Evening, everyone. On behalf of Community Unit School District three hundred Board of Education, I'd like to thank you for being here in attendance both virtually and in person for tonight's board meeting. At this time, I would like to reconvene the meeting of of the Community Unit School District three hundred Board of Education for Tuesday, 03/11/2025. Madam Secretary, please take the role. Burkett present. Fiorentino? Second. LaMarca? Present. McKinney? Present. Scarpino? Present. Thomas? Present. Zettler? Present. We have seven board members present. Doctor. Smith. At this time I'd like to invite principal Shalyn Leshman from Newbury Elementary School and
her students to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Parents if you'd like to move forward to take pictures or videos, please do so. Good evening District three hundred board members, Superintendent Smith, and District three hundred community members. It is my honor tonight to introduce the eight students who are leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance. These remarkable students are part of Newbert's Kindness Crew, a group of dedicated leaders who work throughout the year to promote kindness and positivity in our school. This year during World Kindness Week, our kindness crew took the initiative to plan an entire week of activities that focused
on spreading kindness. Not only did they design meaningful events, but they also actively promoted them ensuring that kindness remained at the heart of our school community. Beyond their kindness initiatives, these students also play a key role in leading our quarterly Royal Student Assemblies, bringing our school together to celebrate character, leadership, and achievement. Through their work, they demonstrate the power of student voice, showing that when students are given the opportunity to lead, they create meaningful change and help shape a more positive school culture.
We are incredibly proud of their dedication, leadership, and positive impact they make every day. Please join me in thinking and recognizing our Kindness Crew for their commitment to make our school a place for all. I would like to introduce our Kindness Crew members, Mackenzie Reed, Olivia Garza, Sage Oliver, Easton Hannon, Parker Schluter, Kaden Blackwell, Amber Hannon, and Ezra Q. Rubin. Thank you for leading us tonight and for the kindness you bring to our school each and every day. At this time, I ask all audience members to stand,
and I ask all students to turn and face the flag to lead us in tonight's 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. Parents, thank you for sharing your children with us tonight. They're adorable, and it's so impressive to see the work they're doing and kindness, and, it was great. You do not have to spend the rest of the night here if you don't
want to. You're welcome to if you do, but thank you for coming. Thank you for coming and, hope to get and see you soon. Okay. Student rec oh, sorry. Not my turn yet. Item five, approval of the agenda. There have been no changes to the agenda. May I have a motion to approve the agenda? So moved. May I have a second? Second. Madam secretary, would you please take the roll? LaMarco. Aye. McKinney. Aye. Zettler. Aye. Birkett. Aye. Thomas? Aye. Fiorentino? Aye. Scarpino? Aye. Motion passes seven zero. Now it's time for recognition. For tonight's student recognition I'd like to welcome Carrie Curry,
the district coordinator for middle school spelling bee to the podium. She will introduce she's with Ms. Gowdy. She will introduce the student spelling bee winners. Alright, members of the board, Doctor. Smith and D300 community members, every year our five middle schools hold classroom and grade level spelling bees giving students the opportunity to showcase their spelling skills and prepare for the district wide competition. These events celebrate academic excellence, perseverance and the joy of learning. On February 6, the top spellers from each school came together for our district spelling bee where they competed for the title of best speller in their grade level and the chance to
advance to the regional competitions. Today, we're pleased to have Carrie Curry, our district spelling bee coordinator and sixth grade ELA teacher from Westfield Community School here to share the results of the event. Thank you. Superintendent Doctor. Smith, school board president doctor Scarpino oh, he's not here. Members of the school board, friends and families, can you spell nefarious? How about pernicious? We're gonna try an easy word. How about onomatopoeia? Okay. Okay. How about idiosyncrasy? Well, 90 my middle schoolers descended on CMS on February 6 to prove that they could
spell these words and be the best speller in their grade level. It was the best day because we had spelling, pizza for lunch, and camaraderie among the schools. Our winners are as follows. I'm gonna have the students raise their hands when they hear their name. Our sixth grade, our runner-up was Diana Gomez from Dundee Middle School. She's here tonight. Applause for them. In seventh grade, our winner is here this evening, Jackson Cohodes from Hampshire Middle School. And our eighth grade really babbled it out because I think they win a lot of rounds. Our runner-up is Veronica Kuzborski from Dundee Middle School.
And our winner is Aladdin Kosovic from Westfield. And on a side note, Aladdin was also a winner for seventh grade last year, so. We also had representatives for the Kane County and McHenry County Bee, which is our precursor for the National Script Spelling Bee. Those representatives are from Algonquin Middle School middle school eighth grader Alex Kupchik. He's here tonight. From Dundee Middle School, sixth grader Diana Gomez. And as a side note, she has qualified for the semi finals, which I believe is March 20. Am I right on that date? March March 19.
So, let's give her she's moving on. And if she wins there, she goes to National Scripts spelling bee in May. So I would like to thank Matthew Langdon, principal of Carpentersville Middle School, and his staff for welcoming us to his building. Thank you also to Molly Hawsworth from Central office for her support in organizing the logistics. Finally, thank you to the middle school building spelling bee coordinators. Jamie Bodvarka from AMS, Andrea Meer from CMS. She's over there. Amanda Hurley from DMS, Heather Piccati from HMS who helped the various levels of spelling bees run smoothly.
