meeting to order. We'll stand for the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all. All right. 3.0 is to approve the meeting agenda. I'll make a motion. I'll second. Any discussion? All those in favor? I I those opposed. Agenda is approved.
All right. 4.0 are acknowledgements and recognitions. We don't have anything on the docket for that this evening. Uh 5.0 are recognition of visitors and community comments. Community comments is an opportunity for the public to address the school board on an item included in this agenda in accordance with the guidelines printed at the end
of the agenda. Um, no community comments uh signed up for this evening, but just wanted to recognize our visitors in the room. Um, welcome. Thanks for being here. And welcome to all of you out in cyerspace, either joining us live or in the future. Thanks for being here.
All right. Uh, 6.0 reports. 6.1 is a principal report. No report tonight. No, no report tonight. Or did you add libid something? Uh, I mean, nothing new. We got all of our teachers hired and um yeah, it's been pretty quiet here the last few
weeks which is nice and we'll start picking up in a couple weeks. So, yeah. Okay, fantastic. Thank you. Um okay, 6.2 is the superintendent report, Mr. Lindhol. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um I want to just highlight a few things. Uh first of all,
the communications team for the 2025 referendum uh is now in kind of full swing. Uh so um they've provided material for our annual newsletter that'll go out around August, first week of August. Uh and then I expect the Vikingsvision.org site to be relaunched
around July 30th or August 1st. Um so look for that and then please be spreading the word about uh that Vikingsvision.org site being that key place for um content and information. Um, I've been asked a little bit about
uh the impact of the uh federal funding uh suspension or hold back uh that we've uh heard about. Uh and um in case you get asked the question in FY26 coming here, that might impact us between 25 to
50ish,000 depending on exactly what gets held back. It's not an enormous thing. If it was say title one part A that would be huge. That would be a hundred and some thousand dollars. But um what has been held back is pretty small as it pertains to Cook County Schools. So it's
somewhere in the 25 to $55,000 range. Um and we just don't know what when those funds will be released. We'll have to just stay tuned for that. And then I want to end with a really big celebration. I got a text this morning from Jeff Anderson. I think of his first
name. Jeff Anderson from the Clen Group and indeed Cook County Schools grant uh application was recommend is going to be recommended in the legislation in the fall. So we're 99.9% sure that we got the $250,000 LCCMR grant uh which is for
outdoor uh learning spaces. Um so stay tuned to that. That'll be an exciting uh win. Um, I feel very very blessed uh by the decision the board made to work with the costing group. I mean, it's it's materialized into $5 million from the
triple RB and $250,000 from LCCMR. Uh, so wise wise investment. Kudos to the board for that. And um, yeah, it's a celebration. All I got. Fantastic. Any questions from anybody?
All right, we'll move on to this uh consent agenda which is 7.0. Um, anything need to be pulled for further discussion? If not, we just need a motion. I make a motion to approve the consent agenda as proposed. I'll second it. Okay. Any further discussion?
All those in favor? I I those opposed. Consent agenda is adopted. All right. 8.0 are discussion and action items. 8.1 is to accept the expenditure and revenue report for June of 2025.
Um linked up in the packet. Yeah. And I can share looking in your packet. Now, this is the last um fiscal 25 treasurer's report because it's the end of June. However, note that things will move quite a bit yet between now
and when books close out, which is around audit time. Uh so it looks you know overall like revenues are way ahead of expenditures but we do know we have expenditures yet to hit the books that will um be coming as well as revenues. So um and then at the very end of the
tie out um you can see like for example transportation under revenue says 3.6%. That's because now uh Teresa has to go down and move all the funds from where they are now to where they're supposed to be as they tie out at the end of the year. So the good news is it's a it's a
balanced or or at least maybe even in the black a bit. So kudos to Teresa and the board and team. Okay. Yeah. Thank you. All right. Uh so we just need a motion to accept the expenditure revenue report for June
2025. So moved. Yes, I'll second that. Okay. Further discussion? All those in favor? I. I. Those opposed? Motion carries.
8.2 is to approve the resolution to designate the Iowa. Um, which is also linked up in the packet. This is an annual affair. Yep. Um uh Quinn maybe for your perspective um
this is giving me the authority to give everyone else access to different pieces of the MDE technology portals. So it's in every district it's the superintendent backed up usually by um in my case K.
Yeah. The individual the identified official with authority. You know, you'd think in Minnesota they could come up with an acronym that wasn't Iowa. Yeah, I know. I know. But we'll work on that. Making it a state again.
