Good afternoon. I called to order this May 20th, 2025 Loudoun County School Board meeting. Um, I was wondering, uh, we we're supposed to have remote attendance. Do we have that up yet? We're working to get it online now. Uh, there's a fiber cut in the area that's impacting it, but my understanding was Mr. Refe wasn't going to join until seven or seven 30. Is that accurate? Okay. So we're good. So I'm just gonna wait on that until, uh, after the after dinner, right? Okay. Okay. So we will go ahead with disclosures.
Um, I'll start as a member of the Loudoun County School Board. I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits, and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees. Specifically as a school board member, I'm eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected, of which I am included, I can
and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Ms. Chandler? Thank you, Madam Chair. As a member of the Loudoun County School Board, I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits, and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees. Specifically, as a school board member, I am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee.
These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected, of which I am included. I can and will. Thank you Madam Chair. As a member of the Loudoun County School Board, I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding employee salaries, the budget, and or health insurance, and any other discussion that may include or affect salary and benefits for LCPS employees. Specifically my spouse, my minor children, and I are enrolled in LCPS health insurance that may be affected by any potential changes
to employee salaries, the budget, and or health insurance. Additionally, my sister-in-law is an LCPS employee who does not reside with me and is not dependent on me. These subjects include thousands of employees, well in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may be affected, of which my spouse, my sister-in-law, my minor children, and I am included. I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Thank you. Vice Chair Donahue, Mrs. Griffiths. Thank you Madam Chair. As a member of the Loudoun County School Board,
I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits, and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees. Specifically, as a school board member, I am eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees while in excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may be affected, of which I'm included, I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public's interest.
This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Thank you. Thank You, Mrs. Griffith. Uh, Ms. Shernoff, oh, she's not here right now. Um, we'll have her, uh, state her disclosure when she gets here. Um, we'll move on to item three, approval of the consent agenda. Uh, board members, are there any changes to be made to the consent agenda? No. Uh, before we vote on the consent agenda, we have five proclamations to read. Our first proclamation, let me get it here,
is, uh, recognizes May, 2025 as Aler Danlos syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders Awareness Month and will be read by me. Whereas Aler Danlos syndromes are a group of connective tissue disorders that affect people of all ages causing symptoms such as joint hypermobility, skin fragility, and chronic pain. And whereas hypermobility spectrum disorder is diagnosed when a muscu muscular skeletal complications of joint hypermobility and joint instability arise in a person
who does not have the defining features of an underlying syndrome such as EDS or other heritable disorders of the connective tissue. And whereas there is currently no treatment or cure known for EDS or HSD Condi conditions that can significantly impact students, educators, and families within Loudoun County presenting unique challenges that require understanding accommodations and support. And whereas Loudoun County Public Schools is committed to supporting all students by promoting awareness and education about EDS and HSD, ensuring that those people of all ages, races,
and genders affected by these syndromes feel seen, heard, and empowered. And whereas the month of May is recognized in the Commonwealth of Virginia as Aler s Danlos Syndromes and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders Awareness Month, providing an opportunity to educate our community and help foster an inclusive e-learning environment where all students receive appropriate resources to thrive academically and socially. Now therefore, it be resolved that the Loudoun County School Board formally recognizes May as Ehlers Danlos syndrome's and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders Awareness Month, encouraging schools and the community
to participate in educator educational initiatives, awareness campaigns and support efforts to enhance the wellbeing of individuals living with EDS and HSD. It witnessed the thereof, the Loudoun County School Board issues this proclamation to honor and witness the month of May as Aler Danlos syndrome's and Hyper-Mobility Spectrum Disorders Awareness Month. And our next proclamation recognizes June, 2025 as LGBTQ plus Pride Month and will be read by April Chandler, Ms. Chandler. Thank you Madam Chair. Whereas the month
of June is recognized across the United States as LGBTQ plus Pride Month commemorating the ongoing pursuit of equal justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minority communities, and celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of LGBTQ plus individuals to our society. And whereas Loudoun County Public Schools acknowledges and highlights that the many achievements and profound contributions made by members of the LGBTQ plus community throughout history
and today to the economic, cultural, educational and political development of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the world. And whereas LGBTQ plus students, staff, and families are valuable and vibrant members of our school community whose diverse identities and experiences enrich the educational environment for all. And whereas LCPS is committed to fostering a culture of equity, inclusion and respect for all students regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. And whereas research shows
that inclusive educational settings where all students feel safe, respected, and valued positively impact academic achievement, mental health and overall wellbeing. And whereas LCPS recognizes the importance of affirming and supporting LGBTQ plus students and staff combating bullying, rejecting and condemning hate and discrimination, and ensuring that all individuals have the opportunity to thrive in a welcoming and inclusive learning environment. And whereas LCPS is stronger when reflecting
and respecting the full diversity of our school community, that enables 97% of all LCPS students to graduate in 2024. And now therefore be it resolved that the Loudoun County School Board proclaims June, 2025 to be L-G-B-T-Q plus Pride Month and encourages staff and community to recognize the contributions and achievements of the LGBTQ plus community to the Commonwealth of Virginia in Loudoun County and our school community now and throughout the school year. Thank you, Ms. Chandler.
Our third proclamation recognizes June, 2025 as Juneteenth National Independence Day, and will be read by Dr. Deans Juneteenth National Independence Day, June, 2025. Whereas Juneteenth observed annually on June 19th commemorates the day in 1865 when the last enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas were informed of their freedom, which was more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued
by President Abraham Lincoln. And whereas Juneteenth represents the triumph of freedom over slavery, the strength and unique historical experiences of African American, African, and black Americans, and the ongoing journey toward justice, equality, and civil rights in the United States. And whereas in 2021, Juneteenth was officially recognized as a federal holiday known as Juneteenth National Independence Day,
becoming a symbol of the nation's commitment to reflecting on the past and building a more inclusive future. And whereas the Commonwealth of Virginia recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday in 2020 as a celebration of black culture, history, resilience, joy, freedom, which are American values, whereas the Lauten County School Board acknowledges the importance of teaching history in its full complexity
and truth, including the legacies of slavery and the contributions of African Americans to our nation. And whereas African Americans make up 8.2% of residents in Loudoun County and 7.3% of students in Loudoun County public schools. And whereas LCPS is committed to fostering inclusive learning environments that honor the dignity culture and contributions of all people,
and to empowering students to become thoughtful, informed citizens who value diversity and justice. Whereas especially on Juneteenth, we acknowledge and highlight the many achievements and profound contributions made by African-American, African, and black Americans to the economic, cultural, educational and political development of Lauten County, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the United States.
