Zean. >> Thank you so much. Uh handful of things to take care of here. On the definition
section, uh we say, Mr. Dep Bruno, that a rule and a policy should have the same definition. I've always thought about them as different things in the sense of that the board of education passes officially rules and the school board
has policies. Um what does it mean when we say as used in this document, rule and policy have the same definition? So a policy passed by the school board is considered a rule. So we we have to be very careful because
sometimes we use policy as the um vernacular term of a policy in terms of a thought, an idea, a position that we're taking. In this sense through the administrative procedures act, a policy is actually a rule. It is part of the rule making process and we do use it
interchangeably. Um I I this is a crazy idea, chair, but um we're about to blow up 1,700 pages of Spire County School Board policies, and we're going to create this beautiful, well-integrated, consistent, thoughtful,
warranteed set of new documents. Do we want to start calling them rules instead of policies so that we kind of sunset the previous policies and adopt new rules? If they're rules, to me, that sounds like something you got to follow. A policy sounds like Dr.
Holes has an idea. He and I, Right. Right. You know, talk about ideas all the time here, right? Everyone on this board does. >> That's kind of the vernacular for policies, right? Like, oh, what policy do you follow for homeless people? Well, our policy is this. But it's not generally used in the public as
something you must do. But we fire people that don't follow our policies. Is it time to start calling them rules because that's what they are legally? >> That is what they are. They're rules. This board is passing rules that have I don't I don't want to do anything about that now, but I'd love to bring that back and think a little bit about it
because it may be that that would be a great way to announce this new shift because they are rules, but our our use of the word policy makes it sound like, you know, you know, there are policies that people
have that don't usually have the connotation of you must do them. They're they're just kind of general direct general guidelines in some sense. So, I'll leave that for another day. But I I would I'll tell you right now though that I I want to be very very clear with people and these sound like rules to me.
Uh I'd love our employees to know them as rules. I'd love board members to know them as rules, staff to know them as rules, the whole thing. So we can tee that up for another time. Uh underneath that, there's also this odd thing on page eight where we say shall is something you're required to do. And
then we have a parenthetical that says will and must also doesn't use the word also. Will and must signifies required. is will, must and shall then all the same thing. >> Yes, >> I'm glad I'm not a lawyer sometimes there, Mr. Depri Bruno. That's awfully
complicated. On page uh nine, we list a whole bunch of wireless communication devices. Um, out of respect for our 32,000 ESSE students, I'd love to add uh after the parenthetical that ends with pagers, the words ESSE student support
tools. Way too often we think about wireless communication tools as iPhones and you know, smartphones, uh, laptops, tablets, iPads, and the whole thing. and we forget 32,000 students depend for their life sometimes on finding
migraines uh predicting epileptic fits you know other things. So chair without objection could we add ESC student support tools as one of our wireless communication devices >> is there any objection >> on a more uh um significant note in
terms of how we change things every year we have an organizational meeting and and Miss Hixon knows this and others know it a lot more than I do. Miss Rupert uh for a much longer time. Uh we set a meeting schedule then for the next 12 months and I keep seeing this problem come up every November that we don't
have any fixed schoolboard dates from uh beyond November. So we have a meeting and we have to actually formally approve the next meeting which is usually early December. Um I would like to fix that. I'd like to to set aside on paragraph two we say the words include the
schedule for regular meetings. Um, and it doesn't really say for a year, but um, it doesn't not say a year. I would just like to add some language in there, chair, that says uh, that we also set provisional meetings for 60 days uh,
beyond the year so that at least the staff can plan for dates. Uh, they're not formal dates until the next uh, year comes together. But this is like a crazy kink in the system where uh we set a one-year schedule and then uh we have to wait until that day to set up a meeting
uh a week or two later. So is there a way to fix that chair in the language? >> Is there any discussion? Any object? Miss Tixon, Mr. Bri Pruna, is that something that state statute? I I just I mean, you're
saying not to that we wouldn't vote on it because it could be a new board and that wouldn't be like the whole point is to wait till you have a complete board to be able to vote. And I think they already pre-planned those meetings without us taking I I think they do what
you're asking already. Do we need to put that into I mean, is it written the way it is because that's a state statute is my question. It is written the way it is because it is a state statute. Um the board always has the opportunity to have special meetings if required, if that
board um would like to do it. The reason it's written like that is because exactly what you said, Miss Hixon, there may be new board members and that's why you create um the new um the new calendar. Um it's I think Dr. Dr. Zean,
it's broad enough that you could include an additional 30 days if you want to have an additional meeting just to do that catch all. I I don't think it limits it the way that it's written now. >> I I'm with you, but I would like it in the policy that we do it on a
provisional basis. They're not fixed. They can be changed by the next board, but um uh it's really uh it causes more of a kink in the system. You know, we have people that think they have a change order that's coming up and it's going to happen on the on the first meeting in December and then everyone says, "Yeah, if we have the meeting
then." And so I don't I don't feel like we operate a $5.5 billion a year organization with if maybe we have a meeting. I think we need to say, you know, we call them provisional, bless them again in November, and then start again with another uh 12 months plus two
more months of provisional dates. That's that's if the board directs that's fine. >> Any other objection? >> Thank you, chair. Appreciate it. Um uh chair, if we wanted to shift FMLA from uh unpaid to paid, what would we have to
do? >> Dr. Hurn, >> shift FMLA from paid to from unpaid to paid. >> Yes, sir. If we decided that we were going to do right by our staff and we were going to encourage people to, you
know, form families and to have children and do great things, we would have like a very sane policy that actually pays people for 12 weeks after they form another human being. Uh, I'm always going to advocate for that. But what is the process for us to go from unpaid
FMLA to paid FMLA? >> Be a Dr. Lozano question and he's not in the room. Um, if you want to go to another subject, we can have him come down. >> I'll just answer it myself. We make it part of our negotiations with collective bargaining agreements. >> Rhetorical, huh?
>> Yes, sir. I just wanted wanted my board to hear it, you know, because one of the things this board for the last four years hasn't done a lot of is gone into collective bargaining agreements with anything other than pay. But there's a whole bunch of stuff in our collective bargaining agreements. And some of it I really don't like. uh
because it's not good for students and it's not good for schools and it's stuff we've had in there forever and and then when we we we discover it when we want to try to change something and all of a sudden we realize something isn't there in the collective bargaining agreement we could introduce paid FMLA um and anything else that we want at the same
time that we negotiate salary um I look forward to doing some of those things uh in the in the next round that we do it the last one I have chair sorry I'm missing a page here um on school visitors. It's a a grammatical thing. Um
it's on toward the end. I'm sorry that I misplaced my page. It's on page 153. Um just like apologies don't have butts in the sentence. Uh our second sentence, our first sentence and our second
sentence are in contradiction to each other. I just it bothers me. school board welcomes and encourages visits like we want people to come in and then we say but in order for da da da you know we have to have uh invokes I would just suggest we take the butt out and
say uh for the educational program to continue undisturbed it's necessary to invoke visitor controls I just don't like saying one thing and then immediately saying yeah but we don't really mean that you know because we're going to hold to these tight controls I think it'd be better just to strike those three words chair if there's no objection
>> is there any objection All right. >> All I have chair. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Holus. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, so, uh, I believe, um, Miss Bruno, you have some information. >> I have the answer to your question.
>> So, with regards to the legislature and being limited to their particular geographical um, district, that is specifically from the statute. That's what the law actually says. Okay. So, so then we cannot have a
policy that would allow them to visit any school in B County. >> You can. It would be an enlargement of what the statute actually requires in states. >> Okay. But we do have the right to do that. Correct. >> There's nothing that stops you from
doing that. >> Okay. So the reason I'm asking for that and it's not to be difficult because I know that when they meet with us once a year, we provide our priorities that they're they advocate for in Tallahassee. Um and I I don't know um
the varying reasons why um a legislative member would visit our schools, but I would hate to limit their access to specific schools when they're really addressing the broader district. Um, so I'd much rather that the language says a member of the legislative um may visit
any Broward County public school. Period. So, Madam Chair, is there any objection to that? >> Is there any objection to that? Dr. Zean, >> just a quick grammatical thing. I wonder if you want to say Broward legislator could visit any Broward school. I I don't necessarily Is that okay?
>> Yes, Dr. Holmes. >> Okay, Madam Chair. >> Mr. Sea. Madam general counsel, I just want to make sure I understand there's a statute on this. Yes. >> Is our policy more restrictive than the
statute? >> No. Our policy as currently drafted reflects specifically Florida statute 101.4205 and the language is exactly the same. It states a member of the legislature may visit any public school in the
legislative district of the member. >> Okay. And making the changes that uh Dr. Holmes is suggesting here would not create a situation where we'd be running a foul of whatever statute that you're referring to. Correct? >> No.
>> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Bulman. She's in. Anyone else for round two? >> Oh, Madam Chair, I'm not finished. >> Oh, sorry. I thought you were done. >> No, that was just one one area. I just thought maybe someone else had input on the same um Okay. All right. So, I'll
move on. Um Dr. Heburn, I just wanted to find out if a student is suspected, let's say, of being homeless, but the parents or the um student um who may be unaccompanied youth uh did not fill out a questionnaire, but there's suspicion
from the teacher or uh what's the process to address that? >> There is a specific process. I I don't know um each step in that process. Um, let me give Miss Hollorthart a sec to go ahead Miss Hollorth. >> I'm sorry. Would you repeat that? I
apologize. >> The specific process if a student if a student or a parent is not identified and their student is homeless, but the school staff may have suspicion that they are, what's the process of um supporting that student? So anytime a student or family comes to register a
child, that's one of the questions on our registration form for the family to document that and then we connect them with the heart leaison as well as the school social worker and school counselor so we can um you know address those needs. If there's a concern with a student, um, regardless of when I was a
teacher, if I had concerns, I would go to my school social worker or my school counselor to address a need. Not necessarily call it out as a homeless situation, but just to make sure that the family >> Sorry, I think I lost. >> Can you hear? It sounded like it stopped. Um, to connect with resources.
Miss Sutella, would you like to say anything else in addition to that? But we don't necessarily call it out in regards to if they haven't identified themselves as being homeless. >> Thank you. Good morning. Um, per McKenna Vento, when a family states that they are homeless, we need to take their
their word and then afterward we we address the information how they're homeless, why, and what supports they need. There is a process uh per the statute that schools can at some point then appeal that. But that is an entire different process immediately. We have
to enroll students and we also have to take their word for that. >> Okay. So, can you remain there for a minute? Um, how would you define an unaccompanied homeless youth? >> That is a student that has someone has taken them in. Their parent perhaps
kicked them out of the house because that happens or their parent is somewhere else living somewhere else. They may be staying with a relative or even a friend. >> Okay. So the question I had and I and I heard your response, but the question I had is if a parent did not fill out a
questionnaire, they did not identify the student as homeless or it could be an unaccompanied homeless youth, but the teacher or staff members suspect there is a problem without knowing what it is. what is the process
uh that that teacher or staff would be knowledgeable of to proceed with next step to determine if there's a homeless issue. Okay. Well, if a teacher uh feels that there are some concerns, I think I said heard Miss Hollings say that they
should be going to the school counselor and or the school social worker. Um, sometimes I know they may be leerary to ask those questions because it's kind of a very touchy subject to be homeless, but I think it's a conversation they should have with the support staff at the school to get more information about
the student. Okay, I understand. So, you said they should. So, Dr. Heburn, is there a formal process for staff or teachers if they suspect homelessness or that's not documented to follow as
opposed to sort of being a gray area as to what they should do? um staff if there's a formal process. >> I'm not aware of a formal process about that. But again, going back to a teacher um our guidance with our school social
workers, school counselors is that when we're interfacing at the school as well as with our teachers at the school of my school counselor, that was something we talked about constantly was making sure we're identifying students that had a need regardless because sometimes we don't know what it is. But as you know,
Miss Sautella mentioned, not necessarily calling that out because it has to come from the parent, but then really connecting where the student may be struggling, reaching out to the family to offer what services or supports and then allowing that natural organic conversation to to, you know, happen.