Um, and there's no changes in this in how we've operated this in years past. Okay. All right. So, then we just need a motion uh to approve this annual designation. Motion two. Oh, dang. Ty goes the runner. Good
can have it all. Sounded like when came across the line and a second from Carrie. Um, any further discussion? All those in favor? I I. Those opposed? Motion carries. 8.3 is
to approve the student activities handbook for 2025. uh last month, Stephen Anderson was here to kind of walk through the the why of this and uh his thinking around it. So, you heard that. Uh and then the only
thing that changed uh since last month was the parts about the booster club at the very end. Uh I wanted to make sure we articulated that booster clubs don't fund personnel. Uh, and that's my opinion and I wanted that in there
because uh if if people are going to be coaches, they're going to be our employees and we have authority over them. We don't necessarily want clubs doing that. But everything else is the same as what you saw a month ago. Is this a new This is a new a new handbook altogether,
Carrie. Uh, and Stephen as the new AD was he wants some structure and some Yeah. Yeah. He presented at the work session and it was Yeah, you're right. It was the work session. I was there. That was probably
So yeah, it's a new one and um it's a it's a nice structured approach to the whole ID picture I think for sure that we haven't seen before. Any major highlights we should note first?
Well, formalizes the lettering process. So that's all spelled out for all the sports which maybe it just makes it crystal clear, you know, in polic policy here. It gives expect you know some of the things that personally that I appreciate about it is
it just gives like expectations kind of across the board. already gives expectations to students and coaches and coaches and parents, you know, and just in terms of like how they should be be comporting themselves, what's the grievance process, those sorts of things. So, it just helps kind of
tighten up, you know, things that come up, you know, in a way they can be handled sort of consistently. And full disclosure, he he lifted this from another district. He knows he knows the ad, so he was able to steal a lot of it. Well, it's a great
Yeah. document. It's very thorough. Very thorough. Y I like that, you know, there's like basically job descriptions for coaches and stuff, too. It's not just somebody walking out there doing whatever they want. I like it. Witness. Yeah, exactly.
Totally. All right. So, um yeah, any additional questions? But also, if if not, we just need a motion. I'll make a motion to approve the um student activities handbook. I'll second. Uh any further discussion?
I just have one one comment and maybe this isn't the right spot for it, but one of our coaches uh plowman Deitro just uh won assistant coach of the year across all sports for high school. Um I told you that. Yes, you did. And you
know that, right? Bowman, um, who's our one of our downhill ski coaches for the state, the assistant coach of the year across all sports for the Minnesota High School Sports League. And um, that's pretty exciting for sure to have that quality and recognition of
one of our coaches. Somehow it fit into this. I'm sorry, it just reminded me, but Well, that's all right. Yeah. Yeah. Congratulations to him. That's amazing. That's great. It's fast. Any other discussion?
Yeah, I would just extend my gratitude to Mr. Anderson for pulling this together and looking forward to helping shape our athletics and activities going forward. Um, all those in favor?
I I those opposed. Motion carries. All right. 8.4 4 is to approve the Cook County Middle School/Cook County High School student handbook and we've got Principal Blani here.
Um I believe you all have it linked in the Yep. Yep. And so what I did is I just uh highlighted in yellow um any changes that I am proposing for the handbook for this coming school year. Um, and I I don't know if you had a chance to look through this and want to
ask specific questions or if we just want to cruise through it together and highlight some things. Yeah, let's cruise through together. Okay. Um, so yeah, just defining parking. That's it's not a big deal, but it just makes it easier when kids say,
"I didn't know that." Um, we're just really spelling it out for them where they can park during the sto school day and where where they can't. Um, I did take out uh there, this is old language from before I even got here that we implement a positive behavioral intervention and support system in the
middle school and high school. And it's not a terrible thing. We really don't. And so, um, just being more accurate with the language. Um, uh, we do do that in the elementary school, but we don't really implement that kind of a model in middle school and high school currently.