And now therefore be it resolved that the Lauten County School Board recognizes and honors Juneteenth as a day of reflection, education, and celebration within our school community. And an opportunity to engage in learning that will ensure improved relationships and respect an improved collective sense of belonging and freedom from prejudice and hate, be it further resolved that the Loudoun County School Board
encourages all students, staff, and families to engage in meaningful learning experiences, classroom discussions and community events that commemorate Juneteenth and promote equity awareness and unity. Thank you, Dr. Deans. Our fourth proclamation recognizes June 6th, 2025 is National Gun Violence Awareness Day and will be read by Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you Madam Chair. Whereas ensuring the safety and wellbeing of every student, teacher, staff member and family in our school community is a paramount
responsibility of the Loudoun County School Board. And whereas gun violence poses a serious public health and safety crisis impacting students and families across the nation, including right here in Virginia, and whereas Tragically Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Virginia, with an average of 119 children and teens dying by guns every year with 31% of these deaths, suicides, and 62% homicides. And whereas this violence affects children's sense of physical safety, emotional wellbeing,
and ability to learn free from the fear of violence. And whereas Loudoun County Public Schools is committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive educational environment where every child can thrive and every educator can teach without fear. And whereas community awareness, prevention, education, responsible policies and open dialogue are essential components to addressing and reducing gun violence. And whereas national gun violence awareness efforts such as where Orange Day Unite individuals and organizations to honor the lives lost support survivors
and promote meaningful change. And whereas the Loudoun County School Board renews its commitment to help reduce gun violence and pledges to do all we can to keep firearms out of the hands of people who should not have access to them, encouraging responsible gun ownership and storage to help keep our families and communities safe. Now therefore be it resolved that the Loudoun County School Board formally recognizes National Gun Violence Awareness Day in Loudoun County Public Schools on Friday, June 6th, 2025, and encourages students and staff to wear orange, participate in activities that honor victims and promote gun safety awareness
and further commits to ongoing efforts to educate students and families about gun violence prevention, mental health support, and safe inclusive school communities. Thank you, vice Chair Donahue, and our final proclamation recognized as June, 2025 as Caribbean American Heritage Month in Loudoun County Public Schools. And would be read by Dr. Rashid. Thank you chair. Whereas in June, 2006, president George W. Bush made a presidential proclamation that June would be designated Caribbean American Heritage Month. And whereas the Caribbean diaspora is vast, encompassing numerous ethnicities, languages,
and cultures that have given shape to the quintessential idea of the American dream and have contributed to every aspect of society, including the arts, business, sports, politics, military science and more. And whereas the composition of cultures, languages, and religion across the United States and Caribbean Islands highlights a shared racial diversity and history that connects all to the ideals of liberty and equality. And whereas we acknowledge and highlight the many achievements and sacrifices made by Caribbean Americans of all racial,
ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, and celebrate their cultural and historic legacy. And whereas Loudoun County Public Schools is stronger when we reflect and respect the full diversity of our school community, that enables 97.1% of all students in Loudoun County Public Schools to graduate in 2025. And whereas the Loudoun County Public Schools recognizes that one of our strengths lies within our diversity and inclusive practices, and has a commitment to equity where all students in members of the learning community are afforded a safe, supportive, inclusive, affirming, and respectful environment.
Now be it resolved that the Loudoun County School Board recognizes June, 2025 as Caribbean American Heritage Month in Loudoun County Public Schools and encourages staff and community to observe and celebrate the culture, heritage and contributions of Caribbean Americans to our country, the Commonwealth of Virginia, our diverse county, and our schools during Caribbean American Heritage Month and throughout the school year. Thank you Dr. Rashid. Um, I'll now entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda. Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you Madam Chair. I move to approve the consent agenda. I have a motion. Do I have a second? Second.
I have a second. By Ms. Chandler. It's been properly moved and seconded to approve the consent agenda. Is there any discussion? Yes, Dr. Rashid? Thank you, chair. Um, I'm going to go ahead and vote in favor of approving the consent, consent agenda today, but I do wanna point out a concern that I've been thinking about specifically with respect to the item 3.06, the f and o committee, uh, item regarding TJ's contract with FCPS for the school year of 26 27. I'd caution my, and I sound like a broken record,
but I'd caution my fellow board members, uh, to think about this a little bit more closely rather than simply going ahead and approving it year after year. I'd like us to take, um, more of a closer look and ask more questions about it, uh, to see if the contract as presented is what's in the division's best interest for all students. Again, I'm going to go ahead and vote to approve the consent agenda today, but I did wanna raise, I wanted to raise this as I'll be reviewing the contract more closely next year. I would ask my college to do the same in the future. Thank you, chair.
Thank you, Dr. Rasheed. I think part of that also is to maybe have it come a little earlier than when it's supposed to be, um, adopted like a month or two earlier. Okay. Um, uh, at this time we will go ahead and take a mo uh, a vote to approve the consent agenda. Clerk, please open the vote Board members, please record your vote Clerk, please close and display the vote and that motion passes five, um, with Mrs. Griffiths, abstaining for the vote and Mr. Stree, Ms.
S Shernoff, and Ms. LaBelle absent for the vote. Um, we'll move on to the work session Department of Teaching and Learning, CTE, update Development, a five year plan presented by, uh, Mr. Neil Slevin, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning. Uh, and, uh, and I'll have him introduce everybody else. Good evening, chair Mansfield, board members and Dr. Spence. We are excited to be here tonight. Um, I'm particularly excited to be joined by our department, uh, members of our Department of Career Technical and Adult Education, and I'll have each of them introduce themselves briefly before we begin. Good evening, I'm Michael Grubbs.