>> Understand? So, Miss Hollins word, let me just ask this question then. Can I know there's obviously not a formal process, but can staff be aware on a yearly basis that if you are if you have any concerns with any students, these
are the steps that you you can take? >> We can certainly outline that to be more specific, you know, just to then message that to our school social workers, school counselors, principles to then, you know, orient their staff to that. Absolutely. >> Okay. So, I have a couple more things. It mentioned that a questionnaire is
given once per year. Um Miss Bruno in the policy um I believe that's what the policy says the questionnaire is distributed once per year. Um I am thinking and I could be wrong. Is there a reason for once per year?
Because I think um we are enrolling students right um throughout the year. So I believe it would probably be helpful to have the questionnaire distributed at least twice per year, maybe once per semester because we have
incoming students that that come in um at the end of the calendar year at the beginning, you know. So if we just do it in August, we have all of these kids coming in that we miss. So could we have this questionnaire in the policy? And if
anyone objects, you can tell me, but I think we'll be able to capture more um kids who are potentially homeless and provide accommodations as required. >> So, it it actually happens it you're correct, it happens once a year, but it actually happens upon the kid
registering for the school. So, it's part of their registration process. So, no matter what point of time that kid enters that school, they're going to actually um um answer um or get that questionnaire about um homelessness. >> Okay. So, it happens throughout the year. Correct. So why do we need this in
here that it happens once per year? >> Um to ensure it's happening but that once a year is upon registering at that school. >> Okay. So question can the policy then reflect what the superintendent just said so we know for sure that this
process is fluid. It goes throughout the year in addition to being offered once per year. >> Yes, we can include that. >> Okay. So I have another question. Um, board member Thompson mentioned
uh an issue with uh concern about um privacy as far as putting certain requirements in policy. Um, so I have a question, Dr. Heburn. Are teachers uh knowledgeable and privy to students
who are homeless and in their classrooms? Um, I think Miss Hollinssworth, um, and her team can answer that more specifically on their knowledge if a kid is actually homeless because some parents don't want
the >> rest of staff to know. I've been in those cases as a principal before. Go ahead, Miss Holl. So if I could I would say that's a case- by case basis as um you know like I mentioned and as we just clarified when the family comes in to register and then those questions are
answered um the school social worker school counselor meets with that family and then you know kind of takes the lead from what that case what that family may you know want um you know in regards to what needs to be disclosed but then obviously making sure that we're getting the students what they need.
>> Okay. So I have a follow-up question. kids who are in a classroom um with different concerns. It could be a kid on an IEP, a kid with a certain disability, uh a kid who is homeless. In order for a
teacher to provide certain specific accommodations, normally uh a teacher is aware but the teacher has certain responsibility to not violate the the privacy of specific students while at the same time
simultaneously providing the accommodations necessary to be successful. Correct. So the question I have then is as a teacher in the past, you know, with students with disabilities, we have access to IEPs, we
can look at all the accommodations and and it helps us. So, even though you mentioned that um in case by case basis, if I am a teacher in a classroom and I want to know who my homeless kids are,
um do I have the right or do I not have the right by policy or rule? >> I'm going to let Miss Satella answer that. Yes, they are able to see this information in focus just like with other uh students that are ESSE or have a health condition that's flagged in
focus. >> Okay. So then every teacher has access to focus that indicates which of their kids are homeless and those who are
um have a learning disability. Correct. >> Okay. So, I'm rethinking what I said because there is a hard designate at every school. So, that person would have it. Um, um, Miss Hollingsworth, do ESC teachers that have students with ESC, can they see that?
>> If they're rostered to there, I think we need to make sure we're delineating because a student with a disability has and the accommodations are one thing. A student with homelessness is is another um realm. So if that student is rostered to that teacher, yes, for a disability,
they would have access to accommodations, not everything. They have, you know, accommodations and goals. Um, so there are certain things that they would see, certain things that they don't. Much like an SRRA for a student that had a suicide risk assessment, the teacher may see that
there was there's a plan, but not all the logistics behind it to continue to keep that confidentiality um to, you know, in between the um individual and the you know, mental health counselor. >> Okay, I understand that. So I am going to separate students with disability and
talk about homeless students. Dr. Heburn and and this might be a question for Miss Bruner as well. Do teachers, if they so request, have the right to know by policy or rule the
students who are homeless in his or her classroom. Dr. Fulton, I didn't see you came. Okay. And and Dr. Fulton, maybe your staff could answer. And Madam Chair, I'm getting somewhere with this. That's why I'm asking these questions. And and I'd like to get a response from Miss Bruna
as well. I I just want to know if I'm a teacher in a classroom and I want to know who my homeless kids are, do I have the right and and do I have access? >> Yes, >> I do. Okay, that was very straightforward. Very right. Miss Bruno,
is there anything in policy that limits my right as a teacher to know who the homeless kids are in my classroom? There's there's nothing that limits aside from the parent maybe having some concerns. >> Okay. But the teacher does have a
responsibility to protect the privacy of that student. Is that correct? >> Yes. >> And the knowledge of a student being homeless is so much as to provide the right educational opportunities for that student. Is that correct? >> Yes. >> Okay. So, is there anything that inhibits us from putting in policy
um anything that would enhance the academic performance of a homeless kid in the classroom with the teacher having knowledge that this kid is homeless? >> Yes. So, this is something that I'm going to go back to the team based on the prior conversation that we had to be
able to craft some language that will address that. >> Okay. So, I have a suggestion and maybe the board can tell me whether or not I was looking at the the homeless policy and and the reason I'm on this because I think this is very important. I did ask
the question as well, how many homeless kids do we have in Brow County? Do we have the answer? >> Yes. As of last year, we had 4,274 students. >> Okay. So, almost 5,000 students who are homeless, right? Um, and what I'd like
to say as well is that homelessness has no regard for religion. It has no regard for race. It has no regard for color. Homelessness affects everyone.
Everyone. Uh, so I think it's important that we try to put something in place to make sure they are successful. Um, so I would like to suggest um that we add language, Miss Bruno, and I
and I'd like to get the board's input. Um, on page 54, I think would be a great place to fit what I'm trying to accomplish. Um, just before the topic that says school stability,
you see that last sentence that says unaccompanied homeless high school youth will receive counseling to prepare and improve their readiness for post-secary education. >> Miss Bruna, are you there? >> Could you tell me the the number, Dr. >> I'm on page 54. Um, right before school
stability. >> Line 15. Thank you so much. >> Got it. Um let me know when you are there miss >> I'm there. >> Okay. So is that sentence pertaining to um letter C or is that an independent
sentence? >> Independent. >> Okay. So I would like to add an additional independent sentence um where it says homeless children and youth will be provided with a non-technology option
to complete any homework or a or after school academic activity. Okay. So, Miss Bruno, is there any concern with that language? >> So, um, from a legal standpoint, no concern. I do want to make sure that I
work with staff as well. Um, but we we will find something that will address specifically what you're asking for because I think what your concern is is to make sure that we do everything that we can. So these students can be successful and if they don't have access to electricity, internet, etc., how do
we do how do we help them be successful within the confines of their circumstances? So we we'll we'll get language and I did write what you said down um be provided with non-technology options to complete their homework as well as any other activity. >> Okay. And and the language, Miss Bruno,
it it's just saying they have that option. Now, if they have access to computer, great. They can do that as well. But if a teacher knows who his or her homeless students are, then those kids should be provided with the option. And my understanding is that
they have access as to who they are. Okay. Y madame chair. I think that's it for me. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Bulman. I just had a couple follow-up questions or follow-up comments for the
conversation we were having before um with the AI policy and the student what is it called? Student polic student >> student AI >> student AI policy. Um, so when I was reading it, it it looks like the per the
purpose and the delineation from the eighth grade to the high school years is that they're focusing on mastering the skills and then kind of incorporating AI into writing after the eighth grade. So, I don't know if we want to put if that's
something that we want to put in to our policy that we'll have a focus on skill mastery and then um integrate AI after that or if that's just you know that I don't know how any the rest of
you feel about that but I think like that's a basis I think hearing from parents and things people are concerned. So if you go through eighth grade and now you actually know how to write, then you learn how to integrate AI into enhancing that. I know like like for
practicing law, you have to know how to practice law before you can use AI properly. You can't just put something in the into the um AI co-pilot and it spits it out. You can't discern whether or not things are correct or not. And I'd say the same thing for math. I mean,
I think it's an amazing tool if you're doing calculus or if you're doing chemistry. It lays out how to help you um figure out a problem, but then you also but you need to know how to get there first and do all of the basics for the math. So, I I would um suggest that
we add that as one of our values that we have in the AI processes ma skill mastery and then integration as appropriate. I think that's excellent. Is there any objection to that?
>> All right. Do you have your direction on that? >> Thank you. >> So, I just have a clarifying question uh regarding that. Um Kathy Noa is that is that more in policy or process putting specific skill like attributes
on policy or rules? I think what I would like to do is have um an on offline conversation with the team to be able to address the concern that's been raised and then we can bring it back to the board. >> Yeah, because we can absolutely add that as part of the pathway uh for secondary
um in those instances >> I think and also just I don't want to speak for Miss Bulman but I think it can be both like Mr. not Mr. Dr. Zean made like a general value statement that we all g gave consensus on at the beginning of the meeting. I think this is another one of those.
>> Exactly. It's is not just aligned to that, but this is what policy looks like. The policy is gain skills and then move forward with more technical advances to to hone those skills. That is a policy. >> Anything else, Miss Pullman? >> Okay. Uh anyone else before round three?
>> Madam Chair, >> you uh you can I'll add you to round three. Anyone else before round three? All right, Miss Thompson. >> Thank you. I just want to dive back into this homeless student because I I think it's important that we know what has
access and also we remember that students and families have rights that their personal information is not shared with everyone even if they are the classroom teacher. Like it's incredibly important for the profession in general to know that their notes and the information they're putting in about
students isn't accessible by teachers. Also, when I was a social worker, we use basis. I know there was the heart icon. Um, so I don't know how that is in focus, but I'm uncomfortable with just anyone having access to what student is
experiencing homelessness, regardless on if it's a teacher. I am uncomfortable with anyone having access to information on if they're meeting with a school school psychologist or they're meeting with a family counselor because it's honestly no one else's business other
than that professional, that family member and that student. So, I just want to be explicitly clear on what teachers can see information about our students and how that's processed because I'm now texting people and asking if teachers
can tell if students are homeless or not because regardless on if we are a perfect world or not, people get treated differently if they know that. And I would hate for a student to be outed in in the the purest of sense like I understand Dr. Hullness your point that you want to make sure these students are
getting resources. So I don't think your intent is is anything but pure, but I think it is abundantly clear or important to clarify that these students have rights as well about their personal situations. And
it's there are people out there who if they knew there was a homeless student in their class might treat them differently whether they were trying to do it to be helpful or not. Um, so I just can we please get a clear understanding of on what teachers can see, what social workers can see, what
notes are accessible to everyone who has access to that student file. And I'm fine with a follow-up because I think this is not um ex we're bringing this back, but I think the board in general and parents need to know what information is shared with classroom
teachers and with everyone else. >> That's it. Thank you. No, I was going to um request a follow-up so we're on the same page to provide that information. >> Yeah. >> Got it. Um and just for my colleagues awareness, we do have a special u
special meeting scheduled for 12:30. Um we are on round three. I see multiple hands up. So for the public's uh for the courtesy of the public, we will be starting that special meeting late. Uh Dr. Zeman >> wanted to point I mean I would do
anything to help uh Dr. Heleness wholeness's you know general concern but our policy starts with a statement that says that we will provide other services needed to provide equal opportunity to meet the same challenging state academic
standards to which all students are held. In my experience with watching my dad spend a lot of time working with with um people of economic disabilities, um there was a system in place to make sure that policy was held. It wasn't
specific to physical homework. It wasn't specific to um giving them office supplies that they didn't have and things like that. It was this general sense that a teacher often aided by counselors, social workers and and and other leaders at their school would
surround uh children who have special needs with special resources. And we tell them that that's what their requirement is. Uh children, youth who are identified as meeting the homeless will be provided other services needed to provide equal opportunity. And to me
that might get to a more holistic uh humanistic approach to dealing with this without trying to like do a a one each. You know the one each of physical homework is a great idea. But I would rather just sit with this general idea. You got to do everything you can do so
that they have the equal opportunities to succeed. And one way we might do that is break up that first sentences into two pieces because it's kind of muddled together. It says that we'll provide them, you know, the free and appropriate public education. That could be one sentence. And it could also say we will also uh provide all the services needed
to provide equal opportunity. So that it's really really clear that um that we want to do both things. Right now it's a little bit muddled in the language. So we can look at it when it comes back and see the best way to go. I'll also just share with my colleagues uh something I learned at the council of great city schools last month. Cincinnati provides
parking spots for homeless families in cars. And the advantage of that is that they come there around sunset. Uh they they park, you know, they get ready, you know, for the night usually as the sun's going down and then the school locks the gate and they feel safe and they get to
just have their time, do their thing. Um it is uh I've talked to several mayors in Broward County and they have sufficient capacity already for their homeless in Broward County. Uh, but I've told them all that if they run out of space, uh, please give us a call and we'll see if we can't identify a school with the appropriate area that, you
know, can provide that service. But there's lots of districts that try and help. I think to Miss Thompson's point, we're a piece of the fabric of home homelessness. We're not the solution by ourselves. We're a piece, but we're a meaningful piece. And our policy tells us that we have to do everything we can to provide them equal opportunity. And I
think that goes beyond just homework. It goes into all kinds of things including absolutely the need to connect uh for those that need connection to the internet. You cannot do your homework. You cannot participate fully in a school without that. Uh we give them devices and we give them uh uh internet access
when they ask for it and make sure. So appreciate your your your genuine concern on this matter. I share it. >> Anyone else on that point? Oh, so sorry. I'm so confused. Um, Dr. Zean, you had the floor. Did Miss
Thompson have the floor? No, I'm I gave up the floor. Okay, so it went to Dr. Zean. No, I did not go to him. All right. >> Okay, got it. Dr. Holes and then Miss Hick and then Miss Bulman. >> Yep.