Um, and so just taking that out so it's more accurate. Um uh the handbook still referenced after school detention. We we don't implement after school detention. What we do in place of that is during the um lunch
advisory time. There's an hour there that kids have like they're in the resource room working on a positive behavior plan to um reflect on their behaviors, that type of thing. So we don't we don't do the afterchool detention. That kind of has taken place. So I took that language out um where it
said after school detention. Um the big things that I that were added in let me is uh in regards to online schooling. So last year we had a a lot of students elect to take classes that they could have taken
in person. I'm taking them taking them online and instead and they can do that. They can choose to do that. we can't stop them from doing that. Um the handbook uh used to say that if you do take an online class, you have to stay in school. Well, we we are getting more
and more kids and this is happening in schools all over the place too, not just here in Cook County. Um because online schooling is becoming such a prevalent thing now and um more and more kids are doing it. Well, what's happening is that it's flooding our um library and study halls because that's typically where you
would house kids who are doing online schools um for that class period. So, if a kid would normally be in algebra um and they want to take it online, um they can take an online class through an online school and get that credit, but
it doesn't necessarily mean that they're being taught online during our second period class period where all the other kids are getting algebra, if that makes sense. So, what has happened is we've housed them in the library and like in where the kids who have taken study hall are um and it's just becoming
unmanageable. Um and and as you can imagine too, if kids aren't actually engaged in classes during that class time, they don't have anything to do, then it's a behavior management thing, that type of stuff. So, one of the things that I'm proposing is that if you are choosing to take online classes,
then um most like most of our PSO students do this now, they leave campus um and then they come back to campus then for third hour or fourth hour, whatever their other scheduled classes are. Um but that is a that's a kind of a big change that I'm proposing in this handbook is that students who are
choosing to take online classes um that are not PSO that are not PSO um because yes PSO we have to provide them spaces um students choosing to take online classes we just have to provide them the regular technology that all the other
kids have access to lunch and then access to any like special education services and that type of stuff. So um so kids are supposed to leave campus when they're taking a class online and then come back. What if the kid lives far away?
They can go to you know Java moose. They can go I mean that that is one of the things that we're trying to have conversations with families like like online school is not always the the best
thing. like there are different factors involved when you talk online school and it's just it really last year was really challenging to manage the amount of students who are choosing to take different classes online. I'm just wondering because just today I got an email from a parent about this
so I should probably forward that to you. I don't really understand all of it. Yeah. Well, so the as I understand it, if if a student is so basically they're they now have a gap in their schedule, they're not completing like a full day
schedule, right? Because they're opting out of this class. So there's hole there, correct? Um and the district isn't getting funding for like a full-time student as a result of them opting out, right? Um,
so those are some of the things at play there. And how does this reconcile with like the open like the closed campus? Um, well, we we don't have a closed campus. Okay. Currently juniors and seniors. What's that? Juniors and seniors.
Um, yeah. And so, uh, yeah. What currently right now like during advisory some of our freshmen, um, will choose to go to some of the local churches for lunch and that type of stuff. And there's a permission form that parents, you know, fill out on
Wednesdays or for for that time and they call their kids out. If kids are in online classes, that' just be something that we would have a form that signs out that says my kid can check out and they check out at the main office when they leave and then when they come back, they check back in and be let back into school.
One thing I want to point out that is part of this and it's everywhere. It's not just Cook County is um we've we've come to the time when um little Johnny doesn't like Mrs. Chance and and so they just go to an online class and they're
not going to take a class from Mrs. Chance because they just don't like it. And uh part of this is trying to get rid of that. Like come on, learn how to work with people you're different from. And to Dan's point, then we yes, they are our student all the time, but
they're not our student for that online. So expecting the expectation that we provide adult supervision and all these things. It's interesting sort of can of worms that this could go any direction. I'm sort of curious to see what
it started with PSO and with PSO it was never really a behavior problem because I mean the PSO kids are usually top-notch kids right here taking college classes. But when you get an eighth grader that's like I don't like Mrs. Jansen. I'm going to take my algebra class online. then now you're dealing
with a whole different that's a whole different element. And this is specific to high school students. Um this new policy, we do have middle school students who elect to take um online alternatives and we wouldn't be necessarily sending them out of the
building for those classes, but yeah. So that any other any other questions on that? Do you have a um just as the other you mentioned other districts are grappling with with this issue um is this are
there examples other districts using this strategy? This is an example. There's I've also heard of other districts who say, "Okay, you can you can take that math class online, but then you're still going to be in the room that in the classroom,
the classroom math teacher is teaching during that time because that's where you would be and that like we're not it it like to put all the kids as more and more kids do this to put them all in a room like it's just be it's hard to manage." So, schools are doing it
different ways. Those are two examples. Is there a way to engineer a schedule so that they don't have so that we try to as best we can? Yes. So that um Kelly our counselor when she's making a schedule, but that I mean that's limited too. Like we can't do it for everybody um she's tried to do that
with PSO um and is trying to do that with students who did elect to take online classes as well. Yes, I'm super interested. I think that Reena is probably the first of many messages we're going to receive with
interest in this. I I understand based on the information you've presented why this is being done, but I think we're going to hear more about um this person is saying um she would help appreciate help and understand the