I'm the Director for Career Technical and Adult Education. Good evening, Jennifer Alpers, supervisor, career and Technical Education. Good evening, Nick Rita, computer Science Supervisor. Good evening. Christina Lee, work-based learning coordinator for Division of Career Technical and Adult Education. I'd also like to acknowledge we have a number of, uh, members of the team in the back who will be joining us during this presentation to have a little bit of dial dialogue with you around the content of our presentation. I just appreciate the whole team being here to support this conversation around CTE and LCPS. Tonight's conversation is guided by the LCPS strategics plan, specifically action 1.2
around the development of multiple accessible pathways to success, expanding student access to participate in special specialized educational opportunities. While that is goes beyond CTE, there's definitely plenty of room for conversation about those pathways within the, the, um, division of CTE. We also, in that strategic action talk about revising the program of studies to expand elective opportunities and new course offerings based on student interests and workforce demands of the local community. And then we also are connected to the work of the superintendent's post entry plan, uh, with the vision
of offering a robust career and technical education program and evaluating our current offerings. So tonight we're going to dive into a little bit of the process we're taking, um, to make those recommendations. And we look forward to the conversation with you all at this point. I'm gonna turn it over to our Director of Career Technical Adult Education, Dr. Michael Grubbs. Thank you, Mr. Slevin. Before we begin, I wanna share a story about a student that guides how I approach career and workforce development. And I'm hoping is the foundation of our five year plan that we have spent the year discussing and will unpack tonight. Almost 15 years ago, I was facilitating an Engineering Shark Tank event
for our senior capstone students. And a student named Andrew, who took four years of our engineering program, was presenting to a room of professional engineers. When asked what engineering university he would pursue, he shared he would not be pursuing engineering, shocked the engineers in the room asked what he would be doing after high school, and he responded that he would be a lawyer. Even more shocked. He went on to share that he took the engineering courses because they would provide the opportunities for him to be a better critical thinker, collaborator, technical writer, and communicator. To me, that's the purpose of current technical education.
And so before we get into the five-year plan and program specifics, I think this story illustrates, um, how we're gonna approach this work moving forward. It's not just about the programs that we're gonna put in these school buildings, but it's more about how the, how we're gonna change the conversations that we're having with students. And so the days of posting a flyer about a career and how much money they make is not working. Like the flyer in the middle of the presentation and the Career ladder is not working with our students. Rather, the Career Jungle Gym and having meaningful conversations with students about their careers is the direction that we need to head To that end.
We think it's important that before we jump into all of our exciting programs, we wanna expand. It's important that we develop a common language on how we plan to discuss CT programs with our students. Because if we focus on just program expansion and how we promote them, they will just be empty spaces. We will be taking you through the Ry SAC model, a theory also known as Holland Codes that categorizes people into six personality types. This model is not new as VAB is based on these six letters. And it's also the components. It's also the components of our Career links platform that many of our students have taken this square.
However, the conversations in connection to programming is the area of growth that we wanna bring to you tonight Before we get into our five-year plan discussion. So we're going to start with a short video highlighting the letter R for realistic. The realistic is about hands-on doing. It's about physical activity. It's about being outdoors. It's about working with your hands. It's about manual dexterity. So when I think about the careers, carpenters, for example, score very high on the realistic theme. One thing about the realistics too is that they like
to see the output of their labor. So at the end of doing the physical work, they like to see the accomplishment, whether it's a house that's built, something that's been drafted or designed or created. So electricians, builders, carpenters, but also your physical therapist, typically leading with that. Realistic athletics and sports, you know, athletes typically leading with the realistic theme. Also, your military professions, many of them also will fall into that realistic side of the house. Those who lead with R, they're realistic, they are doers. They tend to adapt a problem solving approach
and can be assertive, competitive, and interested in activities that require motor coordination, skill and strength. Possible careers may include landscaping, firefighting, or civil engineering. What you'll notice, or what I hope you'll notice about these illustrated slides is that not one of them calls out a specific career. They are based on skills, values, and interests to reduce biases for students. If any of these realistic attributes or characteristics are resonating with you, please raise your red realistic card in your packet.
Cabinet is also included and encouraged to participate in this interactive activity. The next letter is I for investigative giv. Sorry. So the investigative theme is all about using math and science to solve problems. So our investigatives are deeply curious. They are your lab rats, your scientists, they're gonna be in the library, they're gonna be in the stacks, they're gonna be reading, they're gonna be processing constantly in the experiments and constantly troubled around why the solution isn't working. So again, it's your scientists, it's your professors, it's your researchers.
Uh, they are very commonly the ones that we're gonna think about wearing lab coats and are gonna fall into that investigative category. So our investigative, uh, students are thinkers. They're, they're curious, analytical, and independent, logical, enjoy learning and solving complex problems. These tend to be careers such as scientists, res researchers, doctors, data analysis, software developers, detectives. If you identify as I for investigative, please raise your letter. Thank you. And I have the pleasure of a artistic,
So the artistic theme, we often talk about creative self-expression, right? It's the artistics, and they are just as it sounds, oftentimes found in the fine arts. So dance, music, theater, the artistic are definitely gonna be found in that environment. They just have a different level of creative self-expression. And so that takes us over to journalism authors, writers, designers. They might have colored hair, unique clothing, whatever it might be. Those artistics are using their creative self expression in order to create the things that we appreciate in life.
So those that connect with a, they're typically creators expressive. They enjoy unstructured environments, self-expression and innovation. They're drawn to music, art, drama, and design. And they also, they prefer their work environments to be flexible and open for emotional, excessive, um, expressive spaces. Um, some of the career paths for these individuals, they're graphic designers, your photographers, interior designs, and they enjoy project work, uh, project based work.
If anybody resonates with a, please raise your card. Thank you. We are now gonna introduce you to social. So social helpers is a really important theme to think about because it truly is a helping theme. So it's about caring and nurturing service to others. And they can be found in hospitals as nurses, or they can be found in schools as teachers. They can be HR professionals as well. But at the core of who they are, they wake up every day wanting to help others. So social is often confused with being extroverted or social.