Thank you everyone. What? We've had nobody sign up for public participation this evening, so so we won't oh, I'm so sorry. We have a little bit more recognition tonight. Yeah. They made sorry. A little a little more celebrating. For tonight's student recognition, I'd also like to welcome Mr. Chris Columbaro, the director of fine arts. He will introduce, the staff member who will speak about the Illinois High School Theater Festival production. I think it's miss Andrea Meir. Yes. Yes. There she is. She's double duty tonight. Good evening, Board of Education, doctor Smith,
and community members. I am so proud to be here this evening as we celebrate Dundee Crown's fall play production of Deadline. It was chosen as one of the productions to be featured and performed at the Illinois High School Theater Festival this past January at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign. In order to be selected to perform, schools had to submit proposals and go through a rigorous evaluation process. It involved several members of the Illinois High School Theater Festival Committee attending productions and scoring them along a common rubric.
Dundee Crown's production of Deadline was chosen to perform not once, but twice on two stages at the U of I campus. It was an amazing opportunity to perform for a statewide audience. When they were not performing, the students were able to participate in a myriad of workshops and performances to learn about the science and art of theater. Here to present the cast and crew of the production, please welcome Deadline's director, miss Andrea Meir, as well as our Dundee Crown administration, doctor Asia Gurney. Good evening, doctor Smith,
board members. I was asked to say a little bit about these wonderful students up here, and, that's that's really hard because I could go on for hours, but I'll try to keep it short. When I first started with DC theater three years ago with Hotel Pickle, I knew I had stumbled upon a special group of kids. They embraced ensemble theater and dedicated themselves fully to that show. These individuals that you see up here have also put in countless hours even outside of rehearsal to get where they are today. Some of them, this is their first time being a part of a play.
Can you raise your hand if this was your first play? Amazing. Others have been with the program all four years. Can you raise your hand if you've been with the program all four years? Amazing. However, the thing that's incredibly special about this group and these students, you would not be able to tell who was a first timer and who had years of experience. The company of Deadline worked as one. They gave their all for their love of their art, and through this experience, we formed a family, cast, crew, all of us. When I first submitted our proposal to be selected for state,
I just wanted the kids to experience the evaluation process, get some professional feedback. But after the first month of rehearsal, I knew this group had the magic that Theater Fest was looking for. Words cannot express the amount of pride these kids felt for that show and that they should all be immensely proud of what they created. While at state, we received many compliments on our show, but the compliments that made me most proud to be part of DC theater were the ones that we were got about our kids being kind,
helpful, and a joy to be around. These kids are stars on, behind, above, and off the stage. So tonight, we celebrate every single star in our theater constellation because together, we shine brightest. And I am beyond lucky to be a part of this fantastic group of young people that are going to go and spread their light for all to see. And we would like to honor, doctor Smith and, mister Colin Barrow because with your support, our constellation gets to thrive,
so we have something for you. My senior friends will go ahead. We have a tradition in DC Theater. We have, little pins that we have charms for every show that we've done. This is a new tradition for us. It started about a year ago, but we have a deadline charm on there for you and a state charm. So we wear this under our costumes when we perform, so we remember our theater story. And now you are part of ours, so thank you. I'm going to take a quick moment to read everybody's name who is up there.
Just give a quick wave. John Arnold, Mackenzie Bending, Julia Bozgeusch, Sofia Brysak, Bella Cardenas, Jesse Castro Martinek, Nathan Cortez, Brandon Cruz, Delia Dormeris, Samantha Sam Angus, Evan Forkey, Paulina Gavron oh, actually, she had to leave, but said her anyway. Lisa Hahn, Josiah Hatcher, Eliza Janusz, Will Krakowski, Maya Livermore, RC, Tori McFagan, Ella Mok, Emmett O'Callaghan, Ashley Oliveros, Anthony Osorio, Byron Poot Navarro, Dominic Roman,
Joy Roman, Zeke Roman, Lucas Salgado, and Issa Trejo. Without all of you and the others that could not be here tonight, we would not be here. So thank you. Special group. They really are. Okay. I'll be emailing you. Thank you moms and dads too. Great job. Great kids. And with staff recognition we are celebrating Public Procurement Month. March is Public Procurement Month and I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the invaluable contributions of our District three hundred purchasing department. Our purchasing professionals play a critical role in ensuring our schools are equipped with the
resources needed to support both students and staff. Their attention to detail and commitment to transparency contribute to our district success. Thank you to our purchasing team. Your efficiency and hard work are truly appreciated. Okay. I apologize for, not knowing that we were gonna go through the, recognition of the kids from Crown and the play. Now we will get to public participation. Nobody has signed up for public participation, so we will move on to board announcements. Good news. Parents and guardians invited to take five essential surveys. District three hundred invites all parents and guardians to take the five essential survey.