issue and why was it made public that these changes have occurred. So the I'm just thinking that we should be a little proactive about communication and how we're doing this before it becomes a bigger issue. I'm not being critical. I'm just saying let's you know maybe we've seen this
before where we rolled something out. Yep. And had an issue later. So this there was language around this included in like the course registration guide that this may be coming. So that was like people were informed during course registration because we did want
to give that heads up um to that point. Yes. So that was in the course registration guide that all the kids had um February. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean it's I think it's an interesting approach because it sort of
makes you know it sort of like clarifies the decision that you're making. Right. Right. Um, and if that's the that's part of the decision that you want to opt into, then that's kind of what you have to manage. And that's fair enough. Can can people
like at this point now that perhaps it's going to become change schedule? Yeah, they be able to kind of like revert back. Yeah, we um student schedules haven't been they'll we'll send those out uh in a couple few weeks maybe um towards the beginning of August and then there is a
window there where schedule changes can be made with Miss Kovvich and that type of stuff. So if people wanted to elect out of the online and be in person, they can certainly do that. Interesting. I guess I'm curious about how how prevalent is that? Um, I don't have the ex I don't have the exact number for you, but I do know that
like in our library, which is our study hall, there were times where we didn't have chairs for kids in there this year. Well, how many kids is that? Um, pushing 25. Yeah, because that's also where students who
have signed up for a study hall, like that's the study hall space. Okay. So, super fascinating. I think it's gonna I think we're going to hear from a few people because I feel like parents are like, "Well, I'm upset with a choice or something. I'm going to take my kid out of this class." Yep. And in the past, that means their class
their student goes to the library. Yep. I bet it will feel like a perceived loss of freedom because I imagine a lot of parents, but I don't want my kid just roaming around town with their Chromebooks. Yeah. And I think, you know, 15 years
ago, this didn't exist, right? Didn't exist at all. If you if you enrolled in a different class at a school across the street, you went to the school across the street. Yeah. So, these these people have chosen to enroll in another a different school. So, we're just saying take your
different school and go there. Don't don't stay here under our purview. Yeah. That's actually seems really clear to me as a way to explain it basically that like you are in a different school for that class. So, correct. You can't don't receive those benefits and facilities
else. Yeah. Yep. And the funding for you is at that school. Well, maybe this is an opportunity for the library or county higher ed or something to help sort of facilitate this for sure.
But it will probably also disincentivize or just take the class from the teacher that you need to learn how to get along with the hope, right? Because then even if higher ed does something, somebody needs to in theory at minimum they're checking out a room, right? You can reserve a
room, but you don't want maybe 25 students coming in. Well, they'll have their own expectations for how they manage their program. Yeah. I think it's going to be I understand so I can approve this, but I'm just interested in
there'll be some backlash will be. There'll be some kickback. Um the other kind of addition of note that's a a bigger deal. Um on page 35 I included um it's called a it's titled
harassment assessment. And so um a lot of times in schools today like there there is bullying and harassing in every school. Um and so how schools define that and work through that. I wanted to include a more clear tool to really describe the different types of and
levels of harassment that occur in school. Um because it helps to facilitate like meaningful conversation with young people um to try to get them to understand uh like behaviors and expectations and that type of stuff. So
on page 35, it kind of breaks down um different levels of harassment and where that then would fit into our kind of consequence category. And basically what it means is that uh in that level one, level two category, um it's it's words
or phrases or language that's being used that isn't appropriate but isn't necessarily directed at a person. Um and then from from there it increases in severity as the direction or repetitiveness towards somebody um
intention towards a specific person um also increases. And so um that table is new into our handbook and it's something that um Miss Lauski and I found ourselves find ourselves working through
a lot more um with kids. Um, and so it just I felt it would be helpful to have that clearly stated in our handbook how we define harassment um, in our school and what our potential consequences for it. May I ask one more question and I think
it's on page 18. Sure. It says something about parents can bring their lunch and eat with their Is that Well, so we Okay. Yeah, I I took that. We We haven't done that. We do special lunches with parents and families where
we invite them in and so um it hasn't we haven't ever had a parent come in and I don't know how to be honest like if that did happen I don't know they can even buy a lunch though what's that they can even buy a lunch if they want
to I would think couldn't they well well that's it's more of like access to other kids I I've been in situations before where like people coming into school for it cause issues on other
and so it's not something that we've ever in two years that I've had um and somebody do and I see that as a potential for issues to happen which I have seen in other schools that I've been in with families and people coming into
school and it just seems like such a even if parents aren't practicing it it just feels like such a sort of goodwill like if you want to eat lunch with your kid you're welcome to. That's interesting. And I this is this is the you may language so striking it out doesn't mean
that this now it's just mute to the point right like it doesn't mention it at all. It just seems so welcoming to take away. Well, and again, we do we have we do have like designated special lunches where we bring the families in and
welcome them at the middle school high school level and this is the middle school high school hand. Right. That's true. Yeah. So, it just seems sweet like, oh, if I wanted I want to come have lunch with Berl, I could. They'd hate it. They'd be so embarrassed kid wants her or and you could take them to lunch if
you wanted to. So it's the access to other kids that were that's that's where I I look at it and and it hasn't happened here, but I have been in schools where that situation like that have popped up. So there's a potential for abuse here. Um because it's like spelled out here.
