Good evening everyone. Good evening. Good evening and welcome to the Lancing School District Board of Education regular board meeting um today, October 30th 2025. Um at this time, could I have everyone please rise for the pledge of
allegiance please? >> To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands, one nation under God. indivisible with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you. Can I have one of our
uh Oh. Oh, we need the flag. Bring the flag over. >> All righty. Can I have one of our board members read our um our um our land acknowledgement and our mission statement? >> You want me to read them both at the same time? It >> Well, it doesn't matter. That's fine.
>> I can do it. >> Thank you. >> Um excuse me. Sorry. Our mission statement is to provide a highquality education in a culturally safe and nurturing environment that supports all students to live purposefully and fulfilling lives. Our
land acknowledgement is we collectively acknowledge that the lency school district occupies the ancestral traditional and contemporary lands of the anabi the three fire confederacies of Oji Ojiway Ottawa and Poda and Podawatami people.
>> Thank you so much Trustee Williams. Could the clerk please call the role? >> Dr. Cabana, >> present. >> Mr. Herd, >> present. >> Mr. Lopez, >> Mrs. Moore, >> present. >> Dr. Narz Martinez, >> present. >> Mr. Nabisque, >> present.
>> Dr. Rodriguez, >> Mrs. Strode, >> present. >> Ms. Williams. >> Quorum is present. >> Thank you so very much for that. >> Item number three, we'll be go we will be going into close session. May I have a motion, please? Madam President,
>> May I have a second? >> Second. >> It was moved by Trusty Williams, second by Trusty Strode. May I have a roll call vote? >> Dr. Kavanaaugh? >> Yes. >> Mr. Herd? >> Yes. >> Mr. Lopez? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Moore? >> Yes.
>> Dr. Nebar Martinez? Yes, >> Mr. Niski. >> Yes, >> Dr. Rodriguez. >> Yes, >> Mrs. Strode. >> Yes, >> Ms. Williams. >> Yes. >> Motion passes 90. We will now enter into close session at 602. At this time, we have an action item on
the on the floor number four. >> Madam President, >> yes. Yes. I move that the board of education accept the 31A resolution A as presented. >> Second. >> All righty. It's been moved by Trustee Kavanaaugh and second by Trustee Williams seem to be very excited about that. So, Trusty Williams um with is
there any discussion on the floor at this time? Seeing none, could the clerk please call the role? >> Dr. Kavanaaugh? >> Yes. >> Mr. Herd? >> Yes. >> Mr. Lopez? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Moore? >> Yes. >> Dr. Navarus Martinez.
>> Yes. >> Mason Noiski. >> Yes. >> Dr. Rodriguez. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Strode. >> Yes. >> M. Williams. >> Wonderful. Motion passes 90 that the board of education accepts the 31A resolution as presented. Thank you very
much. Board of Trustees. At this time, we are moving on to Wonderful. We are moving on to um item number five, and that's another close session. May I please uh have a motion, >> Madam President? >> Yes. >> I recommend that the board of education
go into close session to consider the dismissal, suspension, or discipline of a student at the student's parent request section 81B. >> All right. It's been moved by Trustee Strode. May I have a second? >> Second. >> It was second by Trustee Navver Martinez. Um
may I please have a roll call vote? >> Dr. Kavanaaugh? >> Yes. >> Mr. Herd. >> Yes. >> Mr. Lopez. >> Mrs. Moore. >> Yes. >> Dr. Naris Martinez. >> Yes. >> Mr. Noiski. >> Yes. >> Dr. Rodriguez.
>> Yes. >> Mrs. Strode. >> Yes. >> M. Williams? >> Yes. >> Wonderful. Motion passes 90. We will be going into close session at 6:57. Alrighty. We are back from our five
minute half an hour recess. Um let us move on to item number six public comment on agenda items. Seeing none let us move on to our approval of minutes. Are there any corrections to our last
minutes from our meetings from anybody from our October 2nd meeting and our October 16th meeting? Wonderful. Seeing none, moving on to action item number or item number eight, our presentations. We have an anti-gun violence presentation
with our trusty herd, superintendent, um, Miss Black and Miss Sledge. Did I say your name right, Christina Slay? >> Slate, but she's gone. She She's really sick. >> Oh, hopefully she feels better. Okay, wonderful. >> Well, thank you so much, uh, President
Moore. uh as I think you all know that uh safety and security is one of the most important things that a superintendent can do uh and a school district can do and a board can do which is keep our our children and our staff safe. So we've put together uh this presentation um and what I if it's okay
I'm going to move over there um and then as we go through different sections we're going to invite people up uh to the desk to go through it. But I really do want to say uh thank you to this board and specifically thank you to Trusty Herd for really being a huge
advocate of trying to make sure that the district is doing everything it can to make our schools the safest possible. And you've heard me say this before and I will say it again. Our schools actually are the safest place in Lancing. the things that we have inside
our buildings and the staff and the support makes them really quite incredible. And so hopefully through this presentation, we're going to go through a bunch of things that the board and of course the community who might be watching at home will certainly can watch this on YouTube later. Uh we
really hope see what we're doing and how important this work is. So if you don't mind, I'm going to go over there. Right. All right. Let me Okay, good evening everyone. So again, we're going to talk about school safety, gun
violence prevention, and you know, this new tagline, I really want to make sure you'll see it a lot uh over the course of the next couple of weeks. Um, safe homes, safe schools, safe kids. That's about as resonant as I can possibly think about what we're going to talk
about and what our certainly our desire is. Okay. So, the importance of district-wide safety measures. Certainly we care deeply about ensuring secure learning environments. So that's one of the first things we have to think about.
How do we keep schools safe? So that's about a safe school climate enable students and staff to remain focused on learning. I think you all understand this. Clearly a learning environment to be safe is going to be wonderful. It also of course reduced risks and strengthening preparation which is something that we care about because in
the unfortunate event of something happens our staff and our students need to be prepared and then of course we want to sustain long-term protection. So you can see some of the things that we've done. I'm going to defer to executive director uh Cordelia Black to go through some of these and then I'll
also show kind of from a pedagogical lens why these are so important. So the first thing we're going to talk about is controlled entry and video verification. >> Thank you, Superintendent. So uh secure video entry systems are essentially uh a
layer one layer of protection. There are multiple layers of protection. We uh pride ourselves on uh on that uh making sure that we reinforce um various layers of of uh inter of um school safety
systems and and metrics so that uh students are safe. But um in regards to the secure video systems, uh it allows for um our visitors to buzz in. Uh so uh essentially there are people inside of the schools that can see there's a
camera with like almost like a doorbell so they buzz in uh they can see who's uh at the at the door before just opening the door uh blindly opening the door. So it gives them um again a a level of
confidence um knowing who's coming into the school. they can have conversations uh with with the person at the door um to ensure they are there for uh legitimate business. >> Thank you. >> So again, for anybody who comes into our
schools, you know, you have a secure video, there's verification again making our school buildings incredibly safe. We also have secure vestibules in some, not all of our schools, but we are working towards that. Secure vestibules
are another layer of protection. So, not only do you have a video verification and you get to be buzzed in, but in schools that have secure vestibules, you're buzzed into a room, but that room is still secure. You can't get into the building. If for whatever reason
somebody opens up a door and somebody sneaks in or something like that, they're still within this secure vestibule. And then that still is another step so that it actually will create uh delays uh for emergency protocols. So if something happens where
that person uh is trying to harm anybody, they're actually held. Uh sadly, if you remember about one of the school shootings, I think in Nashville, uh the perpetrator um shot through a door and walked in. This would stop that
because there's another entryway uh to secure them. And then in order to get into these buildings, they come in, they're in the secure vestibule, then they have to be buzzed in again into an office, and then they have to be buzzed in again into the main area of the
school. So, it really creates a series of secure security measures that allows our schools to be safe. Uh, Cordelia, if there's something you want to add to these. >> Uh, no, I think that you you did really well. Um, of course, uh, the Alice, uh,
training, uh, well, I'm going to speak a little later on, so I won't I won't, uh, go into that right now. >> Um, so this is north, uh, all of the high schools have secured vestibules, and we have them in a series of our schools, and thanks to our bond and some other monies that we've gotten, we're
actually building uh, currently right now uh, some more of these vestibules with our hope that all of our schools have a vestibule uh, by next year. The other one, there's many that we're really proud of, is our check-in, our
CAS platform, which allows our students to check in every day. For those of you who have students in the school district, they each have IDs. Uh the IDs are scanned in. Some wonderful things about that is their face pops up and there's an adult there. So that way they can verify that the kid is supposed to
be there. Uh it's the right kid. Uh what's I love is that if it's their birthday, it actually plays happy birthday. Uh but also if they are let's say suspended, it would it would ring and then it would allow the adult who's verifying, oh hey, you know, little
Johnny, you know, today you're not supposed to you're supposed to be somewhere else. It's a really great system that allows all of our children to have their ID uh and be able to check in and then the office of course can check anything. The other thing that we
have with our cast system is that it actually has a visitor verification on the spot that does a background check. Now, it's not a fingerprint FBI background check, uh, but it is a check on a bunch of databases. Uh, all
visitors have to come in with a ID. It gets scanned into the system and then they get a visitor stamp uh that they can pass through. So, we're really proud of this. Um, and you can see at any of our schools, uh, we have the system. But, Cordelia, if there's anything you
want to add, you've worked a lot with Cass, I know. >> Sure. And just as a reminder, this platform is, uh, the same platform that that, uh, our SBM um, uh, module is on. So, what I really like about it is that,
uh, we we're kind we kind of have one platform for several different modules. our students. I'll I'll speak on on behalf of well, not really on behalf of our students, but what I've observed, they have gotten used to this system. Like, they walk in, they know their
numbers, they remember their numbers, they type their numbers in, they're really excited to get the, you know, the bing and the glean uh around when it's their birthday. These uh systems are also utilized at our athletic events. So, we know who's coming into our athletic events as well and other types
of uh events around the district. So, um they're they're mobile uh portable. We can move them, take them anywhere we we need to. So, they they're in every school. Um and kids are really used to it. They know one thing for sure, they remember their their their student IDs.