It is also associated with being a helper. Helpers often are seen as helping others, teaching, counseling, leading groups, providing care, working with people. They're empathetic, cooperative, friendly, understanding, they enjoy social interaction and overall helping others. Occupations tend to be associated with teacher, counselor, nurse, social worker, human resources, clergy. If you identify as s please raise your letter. Love It. Thank you. Love. S fs. So I have the pleasure of e enterprising.
Enterprising is all about public speaking and persuasion. So the enterprisers like to start businesses take risk. They're brave when it comes to finances. Uh, they might be willing to roll the dice on a new big idea and put a lot of money towards that investment. But they're also politicians in a lot of cases. Public speaking and persuasion falls within those political realms. We'll also find that lawyers will oftentimes lead with that enterprising theme. You think of a case that a attorney is speaking on behalf of getting in front of a court, getting in front of a judge. So that enterprising interest is really important.
So based on the video, um, our enterprisers, they're leaders, persuaders, and they're very business oriented. They are confident, they're natural born leaders and motivators. They enjoy taking a risk and making strategic decisions. Um, they enjoy public speaking and effective communication. Some examples, as they mentioned in the video, lawyer, entrepreneur, sales manager, politician, and they, um, involved leadership and strategic and influence. Do many of our school board members resonate with e
And the final letter here is C for conventional, Conventional, the organizers, it's all about organizing facts, data and figures and the conventionals are really interesting. They appreciate structured environments. Typically within traditional business settings. They can be your accountants, your actuaries, financial analysts, but also your software developers. When you think of how software is written, the structure of the organization that software requires is typically a conventional leading disposition. But there's also this other interesting play on
conventional, which could come from logistics and organizing how products make it around the world. Many logisticians that work in warehouses and organize, uh, the materials that come in, they're leading with conventional as well. But again, that core organizing theme is what is the driver. Our conventional in individuals are often our organizers. They are methodical. They like to get things done on time into a very high standard. Those who are conventional, you may find them in careers such as a medical assistant, a paralegal, a logistics analyst.
Those who are conventional like to create structures and systems. They like to keep accurate records and find patterns in data. So if any of the conventional attributes or characteristics are resonating with you, please raise your card. So we hope you enjoyed this activity and learning a little bit about the REIC model. Researchers suggest that most people have a combination of these letters with typically two or three being more dominant. This combination creates their Holland code. We are gonna ask that you take some time to identify your top three IC letters. Please turn to a colleague as members
of our work-based learning team, um, help you navigate the process. So they're gonna come up and engage in some conversation with cabinet and the board. And then we'll ask if a few board members and cabinet members would like to share out their results. So we'll just take a few minutes to have some conversation in our seats. Hey, we're hearing a bit of a lull, so we will take a take a moment to finish our last thought. So would a board member or a member of cabinet like to share out their letters and reflect a little bit on the EC model? Thank you. Team. Would any board member or cabinet member like to share out their letters
and a little bit of reflection on how they're thinking about the Raic model? Alright, I'll Share. Um, is that okay? Madam chair? Do I need to read my disclosure first? I'll wait till after. Okay. Um, I knew I was gonna be a little bit late today due to some carpool conflicts. So, um, I took a test online, I cheated. Um, I took a free test so I would knew when I came in hot I would be ready for this conversation. Um, I was very high on social, which I don't think is, um, a surprise to me or anyone else.
I'm the extrovert of all extroverts. I am energized by being around people. And then after that, enterprising and artistic we're a close second place, which I think also aligns with, um, my career path and where I'm sitting now in terms of the enterprising piece. And I have always been a proponent of the arts, but I have also was an arts kid and both of my kids are very involved in the arts and have those inclinations. So all of these things really seem to align. And in the dialogue we were talking about how when I was growing up, it sort of felt like you needed
to keep your traits to yourself. I felt like that growing up as a kid, but I think now with everything being so external, um, and a much more collaborative environment, I think that these kinds of exercises are very powerful for, for students to help to learn to shape their future, What anyone else like to share. So mine was more realistic, artistic and social being the music therapist that I am. And um, so, and it's funny 'cause my husband's the complete opposite and we do Halloween decor and decorations and props
and like, I'm the one who comes up with everything. And then he is the engineer and the computer programmer that puts it all together. So, um, and I guess, you know, the therapist in me is that social person. I guess that's why I was a music therapist. It put the art and the, and the therapy together. So anyway, that was me. Can I put any of my friends in the back on the spot? Anyone like to share from cabinet? Thank you Dr. Ellis. Thank you Mr. Sle. So I was, um, investigative realistic and social
and just interesting listening to Ms. Shernoff talk about social, because I am not at all an extrovert. Um, but I do very much like to help people, like to help them solve problems, lead discussions or facilitate large groups. Um, so I definitely fall into that category, but the word I got kind of hung up on the word social. So I can't remember who was speaking to that. But I appreciate you saying that it's really not an introvert extrovert thing 'cause that's definitely not me. So we appreciate your participation in that activity as we move on to further discussion on the specific five
year plan for CTE, we'd like you to please consider how these attributes might affect your own interest in advocacy and program expansion in LCPS. So at this point, I believe I'm turning it back to Dr. Groves. Thank you Mr. Slevin. So thinking about RY sac and actionable strategies, uh, as we move this work forward and consider expanding and promoting career and technical education pathways, it's important that we continue to have these conversations. We've already mapped all of our CT courses back to the RY sac model. And for the student who maybe is artistic and doesn't think that they align to computer science,
they would be surprised that some of our courses actually do have connections to a for artistic. We think that this is a better model as we start to talk to students about CT pathways and career expansions, rather than promoting how much money you can make in a future career. We are also infusing this into our professional development model. We have trained over 300 of our CTE teachers and we are looking for opportunities to incorporate it into our curriculum, career exploration activities. And we even presented to school business partnership last week to our employers and business partners, and it was extremely well received.