>> Okay. Thank you, Madam Chair. So, I'd also like to uh commend board member Al-Hidef on her suggestion regarding the hotspot. Um the question I have regarding that uh Dr. Fulton uh with the
5,000 homeless children that we have approximately um I would love to ensure that all of them and their parents and if it's an unaccompanied homeless youth which means I think there's no parent or guardian um
that they're aware of this free option. So, how can we um make sure whether it's through um specific schools as opposed to being a district initiative, whether through school-based approach that all of our
homeless children and their parents or guardians are aware of the process to get the free hotspot option. So I will start one one of the things I know is we want to make sure that we provide those things in the hands of
students who truly need them and one of the package when we talk about wraparound services that is also um an option that our social workers will work with the schools and the families to ensure they have access but I will ask Dr. diamond to provide anything
additional that I'll be um that I may have missed when it comes to the accessibility of hotspots. >> I know that we had in the past delivered hotspots to students. There is a cost associated with it for the for the district to provide it. Um we can look
into uh you know how much that would run us based on the number of homeless students and get back to the board as to cost and uh availability. >> Okay. So, Dr. Fulton, I I um I respect the answer, but but the question is a
little different, right? The question is asking we we do have Did I not hear that we mentioned we had an option for free hotspot and there's a process as far as filling out paperwork or something of that sort. >> Dr. Diamond,
>> there used to be uh free access to internet uh that was provided to families. Uh I remember having seen it on our website. I don't know whether we still have it on the website. Um I'm not sure about free hotspots, but I was sure
about um lowcost free internet. >> Okay, so now that's a different response from what the superintendent gave earlier. And I and I could be wrong, board member Alhidev, but I thought I heard something different that there is an option for free and there's a lowcost
option and there's a process to apply for the option for free. So my request here is we have 5,000 homeless kids and I want to make sure what I heard earlier that there's a free option that they are able to understand the process through
our initiative reaching out to all of them whether through individual schools or the district that they know what to do to get the free option. But now I'm hearing something different that there's no more free option or there's probably So what exactly is it? So, I think I'm going to have to do some reviewing and
get back to you on what the processes are and what the options are because things have changed over time. >> All right. So, I have a couple of comments then with the updated information because we don't know. I thought we knew before. So, since we are not sure, then this is what I would
like. Um, if there's a free option, Dr. Fulton that there is a process in place where individual schools or the district can make sure the parents or the unaccompanied homeless youth understand
the process to get the free hotspot. If that doesn't exist any longer then I would like for staff to bring back the cost to provide free hotspot to 5,000 homeless children in broad county schools. >> Dr. Honess, thank you. And I I'm trying
to find because I remember that being a board followup at one time where we brought back a lot of options and what the cost was. So we'll >> follow up on the follow-up. >> Okay. But you understand my request. I am specific to homeless children, not any other children. So as far as the
cost, >> yeah, it's hotspots period. So we're we're looking for um that information. >> Right. And last comment, um I board member Thompson, I understand, um your concern and I realize you also
understand my concern and the question is how can we achieve both, right? Um so Miss Bruno, um it it still feels unclear to me that teachers have access or they have
the right to access uh their homeless students. So, I understand board member Thompson's concern and I I have that concern as well, right? Protecting their privacy while providing them with um you know,
the right service to succeed. So, I don't know if this is a question for Dr. Fulton or for you, but if we the school does know who the homeless kids are, right? The the the the leadership at the school. If the teacher does not have a
right to know or if the teacher does not know and we have this in policy, couldn't each individual school simply state to teachers um who do have homeless kids in their
class that um this particular student has an accommodation for um non-technology option for homework And that could that could mean anything. They could be homeless. They could have an IEP. We don't know what the issue is
and neither does the teacher, but we are but we are saying this accommodation must be provided. >> Yeah, good point. Um Dr. uh wholeness. My request would be to have the opportunity to sit down with the team, Miss Hollingsworth's team, and just try
to review in terms of the processes and the standard operating procedures that we have now, >> as well as see if there's any language because I I'm I'm understanding the concern, and I also understand Miss Thompson's concern. Let me see what I can do with the team to craft some language that would be appropriate to
address that. At the same time, understand what the current processes are now as well. >> Right. And I and I'd like to further comment on Dr. Zean. I understand what the policy says and in terms of looking at a general policy to address that
would be inclusive of homework and all of that. But what I can tell you is this. I I have one student now in Bar County public schools. A couple years ago I had two. He one graduated and the voluminous homework
that they have. I cannot imagine a homeless kid living in a car having to do all of that without a home and not having access to a computer. I mean, just put yourself in that position, right? All of us. It It has to
be a horrible place to be. And just imagine the stress on the family just trying to feed them, figure out how they're going to bathe, and then you have three hours of homework, half of it to be done on a computer. I prefer to get specific because I know when I get
specific that their needs will be addressed. When we're general, it falls to the wayside. Documentation sits aside and these kids continue to suffer. So I believe this is an important factor because when they leave the school they
no longer have the resources of the school. They have no resource when they leave the school. And we need to have either rules or policies to protect them. And so I prefer that we're definitive to make sure these kids are
successful because among these kids there are many examples. They they could be the next president, right? They could be when we give them the tools to succeed, they overcome all these obstacles, all these challenges, and we need to be a support system for that.
So, I want to be specific. I want to be specific so we know that they can get their homework done without added stress of not having the tools to do it. >> Yeah. Thank you, Madam Chair. >> Thank you, Miss Hixon. Thank you. I just and I I may have just
heard this wrong, but I know you mentioned that you wanted specifically the information about the hotspots and I do believe there was a number of companies that had the availability if you filled out the form for homeless,
but I could because you mentioned about not just disseminating it out districtwide and I would disagree with that because there are people who maybe are not classified as homeless. Maybe they're living in a house and there's five families in that house. So, I I
still think it needs to be disseminated districtwide for people who maybe live under the poverty level or whatever. I mean, they they still need access, but I I understand what you're saying. You maybe besides districtwide, you're also making
a targeted um >> homeless >> for for the homeless, like specifically giving them the form to fill out or whatever. But I wouldn't want to say don't give the information districtwide because I think that would be unfair to people who would still need it and maybe
don't fall under the homeless. >> Right. And um board member Hixon, I fully agree with you. I I guess the information that I was looking at is the cost for the 5,000 homeless as far as getting the hotspot. But certainly families with economic hardship should
have the information they need um as far as the paperwork process for the free internet. >> Right. And I would just I we're not in a financial situation right now to be able to cover the cost of that. So, I
wouldn't be in favor of paying for hotspots >> for anyone, especially if there's a if there's a partnership where they fill out a form and they can get it for free. So, I also just wanted to clarify. I I just don't think we're in a place that we can we can cover all of that.
>> Right. I understand. And they're bringing information back on both of those. Yep. >> Miss Bowman, Miss Thompson. So, we already had two follow-ups about this. I sent them to Dr. Fulton to to bump them up to
everyone's email box. We also, I believe, Miss is Leonardi brought an item about paying for internet that was very opposed by the public and and some mean articles. Um, so there's there's
already availability of these services. Um I think and also the library you can check out a hot spot for free. Um and I think we're just getting a little away from our scope which is passing a policy
when we are going to have a followup from the heart program about what can be accessible. We've already discussed in a previous board meeting about providing Wi-Fi. Um, and also we have amazing people in the schools that are doing this job already and that will take on any family that needs help. And anyone
who's listening, if you do need help, please reach out to your school counselor, your school social worker or your principal and we will get us set up. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mrs. Alhade. >> Yes. And uh I would like for a board member followup. So, we have a lot of
uh phones from AT&T that are issued to staff and the board and I bet you there's an opportunity to get a free hotspot with the cell phone plans that we're already paying for. So, I would like Dr. Dr. Hepper to look into AT&T
offering free hotspots for our homeless students >> and and we can definitely provide that as well in the followup because um I was looking at the two follow-ups you sent me Miss Thompson and you are correct. We did there was a time where the board had tasked us to go out and look for some
free internet options and at this at that time it wasn't any free options. what they did, we had five vendors that gave some cost, low cost but cost at that time, but we didn't have any district approved funding to invest in that because it would can be upwards maybe in about a million. But what we
could do because I understand the advocacy for our students, what we could do is continue to look at some grants, some partnerships, some community support, and also look to see whether what existing partnerships we have with T-Mobile because we do provide phones to our staff and what they can do because
we have met, I want to say probably about two or three times with T-Mobile in the past year to um provide some of those opportunities and they've been um very amanable. So we can go back to the table and see what additional things they can do to support Bart schools.