Uh and then we also use them to uh for them to come into the lunchrooms and different places throughout the schools, the counseling centers. They can make appointments and and such with uh utilizing this this system. >> Yeah. And I you know, when I first uh entered the district 5 years ago, I will
tell you that certainly at some of our high schools, we had some issues of students from other schools coming in. We had some issues of kids from other districts kind of coming into the building. This cast system has really stopped that because it's It's it's basically impossible. I mean, look, if
somebody props open a door or something like that, but you know, it's really allowed us to do a a good verification uh on our children. And it also allows if you know, parents are asking, we can just go straight in. Your child tapped in at 8:13. You say you dropped them off
at 7:02. Well, we need to have a conversation about where they were for the But because it has such good data uh and and records, we're able to really use this uh for real monitoring for our children. >> Um, another one and and I apologize for this picture because this is not what
our metal detectors look like. Um, they actually look more much more like the stadium ones. Um, but we have now had at our high schools the metal detectors for about a year now. and uh actually a little bit more right to almost two
years and I cannot tell you the impact this has had on our district. Um when we first brought these out, you know, some students said, "Oh, you know, it's going to take so long and we're going to have an issue." We are able, our larger
school is Everett. We're able to go through Everett in two to three minutes. you know, even if all the kids are on the same catab bus and they all get in at the same time, uh, you know, these are the same kind of metal detectors that are used at Lions games or, you know, Tigers games. And so they're
moving 80,000 people through. We're moving, you know, a thousand kids through. And what I really appreciate and and, you know, I've always been hesitant about uh the idea of kind of overpolicing our children. That's never something that I want. But what's so
great about these is that they're run by our own staff, our own people, our principles are there, our assistant principles are there, our own public safety are there. And the kids actually really appreciate, as do the staff, that you know what, in order to get into the
building, you've got to be checked. And to be honest, this, good or bad, has become the norm in the country. I can't go to a basketball game. I can't go to a baseball game. I can't even go, you know, to some offices now if I don't go
through metal detectors. And I think that normalizing this in a safe, positive, welcoming environment is really, really wonderful. And I certainly urge the board and honestly anybody uh watching if you want to see these things in action, we're always
happy to share because what we have found is we have found things it does ring off and we're able to deal with it. But it also gives this real sense of safety for children, for staff, and for families. And so we've now had it at all
of our high schools for about two years. We did bring it into um Dwight Rich after we had an issue there and we've been able to continue uh getting kids in very very quickly and it gives a sense of safety and security to our children
and so you know we as a board and a superintendent have had conversations about possibly expanding its use. I think that now that we've done it for two years, um it's a really great opportunity for us to have a conversation about what it would mean to
bring this extra level of security to more places in the district. Um we have seen this be positive. We wanted to pilot it at the high schools, but we've really seen a a tremendous uh uh usage of it and it be very very quickly. So I don't know, Cordelia, if there's anything
>> uh No, I mean I I think that these are really good. I've heard kids say how they feel much safer uh by us having metal detectors in our schools. Uh I know that uh even our community partners appreciate us having these metal
detectors in our schools and they've even asked if they can borrow them for their events. And so we've had to, you know, loan them out to uh various uh entities. Um and it works hand in hand. It's really nice. you I encourage you to
check out, you know, the the seven sites that have these. They work hand inand with the cast system. So, a student comes in, they tap in their their ID number, and they walk through the metal detector. It's it's just a really nice process. So, uh we've kind of gotten it
down to um I'm not going to say perfection, but we we work on it every single day uh to make sure that um folks are are just uh being implementing this process with fidelity. So,
>> uh, another big change in our district, which I hope you've all seen, is we have fences around all of our elementary schools. Um, now you might think, well, what is a fence going to do, but the truth is by delineating our property lines, it's been really helpful for
safety and security. I'll give a couple of examples. If you know Kavanaaugh, Kavanaaugh is next to a park. There was no delineation of where that school started and where the park ended. Same thing for Luton. Same thing for Atwood.
And what we have found is that there will be community members, good, wonderful, terrific people, but they're in the park. Then they come on to school property. They don't even know it's school property. They're walking their dog. They're doing their thing. But the idea that we can start to really secure
our perimeter is very very important. Also, we do have some students that are alopers that are runners and so having the fences around the school is very very helpful. Um, and it's really we have found to be a good sense of safety
and security, especially when we have kids out for recess or out for play. It allows the kids to stay, you know, kind of more in where they're supposed to. Um, and it's been really, really good. Uh, we've spent a lot of money on it, but I can tell you that it's one of the
best things we've done in years because it allows for our families, our children, our staff, and the community at large to know where our our property is and where it isn't. You know, some of our schools abut very large city parks,
and during recess, they have a tendency to run into the woods and now they can't, right? And you know, it's not that the kids were doing anything bad. They had no sense of like, oh, well, that piece of grass is not ours. How do you say that to a kid? It just looks like a piece of grass, right? And so by
doing this, we've really, I think, in improved our safety and security. So, I don't know, Cordelia, if there's >> No, I think Yeah. >> Okay. This is where Cordelia will really take the the the mic here. Um, just as a reminder, this district, what was it,
three years ago, um, upgraded to what is really considered the gold standard of safety and security when it comes to unfortunate incidents and that is Alice. So Alice is, as you can see, alert, lock down, inform, counter, and evacuate.
This is kind of the gold standard of how do you deal with a um, uh, you know, some sort of event, some sort of bad thing. And so we have continuously trained on this. Uh we have something called RAVE which I'll ask Cordelia to speak about as well. Um but really we
were leaders in this and in fact some districts have actually leaned on us as leaders in the field on training uh for this. So uh director Black you want to just talk about this? >> Sure. Uh so yeah Alice is um
active shooter drill training uh to be quite simple uh about it. Um it is uh training that we push out on a regular basis. Our entire district has been trained on it. We uh continue to train on it uh several times a year. Uh we are
we have at least um I'm going to say about 30 trainers in our district and so they can it doesn't all fall on one or two people. Uh we can uh host in in uherson training, virtual training. Uh but really it's a lockdown on steroids.
Uh to be honest with you, right? Uh where the old way of locking down uh lessons learned behind that through unfortunate situations uh uh in schools is that um it used to be a time when when we were, you know, told to kind of
hide under tables and uh you know uh go hide in put everybody in in the in the corner and turn the lights out. Well, new research um has has tells us that we need to move around. We need to distract the uh the person that's, you know, uh
attacking. We need to make sure that we're informing and and providing uh real update um uh information to our law enforcement agencies or to principles or whoever we can get the information to.
Uh we need to be prepared to evacuate when we need to. Um it says to evacuate if you can, not wait for, you know, someone to or law enforcement to get there to cut get to the scene. Um it
really puts um response in the hands of us, the educators who's actually in the situation instead of waiting on law enforcement to respond and guide us. we now can we have the autonomy to make critical decisions in these critical
situations. So that's really what Alice is all about. It teaches you how to think critically uh while in situations like this and then act, right? And so that's that's the the hugest part about Alice. It's it's let's not all sit in
the circle on the floor and you know kind of uh wait for trouble to to come to us, but let's you know evacuate if we have to. that's counter if we have to. Um, and it teaches you those the it gives you the tools in in order to deploy those strategies. I
>> mean sadly and you know we shouldn't know these names but we do Coline Ovali Oxford the what what the research has been very clear about is if you can run if you have to fight back there's it is
a different model than when I was a child. When I was a child, you were taught be quiet, be in a corner, shut the lights out. Sadly, there in most school shootings, there isn't a conversation with the person. It is, you
know, when you think of like Virginia Tech, it it is how do you get out of the way? How do you avoid? How do you run? How do you lock down? How do you counter? Um, and so thankfully, and I want to give a big shout out to the president of LSEA, Chuck Alberts. He's
been a huge uh supporter of this. He's actually gone through the training himself. Um, and he's actually had his leadership go through the training. And I've been very very proud that I think we're one of the leaders really uh in in the country around this. And if you want
to just maybe speak about RAVE. >> Oh yeah, sure. So rave is another measure um that we're really excited about um where um if you go back to Alice it says alert uh and basically the alert piece is getting the communication
out there making sure that people know um and so that's what RAVE is all about. It is a safety measure of alert alerting law enforcement that there is trouble and we need assistance and we need it now. It's not a tool that um you know uh
we would use on a on a just a like a for a regular everyday operational type of situation, but it is definitely something that is activated um and ready to to uh be deployed the moment you press a button. So RAVE is what we call
a mobile safety um uh response, right? So it's a it's an app that's on your phone. Great. The superintendent has it up. It's an app that you can download on your phone. You put all all the in the the information in there and it sits on
your phone until you need it. When you need it, it has a safety mechanism where you have to slide the the the the window open and then it gives you options buttons. So, the biggest button in the
very center is 911. So, you have to actually press the button and hold it for several seconds in order for it to activate so that accidents don't happen. But you can make contact with um the medical emergency um
personnel uh uh and law enforcement. Every one of our schools along with RAVE has um uh a feature called geo fencing. And so when that button is pressed, law enforcement knows exactly where you are.