The survey is administered on behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education and measures the following five essentials deemed critical for school success. Effective leaders, collaborative teachers, involved families, supportive environments, and ambitious instruction. To access the survey, please visit d three hundred district three hundred website at d300.org/5essentials. And just to put a little comment in here, we do take this stuff seriously. So please please please fill these out because it's very important for us to have this data. Thank you. District three hundred celebrates Black History Month.
District three hundred hosted a Black History Month celebration last month. The event included a panel discussion with local black leaders. District three hundred thanks the panelists for discussing their experiences within the community and offer offering valuable insights on how to support other pursuing similar paths. District three hundred hosts leadership council meeting. Community partners gathered at Central Office last month for the third leadership council meeting of the school year. District three hundred thanks the organizations that attend the meetings for their continued partnership.
District three hundred staff collaborate. Turn your mic on. Turn your mic on. District three hundred staff collaborate on meaningful art projects. During the recent teacher institute day, District three hundred staff worked together to create a unique art project. This year's project involves six panels that will be put together to make one light art installation. Each panel represent a landmark in one of the communities that district three hundred rep three hundred serves. The project is a long standing, add to add tradition in partnership with Creative Arts Incorporation,
a nonprofit organization located in Crystal Lake. Thank you to lead three hundred for organizing the activity. Innovation on display at district three hundred science fair. The sixty eighth annual district three hundred Robert e Hart science fair at Jacobs High School brought together more than 400 middle and high school students as well as approximately 250 volunteer judges. Based on their performance, more than 100 students were invited to participate in the region five Illinois Junior Academy of Science Exposition on March 22 in Rockford,
where they will compete for a chance to advance to the state exposition in May. District '3 hundred congratulates all the students who participated in the dis participated in the district science fair and thanks the event judges, teachers, and families for their support. Okay. Back to doctor Smith. Okay. For the superintendent's report tonight, we're going to start off with the update, of the strategic plan. If I could have, Mark Wetzel, Deputy Superintendent and Patty Schmidt, Executive Director of School Improvement and Accountability join at the podium.
I'm going to kick us off and then I'll turn it over to them. As you can see here, we have our five goals so just to recalibrate us back to those overarching goals. Board members, good evening again and welcome, to this update of our strategic plan. Tonight specifically we'll be talking about goals one, two, and four. But I want to give you just a little, refresher. Goal one is focused on, developing the whole child. Goal two ensuring individual student growth and achievement with a focus on math, reading, and college and career readiness. Goal three addresses the recruitment,
developing, and retention of great staff. Goal four is dedicated to engaging all stakeholders through enhancing community engagement, improved messaging, and a refreshed website. And goal five ensures that we use district resources equitably and efficiently, at this current moment through our master facility plan. Like I said, tonight we're going to dive into goals one, two, and four and at a future meeting we will share a goal update on, hiring, recruitment, development, and retention of great staff and you've been receiving ongoing updates about the master facility
plan so we will continue to do that at a future meeting as well. I'll turn it over to Patty Schmidt. Good evening. This slide highlights our targeted improvements in attendance and we detail the district's progress in chronic absenteeism comparing data between December 2023 and December 2024. Key initiatives include the work of school attendance teams, transparent documentation processes, and a systematic approach to support through a tiered system. Regular team meetings with building leaders have been critical in enabling continuous improvement in attendance
rates across our schools. Moving on to behavior, you can see our progress in reducing and managing behavior events over time. One key strategy that was implemented this year was that the entire goal one team set up one hour meetings in January with building leaders to collectively review school improvement goal work specifically in the areas of attendance, behavior, and belonging. One area that was intentionally discussed was the trend of higher office discipline referrals in February for each of the past few years.