So I would like to talk about the changes that are happening in regards to work-based learning starting July 1st. Um, so starting July 1st, we will be having five new team members join work-based learning to, uh, support and grow the workforce in K through 12 education. Some of these individuals you met four of them, uh, they had conversations with you earlier. Um, it'll be a total of five again and they will be working to build partnerships alongside with myself, with the schools and local employers alignment with CTE. Um, not only will, uh,
these work-based learning resource teachers along with myself be expanding work-based learning, but also increasing the number of students that are participating in internships and apprenticeships, especially those two opportunities along with other work-based learning opportunities such as workplace tours, job shadowing, um, et cetera. Um, also we plan to build a regional ecosystem for career fairs and career development, um, mock interviews, resume review, um, and then also, um, these individuals will help support the work, uh,
not only in high school level, but also K through eight. So here's a great vision, uh, visual of the resource teachers that will be supporting, um, work-based learning moving forward. Um, so they've been broken up in clusters based upon Loudoun County. We have, um, group one, which is Kirsten. She's at the bottom, uh, with the yellow board, uh, the, uh, the yellow gr orange border. Um, she'll be supporting, uh, the Independence, rock Ridge, Broadwood and Riverside Cluster. We have group two, which is Angie She'll. She's in the purple border. She'll be supporting Heritage tus Aurora,
Loudoun Valley and Wood Grove. Um, good Group three, which will be Susan. She's in the, the reddish, uh, border. She'll be supporting John Champ, Loudoun County, light Ridge and Freedom and Group four. Uh, Derek, he's at the bottom with the blue border. He'll be supporting broad run Dominion. Roby High School, Parkview Potomac Falls. Um, and then Group five, uh, Kelly Ucci. She's actually with academies allowed in already, but she'll be supporting special programs including the academies.
Also North Star, our new access program, and then also our health and Medical Science academy that we have. And then also I'll be taking on a school as well. Stonebridge. Um, with this team, we will again, help and grow and develop, um, our students, getting our students into opportunities, um, not just CTE students, but also all our students that are interested in opportunities because we know that, um, it is a, a huge, um, opportunity for our students to get into experiences before college. And so we wanna make that happen for our students.
Um, and then, uh, continue to grow K through eight as well. Um, like career assessments, um, career interests, the RY sac model with our students, um, to continue to grow work-based learning. And also finally, wanted to share with you all some save the dates of opportunities that are happening in the fall. We will be again, hosting the Workforce Summit. Um, last year we had our first annual Workforce summit back in October. We're gonna bring that back, um, again in the fall and October 8th, 24th. That is an opportunity where businesses come
to have conversations with our staff, with our students, and then also our community leads to talk about how we can continue to grow workforce development, our program expansion. Um, we plan to have a few other things happening different than we did last year. So we are very excited about that. So please save the date. Um, if you're interested in attending that, that's gonna be at the National Conference Center, um, from eight 30 to one 30 again on October 24th. And, um, for over 20 years, I know the job for day has been around at LCPS. Again, we'll be hosting job for day on November 19th.
Um, also I, Nova does two days, so they're gonna do, uh, uh, November 19th and then November 20th. Um, this is an opportunity we last year and in the past year, it's been an opportunity for 11th and 12th grade students. This year we're gonna open it up to 10th and 11th grade students to get to shadow a business for a day. It's an excuse absent from school, and they get to shadow a business for either a half a day, a full day. Um, and we hope to continue to grow our numbers from this past year. Um, this current year, current year that we were in, um, we had 536 students participate in job for a day.
Um, 80 bus, 80 plus businesses participating in J four day. So we hope to increase that number from last school year as well. Thank you. Thank you, Christina. So we spent some time talking about how we plan to talk to students about careers and the ecosystem that we're building for supporting them in a sustainable way. We're now gonna spend some time talking about our five-year plan, uh, progress to date and where we're heading. To inform our five-year plan. We've examined current CT programs offerings. You have a chart in your packet, or you can start to look at, uh, all of our representation across the county.
Um, across the top, we have our six planning zones, which also map back to our transportation zones. As we think about program expansion. Along the left are our career clusters. And so red is where we have no cluster representation. Beyond the academies of loudoun in our comprehensive high schools, green captures schools that have programming in that cluster. And so gaps that we have discovered this school year, for example, is that we have no agricultural education beyond academies of loudoun. We have no energy cluster programs in Loudoun County public schools. We also have a finance cluster that is not available
to all students in all planning zones. We also have business management and administration that is not in every single high school. Thank you, Dr. Grubbs. Uh, on the next page, you can see that we only have health and medical sciences in two planning zones. Human services cluster is an all but two high schools, and we also have found that we're lacking in law, public safety, um, that particular career cluster as well right now. Thank you. So as we continue through the next few slides, we encourage you to review the current program offerings
chart, uh, that's in your packet, and consider program distribution by location specifically what sticks out, what surprises you, what concerns you, maybe. Um, we are also going to ask that you consider program offerings or program types. And if you happen to take a few notes while you're reflecting over the next few slides, we hope that you'll share them with us. Thank you, Jen. So again, it's not yet a matter of what to expand. There isn't a day that goes by that we hear from a community member, a parent, a student, um, even the school board around more programs to add
to Loudoun County Public Schools. One recent example is, do we offer agricultural education to Western loudoun or do we ensure that human services is offered to all students? And so as we've been approaching this work, we've been focusing our energy on how we expand, not just what we expand. There's a lot of different ways to go about this work. We could ensure that every single high school has a minimum of three CTE programs. We could ensure that every geographic zone has all 17 career clusters. We could focus just on innovative programs like aviation technology and data centers being brought
to Loudoun County Public Schools. We could also make sure that we're aligning to the county economic development seven key sectors. Those are all very different strategies as we consider program expansion. So to guide our work, we've been spending significant time, um, talking to our advisory council members, our teachers, our employers, our business partners, even our staff on our own team. And so a recent survey, um, yielded 75 responses. And this is a start. This is a draft to give us some feedback on how we are going to prioritize program expansion program
and pathway expansion within LCPS. These are our top three priorities right now based on the survey that we sent out that we're gonna continue to go back and review. But the three priority areas are economic alignment to high demand fields. We have significant feedback that we should focus on programs that are aligned to industry recognized credentials. Uh, even programs that do not require four year degree that are high needs in Loudoun County Priority. Priority area two is around the importance of equity, accessibility, and comprehensive offer offerings throughout the school system.