>> Thank you. Anyone else for round three? All right. Do we have our direction? >> So just to be clear, um I'm going to make sure from the board that I'm going to be bringing forward all of these policies with the recommended revisions
for a first reading a real rule development workshop on August 11th. In addition, board, is that okay? I'm going to make sure that I can bring that for formal rule development on August 11th. All of these policies. >> Is there any objection? And just attorney Dupri Bruno after the August
11th meeting then the policy will be brought to a board vote. >> Correct. And at the board vote if there is any substantial change during the vote it has to go back to rulemaking. Correct. So, I just want everyone to be clear that any of the big changes that
you would like to see need to be brought next week, >> please. I I would appreciate that. >> All right. Sorry, continue. I interrupted you. >> See, Dr. Zeman, >> I'm waiting till there's an opening to bring up something new. >> Okay. And then the other thing is there's going to be two three additional
policies that I would like to bring forward for um first reading. One will be relating to attendance. The other one will be relating to purchasing cards. Another one will be related to school support booster clubs basically. And um
there's a possibility that I'll be bringing a homework policy as well. So those will be four additional policies that I'd like to bring forward for first reading. >> Chair, at this point, could I also ask for AD30 to come back? Um, I just submitted this week this question about
how we deal with surplus property and we got an answer back about, you know, months and months and months it was going to take to do these things. We're going to be in the business of surplusing property. We already are, but we're going to be doing it going forward. I would just like to recommend to my colleagues that as part of that group, we also bring 8030 so that if we
need to make changes, we can do that now before repurposing votes. >> If there's no objection, sure. >> Is there any objection? Attorney pre >> well 8030 has been adopted but you can always bring back policies for review
and revisions and discussion. So >> thank you >> Mr. Perno just confirming in the first reading tomorrow or excuse me uh on the 11th I believe you said it was that will not include the proposed policy limiting
public comment and speech within board meetings. Correct? >> No. only the policies discussed today and then the four that I suggested plus the 8030. >> Thank you for the confirmation. >> Is that it pro? >> Yes, that's it. The only other thing I
would add to just for clarification for the public with regards to the uh students um what is it called specifically? The students first act. I just want to make sure that um it's clear for the public that this is not a law. This is something that happened. I think Miss
Thompson actually indicated that um from the Edward M. Kennedy Institute where 98 students came up with this policy suggestion. Now um thank you Miss Alhadev for sending that chart. There is something that's very interesting to me that I will be talking to the team about
which is about the due process and the appeals process. I do think that we need to add something related to that in the policy. Thank you. All right. Anyone else before we move to the special? All right. I'll do general discussion like student successes and
stuff after the special if that's okay with everyone. So, the scheduled order of business for the school board workshop at the school board of Broward County, Florida has been completed. Seeing no objection, I now adjourn the workshop. We will do the special in just a few minutes.
see it. Yeah, I see. Yeah. Wo. Yeah. Wo. Yeah. Yeah. Heat. Heat. Hey, Heat.
Heat. Heat. Down. Down. Welcome to today's special school board meeting. The special school board meeting of the school board of Brower County, Florida is now called to order. To ensure a safe and productive environment, please note the clearly marked emergency exits. Do not block
exit doors and all attendees must be seated except for media. Once the room reaches capacity, attendees will be directed to the overflow area. If the fire alarm sounds, exit the room calmly, continue outside the building and remain there until authorities give clearance to return. Thank you for your cooperation. All please rise for the
pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for its one nation
with all. Today's special schoolboard meeting will operate in accordance with schoolboard policy 1020 and the board will review the items as advertised and presented by the superintendent. The superintendent released a revised agenda with certain
changes for this meeting and published it on the school district's website. The chair finds pursuant to section 120.525 Florida statutes that good cause exists for such changes and accepts the revised agenda. May have a motion and a second to close the agenda. >> Moved by Dr. and second by Miss Hixen.
All in favor of closing the agenda, let it be known by saying I. >> Any oppose say no. The agenda is now closed. Could I get a motion on item a motion a second on item one? >> So move >> moved by Dr. Zean, second by Miss Hixon.
Um any public comment any registered public speakers or public comment on item one? or member discussion. Miss Hixon, >> thank you. So, I have a question and it's similar to what I've asked all
along. So, this contract prior was for $2 million. Um, we spent $645,15 of it. So, there was 1.3 plus million left in here and the um the request is
for a million dollars. So, we specifically moved from spend authority to budget authority because we didn't want to put like a bucket for a wish list. And I know that this is for people in case we might need them. So, I would
like to make a motion to change the value from a million dollars to $750,000. >> Second. >> Motion made by Miss Hixon, seconded by Miss Rert. public comment on the motion or member discussion. Dr. Hoes.
>> Thank you, Madam Chair. So, Dr. Hburn, with this particular change, can you tell the board how will this impact or what impact will this have um on this particular item? >> No, thanks for the question, Dr. Horn. I was actually going to um try and get Mr.
Dorset um just to make sure we're not um putting ourselves in a bind. Does this have any impact on any uh work that we need uh that we have to do but don't have the capabilities if they reduce it to what was it the the um $750,000? >> So uh good afternoon Mark Dorset chief
facility officer um it will have uh an impact but I I think we uh we'll we'll be okay. Basically it's to test this geo testing the football fields any new construction we're doing. Um, the reason why we were asking for this amount was
because, you know, we we do have projects that that that um um we're going to be encountering here pretty soon and we're going to need uh the ability to test the soil and test materials and so forth. >> Okay. So, Dr. Heburn, I have a follow-up
question. Okay. Um Mr. Dorset, you said it will have an impact. Can you state what the impact will be and do you anticipate having to come back to the board for more money? We will uh because the the length of the contract if if we
don't uh uh um we'll be able to use the entire amount over the course of the the the requested the term. Um so if we don't uh stick with the the requested amount we will we will be coming back to the board for asking asking for more
money. >> Okay. So coming back to the board, would you say that would be as a result of the changes uh made through um board member Hixon? Would would would that necessitate you having to come back to
the board? >> Yeah, it would lessen the amount of testing we would be able to do. Uh so yes. >> Okay. So um so if if we stick to the original amount, the original amount, Dr. He burn
is that $1 million. >> Um original amount is >> the the amount being asked today is it $1 million? >> Yes, close to a million dollars. Yes sir. >> Okay. So if we stick to the close to million dollar amount, doc Mr. Dorset,
do you feel you would need to come back to the board for any any further? >> No, not at this time. >> Okay. But if we don't, you may have to come. >> Yes, I will. >> All right. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mrs. Alada. Thank you. So, what I'm afraid of is that if we reduce
the amount of money, the cost of services might go up. So, then it will cost us more money in the long run. So, I'd rather keep the requested action at the million dollars and not reduce it.
>> Thank you, Miss Hixon. >> Thank you. This kind of goes to to what I've been saying all along and no offense to anyone, but I've been asking this, which was the reason to ask for budget authority and not spend authority. This is if we know that
there's going to be testing here, here, and here, then we should have a worksheet that says testing here is going to cost this much. Testing there is going to, and then here's what we know we need. Because right now a million dollars is kind of a guesstimate
of what we might need. And this is what I I've been asking for. I think the board has been asking for because when you put a million dollars and last year we only spent 650,000 which is why I said 750 because it gives you a little cushion on there but it encumbers that
money and it doesn't allow us. And then what happens when that money is left over? In some of the instances, as we learned from last week, the money goes, it disappears. Like, it's not available for anyone anymore. It goes into the general fund, which I guess at the end
of the day isn't bad, but we have money because we want to be spending it on employee raises and and and and paper, which I'll talk about later, and things that the resources that are we need. So if it if we actually need a million
dollars, this doesn't indicate that the item that we have in front of us says we spent $650,000 last year, asked for 2 million, only spent 650, and then this year we're saying, okay, well, we'll only ask for half. And to
me, that's a guesstimate. I would like to see the financial worksheets spell out exactly how much it is we need so that we are not encumbering money in a bucket that we don't need to. I don't mind if you have to come back and I
don't think in this instance the prices would go up because you're basically asking like you have these aren't contracts with people right now. It's just spend authority to move into a contract if I'm not mistaken, right? if we need if we need the services. We
don't know if we need them or not. >> Oh, >> go ahead, Mr. Rup. >> Yes, we we're going to need the services again. You know, we we're talking about we we've we've installed uh uh six football fields this year. We're planning on installing six again next
year. And there's going to be some new construction that we're going to do next year as well, you know. Uh so so I was just trying to be proactive to make sure that I have enough to cover what we plan to do uh next year.
>> So in the future, Dr. Heburn, >> what I'd like to see in the in the item is football fields are going to cost this much. construction is g so that you can justify that you really do need a million like what is if we only spend
650 that's almost double what you're asking for for the next year based on what we used last year. So what is it that caused it to increase so much because you asked for 2 million and didn't even use
600. It was 645. So that's that's where I'm show and it's not just particularly this item. It's a lot of the items that are coming to us, which is why we asked to move to budget authority as opposed to spend authority because we're encumbering more money than it looked
like we were spending as we're looking at these financial workshops. So, I can take back the the motion if if you really believe, but I I don't want to come back next year and find out that you only used 700,000 and 300,000 sat
there where we could have used it somewhere else because we are not in a position where we can cushion those budgets anymore. We really need every last penny. So if these items could come back more detailed so we are very clear
that that is truly the budget that is needed not what's wanted. >> Yep. No. Um great point and for the most part most of our items have the actual projects listed out with costs. We stressed that in um our agenda prep uh session. So um this was probably one
that uh we missed add on in that one too. But yeah, point taken. Um, and so we we know we've gotten significantly better making sure our uh especially the capital items which are usually larger than the general fund items have the project list with the actual project cost on them.
>> Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Holes. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. So, you know, I believe board member Hixon has a good point, right? Because if you request $2 million and you only use 650,000, that's a huge concern. We can't tie up money and have all these wonderful cushions,
right? So, um, Mr. Dorset, just to reassure all of us because, uh, we want to give you what you need, you know, we don't have the luxury to give you a huge cushion, you know. So, um, with the 650,000 spent and 2 million was
allocated. What was the reason for that? Why why was it such a a huge miscalculation? >> I'm sorry. in working with the uh the facility construction side, we knew that there were projects that we're going to
be starting this year. >> Um uh that's that was left over from SMART that we're getting ready to gear up and SM and start with the new program managers coming on board and all of the other uh uh processes we have on uh coming up. We want to be wanted to be
prepared and cover the things that we know that we're going to be doing as well. So that's that's the real reason why we wanted to make sure that we have enough to get started on some of these projects. >> Okay. So So you felt back then that you
could have used the entire 2 million. >> Correct. >> Okay. So how do we know that's not going to happen again where you feel I can use the 1 million but then you use onethird of it or half of it? How do we how do how do we have confidence? Because board
member Hixon has a good point, right? I mean it's evident that you requested a certain amount you use onethird of it and here we're having a new request. I would like to really give you what you need and not what you wish for or you know because we don't have that luxury. So how do we know that that
miscalculation will not occur here where you need you ask for a million but you come back and you use 500,000. But what I can do is um I can bring I can uh do a board uh response and provide you projects that we plan on doing to show
you exactly what that cost is going to be. >> Okay. So, can you tell the board definitively that the million you're asking for um that you've looked at it very carefully and you feel that that money is needed and will be spent
>> at this time? Yes. >> Okay. All right. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Zean. >> Dr. Heern, will this motion save us any money? >> Um, no. >> Thank you. Um, there's a couple things we got to be very clear about, and I'm so glad you're here, John, because we go
out for contracts often times like this, they last years, five years. And when you sit down with staff and say, you know, what's the award total going to be? They have to project out five years of utilization. In this case, geothermal, right? Um, five years of projects is not feasible. We don't know
what we're doing. sometimes six months, let alone several years from now. So someone like Mr. Dorset says, "Five years, I might need two million." You go out to some vendors, you secure good vendors through our great process, and uh then we can go within their prices that they bid and we can order
geothermal for the amazing synthetic turf fields. It would be really useful, Dr. Heepern, if instead of worrying so much about spend authority and actual authority and and things like that, we were very clear. One, the board approved $2 million when we did the contract. Is
that right, Mr. White? So, we've already put our fingerprints on this and said, "Yes, you've proven to us you need roughly $2 million." But that's a contract award. It's not a budget. There's no money behind a contract. It's just an award. Then in the budget comes money. And that
money is really important if we can think about it by school year. Because to Mr. Hixon's point, if we can really not spend money in a school year because we don't need a service, that does go back to the general fund. It's incredibly useful to have those resources. Partly because we have to stay over 3%. Partly because there's
other categories of spending that might need that money, you know, due to, you know, all kinds of things that go on. So, I just want to be clear that that changing the spend authority does not reduce the budget. We are not reducing the budget when we change spend authority. All we're doing is
introducing delays in construction because then when Mr. Dorset wants to do a synthetic turf field and they they're moving to get it done and the principal has like cleared some space for them to get it. And the first thing you got to do is geothermal. If you don't have spend authority, you got to wait until there's an item submitted, approved by
APG, brought to the board, and then approved, and then you can go back and give a task order to the contractor. Right? I don't want to be responsible for your delays, Mr. Dorset. I want you to get stuff done. We have tasked you cost, scope, and schedule, right? Get stuff done. Um, and this is the kind of
stuff that doesn't really save us money and it and it introduces delays in a construction process because now you're going to wait sometimes 60 days to get an item done and get it before the board. I don't want to be responsible with that. Dr. Heepburn, to help us through this though, we would love to
know how much we're spending per school year. >> That's a real number >> for that contract. >> That's a real number. That includes, you know, uh, money that otherwise we could spend on other stuff, right? And that's to Dr. Hullness and Miss Hixon's point that really does matter. And so instead
of worrying about spend authority and actual, you know, amounts and all that, I I think that's weird because it crosses over school years, we get a budget from the state every year from July 1st to June 30th. And that's what we have to manage into the 3% and with all the other needs we have and trying
to save money for our staff and all that stuff. So to me, if we really wanted to improve items that come before this board, we'd say this this school year or fiscal year, they're the same thing. This is how much we need to do these these things going forward. And overestimating is not a bad idea because
you don't want to slow down. You know, this board will beat you up for cost scope and schedule as we've been very clear about, but we we also shouldn't be the organization that ties your hands and prevents you uh from getting things done. So, uh, that that's why I'm worried about this discussion because it
doesn't really save us money and what we ought to be concerned about is what are we burning between July 1st and June 30th every year because that uh is going to is cause real implications for us and we always are thinking about how do we kind of find some money or we turn to
the superintendent and say, you know, okay, we need another 26 million for these seven things. Go figure it out. Um, so there's a big difference between budgeting and execution. big difference. And on the execution side, it would be more valuable for us if we knew what we were spending uh throughout the school
year and not so worry worry so much about these artificial constructs about spend authorities and all that. Um how much are we spending this year that you're going to you're going to spend on whatever items you come before us should be a great matter for this board because that that ties our hand for spending
that money on other higher priorities. Miss Hixon, >> I just wanted to point out this is just for a year. This contract is from August 8th of 2026 to August 7th, 2027. That's why it was specific for just one year.