School leaders were then challenged with being proactive in addressing behavior expectations to prevent high levels of office discipline referrals in February. As a result of their leadership and collaboration with their entire staffs, the schools contributed to a decrease of seven seventy one office discipline referrals during the month of February. We have also seen an increase in the overall implementation of best practices by school MTSSB teams including improved transparent documentation and dedicated training set aside for building administrators with
monthly support and regular leadership meetings as of March 1 we have achieved a 39% increase in the fidelity of implementing our MTSS B tier one systems. And if I could just add, I found out today that is actually a 47% increase as of today in our systems implementation. So this has contributed to a more positive school climate all around. We do understand that there is more work to do around the area of behavior but we need to celebrate that the process is beginning to take root in District
three hundred schools. In our work to enhance safety and belonging, this slide emphasizes how we are ensuring that every student feels secure and connected. We are tracking the percentage of students who report having a trusted adult through the belonging inventory assessment. We have held a series of safety presentations in each school and offered 87 ed to ed sessions in February, which focus not only on the PLC process but also on student belonging within our schools. Our initiatives also include focused reunification efforts,
quarterly visits with building administration and the safety director, and principal team meetings that have resulted in 100% completion of safety meetings within our schools. This slide on academic MTSS gives an overview of our progress on our multi tiered systems of support for students in intervention. At the elementary level, we have increased our use of progress monitoring tools through Renaissance Star assessments for both math and reading in both English and in Spanish. We have instituted progress monitoring systems for all students in intervention courses K through 12
and provided training for over 150 staff members on the fidelity of progress monitoring in STAR as well as how to generate reports to inform intervention. These efforts combined with regular goal setting with students have led to an impressive total of 16,396 progress monitoring sessions to date in both reading and math at all grade levels. And now I will turn this over to Mark for goal two update. Alright. Good evening, Board of Education, Doctor. Smith and community members. Turning to our reading initiatives under goal two,
this slide illustrates our focus on improving literacy outcomes. We have recorded a 14% overall increase on the I Ready reading from fall to winter. The gain of student proficiency in phonics has been remarkable for K-three in general with a 22% increase from fall to winter. Our staff have been supported by professional courses through D300 universities and weekly staff updates highlighting the Science of Reading principles. In addition, quarterly meetings with special education teaching staff have been offered to increase strategies around the
Science of Reading practices. Additionally, teams have devised a careful approach to text selection, ensuring high quality reading material that meets the diverse needs of our student population. Our mathematics focus has yielded a 16% increase in overall math performance from fall to winter on I Ready assessments. We've offered external professional development centered on fluency in neuroscience with strong emphasis on establishing effective routines. By implementing NCTM teaching practices and unpacking test blueprints, we're providing educators with the tools they need to enhance mathematical understanding and achievement for
all students. College and career readiness initiatives have resulted in 11,380 student career goals being set. The top three career goal areas indicate a need to focus on further discussion around expanding our CTE offerings. We've enhanced our CCRI, College and Career Readiness Indicator data collection processes through the use of School Links and managed a comprehensive pathway and career exploration night. Efforts around internship program management, a course planner pilot,
targeted scholarship matching, and robust parent and staff outreach have resulted in eight applications for endorsements from the state, paving the way for confident transitions to post secondary paths. All right. Our professional learning communities are central to Goal two. Our strategic partnership with Solution Tree focuses on improving student outcomes through targeted assessment creation, new reporting structures via Schoolytics, and a dedicated PLC hub providing essential resources. This year, our PLC trainer has visited various schools from September through February,
emphasizing our district wide commitment to continuous professional growth. You can see the schools that were selected for focused work each month on the slide. We are also proud to announce that Hampshire Elementary School has been selected by Solution Tree as a PLC at Work model school. This is a very exciting time for Hampshire Elementary School and their staff. We will be bringing them to the Board meeting later in March for a formal recognition. And with that, we're going to shift to Goal four. Our commitment to engaging all stakeholders under Goal four has manifested through numerous strategic community
engagement opportunities throughout the school year. We've proudly hosted the IASB Kishwaukee Division meeting, bringing together educational leaders from across the region to share best practices and build collaborative relationships that strengthen our educational community. Our Leadership Council sessions have proven or have provided a forum for diverse voices to contribute to district decision making, ensuring that multiple perspectives inform our path forward. The faith based leadership gatherings have been particularly impactful, creating meaningful connections between our schools and religious communities that support many of our families.
These partnerships help us better understand and serve the whole child by acknowledging the important role faith communities play in student lives. With five comprehensive community engagement meetings completed, thus far, we've established regular touch points for two way communication, allowing us to both share our progress and gather valuable feedback that shapes our ongoing work. These meetings have become a cornerstone of our transparency efforts and demonstrate our commitment to inclusive decision making that reflects the values and priorities of our entire community.
And with that, I'm going to shift back to Patty. Our extensive community survey initiative represents one of our most significant data gathering of efforts this year. In partnership with Hanover Research, we designed and implemented a comprehensive survey specifically focused on cell phone policies and digital device usage in our schools and the response was a remarkable, almost 11,500, just over that, participants who chose to share their perspectives including students who use these devices daily,
parents and guardians who have been concerned about appropriate boundaries, staff members who navigate the educational implications, and community members who bring valuable outside perspectives. To complement this quantitative data, Hanover will be conducting nine in-depth focus groups that allow for nuanced conversations about the benefits and challenges of technology in educational settings. These discussions will reveal important insights about how different stakeholders view the role of personal devices in learning environments,
concerns about distractions and social media impacts, and suggestions for balanced approaches that acknowledge both educational benefits and potential drawbacks. This process exemplifies our commitment to evidence based decision making that considers multiple perspectives. Doctor. Smith? Community messaging. Our strategic approach to community messaging has transformed how we communicate with families and community members resulting in unprecedented levels of engagement. The data reveals an impressive reach across topics with a total of 268,900
views of our communications throughout the year. This represents not just numbers, but real connections with families seeking information about their child's education. Our master facility plan communication has been particularly well received which, you all have had, an update about before. But we were able to use this information to determine some next steps about physical infrastructure to support our learning environments to meet modern educational needs. Messaging regarding teacher, parent teacher conferences has helped drive strong participation rates,
some stronger than others, so that's still a work in progress, but we have seen great, feedback with that data point as well. The winter weather information campaign proved especially valuable during this challenging season with timely updates about closures, e learning days and safety protocols that kept families informed during uncertain conditions. And I will say, weather winter weather is a very challenging challenging time of the year. Our communications about the Illinois, report card help conceptualize, this important accountability measure explaining what data means for our schools and our students in
accessible languages. Looking towards transitions, our freshman transition night and kindergarten round up communications have also supported families during these significant educational milestones creating clear, guidance about what to expect and how to prepare. Summer's right around the corner so the summer school launch is also another way that we have been able to extend valuable information to our families about students and their summer opportunities. Beyond just disseminating information, these messaging efforts have built trust through consistency,
accessibility, and responsiveness. We've utilized multiple platforms to meet families where they are including email, social media, the website, and direct messaging. By tracking engagement metrics, we continuously refine our approach to ensure that critical information reaches those who need it most. This comprehensive communication strategy supports all of our strategic goals by ensuring that stakeholders understand and can engage with the work as it is happening across our district. Acknowledging that is quite a bit of information and it's been a little while since
we've done an update. That concludes what we have to present, but we will take any questions that, the board has for us. Anybody have any questions? No? I think it's a pretty thorough good job. I mean, you've got us trained to understand all this stuff. So now when you speak about it, we know what you're talking about. So with that, I'm gonna, take it back if that's okay. So as John comes up, because we're gonna start talking about artificial intelligence and its future in District 300, I just wanna say we have, lots of team members in the room tonight.