>> Yeah. >> Exactly where you are. They know that if you're at the the you know the Hock building, if you work there and that's where you press that button, then it knows to come to 4200 uh Wayne Wright Avenue. If you're here in the
administration building, it will know to uh respond to to this address. So it's really really nice. It's again top of the line. We're again one of very few school districts in this area that has Alice uh as well as we work very closely
with the um 911 center who worked with us to um implement the geo fencing and so they're ready to respond the moment that we we hit the button. >> So just to show you not that you can see it. So this is the app. I have to slide to unlock it. Clearly, I'm not going to
press any of these buttons, but one of the buttons is active asalent. The other one is fire, medical, 911, other or police. I would then just tap it, push it, hold it, and you can see it goes back to unlock as if it was just a mistake, it knows to not do anything. And then, because I'm the
superintendent, I'm basically geofenced everywhere. And so, if they if if I press the button and I do it, the police will know immediately where I am. Uh they can find me and they can respond. This is the type of technology that all districts should have, but we're really,
really proud that we're one of the first ones to have it. Um, and to Cordelia's point, we also have a good relationship with the 911 center so that they have all of our kind of maps or geo fencing so that if something really happens,
right? Yeah. Right. Don't press it. If something if something really happens, uh, they can get to us really quickly. So, you know, when you look at all of these things combined, again, for you as the board and for families and many of you on the board are families of kids in
the district, I hope this gives you quite a lot of solace uh to see the kind of safety and security measures we actually do have at our schools. You know, thank God, not knock on for Micah, we haven't had to really use any of them. Um, but we we have, you know,
we've had staff, let's say, get sick, right? having nothing to do with that, but it's a very easy way to get medical. You know, somebody's having a heart attack, somebody's having a an alert, we're able to use this for that as well. So, I really just hope that this is part
one of the the presentation. Um that that's the overall sense of safety and security in our buildings and in our district. Now, sadly, we do have to address a huge issue, and I'm really just so thrilled
that uh Trusty Herd is is is at the table, as well as uh Director Black. Our community, like so much of the United States, has a gun violence concern, if not a a problem. There are
many, many guns in our district. Legal, illegal, used for good, used for not so good. But one thing I think we can all agree on is that gun safety is important. And so today, we are
unveiling our gun safety campaign so that the board can see it and so that the community can see it. But I wanted this board to be the first people to see it uh publicly because I know how really
powerful this board has been in terms of what can we do to make our community safer. So I have lots of things for show and tell. Um what we have first is safe homes. Yeah, if you want. Yeah. Thank you, Trusty Herd. Um safe homes, safe
schools, safe kids. We believe that the Lancing School District needs to be a leader in this community around gun safety. And so what are the key components? The first key component of course is actual gun safety
with gun locks. So just to show all of you, we will have free gun locks for anybody that wants them. These will be at our district offices as well at schools around the community. I want to be very clear. We are not asking anybody
to show that their guns are registered. We're not trying to go into somebody's backyard. We are just saying, "Hey, wonderful community. If you want to have a gun lock because we believe in safe storage, here you go." So, you know, if
you want to see them, you're more than welcome to. Some of them are black. I think we you can hand some out. Um, I think we all I also have pink ones uh or orange ones. I don't know that we get them donated so it's not for me to ask.
Um, but we have we they're they're really uh really really helpful. Um, and then again, you know, so key components of this campaign is going to be the gunlocks. Um, and of course, why does a gun lock matter? If it sadly
often times guns that are in the hands of children are taken by our children from our parents. They are taken from glove boxes. They're taken from underneath the bed. They're taken from the nightstand. And so if we can just
lock these up, we know that then they can't be in the the hands of the children. So, what we also have is, and let me make sure we have this, is that we're going to be doing a huge public awareness and education effort. So,
these posters again. Oh, thank you, sir. Safe homes, safe schools, safe kids. Start using a gun lock today. We're going to have these at our schools. If you notice, because again, we are thoughtful about our children. The posters don't necessarily have a picture
of a gun. It just has a picture of the lock, but the actual handouts on how to use a a gun lock of course has gun because you have to see how to actually use it. So, we can certainly hand these out as well. Um, and again, I want to
give a huge shout out to our comm's department. These are really nice. Uh, we created this and again, thanks to Trusty Herd and the board. You said, "Superintendent, we need to do something about gun violence. We need to do something about safe storage. And so
this is the campaign that we are doing. So these posters will be distributed over the next couple of days, maybe a week. You give us a little bit of time and then we'll get these to all of our schools that you'll see. Again, safe homes, safe schools, safe kids. Then
we're going to have the safe storage. So this handout is about different ways that you can lock your guns up. It also gives um more information about it. We have a crisis uh hotline. Um we have things about suicide. Very very sadly um
the increase in suicide completion rates has gone up tremendously over the last 20 years because of access to weapons. The I the the attempts are up but not dramatically. But when you use a gun sadly the completion rates are so much
higher. And so we want our community to be safe and we really really believe that this is one of the best ways to do this. We're also going to have some public service announcements and some of our amazing board members might have been part of these public service
announcements. So Ryan, are you around? Are we able to show some? >> Hello, my name is Ben Schiner and I'm the superintendent of the Lancing School District. One of the most important jobs of a superintendent is to make sure that our
children are safe. And because of that, we are launching this public service announcement to make sure that all of our families understand that safe storage of weapons is of paramount importance. We'll be handing out gunlocks. We'll be doingformational
sessions. And we'll just do whatever we can as a community to make sure that our children and our families are safe. Let's make sure that our community, our schools, and our children are as safe as possible. Thank you so much.
Hi, I'm Lancing Mayor Andy Shore. In every community, every child is a blessing. We all share the responsibility to keep them safe. That means supporting our schools, helping families practice secure storage, and teaching students to look out for one another. Together we can live out our
values of care and community. >> In our community, every child is a blessing. We all share the responsibility to keep them safe. That means that storing your guns safely and teaching students to look out for one another is important. Together, we can
live out our values of care and community. Prevention saves lives. Safe firearm storage is a simple step that protects children from accidents and self harm. Paired with strong schools and supportive relationships, it
can change lives. Gunlocks are now available at every school. Together, we can protect our kids. Big ups to uh our wonderful trustees Herd and Dr. Nvarus Martinez. Um I hope
that we are going to continue this. So if any board member would like to do one, we have a script. We have this the the filming. Um but I think there's something really powerful about all of us saying the same thing and really
getting that word out there. Um I know our families want to be safe. I know our children want to be safe, but it's up to the school district to really push this out there. So, um I don't know if I'm back on the Okay, great. Um and so we've got the posters, we have the the
handouts, we have the videos, but there's also something really important, and I'm going to turn the mic over to Trusty Herd. when he and I were talking uh throughout I don't know the last what two months um one of the things that became so
apparent was hearing from you know a board member and a parent who says you know what we really need to figure out what's the best way to have a a real honest conversation with our families and so he came up with this I think
amazing phrase of know before you go and so I'm going to turn it over to him and I'll show you have the posters in front of And I'm going to kind of let uh Trusty Herd uh speak about the importance of this and then I'll kind of uh riff with him. So Trusty Herd.
>> Perfect. Thank you. Uh board of education. We have been speaking about this at length loudly that um the school district needs to put all measures in place to ensure that um we are creating
a safe and nurturing environment in all of our school communities. Um, we have charged the superintendent to really have actionable items. Um, and I know I've made a lot of noise with the superintendent about not talking in philosophies and all these things, but
what actually are we going to do to help our families um help us make a more safe environment? Know before you go all promote safe homes, safe schools, and safe kids. Um, and this is just a quick
parent check before our babies leave for school every day. Safety starts at home. Know before you go helps families begin each day calm, prepared, and aware. Check those backpacks.