It would save us $250,000 if my motion had stayed for this year. That this isn't an annual, this isn't a long-term contract. This is only for this year. >> Mixon, you're withdrawing your motion. I withdrew my motion.
>> Okay. Anyone else on the item? All in favor of item one say I. >> I. >> All oppose say no. >> Uh item passes with one dissenting vote from Miss Rupert. Um all right. At this time, do any of my colleagues have
student successes to share or any general discussion? Miss Hixon. >> Thank you. I'll start with the the fun stuff. Um so yesterday Mr. Sea and Dr. Zean and I and the superintendent and um
Mr. Sullivan and Dr. Falton were very honored and proud to go to Eagle Point Elementary. They are not just number one in Broward County for the highest scores three years in a row, but they are number one in the state of Florida for the second year. So congratulations to
Eagle's Point. we have in our district the number one elementary school in the state of Florida. So, congratulations to everybody for that. Y um so two other things. Um Dr. Dr.
Hepper and I've been getting I'm sure all of us have been getting a number of emails um with concerns um from teachers about copies and and I know that we had a directive about in the district, but we have and we just had a discussion
about providing paper assignments and not doing um online for elementary and things of that nature. And there's a new script requirement um cursive writing that doesn't have a workbook that goes with it. And I know we've talked about
it, but can you please address the idea that and first of all I want to tell people it was not a schoolboard policy. It was an operational decision by the superintendent and district staff to limit teacher copies to a thousand and I guess two reams of paper per month. I I
think that's what they mentioned. And as someone who went to Kinko's and just paid for the copies and the worksheets I needed for my kids cuz I couldn't deal with it. Can you please explain to everyone and tell us how you're going to communicate it to both the teachers and
the principles how teachers can make sure that they have the copies that they need to give the students the excellent education we are telling them that we are going to provide. >> Yeah. Um thank you for the question uh Miss Hixon. So I'm going to have uh Dr. Fulton um answer that. I know she and
the ISD team has been working together uh yesterday and as of this morning as well. So they've uh finalized some decisions to uh ensure communication and additional support. >> So thank you for the concerns and um as you as the board received them, you have been forwarding to us and we've been
fielding them. the two reams is not that was not a directive that may have been an operational decision at that school that you're speaking of but you are correct with the thousand copies across the board for teachers so what we did is because it's the beginning of the year and u teachers are doing a lot to
prepare and plan for students arriving on Monday I work with the ISD team actually this morning so we have increased it to 200 and we'll be able to monitor on a month basis to see how that is working out so that already has been communicated 9:17 this morning and we
have received thank you, thank you, thank you emails so that teachers can be able to do what they need to do to prepare for their students on Monday. And then can you also explain because I know the answer I got was even beyond that because I had a math teacher spell
it out in terms of how much if she did one test with 40 students in her class and it had so many pages to the test, she would be able to have enough copies for one test for the month. So if 2,000
isn't enough, what is the alternative? like how do they access additional ones if necessary? >> So there's not electronic ways to do online assessment. So we're trying to figure out the the copying for that particular reason. However, if teachers exhaust their monthly limits, the
principal and the office manager have an account that has an unlimited amount. So in those particular circumstances, if it's deemed necessary where teachers need additional copies, they can work with administration who can make sure that they have all the resources that they need for that.
>> Okay, great. And we've someone suggested that would be a headache for the principal if all hundred of their teachers are coming to them to ask for more copies. So have we just communicated with the principles? principles are aware and actually um
when we were receiving the concerns we were sharing it with the principles and the only thing that we asked and I hope that if the teachers are actually listening I'm sure they're busy is that they address it with their administration because administration was there and ready to support and assist but the concerns didn't go to them. >> Okay, perfect. Thank you for that. And
the last question I have is I've received um some concerns from a number of people that the optin for the ESC classroom cameras never went out to parents. So, can you did if they did,
apparently they don't know that they've gone out and what are we doing to make sure that parents in those um self-contained classrooms are aware and have the forms to opt in for the cameras? >> I would tell you, Miss Hixon, I know we comm we um approved that communication,
I want to say back in May because it was as we're closing out the school year, we're letting those parents know that cameras will be shut off as of the last day of school. And this is the the guidance on for the new school year, but I can follow up with you as to exact dates that that went out to the families
because I know I I approved that back in May. >> Okay. So, I'll just tell you that I've been watching the Facebook um comments in the ESD and they're all can they're all saying they've never seen it. So is can I appreciate the information of when
it went out but can we also do a blast here >> very quickly so that we make sure we are giving them the ability to opt in. >> Yep. Not a problem. >> Thank you. >> Thank you Miss Rupert. >> Thank you. Um, I wanted to to bring
forth um the issue that I brought up before about the um the music, PE, art um not being available in all the elementary schools. So, I wanted to really understand the directive um from the superintendent.
>> Yeah, absolutely. So, the the the messaging um that we've u press conference, emails, and whatnot, it was never um all schools. It was the there was 14 schools that we had a a challenge
with that had two or less um specials and that we found the funding to ensure they had three uh a minimum of three. Music, art, PE. We have other schools that have four, five, six specials and they've already chosen their specials as
end of the school year working with their teachers, their parents and whatnot. This of what they deem fit um as the specials they want to have at their school. They may have a unique um innovative program. They may have a unique magnet and that that uh special may align with that specific magnet or
innovative program. So the communication has never been that all schools have music um PE and art. It was they have that option. But those 14 schools that had two specials or less, we ensured that we add an additional special so
they can have music, art, and PE. the other schools have bought chosen their specials um at the end of the spring that have uh four, five, six up to six specials. >> Okay? And for instance, Winston Park >> um they don't have six um specials and
they have art and music stuff sitting in the closet still and weren't available last year. Um I do understand how incredibly effective a principal um Mr. O'Neal was uh certainly, but there's
also the ability to to know that our students are getting a well-rounded education. Um and moving on to um Lions Creek Middle, moving on to the high school at Monarch, those are great. Um they have great art programs. They
have a fantastic music program program and um it would be um very you know uh very much a disservice to the north area of Coconut Creek and those students. So, I understand he wants to push and do
double science for um for the students and and I I mean I do understand that, but I think that the students and the families have a right um and the PTA h have a right to be able to say, "Listen, how can we work this down? What what can we do? How do we help?" And um it's
important that that this happens um because we really want the best for our students. So in that case, I'm sure that you'd agree that the kids are not getting art or music. They do PE and now they're going to have double science. >> Well, I have to look into that specific
situation, but you're correct in the last part of your um of of what you just explained is that PTSA parents work with the principal to decide on what specials just like the other schools. So, we can have the uh regional team um work with
Winston Park to figure out what's going on out there. I I I can't speak to it. >> Dr. Fton's already on the phone to >> us. Ellen helped me uh put out an email to um Mr. Strauss and Dr. Fulton. Um I don't know if they've sent it yet, but
we've worded it and it will be sent out so that so the team knows about it and to see what can um you know I know the parents had expressed a desire for um the changes to happen for this coming new year and um we're upset but we'll
see what what needs to be done and um certainly it's it's uh the community's right to ask for what they they want and that's it has a great reputation in their music and their art program. So, thanks so much. >> Cool. And m Dr. Fton, I don't know if
you want to share that information. >> Miss Rupert, I I uh checked on Winston Park. I just want to let you know that they have um media, music, PE, and a core subject, which means it could probably science as you mentioned. And
then uh I would um certainly share that those were the the specials that the community voted on. And so if they wanted to swap something out for something different, it would go through um the school advisory council um process. >> Okay, perfect. So they would have that
opportunity um once school starts >> for for next school year though. The process begins this school year, but the change doesn't happen until 2728 because you have um those positions currently already filled. But if someone would happen to leave one of those positions, they can do a swap in the
middle of the year. >> Okay. Okay. So, you said media, music, PE, and then the double science was that part, but where was the art? >> I didn't say art. Music, PE, PE, media, and science. >> Gotcha. Okay. All right. I'll I'll let
the parents speak. So, I appreciate that. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Thank you, Miss Thompson. >> Thank you. And I just wanted clarification on that because I thought at the press conference they were all getting art, music, and PE. I thought that was what >> me too.
>> So >> now at the press conference we said um the schools that had the challenges which were the 14 schools I don't know if I said the specific number that had two or less specials they have a minimum of three specials now music art and PE
the other the other schools um have a myriad of specials >> and I don't I think that's where the confusion is. I don't want to talk about those schools, but are we now guaranteeing that every school as long as the community wants it want to have art, PE and music? >> Correct. Unless the community has
>> That's the baseline. >> Correct. That's the baseline. >> Parents come in and say, "No, I would like science or whatever." They change that. >> Yes, >> I think that needs to be clarified. Um, >> and then I have uh just a little update on the beautifification blitz. First, I
want to thank Mrs. Hixon for coming out and the heatwave. did not mean to plan it, but we've had a heat wave for the last really long time. Um, and we've had over 202 people volunteer to sign up to help out at our schools. Um, it been
Thank you. It's been primarily students and the change has been phenomenal. The parents are very excited. We've had little kids with shovels, which made me very nervous, but everyone was pitching in as much as they could. Um, and I just want to say a special thank you to the
Myar Pimber Pines Chamber of Commerce, to Clutes, to Nothing Bun Cakes, which has donated over 50 dozen boxes of bunt cakes for teachers and volunteers, to Whole Foods, Brightar, uh, Broward Education Fund. And then a special thank you to Dr. Heburn and Mr. Sullivan who
came out to Chapel Trail yesterday and actually lifted the snack cart. They weren't just pretty faces. They actually >> Yep. We had snack cart to flight the stairs because the elevator was down. >> Our elevator was broken and so they lifted the snack cart to make sure teachers didn't have to leave their
classrooms. So that was a big help. And if anyone's available, we will be at Lakeside tomorrow at 8:30 helping teachers move in. And then Silver Palms on Thursday. And also happy second day back for all of our teachers and staff. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Mrs. Alf. So I wanted to address the interdep department delivery uh that we've had for many many years. I think this is a very antiquated system. Uh I think it also has the possibility
of circumventing public records. Uh and and if someone put a paper in here, it does become a public record. I think that we should do away with this system and we need to go paperless. I I don't
see the value of doing this anymore. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Seivera. >> Thank you. So, first and foremost, a big giant welcome back to all of our uh teachers,
our admins, our schoolbased staff who started up uh this week. I know some of them may have been there uh for a few days before yesterday, but for the um masses of of of teachers and folks who went back uh yesterday, welcome back. We are excited to have you and looking forward to a great year.