If you guys can wave at the board members that have done all of the work on the ground that we are talking about through their particular action plans to make sure that we continue to progress what is best for our students and making sure we keep that connection with our staff and families and so I have to make sure I acknowledge the team in the room because they are the ones that are doing the work that help us be able to bring these positive results back to you each quarter and as always I have to acknowledge our partnership, with all of our unions but particularly Mr.
Williamson in helping us hit those spots that we we aren't quite there yet, but we're working on how we can keep progressing forward in supporting our staff. Agreed and, I think I'm not gonna I'm speaking for myself but I can't imagine the board doesn't agree that we appreciate all the work that you guys do on this stuff all the time, year after year, and literally every day. And we obviously could not do it without you, and we appreciate it. And thank you so much. With that, I'll turn it over to John Hummel, chief technology officer. Alright. Thank you, doctor Smith and board of education.
Tonight, I would like to talk about an important topic impacting both technology and education, artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is a broad and at times complex subject that can lead to some confusion. During tonight's presentation, my goal is to provide a simple introduction to artificial intelligence, explaining what it is, how it can be used, and how students and staff can engage with it safely and ethically. So, what is artificial intelligence or AI? It refers to a computer system that can perform tasks that previously required human intelligence,
like learning, reasoning, and problem solving. So AI uses formulas and patterns to enable computers to accomplish three notable tasks: the ability to learn, the ability to adapt, and the ability to make decisions. Historically, the ability to learn, adapt, and make decisions were primarily human characteristics. Now with AI, machines can accomplish these tasks. So is AI something new? No. Actually, it's been around for decades. Whether you know it or not, almost everyone in this room has been using AI for some time.
For example, if you've ever used Google, you've used AI. In a Google search, you type in your question, you receive a bunch of responses. So where do these responses come from? They come from AI that uses an algorithm to look up similar keywords to the ones you used in your search to provide you those results. So if you've ever used your phone or device to ask Siri or Alexa a question, You've used AI. Siri and Alexa perform the search for you and give you the top results. Do you want to know the weather today? Ask Alexa. Do you want to know the directions to the nearest NANDOs?
Ask Siri. Now think about what happens if you ask Alexa or Siri a complex question, or if you ask Alexa or Siri to create something for you. They might respond, Sorry John, I can't help you with that right now. Or they might just give you a list of search results. So until recently, AI has struggled to provide fast responses to complex questions. But this gap is now being addressed by the latest generation of AI. The AI version that hit the scene at the end of twenty twenty two is what we call generative AI. Generative AI is reaching closer to the idea of artificial intelligence you know from the
movies like I, Robot or Wall E, but not as evil. Okay? Now, generative AI utilizes enormous amounts of data to provide results that are unique. It can now create. If you want to create a persuasive email, ask generative dot ai. Do you need an image of an owl enjoying a book while in Disney World? Ask generative dot ai. Do you need ideas for what you should eat for the week based on your dietary restrictions and time? Generative AI. Generative AI opens up the door to a whole new world of possibilities and productivity.
The impact on education is already occurring. Generative AI can assist teachers in creating lesson plans, drafting emails to parents, differentiating materials to meet the needs of their learners. Generative AI has the potential to assist students in their own learning with things like AI tutors that utilize the Socratic method to guide students to a better understanding of materials and topics without just giving them the answer. There is so much that can be accomplished with a proper understanding of what generative AI can do and what it can't do.
Generative AI is not infallible. Though it may seem like it knows everything, it really doesn't. Depending on the model that is used, it might not even know current events. Caution needs to be taken when utilizing generative AI. It does not know if the information it's giving you is true or not. It only knows what it was trained. The majority of the time, it'll try to give you a response even if all of the response is fake. So what does this mean? It means that we have not reached a point where machines can be trusted to complete work with accuracy. Humans play a vital and necessary role in this new era of creation.