Gauge your baby's mood before they leave the house, before you leave the house for work, and find out what are the plans for them to do after school. Who's picking that child up? Um, did you arrange for someone else to take them and then let them know that they should
check um before they go? Um, pack with purpose. Take a moment and I I want to say this. Take a moment. Be the parent. Open that backpack. Not just to check for firearms. Check for homework. Check
for things that might have been missing that they couldn't find. I know when I was in school, I would say, "I have no homework. I have nothing." my mom would open up my backpack and there's that algebra work that I've been putting off. And so this isn't just about um firearms or painting our children as dangerous.
It is us as the parents, as the community taking back into our hands the safety of our babies before they even get to school and partnering with the district. Look and listen. Notice how your baby is feeling before they leave home. Are they tired still? Are they
anxious? Are they just excited? A short talk or a hug, a a dap up um can can make the difference in a child's day. Have a conversation before you leave and give a hug. And I will add sometimes even when I'm sending my children to
daycare, I've got to remember not to fuss at them right before they leave home. I have to remember to even if they've done something wrong and I've got to get them together, I got to still affirm that I'm rooting for you to have the best day possible. Because how do you expect the teacher to be able to
raise their mood if you've cussed them out before they've left home? You've got to partner with us so that when we receive them, they are ready to learn. They're calm and they're ready to take on the day. Stay connected. Listen, we live in a technological age. There's
nothing we can do. None of us grown-ups are ever going to be able to keep up with the new things on technology. I will tell you, I'm in that middle age. I'm rotary phone old, but I'm also AI young. And even still, my baby girl,
who's almost four years old, already knows how to work my cell phone better than me. She used my phone to on my face while I was asleep so she could unlock my phone to watch Paw Patrol, right? And can't even spell her name yet. We're not going to be able to keep up. However, if we stay close,
stay close with our children, know what your child is watching, know what they're sharing, know what they're posting, you can learn a lot about how a child is feeling by the kind of videos that they repost. Follow your babies. If they block you, get a new page and follow them again. A
little awareness goes a long way in keeping them safe. Uh, the one social media app that I don't see on here is one that might have escaped some of us grown people, and that is Snapchat. You have to know Snapchat, as many of you know, the story disappears after 24
hours. Whatever they said yesterday, if they didn't click save on it, it's already gone and you can't find it. Well, that means we're going to have to check every day to make sure that they are safe online. Um, it's crazy how unsafe we can be living in our own homes
sometimes. We do all we can as parents to make sure that they're safe in our homes. We've got our locks. You know, we will go we'll fight anybody over our kids. But we what we don't know is that little piece of technology in their hand, somebody might be harming them there and we were never the wiser or
something is happening in the school. A situation is arising and we never knew until it comes out later. Connect before you say goodbye. I know I've said this but I can't say it enough. Say a kind word. Give a high five. Give a quick hug.
Help your child carry calmness and confidence into the classroom. Also, know the plan. Know the plan. Some of our students ride the city bus to school and from school. Know who's supposed to pick up your child. Know when they're
supposed to be home. We know that our kids have their phones connected to their hands. Send them a quick text while you're at work. Say, "Hey, I'm thinking about you. I want you to know I'm checking in. Where are you now? Are you still going to meet me? Grandma's supposed to come pick you up.
Meet me at church later. Is there still basketball practice tonight? Asking these questions helps you stay involved. Um, do you know about the afterchool programs that are happening at your school? If not, call the school. My baby says he's in drama club Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday. Let the principal tell you we don't even have a drama club. Right? And that is a conversation that you can have. How is your baby getting to the Boys and Girls Club or to one of our other partners? Be their steady start. Be their steady start.
Small routines. Something I learned teaching elementary. Steady routines build confidence. They build big confidence. Do the same thing as best you can every day. be the consistent part in their life and hold
us accountable for the same. Your calm presence, you the parent, nobody can do it better than us. We're the parents. The school district is the second parents. We the parents. Nobody can calm our babies like we can. We need to be the calm, secure presence for them
and also put things in place to make sure that the supports are there. Some of us have to work. Some of us are single parents. We get it. I get it. Some of us have multiple children that go to school on other sides of town. One is in karate over here. One's at church over here. One's taking piano lessons.
I've seen it. I've seen it. I know it. Partner with us, though. Know before you go. Advocacy is the order of the day. Ladies and gentlemen, let's work together to advocate for safety of all of our babies. We are the parents. Know before you go. Thank you.
>> Thank you. I I could not even begin to say it as well as Trusty Herd. And I think having a board member who's, you know, also a parent who's been really focused on this is really important for the community to hear. And I also know that he is saying the same thing that
this board believes in. And so for those of you who, you know, might be watching this tomorrow or another day because you might not be up at 10 p.m. I want you all this community to understand and see what was just talked about. know before
you go is a great way to just think about your day. No, check the bag, check your kid, have a conversation because, you know, one of the things we haven't talked about because this is mainly about gun violence is, you know, we have a gummy problem, you know, things like
drugs that are in the form of candies, right? So, you see something in a kid's book bag, you go, "What is this?" And then you can have that conversation. And you know these are the kinds of ways that we want to empower our parents. The parents are the first and most important
contact of the children. We want parents to think of us as a support and an empowerer of their ability to help support their children. So these posters of course are going to be everywhere. Uh Sergio Kek and his team are going to translate this into our you know top
eight languages. We're going to have these all over. These posters will be at the school. The safe uh firearm storage uh information will be here in the main office as well as in principal's offices. And then the gun locks will be here and throughout the district. So
what I hope this board has seen is there was a a clarion call. There was a call to action from this board and this is the beginning step because now we have to take all of this information. We have to promote it and we have to get the the community to really trust us and to
believe in us so that they start to do things like get a gun lock from us. We're not going to ask you questions. We're not going to call anybody. We're just going to say thank you. Use it wisely. And we're going to have the posters. We're going to have the information and of course the know
before you go. So with that, I certainly want to open it up to questions for the board. Uh I want to thank the two wonderful presenters and certainly this is the beginning of a much larger conversation for this community. So thank you. >> Thank you so much. That was amazing
presentation. Thank you everyone. Dr. Rodriguez, >> thank you >> for the presentation. It's >> very collaborative. Um two things. one the principles
need to have this version or a small version and communicate the PTSAs of parents communication how that is going to go to every family beside the what they can see on TV how we can send a pamphlet or something put that all
together now and give it to the kids to take home. >> Yeah. So thank you so much for the question. We wanted to unveil this to the board and to the public. The next step will be to work with our individual principles. Uh we will present it at the next administrative meeting with all the principles and the assistant principles
and then we're going to be going to each individual school to help them then push out the information because what we know is, you know, people might know what I look like and they might know my name, but the principal of the school has a better connection to the families than
certainly I do. And so what we're going to do here is now the next step is to go to the school level and then they're going to be able to push it out. So it's a great question and that's the the the multiple steps. >> And what about the parking lots in the buildings? The parking how we control
can we see what is going the parking as any time for some TV or >> Yeah. >> How we do the parking? >> It's a great question. I'm going to defer to Cordelia um in a second. So, one of the nice things about our fences is that a lot of them are around the parking. So, that at least controls it.