So we had almost 80% of our, uh, participants rank that ensuring 17 career clusters are offered somewhere within LCPS as a high or medium priority. And then our last area in terms of feedback is that there is an interest in innovation and regional relevance. So 50% of our participants indicated new and advanced and innovative programs was a high priority for them. And almost 83% of our participants ranked expansion that is aligned to Loudoun economic development, seven key industries as high
or medium priority To ensure that as we get new requests, that we are transparent and we are methodical. That's the c coming out in me. Um, in this approach, we are gonna implement a decision matrix moving forward. So once we have our three priorities, anytime that we get a new request, whether it's from a school or a community member about a program, we can simply map it back into our decision matrix to see where it ranks in terms of our priority. So it really helps us. This is just an example of a previous one that I've used. Um, it helps us as we get program requests throughout the school year to have a very methodical, organized plan for
how we expand programs moving forward. So currently students have access to healthcare programs through MAA and Health and Medical Sciences Academy. It's important to note that these programs are open to all LCPS students through the lottery system. And we are at a point where we know healthcare and human services cluster has a place in all six planning zones. So this slide illustrates where we believe there may be an opportunity to add SAI to Western Loudoun and to explore healthcare programs that could exist in our comprehensive high schools,
ensuring access by planning zones. And this slide illustrates an example of agricultural education, a program area that may not fit into all six planning zones, but one that we can prioritize by planning zones that allow for regional access. So in this example, phase one includes Western loudoun and phase two includes Dulles North. On this slide, we're taking a look at innovative programs that we could possibly offer, uh, programs such as aviation, dental, data center operations. And so currently we don't offer those programs,
but in a phase one, we could be looking at, uh, high school 14, uh, connecting to Leesburg airport, uh, connecting data center operations. We do, uh, host 70% of the world's internet traffic in Loudoun County. So it makes sense to look at pathways that, uh, that connect to that. And then finally in phase two, we look at what we can do to expand those programs to other schools. Thank you. So we just talked a little bit about data center operations. Dr. Grubbs had mentioned that in the past, um, in a couple slides and offering those innovative programs really align well
with the K through 12 computer science pipeline model that we've established in Loudoun County public schools. So we are taking those innovative programs and aligning them with things that we already have in existence with our computer science pipeline, for instance. Thank you. Thank you, Nick. As we close out, our goal is to have a five-year plan document by summer or early fall. We already have a draft document mapping out example programs mapped back to our decision matrix in areas of need and our top three priorities. We would like to take an opportunity to get feedback from you. We encourage you to take notes on your feedback form
that is in front of you, and to share out input on the following prompts. It will impact our draft document that we plan to release again this summer and early fall. And we encourage you to share out priorities, uh, for your zone or your geographic area information or tours as a board member, such as the one in front of you visiting north of Grumman with Dr. Spence and Chair Mansfield, and programs that you are interested in for your zone. So at this time, thank you again for the opportunity to be in front of you. We are going to open up for, um, any feedback to the prompts
that are on the slide or just open discussion for the team. Thank you Dr. Grubbs. Um, I'm wondering, so we're talking about like data centers, all the rest of that, but what, and, um, we're even thinking about pipelines and transmission lines and those kinds of things, but what about environmental kinds of things? Where is that in the grand scheme of this? Because we wanna think of a balance, right? For me, I do. So I'll start and then Dr. Grubbs could talk a little bit about environmental, um, programs within the context of CTE.
Um, but just a reminder to the board that this conversation around CTE pathways is happening within a larger conversation than LCPS around special programs and opportunities. Um, we recognize there's interest, interest in expanding science programs, fine arts pathways and things of that nature, world languages. That's not the context of tonight's presentation. All that being said, we're very mindful of the board's interest in those areas, working with Dr. Rasheed in the special programs committee. Um, we actually do have an environmental science program that is in a pilot stage working with some teachers, um,
at Woodgrove Health High School to develop a number of electives, um, and, um, pathways for students to progress through environmental science. Um, it hasn't gotten to the point where we're ready to propose a academy or special program, but it is, it is in development. Um, we also are, um, at the direction of the committee, um, survey surveying our community in the fall, um, for in, in, in our students as well, in interest in special programs. And we're tying that to our recruitment season next year as families are really paying attention to
what special programs exist. We're also gonna ask them, what would you like to be a part of? And environmental science programs would be on, uh, will be included in that particular survey. Um, so I don't know if you'd add anything about CTE specifically. And when you're talking about environmental service, I'm sorry, uh, are you talking like, we're talking like geothermal, wells Solar, that kind of thing? Oh, I, I'm, I apologize. I I made an assumption with your question. So maybe with in the energy cluster. Sure. Yeah. And I can actually, um, I think that's a great question because I think sometimes what's deceiving around the ag culture or the ag cluster is that it's only,
um, veterinary science or it's only ag mechanics. Um, that cluster has, I think, between seven and 10 pathways that are all really well connected to environmental science, biotechnology, those types of, um, areas. And I think ag, um, focuses and could bring some of those environmental science concepts out. Um, the energy cluster also has concepts such as geothermal, heating, coaling, um, solar wind, solar, offshore energy. So I think those are two really interesting programs and clusters that have multiple tentacles to the STEM and steam fields that we could explore.