Well, I can do this. It's in the handbook. But this is but by striking it, it doesn't mean that you can't do it. It just means that we may we may say no. Just right. It's just not there. This works so well. Okay. This was just requested by like high
school kids, right? Don't let my embarrass. Definitely middle school even a block away. Please don't. Um and yeah, and there, like I said, I highlighted everything in yellow and so if you want to take more time and go
through it all. Um, but a lot of it was just like our cell phone policy, just redefining how we hold kids accountable to defining that more, not redefining it, but uh, things like that. I think I highlighted the the big big things.
Well, I appreciate the the format here. It made it easy to review. So, thank you for for proving the red line. Oh, yeah. Like you can't help it when I think of that. I'm like a child still. Um Well, that's it's okay. You go for
it, Carrie. Our school song is titled Illinois Loyalty. I didn't know that. Well, it's the a lot of school songs have a lot of high school songs copy uh the the major schools. And so I think maybe that's
it's probably the tune to that school. Yeah. Yeah. Huh. Interesting. Yeah, there's like there's like 20 different like school songs that are used or fight songs are used over and over again. We're going to start singing this song
at the beginning of all of our school awards. I mean, so I really could I don't know how many people when I was growing up. I know when I was in high school was a big deal, too. I don't It's in a lot of schools. It's We also used to do pep rallies like
Yeah. pretty consistently and now maybe we do one for homecoming. Is that true? Do we do them at all anymore? We don't we don't do many pet fests. We do for unless it's like someone's going to state or something particular, but we that's that's a different
cast. All right. Any other questions or comments for Josh on the handbook here? Um and we're looking for an approval on this tonight. Yeah. Okay. Yes. I'll make a motion to approve the
student handbook knowing that people might have concerns with some things. I'll second further discussion. I'll just point out that we'll have probably the staff handbook and a
preschool handbook in August. They just weren't quite ready for tonight. So, and when will these be sent out to families? This this one right here. So when we start in the first like two weeks of school, Miss Kovvich and I, we meet with every grade during advisory on
different days. And so through that process, this is delivered. Expectation is you review it. There's a signature page there to return that type of one one further clarification. I'm going to have to answer this email. Is this just high school?
This is just middle and high school. I know, but kids that are taking online classes in middle school, they also No, they don't specifically say that in the wording. Well, let's verify. I I intended it to be um I certainly for juniors and seniors,
the intent is for high to to be for just high school students. So, yeah, we What page was that? High school students. Yes. high school juniors and seniors or any high school students. Okay. Yeah. So that would include that would include nth and 10th grade.
Okay. So 14y old. Okay. Because that gets back to Dan's question about open campus for juniors and seniors, right? Did you Sorry. Did you ask this specific question about that or
because open open campus is just for juniors and seniors currently during for lunch. Okay. There's open campus for juniors and seniors. So the other mechanis so the mechanism for this is it's not the lunch exception. It's the like they would have a permission slip or something like you said.
Well their parents allowing them to do online courses. Yeah. And so will you be uh having some sort of communication Oh yeah. with every family that has someone currently planning to do an online course. Yes.