But we also have cameras uh throughout our district. So, we have cameras on the inside of the schools and the outside of the schools. And most of our parking lots, we can see through our cameras. But, Cordelia, if you want to, you know, just tell us some specifics maybe. >> Yeah. So, um, we have cameras in every
lot, uh, outside every single school, every single building, and I've applied for a grant. Keep your fingers crossed that we get it because I'm ready to start upgrading uh some of our cameras so that we can uh gain much um higher
definition in certain areas and pockets where uh we we should be uh have just have a a closer look um without uh destroying the the integrity of the video. So, in other words, uh when you
start to zoom in, things start to get a little fuzzy. And so, we want to address that with uh um you know, implementing some or installing new cameras uh where we can and when we can. Um hoping to get that that funding. But, uh yeah,
>> and what's nice is the cameras we have are actually very very high quality. Um we're going to get new software. We're trying to get new software which will allow us to have uh even better ability to zoom in, zoomed out, whatever. But I want the community to know and certainly
the board to know that um we have cameras on the outside of every one of our schools. We do have uh an ability to patrol the parking lots as well as the entryways. um you know a school like Gardener which is on 20 plus acres we I
will be honest we don't have you know the ability to go see into that back forest but again that's why we have fences right and so if somebody's approaching the school we would be able to see it >> and I we were north in the conference last week right I attended a
presentation done by students in high school and the superintendent and one of the complaint explains that they had this student for a long time was the restrooms >> was >> restrooms. >> Oh yeah, sure. >> And how
how to monitoring what is going on and and they did the presentation and they changed some things they around the doors of the restroom they had a lot of things going on knowing that they cannot put cameras inside. >> Right. Yeah. So, I mean, you've
witnessed uh some videos of uh children going into bathrooms and outside. So, you know, we have cameras that can basically see the door, but of course, we can't put cameras inside the bathrooms. So, we have an ability to
know kind of who's going in and who's going out. Um but certainly uh putting anything in the bathrooms that would be um now we will say that there are some we haven't done it yet and these are some conversations but we because of our ID system you actually do have the
ability to set up like a tapin system. So if I'm going to the bathroom I tap in so at least you have a record. We haven't done that yet because we want the schools to really buy into that. Um, but the good news is that the cameras we have in our hallways, I think, and I
mean I'm not going to say 100%, but I think like 98% of all the bathrooms we can see going in or going out, and that's very safe. >> And finally, I we can talk about whatever we want, but I think we should have um
a kind of evaluation uh asking the teachers how they feel safe or not safe. >> Sure. the students, the parents that we has the whole community involved in evaluation that we can really in the second semester come
here and say hey we need to do that or that but >> absolutely >> we don't need to do all of them but have it in a sample that will be good enough. Thank you Mr. President. >> No thank you Dr. Rodriguez just uh Dr. Nveras Martinez. Yeah. So, my uh my kids
go to Postto and um my oldest didn't get his ID for a few days because he they're new to the school and I got an email this morning saying, "Oh, he hasn't like tapped in." And it wasn't because he wasn't doing it on purpose, but because like he didn't have his ID yet, but I was like, "Oh, I'm going to get
notifications if he like ever doesn't." So, I was really excited about that. Um and just the thing with the bathrooms and safety, there is this new technology. It's probably too expensive for us to have in Lansing, but in the Lancing school district, but maybe one day. Uh where it's all glass and it and
you can see inside until they're in use and then they black out. And so that's a a safety measure of um where like in some public restrooms they're using this um new kind of um >> we happily look into it. You know, certainly we want to make sure that
people feel comfortable and protected if the glass doesn't work or does work or things like that. But I will say with all of the things that we've mentioned, I actually forgot to mention something else we have. Uh and so Cordelia, if you want to talk a little bit about our vape
detectors in our bathrooms. >> Sure. And what's nice about the vape detectors in our bathrooms are is that they're connected to our cameras. And so while we may not be able to put cameras obviously into the um bathrooms, uh when
um uh someone is in our restrooms using uh vapes, uh the detector detects that, right? They look just like uh like a little fire alarm that maybe you might have at at home, but they're of course tied into our system and in camera
system. So once it detects the vape, the camera immediately outside of that bathroom or um in the the the closest camera to the restroom activates. So now we know who's coming and going um or who was in there do while you know the vape
detector went off as well as it is uh also tied because it's tied into our camera. We can see it on our software. we can see who that is, the date, the time, and how often it went off. Um, we're not sitting there monitoring it
all day because of course we don't have the man power to do that, but we're able to also um absolutely go back and um gather that information if if need be. So, those detectors are really nice. They're in all of our high schools and our K8s. Um, and we're looking to put
them, you know, elsewhere. Um hopefully if we can get some safe some additional safety funds >> and I will say thanks to your wonderful vote today uh it's quite possible we will use that money for that. So >> I love that trusty Ninsky.
>> Yes. Thank you. I had one question about the cast system. Uh you mentioned the check-in. Is it also checking in every single class when they move within a high school and does it check out at the end of the day? >> Yeah. So it would have the capacity but we don't do that. So, you know, period attendance is taken by the teacher. So,
you know, you think of a typical high school kid, you've got six periods or five periods. They tap in to come into the building. That's what we have. Now, I will say what's been really helpful is sometimes, you know, by accident, nobody does it on purpose. A teacher might mark a kid absent or that they forgot to mark
something in. We can then doublech check the uh the cast system to say, "Oh, actually, he the kid did come in." and and we can then or the opposite which is the kid didn't check in but they came to class and sometimes it's an errant mark on oh they were present. Um but it's not
it's not built yet for checking in at every period. We we believe our teachers can just kind of go in, they take attendance and they go out. Um yeah but um but it does have the capacity. What we can use it for is let's say we do it
for lunch. Um we could do it for a special event. And then what's also cool is we have a relationship with Dean where actually you can uh tap into the bus and and and that way we can kind of track the kids. Now, you know, is that used to fidelity on the bus? I can't say
for certain, but we do have that capacity. And so as our community starts to our children start to get used to it more and more, um we're going to start to think of other ways of using it. But right now, no, it's really only used for coming into the building. And we can
also use it if a kid's leaving early, they can tap out. Same thing with the buses, come in, come out. But as we get used to the system, we're thinking of things like tapping into the bathroom, tapping into second period, tapping into whatever. So,
>> I just actually saw some social media concerns about the bus route. And so, that might be something that if we can get that to Fidelity would address some of those concerns. >> Yeah. And and when I well what sorry not to go on a tangent but what we do certainly have for the buses is the uh where's my bus app and so I hope that
families use that. So when they do have a concern please please let us know about that. >> Fantastic. >> Yeah. No use it. It's great. I think this was concern about where a student actually was or something. And I think if they had the scan card that could easily questions. Uh then my last
question was in a presentation I heard about some districts having a radio kind of hardwired that could go direct to dispatch. I think it was for in the event that these kind of network systems failed or something went down in a major emergency. Do we have sort of a what's the backup plan if internet's not
working or these apps can't run for some reason? >> Yes. All of our um uh DPS emergency communication radios uh have a feature uh a little red button right on the top so that we can uh gain access to 911
immediately in the case of an emergency or the phones are down where we can't um we don't have access to a phone. So absolutely and and it has happened from time to time by accident. Um so we know they work. >> Yeah. I mean, you know, in the event of
like a tornado or things like that or I mean, not to bring up something that's still of course front of mind is, you know, I was teaching on 9/11 and so, you know, everything was knocked out. Um, we're really lucky that the the the radios that we have, they have special
frequencies and even if the cell towers are off or things like that, we can get to 911 and to each other, which is helpful. >> Thank you. >> All righty. Are there any more questions for our presenters this evening? >> See, oh yes, Trusty Herd.
>> Lord, I just wanted to say before you bid us farewell that I asked the superintendent, um, what in your perfect world, if you had money not be an object or anything, um, what would you ask this board to empower you to do? And he said,
maybe because he's a frugal person, um, nothing right now. These steps are what um what we need to do to get us on our way. I would encourage you colleagues to um continue to have this conversation with the superintendent's team and for all of us, the nine of us, to throw our
weight around to make sure that he is given every resource to see this initiative um come to pass. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you so much. Yes. Uh Dr. We don't need the we don't need to pass a motion to ask for the for the
maybe second semester to have a kind of questioner for the teachers and and students and all that. >> We can certainly work on that. Absolutely. >> Okay. We don't need to do anything. Second, I think the because it's different times they are leaving
unfortunately uh over there in sun school the restrooms are as luck during during classroom time instructional time. If somebody want to go to the restroom, the teachers has a car that they can open
>> and then when the student come back return and the the res is very difficult as it's open. It don't have even a a door. But we had to keep keeping our eye what how the res are used.
>> Sure. >> In every building. >> Sure. Yeah. No, it's very important. Absolutely. >> Thank you so much for the presentation. >> All right. Good work. Good work. All righty. No more questions for our presenters.
I should probably wait till Trusty Herd gets back to their seat and superintendent. All righty. Moving on to um our next presentation under um Yep. 8B. It would be Mr. Kek.
Good job you all. Y >> good evening. >> Good evening. >> Good morning. No, buenas. Yes. Um, thank you for giving us the opportunity
to be in front of us tonight. I know it's been a long night and you have taken care of many uh many important items and uh but this one is a little bit more um celebration of something that has happened within uh
some of our employees that have done in what they've done in the school district for the state of Michigan. But before I start, I'd like uh Claudia to introduce herself and to please u say hello to the board. >> Hello everyone. Good evening. I don't
know if this is on. [Music] >> Hello everyone. Good evening. Um I'm glad you're still awake for us. I know it's getting a little bit late, but we promise it's going to be good and we're
going to make it efficient for sure. >> Yes. So the title of this presentation is from a conver conversation in Lancing to a movement across Michigan. And this is a story of three um Lancing school district Latino employees who whose
effort and vision guided a movement through the state of Michigan. And on October 17th, uh, less than two weeks ago, we were officially recognized by the National Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendent at the
conference in Chicago. The third person that was going to be with us is Ariel Rodriguez Pñena, too. Uh what we all know Ariel is from Cuba and and the last couple of days the hurricane Melissa went through the east
side of uh the island where his uh city is and where his father's house is. And as of this morning um the house the water was up to the roof of the house where the father lives. So, um, he's
been up for two days, so we sent him home. Okay. But he wanted to be here. Um, this recognition highlights, um, our district's commitment to, uh, leadership in diversity, equity, and advocacy. So,
now my allas or Michigan allas is officially a state affiliate for uh for all. Um, this all started uh, actually this did not start with three Latino uh, employees. This started with a
superintendent uh, of the Lancing School District and um, who mentioned it and I believe you also got an email from Gileier, Vice President Lopez um that um, we were
invited to go to um, Washington DC to testify in the in the Senate. uh and there were 100 uh superintendents that were Latinos and it was for the advocacy of students and uh to ask for more
money. Um when that happened, we asked the question to oursel, what can we do in Michigan to to be part of this? How do we create a network of administrators that can work together and and help our students? So that was um that was the
little seed that started this whole thing. Go ahead, Claudia. >> All right. So what we did um we actually were able to form a board and create a mission. We hosted three listening tours
throughout the state. So, we hosted events in Grand Rapids, in Detroit, and here in Lancing to make sure to capture what everyone was feeling, what everyone was thinking in all of these different regions and what change they wanted to see in our state. Um, and of course
towards the end of that, we were able to obtain nonprofit status, and that's a really huge deal. It took a little bit of work, but um, it allowed us to do all the wonderful things we were able to do this year. And I'll give you a couple of moments to
look at the mission statement. So this is the mission statement we created based on the feedback we collected at those uh listening tours. Um, when we were developing this mission statement, we wanted to make sure it reflected not just our commitment to
current administrators and superintendent, but also to growing the next generation of Latino leaders and educators. So, this includes strengthening the pipeline from college students to educators and administrators. Um, we are also
committed to supporting the growth and success of K12 students along the way. This mission really focuses on the collaboration and networking opportunities that really uplift Latino leaders and students at every level.