And soil regeneration. Yeah, Yeah, hydroponics and vertical farming and, and all those things. I think, um, and that's some of the work that we need to do, which is why, again, I think it's so important, the SAC model, if we just say we're starting an ag program, but we don't change how we talk to students about those connections and what those fields really are, then we're just putting in, um, programs that maybe already have inherent biases in them that students aren't gonna be interested engaging in. Yeah. There was even a student in, uh, was it the Step Up program, the Loudoun Step Up, I think where, um, they were talking, they made a furniture out
of fungus, mushrooms basically, and, uh, mushrooms. I thought it was fantastic. So that kind of thing. Board members chan, Ms. Chandler, Thank you Madam Chair, and thank you so much for this presentation. Um, there's so much to learn and it, it is exciting to see how, um, this possibility is expanding in Loudoun County. Um, in terms of areas of particular interest to me or to Algonquian district, I would love to see government and public administration expand. Um, I think there's so much opportunity to harness what's here already, um, that
that could be an easy one to facilitate. And of course, um, law and public safety, um, that also seems like a, a natural fit for our region. So, um, thank you, Dr. Rasheed. Thank you Chair. Um, I, I, I too would love to see along many of the, um, topics that my colleagues had mentioned. Law was a big one for me. I thought we did have a program for law in academies of Loudoun, but I wasn't sure. I, I know it wasn't mentioned, but I would definitely would like to see, uh, law really being developed, especially since we're so close
to dc, the DC area. And I know that Mr. Sub and I had many side conversations about that, but yeah. Thank you so much for this Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you, Madam Chair. I echo the comments of my fellow board members. Um, I'm a little bit biased since I'm a lawyer in my day job and spent 19 years working for federal and state, uh, government offices. Um, I, I also think it would be really useful to, um, to develop a kind of law, public safety, government service, um, I don't know, path
or pipeline or, or something. Um, and, but, and, uh, and also I did have a question. Um, how do you determine where you're going to cite some of these, uh, some of these programs? For example, I'm looking at slide 29 with your example of agricultural education. I completely understand why if we're going to do that, we would be focusing on Western Loudoun as a starting point, but then you've also added the Dulles region. So I'm curious, like why the Dulles region as opposed
to any other parts of Eastern Loudoun? Yes, that, that's a great question. Um, those are all, um, things that we would unpack with more community involvement, right? So, um, when everyone had a new program, we have to have departmental labor data and student interest data. We would need to make sure that we open this up to principals and have regional conversations with the high school office. Um, these are just draft plans from our, our office. We then were feeling very strongly about the types of programs based on the priorities in that decision matrix. We then would engage with deeper conversations with, um, is the student interest there. Um, Western Loudoun's a really good example.
If we were to move forward with a program in Western Loudoun with ag, we would probably approach both schools and, and, and look at space, look at feasibility, have conversations with the principals. Um, so again, we're not locked into some of the examples we shared tonight. This is more, um, the direction that we're heading, um, trying to solidify our ideas and plans. Thank you. Any other? Yes, Mrs. Griffiths. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, uh, as far as I, I believe we did have a conversation about the hospital is right here, so maybe we'd be, they just expanded, uh,
that hospital, maybe having nursing programs there. Um, you had mentioned there were programs there previously, but now with the new expansion that's happened in the past couple years, I think that's something that should be considered. Um, also, um, I'd mentioned previously the CAS program, uh, that's at a OL. And I've had some people come to me and ask me, why don't we have the, the people in the, the students in the CAS program going around and doing the inspections and fixing things, um, in different schools.
Um, they can learn how to fix things. They can learn about HVAC, um, they could paint, they can do all kinds of things. So I'm curious to know how soon we can get that going, um, because I think that'll be a great program for the people at a OL and also, uh, the Fine Arts program. Um, I guess my question is, and I've talked to some, uh, people in theater. Did, and you can verify for me, did we take credits out, um, where students, uh, you know, they don't have a requirement of theater
or fine arts anymore to graduate? Is that true or We've taken credits away. Can you explain that? Thank you. If you have a, I'm not familiar with what specifically you you're referencing, but if you have a specific inquiry, I'm happy to to run it down and get an answer for you related to that. Um, as far as your comment around Inova and partnerships, a hundred percent, we cannot do this work that we're talking about tonight without our community and industry partners. Um, and I, I can't thank Inova enough for their longstanding partnership with LCPS, um,
and their commitment to existing programs as well as interest in supporting us and develop new ones. Um, as far as our relationship with cast and expanding opportunities related to, um, that program as well as, um, transition services, I'm really thankful of the relationship Dr. Grubbs has established with our special education department as well as CAC and the work that he's doing. So this continues to be part of the conversation, um, in the bigger picture in terms of how we're, um, meeting the needs of that community. If I may, um, the, the credits, um, used to,
let me clarify maybe what I'm trying to say. Used to be able to, um, have a requirement. You had to take fine arts to graduate, um, and you don't have to any longer. So the theater and fine Arts are losing students to special programs. Um, all the programs that we're offering now, they're losing people to the fine arts. And, and I'm curious to know why, why that is and why it's not a requirement to have a fine arts. Uh, if I have fine arts, uh, to graduate.
So we, we do, um, follow the graduation requirements for standard and advanced diploma from the state of Virginia. And there, there are options for students. Um, one piece of feedback that we have received is that there is, the more options we have for students there, there, uh, it does have impact on programs at the school level. Um, and that's something that we need, we need to be conscious of. Um, we want high quality programs for students regardless of their particular interests. Um, I would note that while Dr. Grubbs and his team have focused the EC model
around our conversations around CTE, this really can help, um, our students think about other course pathways that we're offering as well. I mean, if we have artistic students that have a strength in artistic, then they may find those pathways within our, our fine arts programs. Um, and so I believe what I'm hearing you ask is about the pressure that schools students feel about specializing. And I do think that's part of, um, a natural consequence of the more options we're putting in our high schools, the more choices students have to make, unfortunately, when they get to that level. Ms. Shernoff, thank you. Oh,
I think Dr. Deans was before me. Okay. Go ahead. Sorry. Dr. Deans Being a farmer's daughter, I like the agriculture, but I think it's more than just in a certain part of the county, because even in my retirement community, they, by those, those boxes and grow their own, um, um, food. So I, so, so I think, I think you are on the right track to start it in, in that part of Loudoun, but then expand it because it is something that is
of interest across the county. Thank you, Dr. Deans, Ms. Shernoff. Thank you madam. Chair. Um, I thank you so much for this presentation and so much of this is so exciting. We live in a very exciting area. There's lots of opportunity. The Workforce Summit was honestly mind blowing to see that many people come together in support of our schools. It's, it's truly amazing. Um, my question really surrounds sort of around mental health and the pressures and how to balance all of that, because with all this opportunity and with all of these sort of, I don't wanna call them tracks, but sometimes they feel like tracks to me.