Preferably even more families, but specifically like I see that your ch your son or daughter's uh sign up online course and I want you to be aware that we have had a policy change. Your child is not a Cook County School student
time frame and thus they'll be expected to leave campus or something to that effect, right? Um because it's important to be able to when you get an email like that say, "Oh, well, it was it was told to students at registration and we reached out to families to make sure
that they're aware." Um I just think the transparency uh and making it not feel like a surprise. If people don't open their email and read it, which sometimes I'm guilty of that, that's their own fault. But if we have the communication, I think that's
true. True. Any other discussion? All those in favor? I I. Those opposed? Motion carries. 8.5 is to approve the Sawtooth
Elementary student. Okay. And very minor changes to that one. I think um the one uh Sawtooth there's no personal technology use allowed at all in middle school and high school. They can have it during lunch,
during passing time, or they can't have it during class time. The one change I did make is that the Sawtooth handbook said starting at 8:00 and I just bumped that up to 7:45, which just means when they get off the bus at school until 3:15 when they get on the bus, they're
not to use personal technology at school in the elementary school. Um, I took out computer lab. We don't have a computer lab. I struck that from some language there. Um, other than that, there wasn't any real changes of significance to
my household personal technology that my students, my kids don't have cell phones. Yep. They would read this. See, mom, we have kids. The new mind. So, it's good for parents to talk to about. So, I guess I lied. My 16-year-old has
self. The rest don't. All right. Any any questions for for Principal Balanchi on this one? If not, we just need a motion. I make a motion to approve Satu student handbook as a
second. Any further discussion? All those in favor? I I those opposed? Motion carries. All right. Thank you for all handbook work. Um all right. 8.6 is to approve
the 2026 graduation dates. So, um actually Josh, why don't you take this one? Yep. So, uh, due to, you know, the construction that's going to be happening and our condensed same number of days, but just in a more condensed time frame schedule, um, initially when
the C calendars were put out, uh, graduation fell on Saturday, Memorial weekend. And I received some community feedback about concerns of graduation happening on such a busy weekend for the community here. Um, and so Chris and I talked and I put a a poll out. I reached
out this summer um to all of the families of graduating 2026 seniors and uh brought up this concern and threw out some different options that we can do that we could potentially do for graduation. And so I threw out three
potential dates for graduation and asked people to list them in preference. One of them being Saturday, May 23rd at 1:00, which is the original scheduled date. Um, also considering to have it on Friday evening the 22nd um at 6 pm or
even Thursday um May 21st at 6:00 p.m. And um the reason why that we threw out those dates is because the next week uh school's done. All the kids are done. Staff are gone. So to have it um the
weekend after there wouldn't people wouldn't be here. um to have it the weekend before that really starts cutting into the seniors minutes and class and days because they've been getting out even earlier days. Yeah.
Uh and so I I threw those I threw that those dates out and asked for feedback and the the feedback that I got just on like preference it was a very close slight preference for moving it to Friday evening but not very much. Friday and Saturday were the two most popular
choices of people who responded. Um Thursday being kind of by far the least popular choice. Um I did receive some feedback from people that said, "Can we consider a different venue um to hold it at um at a different time if school's
out that I'm just I'm just trying to be transparent with you all the feedback that I got. There were some folks who just said that this weekend is not a good time to have it full stop period. the week before Memorial. Yeah. The basically the weekend of Memorial. Yeah.
Um so, um I don't I'm not necessarily saying I think there's one best situation here. I just, you know, so the the preference was what was top choice? Top choice was Friday evening, but hair
by hair. The 22nd. Yeah. 22nd over Saturday the 23rd. Yes. And for context for board members, when I started here um five now almost five years ago, um it was historically on Memorial Day Saturday. That that's when it was. And I received feedback
from community members and their parents that own businesses that demand that a they're busy on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and b they want their kids working because they need employees. And so we moved it to the week before Memorial Day. Um or after after Memorial
Day, like two years ago, I think maybe maybe it was three years ago. Uh and that was that was wellreceived. And when I've been around town on Memorial Day weekend, it is truly a busy day on Saturday at Memorial Day weekend. So,
you know, to Josh's point, we can't move it early or a whole week because then we don't have enough instructional days in there for our seniors legally. Um, so with the feedback, I think my recommendation would be to move it to Friday night just so that the
it's able to work on that Saturday if you know if they're working at a restaurant or at a resort or at a whatever, but or just leave it on Saturday. This is kind of hard, but seems like there's going to be also another one of these where I don't know
how many people responded of the seniors. Um, of the families that I reached out to, I had 15 responses. So, a little less than half. Less than half. Yeah, less than half. And now since co we have this like graduation parade and it becomes I feel
like there might be a switching it to Friday night. there might be more push back than you would expect possibly. I mean, I don't know. I'm basing this on less than half the parents responded and families traveling. I think Memorial Day weekend in the past had always been
chosen because most people have an extra day. So, that traveling was easier for grandparents and extended family to visit. And some of the feedback that I got was that that weekend is prohibited because all the hotels are booked up from tourists. Very true. Very true. Yeah. Um, and I mean,
so what day are we talking about? Says it's currently on which is Saturday. Correct. Correct. Talking about pushing it to Friday. Yeah. If you take no action, it's it's scheduled for the 23rd at 1:00.
Okay. So, we're not able to avoid Memorial Weekend at all. Okay. I don't see how we can. And as part of this schedule is really different this year. And it see Memorial Day is quite early, but it's also the construction. Yeah. And so this is actually kind of a two-year thing. This would be this
coming year and the next year because we have to be out of the building prolong by like that Thursday. Yep. Yeah. So that even the teachers can get out of the building so that Yep. By the 29th, we are not allowed in the building.