So from that mission, we went one step further and our goals are to promote and provide professional development opportunities, to advocate for equitable representation of Latino leaders in our schools, and to foster an educational envir environment
that can embrace all of us. Uh this is the current my Alice board and as you can see it is heavily impacted by the Lancing school district. We do however have a couple of really special people in the field that provide
some wonderful perspective. So, um, we have Miss Kelly Alvarez, who is the head of the multilanguage learner division in the Michigan Department of Education, and we also have Jonathan Tobar, who's the deputy superintendent of Livingston
ISD. Um, so with all of these wonderful people together, we've really um been able to build something special. So, what we learned, well, we learned some data that it's not as good as we thought we were going to
find, but we learned that are very, very few administrators in the state of Michigan that have the worst superintendent in their titles. We learned that there's only one superintendent that is Latino in the state of Michigan and that was uh this
year and uh she is at um South Haven public schools. Anna Alman we learned that in the cohort of 2023 24 only 28 students graduated in the in the
educational field with a bachelors 80 masters and eight doctoral degrees. We also learned that out if you put all the teachers, administrators, and support staff in the state of Michigan, only 2.5 are Latinos.
And the total population of Latino kids in the state of Michigan is 9.46 of the population, which is 135,000. So those are the numbers that we learned, but we also learned that the people that are in the field did not network, did not know each other. We
went to Grand Rapids, beautiful place. We took them, you know, the Spaniards with the Spanish restaurant with tapas and then we invited them to come. They were people that were working a couple of miles away from each other and they did not know each other. We went to
Detroit. The same thing happened and our people did not know who they did not know how to network with each other. And we know that in this profession or in any other profession if you don't network it's going to be very difficult to have more open opportunities in this
world. So this is some of the stuff that we have learned. >> Yeah. And this data by the way is from my schooldata.org and where we are now. Um we have solidified our strategic plan and um this is for the next three years. So, we
really have a clear vision of where we're going and where we want to grow. Uh, National Alice, which is the national organization, um, provided our initial startup funds of $2,000, and that's what allowed us to
obtain nonprofit status, get our bylaws, and of course develop the website. Um, we also offered some local and state level professional development opportunities which some of our administrators here in the Lancing School District got to take advantage of
which was really awesome. Um, and finally, we've started sharing a monthly newsletter that includes updates and networking opportunities. And where we are now, October 17th, as Mr. Kek mentioned at the beginning of our presentation was when we were um
recognized in as an official state affiliate of Alice and this was just a couple of weeks ago. Um this work is really reflective of all of us who've de dedicated a large part of our careers in Lancing school district as members of
the bilingual education department and many other special population programs. Um, we hope that my continues to grow, but also to support Latino educators in the state. We know that here in Lancing School District, we are a model for
bilingual education and inclusion. And we really think that um by continuing to connect with others, network, and share, we can all grow together and learn from different areas
where our strengths and weaknesses So where we're going, we're going to develop more networking, more professional development, recruit more more members, increase and improve the representation in our schools across the state of
Michigan, and we want to have our first state conference in the next year. So these are all the things that we want to do to promote our field. And I don't know if you can see that picture in there, but um that's who we want to find
someday in the future. Another um secretary of education of the United States that is part of this population. Um the um Ryan, if you could just play a quick uh video that we have from the
executive director of Alice. If I hit the green button one more time, will it play? >> Try it. >> Okay. >> Yeah. >> Nice. >> Hi, my name is Ulysiz Naret and I'm the executive director for Alas, the
Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendent in Michigan. Latino students deserve to see themselves reflected in the leaders who guide their education in the classroom, in schools, and in districts across the state. That is why establishing an Alas Michigan
affiliate has been so important. I'd like to extend my personal and sincere gratitude and our national support to Sergio Kek, Ariel Rodriguez Pña, and Claudia Cabera Rodriguez for their tireless work in creating a space where Latino and Latino serving educators can
come together to lift one another up, share educational strategies, and inspire the next generation. Alas is proud to welcome our Michigan affiliate, united in our mission of advocating for our students, focusing on policy changes that will impact education, and ensuring
that every single student can see themselves reflected in their leadership. Welcome, Mialos. We're so proud of you. >> Oh, very nice. >> Go ahead. >> Thank you. So we want to finalize the presentation by u saying this can happen and this
happened from the lancing school district and it was three employees that started this with the support of the superintendent and of course the board of education. So we want to thank you all of you for the support. We're going to continue to grow this and sometimes
what do they say the the tree that you plant you're not going to see the shade. uh but uh I hope that the shake continues to grow in this association. So thank you so much for the presentation. >> Thank you so much. >> And this is uh the beautiful thing that
we we got. Okay. All right. >> Put it up somewhere. >> Yes, of course. >> They told us that if the board wants to that we uh they also asked us if it would be possible to get a picture with the board and all of us to send to the So I know you guys were all tired. Come on. We little stretch.
>> It's only Friday morning, but sure. >> It's Friday morning. >> Not yet. Okay. I'm right here. I'm here. I'm That's a picture. Okay, come on. Let's roll. Row row.
Okay wonderful. >> We got 30 minutes. >> Yeah, we got 30 minutes. All righty. So, up next we have our reports from our officers. Uh, secretary, please. >> Yes. So, um, uh, November 6th at 700 p.m. Everett
Auditorium, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company is going to perform at Everett High School. It's free for Lancing School District students and only $5 for others. Uh, we're supporting families facing SNAP benefit changes and so there
are several food pantry options here in Lancing. Um, please ask your school for a list of of these pantries. they can provide it for you. October 31st, which is in uh 45 minutes. Um we have a half
day for our elementary school students. November 4th is election day and there is no school. Um, our next board meetings will be November 20th, we have a special meeting at 4 pm and regular board meeting at 6 PM. December 4th, we have a regular board meeting. And
December 11, special meeting at 400 pm andformational study session at 6 p.m. >> All righty. Thank you so much. Um, Madam Secretary, moving on to our committee reports. The employee and alumni recognition ad hoc committee. Mr. uh,
Trusty Herd. Thank you, Madame President. Board of Education, the Alumni and Employee Recognition Committee has met twice since I've uh reported last Tuesday, October 14th at 5:30 at Sexton High
School and also on Tuesday, October 28th at 5:30 at Eastern High School. Um the calendar for our upcoming meetings um is November 11th, December 2nd with a tenative meeting on December 9th.
Meetings will be held at 5:30. The location will rotate between the high schools each time and will be posted on uh Tuesday, October 28th. Um um we made a motion um that uh we change the name
of the committee um to board recognition committee finding that the scope of our work did not um include students which is something that we do now. Um and so um we'll be putting a motion later after
I'm done with this that we are able to change our name to just the board recognition committee um so that anybody that this board wants to recognize can be recognized by this committee. Um an update of um excuse me feedback was
received by committee members regarding um the mission and the vision. There was a motion to accept the committee guidelines as presented and those guidelines were approved. The communications department is going to work on a draft nomination form and a
press release to be presented to the committee. The committee will review it and provide their approval. A motion was approved to accept nominations until no later than January 30th, 2026. During the month of February, the committee
will go over the received nominations and then the nominations will be presented in March. The handbook for the committee we did get drafted and has um after the committee members were able to give their notes that is ready to be
presented to the board of education um to adopt our handbook and we'll um hopefully be able to get on the next meeting for this board to adopt. Um, Madame President, is this the right time for me to make a motion about the name
change or should I do it later? >> Um, yeah, I guess yeah, that's fine. >> I I'd like to make a motion that the board of education um allow a name change from the alumni and employee recognition committee to board of education recognition committee.
>> Wonderful. Moved by Trusty Herd, second by Dr. Rodriguez. All in favor signify by saying I. I any oppose? Motion passes 80. >> Yes. Um thank you very much for the report but also the board need to know
the com the committee me members are administrators parents teachers and community then it's about how 20 different >> it's about 21 >> 21 members in the committee >> that's
>> then we have meetings that they are they are going to they participate or in presence or by by zoom Yes. >> Then that is it's not just three or it's it's many people in the committee.