I want to give a big shout out to the food and nutrition department. And it's not often that I talk about cafeteria food, but uh Dr. Dr. Hippurn, I read your um flyer that you sent out with all the new changes for this exciting new school
year that we're having. And I cannot tell you how stoked I was to see one of the new items on the food menu was a rompo, which happens to be one of my favorite meals. Uh my great-grandmother,
rest her soul, could cook up uh ano that could compete with uh with anybody to the best of them. So, if she was still around, I'm sure she would be smiling ear to ear. So, kudos to Food and Nutrition for giving a little bit of uh Latino flavor to our um our students in
the cafeteria. And I cannot wait to try this uh at my next uh school visit. So, thank you guys for that. Also, I do want to thank board members Hixon and Zean for joining me yesterday in the great city of Weston as we celebrated a
tremendous, tremendous milestone and accomplishment. And you heard Miss Hixon talk about Eagle Point Elementary School being the number one. Number one, not number two, Dr. Hepper. Not number three. We're number one traditional public school in the entire state of
Florida. Principal Des is doing fantastic things over there. We have wonderful teachers, wonderful staffs. This is a huge, huge accomplishment. This is a big feather in our camp. I'm so um proud of those folks and I was so excited to be able to celebrate as we
continue to do great things in uh District 6. Thank you. >> Thank you. Anyone else? Miss Bowman. >> Thanks, Chair. Um so I was at a meeting, what's today? Tuesday, last week. And
there was a a discussion about our how we're um communicating to our families about the recent changes in the immigration policy and the TPS um and you know concerns about students feel
and families feeling safe to have their students attending school. So, I was wondering what we're doing and you know, I I guess bringing this forward just to make sure that we are communicating um kind of what the what
what it is that we can do to protect students to so that they feel safe that they can come to school within the confines of what we're allowed to do. But I think, you know, I think it would just like these other things that we need to be communicating, I think that it would be a good idea to
send something out um to all of our parents and all of our families so that they know. >> Um >> she's looking at me. It looks like you want to say to >> what can we do? Nothing.
>> Um so we can >> please. >> It's it's you know it's a uh for this um part of immigration status. I know last year when it was broader, we did send some information out um and we talked to
um some of the um uh local um support groups out in the community and and um beat down the bushes to let people know it is safe. This time it's is pretty targeted um u to our Haitian families. And so we're trying to target to the
right place instead of sending something broad which is not impacting the entire district a small portion and um communicate we have sent out some communications to one of the Haitian um advocacy groups just to find out like what's the best way of of communicating
finding out you know what is going on how people feeling um and then how are they providing services and whatnot. So, um, it's a we'll send something out, but we want to be very targeted. So, it's not just sending something totally out to everybody cuz it's not it's not like the first round where it was impacting
so many different groups of families and this one is very um acute to um this specific group. >> I think it continues to impact >> a wider um group of families. It's just that now we have this like piling on um
>> for lack of a better term which is probably not the right term but um I you know in terms of what >> and I >> I just want people to understand that they're safe that you're not getting you know like that you know what are the confines like when an ICE officer is coming where are they allowed to come
into the school and how are they allowed to do that and things like that. I think people need to be educated so that they can make decisions >> and that's what we sent out >> last year. That's what we sent out last year. >> Well, I think we need to do it again. >> Yeah. You know, >> it was about access h how uh it was
about access um to our schools by any law enforcement agency. It wasn't just ICE. We talked about any law >> which is fine. I I think maybe just revisiting that, sending it out again. And then >> Absolutely. >> Attorney Dre Bruno, >> we don't have a 287. No, I I would just
like to have the opportunity to talk to the superintendent and team so we're all on the same page from a legal standpoint. >> That's fine. Within the legal confines, I just think people need to know their rights. So, I mean, if they don't have rights, then they need to know that so they can u you know, make the decisions
accordingly. Um, thank you. >> But I again, communicate it because communication is key. If people are misinformed, then we're going to have a bad result. Uh, and then my other question is something that's been brought up a couple times is about laptops. I thought
we spent $145 million to make sure every kid has a laptop. And I'm getting an email that says that teachers don't have enough laptops for their whole class. And then someone else was talking about I was in another meeting and they were talking about that too. So do we have >> No, we have laptops laptop.
>> Uh, yes. And remember our onetoone for students is actually opt in. they they uh wish the principles and the schools will give that information to the parents. It's been a a whole summer of going through that information to make sure it's right. But our policy is opt in. You you opt in if you want to take
the device. So, >> and not even to take it home. Just um if there's 37 kids in the class, are there 37 computers available? >> Yes, there's plenty of uh there's plenty of computers at the schools. And so, I'll uh have uh Mr. Bradford and his team communicate because we have the
inventory for each school. There's plenty. Um, we have we have more computers than we have students. >> Okay, that's what I thought. I just wanted to >> Yes, we have more computers than we have students. So, there's there's plenty. So, I'll have uh Mr. Bradford communicate with his team so that the principles can be reminded about the
amount of inventory they have in their building and they can distribute to their work with their teachers as they see fit for for the need. But there's we have more laptops than we have kids. >> Perfect. And I just want to and thank you for the um update on the paper uh situation. I just want to confirm, are
they getting 2,000 a month or is this just for this month? >> 2,000 per month. >> Going forward. >> Um, Dr. F, was it going forward or just for the first couple of months? >> Yeah, going forward and monitoring on a monthly basis. >> Okay, great. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Anyone else? Dr. Zean.
>> Oh, I'm just fascinated with with numbers and the number of the month that I learned is 616 million. You know what that is, Miss Thompson? 616 million dollars was earned by Broward County senior class and scholarships.
For those that are going to college, it's on the order of $50,000 per student. It's a remarkable number. And I keep hearing from community uh events over the past few months about us not marketing very well. Uh one of the
ways we have to maybe, you know, think a little bit is how what numbers do we use? something like $50,000 per high school graduate that's going to college and scholarships is a big number. It moves people that I've I've used that number with um we don't track with precision how many of our high school graduates immediately go to college but
it's on the neighborhood of 70 to 75%. Um and when you do we do track scholarships though and 616 million is a boatload of money uh for one district to earn in scholarships. So congratulations to that. Uh just wanted to make it clear to Miss Bulman. I'm curious about your
immigration question because TPS isn't just about the people who are here uh under those conditions. It's about all the people that used to employ them. It's about uh um the effect that they have um you know otherwise on their children, not just the TPS adults, but
the the children of TPS people and things like that. Are you asking us to share more impact statements of how it's affected B County schools or what can we do to get the word out? I'm asking sorry >> I was waiting till you put something in
your mouth so I question I'm asking for clear communication to our families so they know what their rights are if they fall into a situation where they may be at risk of having some immigration
challenges and what they and how what their rights are so that they can make a decision about whether or not to send their kids to school. >> Mhm. >> So that kids aren't staying home when they could be getting being educated in school particularly um for this
particular ask. I mean I think we could do more but right now I just want to make sure that we're getting as many kids in the door as we can. >> So I would alleviate fears of you know being picked >> totally understand and I'm a thousand% with you. I'd ask we go like a little step further though and go outside of our fence lines and talk about what
could happen on the way to school. And so, you know, there have been highly publicized instances of people dropping off kids at school and being detained in the car line. Uh, that's well known in in the community. And so, we need to talk about the story from leaving home
to picking up to after school activities and things like that and be crystal clear with them about what we know. It's just facts. We're not being political in terms of sharing facts, but I think those facts are very important and I think it, you know, obviously had a huge impact on our enrollment and I think it's important for them to understand
that particularly with TPS going away uh Monday last, the ability to work here while you're under TPS uh uh leaving a week ago. So, I appreciate that. Thanks so much. >> Thank you. Anyone else?
Um so, I wanted to speak to two issues. Um, one I I do need to go back to the copy issue just because um I've been feeling like maybe there's a a miscommunication between the board and
staff. So I think it was a week or two ago we brought this issue up and um it was presented to us that well the board is sending mixed signals because we reduced spend authority on printing
but when we when we did that um I think it was clear from the board that we did not want that to impact schools um so when we reduced spend authority we said we don't want to reduce the ability for schools to make copies. We want that
burden to lie on the district. Um, at one point when I inquired about the copies, we were told that this was a school-based decision, but now it is clear that there was in fact a directive
from the district. Um, so I guess I'm wondering what changed when it when it what when did it change that it was a school-based decision to a district directive? >> I I don't I haven't communicated that it was a schoolbased um decision. It's
always been a district decision. Um I don't know uh where that communication came from about school base. It was in a board meeting, so I can >> or maybe the confusion about um principles having autonomy to print as many as they as as much as they need to
to support um anybody that's asking for additional uh copies. But I know from day one when that decision was made, that was a district decision, not a school-based decision. >> Okay. I will just say even I appreciate the 2,00 but if I'm a high school
teacher and I have 150 students that allows me about 13 one-page copies per month. Um I don't think that's enough >> and and and like I said before I remember this statement this is more of
a conscientious effort so people uh because one of the issues that we found is that the amount of copies that folks are making is it was tremendous. Um, and I can remember like a couple years ago
when we brought that brought that item. Um, like the amount of copies that people were making was tremendous. And also we had an issue where folks aren't using the um I don't know what a specific term is. My it people aren't in the room. The the the uh central copier
at the school. We had a lot of individual individual printers um and things in the in the building which cost the district more money. We didn't purchase them. we're paying paper, we're buying ink sometimes on PE cards for all those things. And so it's also a push to use the central copier which is more
efficient, more cost-effective for the district and easily easy to monitor. Um, so it's more of a conscious effort to make sure we're what we are uh copying is actually uh uh for the purpose of instruction and and supporting teachers needs and you know opening up a a door
if a teacher does need additional copies, they can do so and like Dr. to said monitor that over the next couple of months and if we need to raise it, if we need to ask questions, if we need to uh lower, we'll be able to do that because we can actually better monitor it. But uh as far as the the spend on
copy paper um has been a lot um in in the past that was that became a concern for for us too, not just just for the board, but um just to put some um information background information on it. >> Okay. I do want to push back on whatever story you were told about printers
throughout the school. Like I remember vividly maybe 2018 2019 there were teachers who had district printers I guess you know in a computer lab or whatever and people coming in and just taking them out in the middle of the school day in the middle of the school
year and many of us were you know I had to buy my own printer I had to buy my own ink. I had to buy my own paper for the printer in my classroom. Um, so I I do want to push back on that story you were told about, you know, print teachers using pecards to buy ink and
paper for printers that were issued by the the district. Um, the the other uh piece that I wanted to discuss with the board, um, the issue of e voting has come up. Um, I think a training was being scheduled, but I know
Mr. Hill wanted to address some some of the questions in a public forum. Mr. Hill. >> Thank you, Madam Chair, for bringing this discussion to the table or to the floor um within the public setting. Um on May 12th, uh the special school board
meeting item number 32, the board approved the agenda item to extend Granicus platform for one year. And this is the platform that we have for our board uh agenda management software. And within that contract, it included the addition of the votecast web system,
which is a web-based system that allows you to electronically vote. Um, so just wanted to bring the discussion to the board to move forward with this particular service so we can move forward with training the board and just wanted to see if there was consensus of moving in in another direction. >> Dr. Zean,
>> thank you. Um, I'd like to know more. Um, there's a few things that I'm concerned about. uh one I think to do electronic voting we all have to have a laptop and we all have to have connection to the internet throughout the course of the meeting is that correct >> well a little bit more than that in order to to participate in the meeting
period so in order to join the meeting although you'll be physically here you will need to your electronic device you will need to actually press the button to join the meeting and if you are off site you will also need to be able to join the meeting so I know a lot of times the board members call in which you can still do but you will also need