How you ask a question or create the prompt plays a huge role in the quality of the response you get from a generative AI model. Now as stated earlier, generative AI models are only as good as the data they were trained on. If the data contains biases, then those results will be biased as well. This is why you cannot take a response at face value. You must use critical thinking skills to determine the validity of that response. So this brings up an important brings up the importance of maintaining the human aspect, especially with regards to k-twelve education.
AI cannot and should not replace the teacher in the classroom. Now let me repeat that statement. AI cannot and should not replace the teacher in the classroom. The goal for incorporating AI into education should be about providing support for teachers and students and how we might increase the human interaction by freeing up the teachers' time. Increasing productivity allows for more one on one time with the teachers and their students. However, teachers still need to be careful with the data that they share with the generative
AI model while they are trying to free up their time. We must still be vigilant with regard to data privacy. Teachers and students should never share personal identifiable information, PII, with any AI. We do not really know what they are doing with that data, and it is safer for people to keep their requests slash prompts generalized. There are many vendors that have put up safeguards for staff and students to limit the risks, but it always best to on the side of caution and just refrain from using PII when searching or prompting.
So as we look to the future, District three hundred will be working on guidelines for teachers and students to safely and responsibly utilize AI in their classrooms. We will be coming back at future board meetings to discuss what AI could look like in District three hundred. It is important not to rush. We want everyone to understand how to safely and ethically use AI. Now as a side note, this presentation was actually created using AI. I wrote my script, I threw it into an engine called Gamma, and it created all the slides for me with a couple little prompts,
thus saving me time to work on other projects and then be able to present to you tonight. So do we have any questions about AI? Questions? Comments? Go ahead, because if you don't, I will. I know what you're gonna say. Well, I I I'm just wondering how how do teachers currently how do they manage AI in the classroom, like, with writing? I I don't have any students in in our schools anymore or at college, but and I know how they deal with there. But I'm just wondering, like, k through 12, like, how do they make sure that these students aren't completely auto generating their papers now
and how does that work? So it it's a complicated process in itself. A lot of them will want to rely on, like, other generative AI engines that tell you whether it is created by generative AI, but there's a lot of problems with that because they can all be fooled. I have taken some where I've written something and then it said it was false. I've written it and then put it through another engine and then fed it back to the checker and said it was all human created. So you really can't rely on generative AI to tell you whether it is generative AI because a lot of it is going to be false.
So that's where some of these guidelines, and policies kind of stuff will come through. It's just we're going to try to teach teachers on how to maybe utilize it so it doesn't have so much of an impact where it's not just that the paper is all AI created and that's it. We need to think about ways in where it doesn't have that big of an impact on the grade and the instructional practice. So right now it's, hey, John, how do I know? And we kinda talk through, well, do you have any other writing samples from the student? How does this sound? Maybe have you can look at the the,
activity and the version histories to see if it's a huge chunk of text that was just put into the document. So there are ways of looking and having a one on one conversation with the student. You should start off with, you know, giving them the benefit of the doubt that this is their work. Don't just jump to say, that sounds AI created. You know, the it has to be that conversation with the students. Mhmm. Anybody else? I mean, I just think it's pretty fascinating. I'm pretty intrigued to see, like, how, we can, I mean, leverage what it does and also make sure that we have guidelines to make sure
we're not doing I mean, we're ethically and, I mean, doing the right thing? So every opportunity I'm go I'm getting, I will be attending an AI info class or seminar just to see what I mean, what what the, what's available out there. I mean, it's it's evolving every day. Yeah. I'm concerned about, the amount of misinformation and disinformation that is out there and how much of it is getting into the algorithms that are gonna be generating things for not only us, but for our kids. And I honestly in my opinion, I think at least at this point,
I think kids and kids are gonna rely on it more and more. And I'm concerned about, the ability to develop critical thinking skills because of it. I am not a fan. So and that's why we need to focus on the understanding that it's not always true. It's not always gonna give you the right response or the response you're looking for. I've had times where I asked it to do something. I wanted a very detailed list, and it gave me a paragraph. And I said I asked for a detailed list, and it gave me the paragraph again. And I said, why are you not answering my question?
You're right. It actually said, you're right. I'm not answering your question. Here's your detailed list. So it's understanding of how you asked the question, but understanding too that you need to then back that up and review what it responded to you. So maybe it is can be used as like a first draft or something. It could be used as a learning opportunity for a class. Let's give it a topic and see how true it is. But it causes showcases to the students that you can't just take it at its face value. You need to really think hard about what it's providing because it can help in
productivity, it can help in brainstorming, it can help in a lot of ways, but you definitely need to be take precaution and really think about what it's avail what it's providing to you. You're an adult. You've been through k 12 and beyond with the old ways. And, I'm I'm concerned that kids that are just starting out and kids who are actually honestly halfway through their educational experience are not gonna have the kind of, advantage that you and I have had in developing our own critical thinking skills. They're gonna start thinking for them.