>> I like that. It sounds like you all are also um developing structures to sustain this committee. So I'm wondering is it still an ad hoc committee or is it a committee? Sounds like it's a committee now. All righty. Thank you for your update. I look forward to hearing um more information of I'm sure we look
forward to hearing more information. You have a question. I >> Yeah. >> And I I think Mr. K got a look in his face. >> But I think before it becomes a committee, we have to uh amend the bylaws to the committee.
>> Okay. >> And any other committee. >> Okay. >> So, so that could be done. >> Oh, >> I'm sorry. >> Yeah. Trust uh Dr. Navaris Martinez said they're working on that policy still to update what that policy looks like as
far as >> I can still affect until >> Yeah. an Yeah, until that changes. >> Yeah, thank you for lifting that. Alrighty. All righty. Sounds like we're in a roll. Um, next, the equity committee. Um, Dr. Kavanagh and, uh, tr
uh, Trusty Strode had to leave for the evening, but are you >> Yeah, uh, the committee does not have any updates at this time. >> Okay, thank you. Moving on to our facilities committee. Uh, Mr. Vice President Lopez, >> no report. >> All righty. Moving on to >> No. No report. >> Okay, moving on to our finance
committee. Uh Dr. Kavanagh, >> the finance committee met this Monday, October 27th. I do want to note that Kim Adams uh is out sick, unfortunately, and has been all week. Um and so because she was not able to attend Monday's meeting, we actually ended up tableabling a lot
of the agenda um because she is is typically the person who reports out. Um so I have a bit less information to share than than I usually might. Uh there are just a few things I want to flag. Um, first I just I just want to raise that due to the government
shutdown, um, what that means is in terms of some of our grants that are federally funded, um, we're a little bit in a state of limbo. That doesn't mean we don't have the money, but um, our kind of points of contact there in the government are not working right now, um, due to the shutdown. And so, uh,
that lack of communication has been a bit of a challenge. Again, that does not mean that we are missing any money or, you know, that we're hurting for those grant dollars. It just can be a little bit difficult, as anyone who has uh worked with with grants before knows, to not have that open line of
communication. Um, so I just I want to be transparent about that. Um the second thing that I want to raise is that we had a conversation um about uh related to the government shutdown um about uh the potential that many families in our
district may be losing SNAP benefits um as of November 1st. Um and this is a big concern um and I I know the superintendent had done some kind of behind the-scenes work to address the concerns that we raised in Monday's meeting. So um I'm happy to pass it to you for a sec.
>> Sure. Uh thank you so much uh Trusty Kavanaaugh. Um look you know it is a difficult situation when the expectations of our families change. The needs do not change though. And so we
know that if SNAP benefits do end on November 1st as there is a threat to have happened, we as a school district will want to do everything we possibly can to help support our families. So, we are looking into a series of different
ways of having grabband goes, uh, food distribution, ways that our children are able to get snacks, uh, get weekend food. Um, there are some federal rules that we have to follow even if the federal government is shut down. Uh, we still do have to follow them. Um, but we
are actively pursuing all sorts of ways to do it. I will say that about three minutes ago, I just got a push notice that Michigan is pledging $4.5 million to food banks amid SNAP interruptions. We of course work very very closely with
the state government. Um and so we're going to be working uh as much as we can with the food banks that might be getting this money. Again, this is we're talking about 3 minutes ago. I just got this push notification. Um, but we will um uh we will do everything we can to
support uh our families. But please, the most important thing I want to say is anybody listening to it now or on record, if you have food insecurity, if you are worried about your next meal, please tell your principal, please tell your school. There are there are
nonprofits and organizations that we are close with as well as our own food that we will be able to provide uh as much as possible. So, we do know this is happening. we are um wrapping around as many services we can uh and certainly please please please reach out to us if
you do have a concern um but hopefully in the next couple of days uh if it does in fact happen uh we will be you know kind of unveiling some programs that we'll have throughout our schools. So, thank you. >> All righty. Wait, I'm not done. Okay, no
worries. Um, the detailed treasures report for the period of September 1st, 2025 through September 30th, 2025 is attached to this evening's agenda, and the following are the highlights of the report. The beginning cash and investment balance was 77,937,01.
Receipts totaled $ 31,835,780 while dispersements equaled $24,548,31. Net interfund transfers totaled $13,833,088 in interest from fund investments to the student and bond funds as well as journal entries to remove the due two dues in all funds. The monthly transfer
to the general fund for bond expenses was $0. The ending general fa fund cash and investment balance on September 30th, 2025 was 71 million. Oh, there's a bit of a typo here. So, I I might get this wrong. It looks like we're missing
a digit, but it's 71,39 something,92. The general funds cash and investment balance is 10,928,325 more as compared to the same time last year. We love to see it. Uh we also received nearly $50,000 worth of
donations for September 2025. Uh which is super exciting. The majority of that was um a very generous donation of $40,000 from the Eversol Foundation uh to the Eversol Center. Uh we board members had uh our summer retreat at the Eversol Center. So we know as well as
the many students who have traveled there, what a special place that is. Um, and so we're incredibly grateful to the Eversol Foundation for their continued support, particularly this very large donation. Um, we also saw a large donation of over $5,000 from Playmakers
Fitness Foundation. Um, and that was a donation specifically to our enrichment and engagement. Um, we'd like to thank all of our donors. Uh, we always appreciate donations. They are incredibly helpful, especially for um, some of our some of our kind of fun and extra projects that we talk about in
these board meetings. So, you know, we can this this could be you. I could be shouting you out next time. Um, but thank you very much to all of our donors and Madam President, this concludes the treasures report. >> Thank you so much for your report, Dr. Kavanagh. At this time, can I have a
motion on the floor to approve the expend expenditures as present? Yes. >> I move that the board of education approve the expenditures as presented for September 2025. >> Second. It's been moved do by Dr. Nar
Martinez and second by Dr. Rodriguez. All in favor signify by saying I. >> Any opposed? Yes. Oh, motion passes. 8 Z. All righty. Moving on to um our fifth report, the personnel report from um
Vice President Lopez and Trusty Ninsky. >> Trusty Dwisky. >> Okay. >> Uh yes. The personnel committee met on October 15th. Trustees Niski and Lopez were present. Uh reports on staffing changes were reviewed with the district administration. Those reports have been shared with the board in the packet. Uh
updates were shared on hired initiatives and uh current staffing and vacancies across the district. A list of the recent new hires is proposed for adoption by the board. So that's you have reports on the uh terminations and resignations and new hires and then
there's the one-page report that we'll be acting on of all the new hires since the last time we've approved those. The committee did continue discussion about employment termination and resignation policies. Um we're still awaiting legal advice on several of the topics, but we
did have a recommendation for a policy change uh that was actually just sent to the policy committee to resolve a current contradiction and uh one of our policies on regarding employment of relatives of board members specifically for um support staff. So that should be
coming through the policy committee at some point. And the next uh personnel committee meeting is scheduled for November 19th at 8:00 a.m. >> All righty. Thank you so much for your report. Uh, Trusty Ninsky, at this time,
can I have a motion on the floor to um approve the new hires from September 2nd through September 22nd? >> So moved. >> All righty. Second. >> Second. >> Okay. It was moved by um Dr. Kavanagh and second by Vice President Lopez. All
in favor signify by saying I. I. >> Any oppose? Motion passes. 8 Z. Alrighty. So now moving on to our sixth report and that would be from the policy committee. Dr. Nares Martinez. >> Yes. So the policy committee met on
October 7th at 12:00 p.m. in room 305 here um in the administration building. Um I was present along with Dr. Nino Rodriguez, Mr. Dan Noiski, and Mr. Levante Herd. Um additional attendees
were Mr. uh Superintendent Ben Sheliner, uh Alexander Fulce, Pat uh Krager, Lucas J. Seavoi, Christina Patelt, Claudia Cabrera Rodriguez, and uh Serio Kek. Um
we discussed policy 6680 uh rec uh recognition um and we'll present that to the board for approval today. We also had presentations uh to the policy committee uh by Niola and Trun. Uh the committee
members deliberated and decided to continue using NEOA policies. Um the following topics will be discussed at our next policy committee meeting. We're reviewing the student handbook. We're also reviewing policy 5610, emergency
removal, suspension, and expulsion of students. Uh we're going to continue to review and revise uh the revision of policy 9150, school visitors and bylaw 0122.1 on school visits as well. And we're going to also uh continue um uh
get an update on policy uh creating a policy on committees. Um our meeting was adjourned at 2:02 p.m. and then our next policy meeting will be on November 4th at 12:00 p.m. here in the administration building. Um and uh we have a draft
policy um 6680 that we want to submit for approval. Um our recognition committee that we just heard a great um update from is uh requested that we increase the amount of money that we can
spend on uh recognition for individuals. I believe the previous amount was $100 and we're um uh proposing a change to the policy to increase that to $180 because $100 was a very limited amount of money especially for like trying to
get you know um plaques or anything like that for those folks that we are recognizing. So um with that should I make this motion or >> um I you can she can make the motion. Yep, you can make the motion. So, I move that the board of education suspend the
requirement in bylaw 0131.1 for previous notice of a policy amendment and allow for immediate amendment of policy 6680. >> Second. >> It was moved by Dr. NZ Martinez and second by Dr. Kavanagh. All in favor signify by saying I.