So if we if we were not doing the construction, when would it be? The 30th. The 30th. And the last day of school would be June. Something like that. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So, it's a two-year problem,
right? So, that's Right. So, it's sort of circumstantial. It's not like So, we got to kind of like we're going to have a lot of these with weird little scheduling things across programming at the school for the next couple years. Talking about that earlier today, you
know. Yeah. In terms of like the one football season, we're not going to be able to be at home. Yep. Assuming the next referendum passes, you know, those sorts of things we're going to have to like shuffle up and deal with. Just the reality for sure.
Um, yeah. Interesting. So, I mean, it's if it's 15 people, majorities are just pretty small, but but Friday was the Friday Friday eaked out Saturday by a hair. Yep. Be like one person. Yeah. Like if one person switched your boat around it probably. Yeah. Or two
people. On the one hand, you know, part of me is kind of like intrigued by the idea of Friday just cuz it's like totally different. And you know, sometimes when you get forced into something different, it's like sometimes it's not all bad sticks. You know what I mean? It's like, oh, that one's kind of cool because of X, Y,
or Z, you know? So, I'm not afraid of doing something totally different. and if that sort of alleviates some of the like pressure on the weekend or whatever, you know, maybe maybe there's some silver lining there for a couple years. I don't know. I guess to me with I mean I don't have a kid graduating for
a long time so it's not but I mean it seems like both the people are in the tourist industry are really really busy on that weekend. I mean I would rather have it be Friday. Um the Sling the Nor is probably doing but and
then uh say that again. Grand the North. Let's the North the bike race. That's why Saturday's so wildly busy. One of the reasons 700 people there Saturday and that's on Saturday. Yeah. I don't think we have to consider that but I'm just but and then um but also from like a traveling
standpoint. I mean that still gives you your full days. you know, if you have some plans, it it doesn't pride it doesn't particularly ruin your Memorial Day plans, right? But it does make it probably harder for people traveling here for graduation. I
guess that was a concern shared by a number of families is getting here on a Thursday or Friday. I propose that we don't do anything. I'd like to see more response from the parents. 15 out of the entirety of the
class. I I would feel much more comfortable if a larger majority were represented. Yeah. Whether they have a class meeting amongst the students and go home and talk to their parents and then readress it in Septemberish once kids have gotten together. I'll share there was a number of people
who expressed a little bit of urgency with the decision to be made. So So they could like that that could happen. I I'll just share that as well. But that's still so aside from what's the real what's the like aside from a courtesy point of view
like on making the decision when do we need to make the decision by for me like planning wise January it's it's that want to know that it's that's that's the pressing thing here is
so families can make appropriate plans for the day. Sure. Well, there's parents though that maybe aren't checking school type emails in the summer. We're 10 months out right right now. We're 10 months out
from May. So, it's still quite a ways. I think we should try to make I mean I don't disagree with that idea, Carrie, necessarily. It would be kind of nice to have a little bit of a bigger data set. Um, the survey was sent out in May or June. It was before school got out, wasn't it?
Yeah, I can look. Let me Okay. It was before the last day of school, wasn't it? No. Uh it Okay. It was I mean I think if what Let's see. School goes back into session in September
and you got 15 total, Josh. Yeah, it was sent out the end of June. So, uh June 23rd, a few weeks ago, 15 responses out of how many families? Um students probably 40 like upper 30s
40ish less than half students. Oh and I did sorry I did there was a few more couldn't access the Google form. So it was more like 17 18 families and there were and if they did was there anything about like if you don't respond then you're agreeing that Saturday is
just what we'll keep it at? No. Okay. So is it it's fair then that half the class maybe just didn't have an opinion either that or they didn't even open the email because it's after school is out anyway. So what's that?
So it was sent to student addresses or their families? Uh I emailed all of the family all the guardians that on record directly. I did not send it to students. I sent it to the families. Gotcha. Gotcha. Yeah.
I'd like to see the senior class have the opportunity to discuss this helps too. Yeah. I mean, at some point, you got to open your emails, you know, but um yeah, I would I think that's not a bad
idea, but I think I I also been sensitive to the idea that we would put a long timeline on that, you know. I mean, I think like another attempt to, you know, contact or another to put it out would be good, but I don't see that we should wait too long. Um, especially
if you're getting within that group of people did respond, you're getting significant feedback that they'd like to know soon for planning. I mean, well, how many people are giving you that much pressure? you know, we all I mean, there's probably there was
probably um there's probably like three or four who gave very strong responses that none of those dates were appropriate for graduation. Um and then I would probably say as a few more than that are, can you
please let us know though because we're trying to make plans for sure. Um post September. Well, yeah. I mean, if if we make this if we took action on this by the
September board meeting, which is September 18th, that would give what? How many months is that? So, eight months. Eight months. Eight months of notice, which
and then you're back in reasonable, I think. Yeah. People are probably not paying much attention to things coming from the school in the summer. In the summer time, could you do like an instant alert directed just at like that class's families or something somehow like make
it a little bit more push it at them a little bit or something? I can certainly Yeah. send it out again. I can maybe this time I can include students on it. I did not initially. I just sent it to the guardians. Yeah. And add a variable that says student or guardian.