a device where you can also join the meeting um physically I'm sorry electronically in order to participate as well as yes to your point Dr. and vote as well. >> And will uh votes of the group be
visible as they're made or they're only visible after they're completed? >> After all results are are in. >> I don't know enough uh to ask enough questions about whether I view this as helping us in our role as schoolboard members. Um, so I'd be uh fine doing the
training and I'd be fine trying it, but I'd like to come back after a couple months and get, you know, uh, the board's view on whether or not this is making us a more efficient, more effective board. Um, there's not just electronic voting, but there's also electronic registering to speak next. Is
that true? >> Well, the the for the public or for board members? >> For board members. >> Um, that's also inside of the the platform, too. So when you want to signal the chair that you would like to speak, you will actually press it within your um platform and the the chair will be able to call on public speakers, I'm
sorry, board members via that platform. >> I I'm I'm not I'm a little bit worried about the technology. I don't I don't like to be at a live meeting and have to log into things. It's just a personal preference to me if I'm on Zoom because I'm somewhere else and cannot be here. Uh I think that that's a necessary evil
when you're away. Uh I'm worried about it being a distraction as well. So, there's this technology set of questions that I have. Uh there's um a different uh outcome that might happen because we vote electronically rather than vote live. I'm I'm concerned about that. I don't know what that would mean uh for
our us as a board. And I'm also concerned about the distraction that it takes to pay attention to software when what I want to do is hear Miss Bulman tell me something that I've never learned before. And I want to hear from Miss Allade when she tells me about the pony and and things like that. And if
I'm over here trying to log in and relog in, to me that's a distraction. Um, and it's not it's not necessarily one that I would welcome, but I don't have any like uh overwhelming objectives that would stop from trying it and get doing the
training. But at some point um I I might might bring some discussion back and say, is this really making us a better board? Um, and I will tell you that when I saw that item, uh, it was not clear to me at all that we were changing
behaviors of the board. I thought we were just buying some enhanced software that the superintendent and his great people that work for him thought was better for us. Um, and I'm perfectly happy to follow those instructions. I read the description. It sounded like it would make it better. And nowhere in those discre discussions did it say I
needed to log into a system in order to be a schoolboard member at a live meeting. And so th those are my concerns. Uh, I'm one of nine and I'm and I don't have any such huge objections. I wouldn't try it. Uh, but I I'm going to be looking at it to see whether or not it makes us a better
board or or are we uh are we uh missing some other opportunities to be better as a board that are taking uh that are being taken up by learning this new software and learning how to behave in a new and different way. So, um I'm I'm going to reserve judgment, but again, I don't feel so strongly that I I wouldn't
do the training and give it a try. Uh it may be it may be fine at the end of the day. >> Thank you, Mr. Seivera. >> Thank you, Chair. Um I'm not going to reserve judgment. Uh Dr. Zean, um Mr. Hill, I want to make sure I understand
this. We're paying for a program for us to be able to attend a meeting in person and vote on a computer. Is that accurate? >> Yes, sir. >> Okay. Also, within that same program that we're paying for, there is,
dare I say, like a chatbot that we have to be able to input our questions in to in order to be able to be recognized by the chair. >> No, it's just a button that you press that says speak. >> Okay. So, instead of raising my hand, I
have to log onto a program and press a button. >> Correct. >> And we're paying for this, >> correct? >> How much are we paying for this program? 12,900 annually. >> $12,000. Okay. So, not a great ton of money, but from what I'm hearing, this sounds like a giant waste. Is there anything
positive that this program does? >> Well, so the features of the of you will have to join the meeting um electronically to participate. You can request to speak during debate to the chair. You can initiate voting. Um and I just want to be very clear to initiate the vote. I'm sorry, the motion, but it
doesn't allow you to enter in the language of the motion. So we're working with granicus on that. So instead of saying um um can I get a motion and a second on B1? Then you motion second. So you will actually have to press buttons in order to motion and second as well as to
initiate a a motion and if you want to substitute motions and that nature. So all motions will have to be initiated within the program. Um voting as well as um you will be able to see the speakers that are signed up for that particular item. They will be broadcasted on the screen. So we no longer have to say
those names and the next speakers for cues will be displayed to our public as well. So those are the main features off the top of my head that this program will bring forward. >> Okay. And and I appreciate the brief summary there. Um this kind of sounds like a bunch of um uselessness to me.
Uh, again, I'm I'm only one of nine, but um I I prefer to just wave my arms at Miss Leonardi to get her attention, her write me down on the pad and acknowledge me when it's my turn. And when I vote, I'd like to talk into the microphone,
just like I'm doing now, and express what my vote is rather than pressing a button on a computer. So, um I I realize that in the grand scheme of our budget, the cost may be uh a negligible amount of money, but I from what I'm hearing, this sounds like a giant waste to me. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Miss Thompson. >> Thank you, chair. So, first I want to say I know change is hard. Um we use a similar program at the MO where it is on your computer. It is nice where you walk in because they have um desktops and everything set up, but I think let's
look at the benefits of this. We're going to be able to see one, it's going to be our public records. Much more helpful for them. They're going to have the votes electronically recorded. Also, let's think about it. If you're on the left side of our chair, you might raise your hand, but she's looking the right
side. So, I get called before Alhadaf, you know, but now it's in a computer. It's in a nice little list. Um, is that 12,000? That covers the use of Granicus, correct? It's not just >> No, that's just the vocab. >> It's just this. Okay. Thank you for that
clarification. But I think we get a lot of feedback from the public that our um votes aren't understandable or that our information isn't accessible. Um so I think we go forth because we purchased this and see see how it works out. If we
need to revisit it later, that's fine. But it's something that's being done throughout multiple boards across the the county. uh electronic voting. It's what the legislature does. Um will our votes be displayed in um on the screen
then after they're done? >> The results will be only >> Yes, that's what I mean. So yes, no. And then >> the public will be able to say, "Oh, Rupert voted like this. Thompson voted like this." And it will be black and white on the screen. >> No. No. So the individual board members would not be displayed. Just the Yes. No.
>> Yes. No. Abstain. >> Can you walk me through some other positives of this? I just had one on top of my head. >> You can phone a friend >> and your NPO >> or you can phone the public records that walked in. >> And Miss Thompson, your NPO has like 58
members or something, right? >> And your legislature has 160. >> We're nine. >> I understand. >> Just want to point out the differences here so everyone knows. >> Thank you for the math lesson. It's still my um I still have the floor and I
was asking for staff to provide some other feedback. I don't know about any other benefits but I know that the board did entertain the u possibility of a system this way. So I just wanted to that's this is our way of basically bringing the board um the services in which they were wanted
to possibly entertain. >> So we requested this. >> Yes. >> Thank you agenda. >> Thank you Dr. Holes. >> Thank you madam chair. So um Mr. Mr. Hill through the superintendent.
Um, you said it's a $12,000 annual cost. Are we under a contract for certain number of years? >> This is only a one-year contract, so it expires June 30th of 2027. >> Okay. So, every year, will it continue to be a one-year contract or is this
sort of like a pilot testing to then extend for many years after the one year? So this particular contract um does allow us to do one more extension per year should we choose to do that with Granicus but we are also exploring the option of going out with another procurement vehicle to try to um see
what else is on the market as well. So we're not saying that after July 1st 2027 that we are going to have the same system. >> Okay. So if we do the one-year extension and we decide to continue with the same company, what will we have to do next? Sign a three-year contract? No, we'll
have to go out for a new um procurement vehicle. >> Okay. >> All right. So, I have a question, right? Um I think um well, let me just ask a very basic question. Uh this is an ongoing cost yearly, right? Is there is there any
device that can where nine people here that you know board member Holes press a button and it says district five and it lights up in front of the chair she knows okay this one is first this one is second this one is third and it's a onetime cost we
I have seen systems that way I know one of our municipalities when I go to their municipal meetings I think it's Lauder Hill or maybe um I think it's Lauder Hill that there's just a physical button that lights up and then there are some sites somewhere some type of box that shows which board member. So there is something physical that can be explored
>> because um I know uh as board member Thompson mentioned one of the benefits for this system that you're introducing is that the chair doesn't have to be looking around to see who was first, who was second, who was third. But there has to be a very basic system that exists that I simply press my button and she
knows I'm second. District 5 is second. Uh Al-Hadf is third, Zemen is fourth. I mean, there has to be something like that that is less costly and and she doesn't have to be spending time trying to figure out who's first, who's second. Why can't we just look into a system
like that? I think that's a that's the major problem that this seems to solve. I don't see where it it does anything else. So, there has to be a one-time cost device that could be a couple thousand dollars. I don't know. That would just simply identify to the chair with some um thing in front of her that
she knows who's first, second, third, and so on. Yes, we we most definitely can work with the team to see what other options are out there that could be some simpler as well as a physical um system. >> Okay. So, um Dr. Heburn, can we can we look into that to see if there's something because I think that's the
major problem that this solves for $12,000 a year and we we don't have money. So, maybe we could solve that problem for a fraction of a cost for something one time and very basic. Attorney Dreer, >> if I may, may I ask a question to Mr.
Hill? >> Um, with regards to the minutes, does this help us with the minutes in any way, drafting the minutes and recording the votes? >> I want to be careful with my answer. It does give us a different way of obtaining the minutes.
Like does it record the item and the vote and tells us how the vote was >> that? It does. Yes. >> Okay. >> So, it does basically codify the official actions of the board um electronically for us. >> Okay. Thank you.
>> So, we can go back and create minutes off of that. >> Okay. M I I I'm not against the idea, but to me it feels like luxury at a time when we don't have money. Um, so I'm not sure if if it's something we need to
even though it's $12,000 is a small amount of money, but you do that four times and that's a teacher salary, you know. Um, I I don't know if now is the time for us to spend money on something that appears to be >> bought it. >> Oh, we already have it. So, we're going
to continue to >> So, we paid for it already. So, we're just discussing using it. >> So, we can't cancel it. Sure, we can. >> That is something I will have to work with our legal team to see what can we do if the board decides not to utilize this service um to take it out of the
contract. >> So, if we take it out of the contract, we save $12,000. >> Correct. $12,900. >> Yes. >> So, we can decide as a board to remove that from the contract and we'll save the $12,000. >> I again will lean on legal as to how
most definitely for a renewal we can, you know, remove that out, >> but we've already paid for it. As of right now, yes, it's already been appro approved by the board. >> And you're saying for renewal? So, if we don't use it, we're throwing away $12,000. >> If you don't use it and nothing happens
to the contract, then >> Yes. >> And we're too late to get out of it. That's what you're saying. >> I'm not saying that for this year. I will have to work with legal to see exactly how we can look at the contract and and see what our options are. >> Okay. So, Miss Bruna, I'd like more information.
Madam chair, I'm finished. >> Thank you, Miss Hixon. >> Thank you. Um, you know, I will say we have talked about this for a couple of years to be more efficient. When you go to the FSBA and have conversations with
other schoolboard members, they use a similar system, if not this one, and always think I'm crazy when I say the way we do it because it's very antiquated. As a chair, I think it would make it way easier for the chair or more I won't say
easier, more efficient for whoever the chair is to see exactly who is is on the list to ask questions and who voted how. So they know um you know consensus in that. So
I appreciate that we have it. I'm looking forward to the training. We asked for it for a while now and I'm glad to see it come forward. Thank you, >> Mrs. Alada. >> Yes. So, I agree with Miss Hixon. It will make us more efficient as the
chair. You are juggling a lot of things, not just who's up for next to speak, but time certain, and there's a lot of things the chair is juggling. So, I think it will help and make us more efficient. It would also uh eliminate the the roll call and and going around
like that. So, it's also saving time. You know, we really have evolved in the last eight years since I've been on the board from having the black box and printing out all the papers and then someone personally delivering it to our houses to now being electronic. So, I
think, you know, the training is important. We'll we'll learn how to do it. I mean, there's times when I've seen board members vote yes and then we do roll call and then they vote no. So, this eliminates all of that um kind of
craziness and ambiguity and it's just be tighter, more efficient and I think that we'll get used to the system and training will help and we just move forward from here. Thanks, >> Miss Bulman.