And, you know, I mean, it's it's I'm very concerned about how we're gonna be able to differentiate truth to misinformation and disinformation, especially when everybody's becoming more and more dependent on it. And I'm concerned that we're gonna have to figure out some way to be able to, make sure that these kids not only are getting the getting the ability to think critically without machine help, but also how are we gonna be able to be sure that what they've written, is something that they've written and not just taken from,
you know, jet GPT or whatever. So 100% we're in agreement with that, which is why John wanted to bring this initial conversation forward as we start to develop our what our guidance looks like over the long future of this. This is not tomorrow, it's not next month, it's not before the end of the school year. This is a preview. The guidance is important but the other side to this is we talk about this in our meetings in the world of education everything is progressing faster than we are. The end game here with this is if we don't give our kids access and
they learn how to use it, ten years from now, twenty years from now, we're not keeping up and we're not giving them the access they need. So it's that fine line of what is our guidance of maintaining what those critical skills are and making sure, students understand how to use it safely and under our expectations of, academic dishonesty. Is that what it is? Yes. We're specifically academic dishonesty, but at the same time acknowledging we can't continue to educate them a % the way that we were or they won't be competitive competitive already for what's out there.
So it's a balance I understand. I absolutely understand. I honestly am concerned that we are behind the eight ball, behind the trend. We should I in my opinion, we should have already been working on putting policies in place and things like that, and I'm concerned that we are behind the times on that. As we wrap up, at a at a very basic level we have the policy in place we need for academic dishonesty which is a base and we are right in line with where other districts are moving with us in our area so I feel like this is
our beginning and we just have to keep the momentum. We can't stop with it. No. Absolutely not. I agree. Thank you, John. Thank you, John. Can I just add, so do our students have currently is it blocked are any of the engines blocked on their Chrome? Correct. We don't offer up any, AI engine for students at this time because we don't have a SOPA agreement with them. So we have a student data privacy is my, like, thing. So without that, I'm not allowing it. But we do allow teachers to use it, and that's where we kinda wanna start because then they can show the ethical and proper way of using it before it becomes available.
Plus, we want to vet options for those safeguarded models that do give teachers insight into what students are entering into generative AI. So we do have the idea of what what they did use it for and how they are using it. There are engines out there that allow for that, but we wanna have some time to vet these properly. Yeah. I look forward to that feedback because at my work, we're testing this as well, and we're finding the same thing that you're finding where we're putting in samples to try and trick it, and it thinks that AI wrote it and human wrote it. You know? So it it is not it's it's not perfect yet for being able to detect
any of that and and it does bring up question of like, well, how do you monitor it then? So I look forward to hearing I hope we continue to hear more about it because it is a hot topic and something that we have to pay attention to so that we are using it as responsibly as possible. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. That concludes the superintendent's report. Thank you. Item 10, board discussion. Are there any updates regarding, the following committees, Board Operations, Superintendent Evaluation Ad Hoc Committee, Board Policy Ad Hoc Committee,
and Board Member Handbook Ad Hoc Committee. Yes. The next board operations committee meeting will be Tuesday, April 8 at 04:30. How about, the, superintendent evaluation committee? Do you have anything new to share? We we don't have any updates for this meeting. Okay. Policy ad hoc, I'm on that. Working actually, my work with, Leslie on the handbook committee and the policy committee are kind of one and the same because we're looking at the when we're updating the handbook, we're making sure that the handbook is updated with the policy and vice versa. So We have been working on it and, we'll continue to do so.
But, Leslie, do you wanna add something about the handbook? No. I just wanna remind my fellow board members that you were provided with the first section that we've rewritten, and we're looking for your feedback and acknowledgment of review by the seventeenth, which I believe is Monday. Right? So just a reminder. Any other discussion on any other topics anybody wants to, delve into tonight? Alright. Thank you. Item 11, items for discussion. I will read each item individually to allow for any discussion as a note to those in attendance, both virtually and in person. Some of these items have been vetted through the board operations committee,
which is why there may or may there may not be a need for new discussion. And this is our, biweekly, advertisement on you should come to these meetings and, you know, you can see them online also, because this is where we do a lot of our, nitty gritty discussion on things that we're gonna end up voting for voting on at, some point in time. Eleven point one, board meeting minutes. Anything that anybody wants to discuss? 11.2, proposed redacted closed session minutes April 2023 through August 2023. I'm going to pass them back because I wasn't on the board then.
Okay. Anything else? Anybody else? Permission to destroy closed session recordings. 11.4, disposal report. 11.5, traders report. 11.6, activity bus purchase and lease agreement. 11.7, IHSA athletics membership agreement renewal. 11.8, alternative education service contract renewal, eleven point nine, custodial uniform contract extension, eleven point ten, fuel and lube contract extension, eleven point eleven, intercom clock system replacement contract,
Eleven point twelve, mats, mops, and towels contract extension. 11.13, uniform contract extension. Eleven fourteen, student photography contract extension. Eleven fifteen, Village of Hampshire intergovernmental agreement. Eleven sixteen, Freedom of Information Act report. Moving on to Item 12, consent items. Do I have a motion to approve the consent items? So moved. Do I have a second? Second. Madam Secretary, would you please take the roll? Thomas? Aye. McKinney. Aye. Settler. Aye. Guarantino. Aye. Burkett.