Yes. So you can separate it out. Separate whose response was what. Um, what do you what do you guys think, Reena? I think that's I think that's a good idea. I think Yeah, that that timing works well with like
people being back in school. But, you know, I I don't I think it would seem to me it would seem play, right? Okay. Waving at my daughter. I feel like it would seem kind of strange to like wait well into the school year to have
scheduled it, you know, but I think that like very beginning of the school year seems okay to me. That'll be right at hot levy bond referendum time. It'll be September. Well, then I just feel more like if we have the response from the entirety of
the class knows and you know and that then I feel more comfortable saying, "Oh, they want Thursday or they want Friday." also like what's the 90ish students tend to be in track? What day of the week is track scheduled for? You know that most of the
student body including a lot of the seniors are gone or you know well it's inconsequential really to us. It doesn't really matter, right? So I hear you. might as well sort of needs the people that are most affected by it kind of let them direct the ship a little bit because if there isn't any
other real pressure or anything on it like we're just it's just sort of arbitrary for us I guess. So for Josh's um sake he can tell them that the board intends to address this at the September board meeting. Yeah. And is and is seeking a more let us representative like feedback
where the universe is pretty well defined though. I mean, for those that are wanting like feedback now, right? I mean, it's going to be Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Right. Right. It's not going to be like the week before or the week after. So, we can at least communicate that really clearly right now.
Sure. Right. That Yeah, makes sense. You mentioned that being time for just any reason like can affect them or just generally some long meetings. Well, I mean, we were hesitant to like dive into the 4
day week uh conversation because of the politic of wanting to not stir the pot on 11. So, I I I think this has potential to be kind of one of those things where it distracts people's attention, but depends on how it goes. I think you just got have to frame it
with, you know, the reality is we have to do it on this week. the is sort of the reality and we want to do it in a way we did do that and instead of making it a decision that we're just going to make unilaterally we just want to like bring the those affected into the fold you know and y
and we did and we did all those things so we're just we're doing it more right but I'm just saying like as we recommunicated in September when the the sort of potential political issue is at play you know it's just like yeah yeah okay so I think that sounds reasonable so
we'll just not we're just not going to take action on this right now. Um, thank you Josh for working on it. We don't necessarily have to. So, thank you. Um, all right. 8.7 is to approve
the 2025 legislative session model policy updates. I'll just say have a nice date, Bologange. Oh, yeah. In your packet are a list of policies. Thanks to Katie for working so hard on that. Um this is all stuff that
is the result of um legislative action. Thus we can do it all in one board meeting at one one as a slate of policies. Trying to open up that spreadsheet. There it is. Um, I will share that
uh two policies I tweaked a bit from the model policy. The two policies I tweaked are transportation. So 70 7079
one of the two. Um, and then the where's the discipline one? to fill in the meals one. Where's the one with all the discipline? Is it the weapons policy or attendance? I think it was 503 was it?
Oh, yeah. It was 503. It was attendance. Um, and what I did in those two, both of those, is I took out all of the detailed. This is the consequence for this. this is the consequence for what a second bus infraction. I took it all out
of the policy and said um discipline for blah blah blah uh is spelled out and articulated in the h student handbook that is approved by the board annually because we had policy and handbook that were not in alignment. So rather than try to
keep them keep them in alignment, I just refer to the annually approved student handbook for the student attendance policy and the transportation policy. Otherwise, it's just boilerplate right out of MSBA. Sure. And these are based on changes and
statute statute. Yep. Yep. So, I make a motion to approve item 7 2025 legisl legislative session model policy updates and red line and updated model policies.
I second. Further discussion. I just want to say thanks to Kay. she uh has been working hard at getting these uh more what's the word? Consistent so they all look the same. They present the same. So thank you K. Yep. I I appreciated that too. I went
through and read all of them and it was very easy to get through it and see what what everything was. So for sure. Um all right. Any other discussion? All those in favor?
I those opposed? Motion carries. All right. See a motion to adjurnn. So moved. Very 559. Well, if you speed Well, I'll just be a little late and miss a portion. Hopefully, it's not a
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