I appreciate that perspective that just swayed me over because I it's not bothering me because I'm not the chair. So, I'm not juggling a whole bunch of things. I just have to worry about myself. So, if that um provides an easier way for the chair to conduct the business of the board, then I support
it. >> Thank you. I will just say um I think you know having the list you know of people who would like to speak um would make things easier. I think you know some people feel like I'm skipping them
over sometimes or I'm adding them later to the list and I'm not. Um but so everyone can see uh where everyone is on the list I think is is helpful. Um, you know, I I do I have some skepticism about it becoming
more efficient, but I'm open to trying new things. Uh, so I'm happy to move forward with this. It looks like a majority of the board is. Uh, so I hope that this can help us become a more streamlined, efficient body. Anyone
else? >> Madam Chair, I have a quick question. >> May, Miss Leonardi. >> Thank you, Miss Rupert. Go ahead. Yeah, >> sorry. I I thought your I was on your list. That my mistake. Um my my thought on this process is um it it's a little
disjointed. I I get the part if you're not at the meeting, but it seems a little strange to have to be at a meeting and be on the computer to actually vote or make a motion. So, um I I understand it will probably free up
staff time because we can't really do, you know, motions and try to work it out that way. Um I can see it's a it's going to be a process, but um I won't be here for that culmination of the process, but if it makes it easier for the for the
chair and for board members, I just um even though it's $12,900, it's still a figure. Um I I really wanted to know is if Mr. Hill has experienced the program himself and what benefits were the best for him like
what does he think that we'll get the most out of >> through the superintendent >> Mr. Hill >> through the superintendent. Um I have seen the product. Um I will say this that it will take some the board will it
will take some adjustments. Um the board will have to slow some processes down. It will not be as quick. I know a lot of times you all vote on items especially when you don't have speakers on it um to just move forward and it will slow us down just a little bit. Um so it will be a learning curve in order to to move
things as quickly as we do now within the new system. But I do see it as a benefit when it comes to um especially the the speaking for an item as well as voting on an item. There will be no more roll calls physically. Um it will be an adjustment for anyone again inside of
the room. You will be forced to have not forced but you will have an electronic device with you as well as those that are not on site. Um you may have to be on on a device as well as on your phone. Um so those are the two the pros and cons that I have seen when I viewed this.
>> Right. And I thank you for that. I remember in the old days, older days, that when I was first up in Canada, like um first after election, whatever, it was only accessible by by phone, which was a nightmare for me because I had to go in the back 30 to be able to to get
you guys as much as possible. But um we've certainly moved past that, but it was very difficult to to get in. And then we moved to the team's product in the last couple years for um I didn't have to call in anymore. Um I was able to you know be live and and be a pro
part of it this way. So I don't know how it's going to be logistically if um you know that would change for me at all or not. So, um it's just something to think about and I I do think it's going to be an adjustment, but uh I I know it would
make the uh process easier for the for the um chair. And I was a little disappointed to find out it really couldn't be utilized um efficiently as as a source to do our our minutes. Um but perhaps that we have
like grant I don't know maybe we have teams that does that. I don't really know, but um it I thought that would be a major feature that it would be good for um keeping records on uh during the meetings on who who voted uh which way or not because I know that most boards
have that where you can see um in the minutes uh who voted um a certain way and what the majority was. Um but I'll I'll do the training. Absolutely. I'm up for that. But I would have liked a a more um concentrated effort to
understand some of the the process before we actually bought it. Um but I understand where we are. You know, I would not have uh wanted to to do it for $12,000 or $1,200. Um any money spent on the board, the public is not going to be
happy about it. And as a taxpayer, I wouldn't be happy about it either. So, um, but I'll be here for the workshop and get the training and do do what I need to do since we're already at that point. So, I appreciate it and thank your cander, Mr. Hill.
>> Mrs. Rubbert, I just wanted to clarify something. If I misspoke, I do apologize. The system and the board clerk will be able to see how each board member voted. So, that will improve with the with the recordkeeping. U, we do see internally how each board member voted. I believe the question before was does
the public see that and no, the public would just see the results. >> Now I wonder and and of course uh Miss Dupri Bruno will will look into this more more of um I would I think to see exactly what that would entail. Um
because the public part of the reason coming to to see the board alive in action is really to see the live vote and to know how people um did it so simultaneously. So just just my two cents, but thank you so much for the info.
>> Okay, Mrs. Alf. >> Yes, I agree with you, Miss Rubert. You're 100% correct. The when the board votes on the board, it has to say Aldf, yes. Uh Zemen, no. However it goes, it has to have the name. Uh so Dr. He,
however that needs to happen, that needs to happen. Mr. Sea, >> just point of clarification, Mr. Hill, if we fully implement this system, do I need to have a laptop with me to
participate uh in the vote and logging on to the program that lets me um sign up to speak and all that, or will a mobile device work? And let me give you an example. If for whatever reason um I can't make a meeting right and I want to
call in on my phone I think I have that capability to do now I don't need a a physical laptop I can call in on the phone. Yes, >> that is correct. >> Okay. If I had to miss a meeting for whatever reason, I'm not anticipating that's going to happen anytime soon, but
if I had to miss a meeting and I was in a car driving somewhere and wanting to listen and participate on my cell phone, if this program is implemented the way you suggest, would I be able to do that still? >> If you're asking if you're able to vote via your phone,
>> like if if I if I had to miss a meeting because I was going to a doctor's appointment. >> Correct. >> Okay. and I didn't want to go through the doctor's appointment like holding my laptop, but I wanted to listen with my phone and maybe put my AirPods in, right, to listen to the meeting and
participate. Would I be able to do that with this new program >> via your phone? I would I would say yes. >> Okay. Because you you said before you need to be on a I thought I thought I heard you say you need to be on a laptop. >> And I know they said another device regarding a laptop or a tablet. Um via
your phone. I will have to I would I would want to say yes but most definitely by the training I will have a >> can we can we get confirmation on that because I I I think that's important because again if if myself or one of my colleagues has to ever miss and you know we're not sitting at home or having a doctor's appointment something has come
up whatever and you want to participate over the phone you don't want have to carry a laptop >> yes we will get that clarification >> thank you >> Dr. Demon, >> if I'm in a schoolboard meeting and the system tells me it's going to shut down for 15 minutes to do uh security and
software upgrade, could I could I could I is where yours is right now. Thank you, Miss Elad, for making my point. Um, is there a backup system by which you can register votes verbally if you can't get into the software? >> We can do that here. So, yes, the cler
the clerk and I are able to register your vote um while your computer is. So to my colleagueu's question about the phone use, if they could just shout through the AirPods yes or no, you would be able to record that vote. >> We we will be able to record that vote. Yes. >> Okay. Terrific. I appreciate that. Thank you,
>> Dr. Holus. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. So, um, Mr. Hill if if we vote using the system and then um during the course of the vote like like board member um Alhadef mentioned that sometimes when we're normally
voting some people change their vote when we do a roll call right so if you vote with the system and you thought a little bit more about it before the vote is finalized and you want to change your vote before it's over can you change >> you may the chair does have the option to reset the votes and then you can take
the vote again once the vote locks it's locked but she does have the option to reset the votes and then we can um you can proceed with voting again as a board. >> Okay. So um so I I can once I vote my vote is locked and then the chair would it I would have to request to revote
>> correct >> and it's it's a process now to take the vote again. So, is my request um uh my right or is it the the the chair's decision and not not to say our current chair, but is it the chair's decision in general to say no to the change of my
vote? >> I'm going to lean on our general counsel for that advice as to the rights of the board. >> I'm sorry, I was trying to get the attention of one of the deputies because I have to step off for a second, but repeat the question. I'm sorry. If a board member would like to revote on an
on an item, is it their right or is it at the discretion of the chair? >> So, we will have to follow Robert's rules of order. >> Okay. With regards to that. >> So, I think the question is a little bit different almost almost there almost close. If the voting process is still going on and I wish to change it before
it's finalized before we, you know, in the process and I I accidentally hit no when I should have hit yes. >> Oh, absolutely. >> So, let me say this. I I'm not familiar with the Granicus version, but I am familiar with another software that did the exact same thing. >> And so, um, the electronic voting was
very simple. If there was a hiccup where you wanted to change your vote, you would just let the clerk know, you know what, I don't want to I'm going to change mine to a yes, an I, or a no. And the clerk was able to do that. um if you are on the phone or you're traveling and you want to be able to give your vote
because you don't have your computer, you don't have your self um your um cell phone, you're able to do that because the clerk has access to all of it. So from my experience with a similar software, it was very efficient and very helpful to the board in helping keeping
the me the the meeting running smoothly. So any glitches normally verbally you can make that correction and the clerk has access to all of it and can make those changes for you. That's been my experience with the software that I've used in the past.
>> Right. I understand. And I'm sorry Dr. Holden if I misunderstood your question. Yes, you will have the option as long as the votes aren't locked. You do have the option to change yourself at your at your device um between yes, no, abstain as many times as you like until the vote locks. >> So the vote locks when everybody votes.
>> Correct. Okay. But during the process of voting, it's not locked. >> Correct. >> So I can >> Yes. >> Okay. Got it. I have another question. Um this particular um software that we're using um the other districts that are doing it this way, are they using the
same software or how did we vet that this is the best the best one? >> And I'm not sure if there's someone from our procurement team here for us. seems not. Um I can get you a followup as to how this particular votes cast was
was was chosen. Um I can say that we always had Granicus. We already had Granicus and we were going up for a renewal. Um so we just could have been something as simple as asking them do you have a system that allows us to electronically vote and the answer was yes. So we utilized the system that we currently had for our um board agenda
management. >> Okay. So, um, we were told in the beginning that other school districts are doing it this way and it's very efficient, right? So, I'm curious to know what systems are they using and what is it costing them? Um, and how did
we how did we come to this system uh as opposed to what other districts are doing? The reason I'm asking because maybe there is even a more efficient um software that exists that some other large district is using in in the United
States. Um did did we just decide to go with this because we're paying for Granicus or is it is there something better? >> Again, we just currently had Granicus and we're going up for the renewal, but I can get you a follow-up as to what um the likes districts are also using for their software if they're using the
software and um and compare the two. >> Okay. I'd love to have that, Mr. Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Bulman. I thought you had your hand raised. All right. So, I believe uh a majority of the board is willing to move forward
with the training. So, do you have your direction, Mr. Hill? >> I do, but um since we're going to go forward, we will schedule the training. Today's training is on the current features of Legislate. Um so, basically, how you access the item, how you access the attachments, how you mark up an item, how you highlight, um those type
of things. How do you save an item? How do you bookmark? How do you view public comments? So those things will be trained today. And then in the next coming weeks, we will schedule the second part of the training which will be our votecast system. And depending on the comfortability of the board, we will roll out a launch date that we will
start it at a meeting and a workshop. >> Got it. Anyone else with uh anything good for the group? >> Miss Bulman? So to the the legislate um
just for the knowledge of everybody when you mark up my understanding is when you mark up on legislate then that all becomes a public record. >> Your notes are your notes only unless you share them. So it does not become public record. I don't is it because my un my
understanding is that when you're using this that becomes public record and if you have like you know I have all my stuff here and I don't share it then that's mine and no one can take it but if it's on this platform that it's >> no it's not I'm not sharing it with you.
It's not a public record. Um so I just want everyone to I I we need to know what that what the what the law is on that so people can act accordingly. So, so we will provide a followup on that. Um, just because you take a note or write on a piece of paper within the
um the meeting does not mean it's automatically a public record. It's just a it's a way in which it be can become a public record. And we'll make sure that we provide guidance on that, >> right? Because I if I'm making a note, I don't want that to be a public record. Just for me personally, just a note that
I'm using for myself. >> All right. Anyone else? I don't know. >> I would say no more than like 20 20 minutes. I'm just going to run through the current features and and that's about it. >> Yes. >> Well, I'm Did someone want to
>> or the other option is because we're coming back in the the future with the actual votecast things, I can incorporate both of the trainings within one. So, it's up to the will of the board if they want to do it today or mix them both inside of future training. >> I think we're ready to move forward
today. All right. The scheduled order of miss for the school special school board meeting of the school board of Broward County, Florida has now been completed. Seeing no objection, I will adjourn the meeting.