Aye. Lamarca. Aye. Scarpino. Aye. Motion passes seven zero. Section 13, item 13, roll call action items. 13.1, approval of early childhood programming agreement. Do I have a motion for the approval of the early childhood programming agreement? So no. Do I have a second? Second. Any discussion? Madam secretary, please take the roll. McKinney? Aye. Burkett. Aye. Scarpino. Aye. Zettler. Aye. LaMarca. Aye. Thomas. Aye. Fiorentino. Aye. Motion passes seven-zero. For the next two items thirteen point two and thirteen point three approval of student
disciplinary case number three and approval of the student disciplinary case number four, we will be talking about these items in the next closed session, and we will come back after that to vote on these two items. 13.4, approval of superintendent contract '24 2025 to 02/1930. Do I have a motion for the approval of the superintendent contract for twenty twenty five to twenty two thousand and thirty? So moved. Do I have a second? Second. Any discussion? Madam Secretary, please take the roll. Mackenzie? Aye.
Thomas. Aye. Perrentino. Aye. LaMarca. Aye. Scarpino. Aye. Zettler. Aye. Burkett. Aye. Motion passes seven zero. Do I have a motion to go into closed session for the purpose of discussing number one, the appointment employment compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees of the public body, two c one. Number two, collective negotiating matters between the public body and its employees or representatives, or is it deliberating concerns concerns concern I'm sorry. Deliberations concerning salary schedules for one or more classes of employees,
two c two. Number three, litigation, two c 11. Number four, student disciplinary cases, two c nine and five, security procedures, school building safety and security, and the use of personnel to respond to an actual, a threatened, or a reasonably potential danger to the safety of employees, students, staff, the public, or public property two CA. Do I have a motion? So moved. Do I have a second? Second. May the secretary please take the roll? Birkett, aye. LaMarca? Aye. Fiorentino? Aye. McKinney. Aye.
Scarpino. Aye. Thomas. Aye. Zettler. Aye. Motion passes seven zero. We will be back after this closed session to vote for on those two items I mentioned earlier. Guys, are we ready? Mhmm. Okay. I'd like to reconvene the meeting of Community Unit School District three hundred Board of Education to order again for, Tuesday, 03/11/2025. Madam secretary, please call the roll. Burkitt, present. Fiorentino? Present. LaMarca, present. McKinney? Present. Scarpino? Present. Thomas? Present. Zettler? Present. The seven board members present.
So we are going back to item 13. Two. Yeah. 13.2. Hold on one second. Motion to place student number three at Oak Ridge School pursuant to the regional safe school program as established by one zero five ILCS fifteen thirteen a of the Illinois school code for the remainder of the 2425 school year, the 2526 school year, and the first semester of the 2627 school year for violation of board policy seven colon one nine zero, specifically possessing,
distributing, purchasing, selling, or offering for sale, any illegal drug or controlled substance or cannabis, any inhalant regardless of whether it contains an illegal drug or controlled substance, any substance inhaled, injected, smoked, consumed or otherwise ingested or absorbed with the intention of causing a physiological or psychological change in the body or drug paraphernalia including devices that are can be are or can be used to ingest, inhale, or inject cannabis or controlled substances into the body, engaging in any activity on or off campus that interferes with,
disrupts, or adversely affects the school environment, school operations, including conduct endangers the health and safety of students, staff, or school property. Do I have such motion? So moved. Second. Miss, may our secretary please call the roll? Thomas. Aye. McKinney. Aye. Zettler. Aye. Burkitt, aye. LaMarca. Aye. Tarantino. Aye. Scarpino. Aye. Motion passes seven zero. Thank you. And thirteen three, motion to place student number four at Oak Ridge School pursuant to the regional safe schools program as established by 01/2005 ILCs '5 five thirteen a of the Illinois school
code for the remainder of the twenty four-twenty five school year for violation of board policy seven colon 9,190, specifically arson or fire starting activities, possession of attention to use items that can be used to start a fire, willful or malicious burning of a school structure, vehicle, or other property, and engaging in any activity on or off campus that interferes with disrupts or adversely affects the school environment, school operations, or an educational function, including but not limited to conduct that may reasonably be considered to endanger the health or safety of students,
staff, or school property. Do I have such a motion? So moved. Second. Madam, madam secretary, please call the roll. McKinney? Aye. Burkitt, aye. Fiorentino? Aye. Lamarca? Aye. Scarpino? Aye. Thomas? Aye. Zettler? Aye. Motion passes seven zero. Do we have any other business we need to take care of? No? Do I have a motion for adjourn to adjourn? So moved. Do I have a second? Second. May the secretary please take the roll. McKinney? Aye. Thomas? Aye. Zettler? Aye. Scottino? Aye. LaMarca? Aye. Fiorentino? Aye. Burkett,
aye. Motion passes seven zero. We are adjourned. Thank you, everybody. Thank you for waiting. Sorry.