>> Any opposed? Motion passes 80. >> Um, moving on, we have another motion on the floor. >> Yes. So I move that the board of education amend policy 6680 as proposed effective immediately. >> Second. >> All righty. It was moved by Dr. Nver
Martinez, second by Dr. Kavanaaugh. All in favor signify by saying I. I. >> Any opposed? Motion passes. 8. Thank you so much. >> All righty. Thank you. >> Alrighty. Oh, we have another motion on
the floor that the board of education receive the policies for second reading and approve them as Nope. All right. >> Oh, yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. >> Yes. Thank you so much. Alrighty. Um,
moving on to our um student achievement committee, Mr. Lopez and Miss Trusty Williams and Vice President Lopez. Madame President, >> yes, >> we have set our meetings for the first Monday of the month and our first meeting will be December I mean December
1st, I think. >> First Monday of the month. >> Yeah, December 1st. >> Yeah. 3 p.m. >> All right. >> Dr. Rodriguez, Trusty Williams, and myself. And we may invite others. >> Okay. >> It just depends on how it looks on that day. >> All righty. All right. Thank you for
your for your update. All righty. Oh, now we're on to our superintendent um report. >> Uh good evening. Uh I will not belabor the point. Uh I love you all very much. Uh the only thing I really want to share is my promise to the community. For gas
cards, we're at 2,668 with 2,440 distributed. Uh so please, if you need a gas card, talk to your schools. A lot of times the uh the cards are there. uh please be in touch with your your principal so that you can get it. With
KATA, we're at 553 uh and 521. So there's about 30 kids uh who still need it. Please uh make sure to ask your schools. You know, we do have them at the ready. And then the last one is Dean with the routing. We have 3,892
with 4,122 requests, which means that there's 230 uh nonouted. Uh that's certainly much better than we've been in a while, but that still is unacceptable and we do know that there are transportation concerns. Uh we are working very diligently with our transportation
partners uh Kata uh Dean and of course the gas cards. But I just want to say to our families if you are having bus concerns, please please please reach out to your principal and if they uh need help to please please uh reach out to central office so that we can try to
address your concerns. Uh other than that, I'm just really proud of this board and this community. Uh I think though it's an incredibly long meeting, uh we did the people's work and I think that that's what's really important tonight. Um so with that, uh I turn the
mic back to the president uh so that maybe we're out of here before midnight. Thank you. >> Yes, of course. Thank you. And I want to just I heard Trusty Herd knock, but we did the people's work. Thank you. All righty. Moving on to new business. It looks like we have Mr. Kek again. maybe
[Laughter] >> star training service agreement. Thank you >> real quick. Yes. >> Uh the star uh service agreement is a a star autism support program. Uh this is the second year that our classrooms are going to be using. Uh the classrooms
that are using this program are the autism spectrum disorder classrooms are self-contained and also our early childhood specialed classrooms. Um this includes curriculum online components and training and consultation to our
teachers to make sure that is implemented with fidelity. Um we'd like to request uh the approval from the board to uh to uh approve this agreement. >> All righty. >> Thank you.
>> You're welcome. Can I have a um motion to um >> approve the agreement as presented? >> So moved. >> All righty. It's been moved by Vice President Lopez and second by Dr. Kavanagh. Um is there any discussion or question for um Mr. Kek? Yes, Trusty
Ninsky. >> Yes. I just had one question. It's had the start date as March 625. I don't know if you could just speak to that. It seems like it's going back. Is it capturing anything previous or just that's the legal language to put in? It's also capturing
>> Can you hear me? Yes. Yes. It's capturing some of the previous Okay. >> Thank you. >> All righty. All right. Well, um, all in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Any oppose? Motion passes 80.
All righty. We're back in business. Uh, okay. Next on our agenda is a um foyer foyer appeal it looks like. Um and you have the information in in your
board packet. May I have a motion? >> Um so the Lancing school district received a Freedom of Information Act request by email dated September 21st, 2025 with four separate subp parts. The Lancing School District denied the foyer request because no records existed for
three of the subp parts and the fourth subpart asked for records that are confidential under FURPA and therefore exempt from disclosure under FOYA. A FOYA appeal was received by email on October 10th, 2025. After reviewing the appeal, the Lancing School District
considers to deny the appeal because the district upholds the FOYA coordinator's basis for denial. Can I have a motion to den Oh, that that part. Oh, should I do it? >> Can I have a motion to deny the appeal for the reasons stated more fully in the
proposed response letter? >> So moved. >> All right, let's fight over it. Is >> so Dr. Kavanagh um moved it and Dr. Rodriguez second. Um all Oh, all in favor signify by saying
I. >> Any oppose? Motion passes 80. So, Madam Secretary, would you like to proceed with the board calendar as well? >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Add it. >> Perfect. >> I move or Yeah. that the board calendar
previously adopted on January 9th, 2025 be amended by striking November 6th, inserting December 11, and striking December 18. >> Second. >> It's been moved by um Dr. >> Did you move it? Yeah.
>> Okay. It's been moved by Dr. Nas Martinez, second by um Dr. Rodriguez. Um all in favor signify by saying I. >> I. Any oppose? Motion passes. 8 Z. Alrighty. Uh, any public comment on
non-aggenda items? Oh, come on up. No, I'm just playing. I'm delirious, y'all. >> All righty. Um, comments from our board members at this time. Uh, Dr. Rodriguez. >> Thank you, Madam President. I have a lot
of good about half an hour presentation about the conference in St. Traverse City but thank you for let us me going there was excellent. I will have two recommendations and I put in writing and I will send to all the board at the
superintendent. Yes, two recommendations. >> Thank you. >> And I'm not going to say today because it's late. Thank you very much for sending us. >> Thank you so much and I look forward to um all of us send giving our feedback and sending our reports um to our colleagues to read and um and I had a
wonderful time. It was great being with all my colleagues. I wish I could have spent more time with you all, but it was so great to be in the space with you all at the time. Um, so with that being said, um, uh, yep. Oh, trusty Herd. Yes.
>> I I two things that I'd like for, um, the board to consider and for the superintendent maybe to meet with me about. Um, one of those, um, is K12 online having their graduation at the Breerlin Center. >> I'd like to talk about that among us.
Um, it was packed out the door and some people had to get tickets to come and see some of the most vulnerable babies um, have that distinction and I'd like to speak with us about it. Also, I'd like to speak um, with the superintendent and the board about a possible balora ceremony for
African-American graduates. Um, thank you. And also, if been considering sending your baby to Lancing schools to become a shining star. It's time you come home. Thank you. >> That's right. Come on home. Next, Trusty Ninsky. >> I just wanted to highlight that the
district was recognized with the Michigan's Green Ribbon uh award and there was a press conference about that. So, I'd encourage people to look at that information and have another great reason to be proud of what the district is doing for the health of our students and our environment.
>> Alrighty. Thank you so much for that. And um we have one more close session that we have to go into. It shouldn't take long at all. So at this time, can I have a motion, please? >> Madam President, >> yes. >> I move that the board of education go
into close session under open meeting Act section 81H to consider material exempt from disclosure by state or federal statute, specifically an attorney client privileged letter. >> All righty. Thank you so much. We are
entering into close session at 11. >> Oh, >> okay. It's been moved by Vice President Lopez, supported by Dr. um Rodriguez. Can I have a roll call vote? >> Dr. Kavanaaugh? >> Yes.
>> Mr. Herd? >> No. I'm just kidding. Yes. >> Okay. >> Mr. Lopez, >> yeah. >> Mrs. Moore, >> yes. >> Dr. Navar Martinez. >> Yes. >> Mr. Rabiski, >> yes. >> Dr. Rodriguez, >> yes.
>> Miss Williams, >> okay, eight. >> Motion passes. 8 Z. Thank you. We are now entering into close session at 11:43. Yes. We are now entered into open session at um 12:04. All righty. May I have a
motion? >> Yes. I move the board education of the school district contracting one more year to the superintendent. >> All right. Can I have a second? >> Second.
>> It was moved by Dr. Rodriguez, second by Dr. Kavanaaugh. May I have a roll call vote? >> Dr. Kavanaaugh. >> Yes. >> Mr. Herd. >> Hi. >> Mr. Lopez. >> Yes. >> Mrs. Moore. >> Yes.
>> Dr. Nvaras Martinez. >> Yes. >> Mr. Niski. >> Yes. >> Dr. Rodriguez. >> Yes. >> M. Williams. >> Motion passes. 71.
With no more business before the board. Um, we're clo. We're done. Sorry, I'm delirious. Meetings. >> Oh, yeah. Meetings adjourned.