How, how do you all anticipate collaboration with student services or other different departments to help students understand not only that these opportunities e exist, but what those requirements require of them? I mean, we already hear from our students so much about the pressure to have a 4.5 zillion GPA to get into our local colleges. And you know, there, there are a lot of choices that these kids have to make at a very young age. Kids are filling out course planner now in elementary school, so that pressure is, is adding on.
So my, my question is, what is the plan for that? Is there a plan for counseling services to be involved, guidance around course planner? What kinds of conversations are we expecting parents to be having with kids so that they can make smart choices so that kids are successful? Great question. Um, I think we've been drawing closer and closer to school counseling. I'm really appreciative of Heather Ross. She attended our session and took I think, 10 stacks of the R stack cards. Um, when I think about the instructional framework and I think about a sense of belonging, um, these cards are beyond career development. Um, I sat in a session a few weeks ago,
we took this in front of principals and we had a principal that shared that she was a ballet dancer years ago. No one in that room, um, knew that she had that background. They've known her for 20 years. And soon I think about mental health and health and talking to students and counseling them. Um, I think this is taking away the, let's just find the highest paying job. Like let's, let's first know who you are as a person. Um, what are your skills, your values, your interests. And so I think, I think that this helps with that conversation. Um, I just wanna echo Mr. Slavin's comments. Um, the EC cards are larger than
just, let's find you a career. It's who you are as a person. I would just add, and it's really good feedback. Um, but that's why it's essential that the division of teaching and learning CTE, um, has a strong ongoing collaborative relationship with student services, with school counseling. And that is, that's happening, um, related to the program of studies, making sure our schools know how to talk to their families about the offerings, un understanding where these pathways will go. Um, and it also takes, um, you know, strong family engagement. So we also appreciate the support of our communications office and,
and making sure that we have a robust communication plan around these offerings. Um, so your point is well taken. We wanna continue to improve in that regard. So any feedback is, is appreciated along the way. Ms. So Lozano. Thank you Madam Chair. Um, going back to what you were saying, there is a lot of pressure that we feel, especially in high school. Um, and I actually love the idea with the cards and the personality tests, um, because I feel like a lot of times high schoolers, we kind of default to whatever does make the most money.
And we really, I really like the idea of going to what attracts us, what our interests are, like, who we are. And that is something that I've noticed over the years that, that advertisements with like, oh, like you can go on this track, it'll get you this income. Um, I've never really been a fan of that and I know a lot of, um, my peers agree with that. So I just wanna say that I really like the cards and I think that that will really help, um, take off some of this pressure that we feel. Thank you. Thank you Ms. Sono. Um, any other questions? Seeing none, um, thank you so much
for your time and your presentation. Um, well we have like 15 minutes and, um, I wanted to get this in, um, 4.02 select Committee on Retiree Health Benefits. Um, I wanted, you know, in response to the feedback from the community, uh, we voted to establish the select committee focused on retiree healthcare. And so in talking with Vice Chair Donahue, um, she and I thought that we should talk about that, um, as to the reasons for and, uh, possibly flesh it out a little bit more.
Um, vice chair, Don, you, do you wanna have, do you wanna speak to anything? Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, I thought it could be useful, um, drawing on my experience chairing the joint committee on collective bargaining or whatever, whatever the official title of that working group was, um, drawing on my experience in those meetings, um, I just thought that it would be useful to flesh out, um, what the, that if we're going to go forward with the select committee,
that it would be useful to flesh out what we want to the committee to achieve, what their authority will be, um, what their, um, you know, are they, are they going to be able to invite people to come and present information to them? Are they going to be voting on anything or making recommendations to the full board? Um, and what, you know, what do we foresee as their mission? How will they judge if they have achieved what we want them to do?
Um, and, uh, I thought that that could benefit from some conversation. So, um, and I'll open it up to the board in a minute. Uh, the thought is that this would be an information gathering, uh, committee period without any no, um, voting, no decisions, no anything like that. It was, it would be purely informational. Um, maybe the history of the, of the historical context of what has been going on. Um, look at evolving policies and our current practices.
Um, so it's more of a fact finding effort than anything else. And I would suggest that it would be like maybe four, um, sessions, uh, keep it s smaller, um, because it really is only informational gathering and then perhaps four board members be a part of it, as well as, um, perhaps retirees, some retirees, and, um, still fleshing that out a little bit. Um, any other thoughts from board members? Yes, Ms. Shernoff?
Thank you Madam Chair. Um, I appreciate the chance to discuss this publicly. Since we voted to have the select committee, I have heard from a number of retirees and current employees that would like to be involved in some way. So I'll put that out there. I don't know exactly what that could look like. Um, also I love the idea of it being a fact finding mission. I fully support that. I don't really think, I think the decision points will come to the full board. I think that's appropriate through the budget cycle. And I think that's where we felt, or I'll speak for myself, that's where I felt caught off guard in terms of trying
to gain an understanding of something that is very vast and wide and deep that I had never entered into before. Um, and so trying to learn that quickly, uh, was difficult. I'll just say it was challenging and frustrating at times. Uh, the town hall that I held had almost a hundred people attend, and that was more of a fact finding endeavor for me, and that was very powerful. It was good to hear from the public about what they were experiencing and how they were feeling. So I'm hopeful that it will be a healthy space to learn. My one ask would be that if we're going
to have a specific number of meetings that each, this is the planner and me each meeting would sort of have a theme. Um, at the last presentation, Ms. Willoughby went through sort of a brief historical overview and I found that very enlightening and also gave me some ideas for next steps that we might need to take, even including the Board of supervisors. So I would like to see some clear specific topics outlined for each meeting so that we really have a nice trajectory. Um, and I would love to be a part of it if, and I will volunteer to chair it if nobody else wants to.
So thank you. Um, well, I was gonna chair it and then, um, but yes, Ms. Chandler. Thank you Madam Chair. I, I will just, um, say that so much of what my fellow board members are saying here tonight really resonates with me. Um, I think this is a great opportunity for us to show, um, the retiree community and the larger community that we heard the feedback we received throughout that process. And, and we have an opportunity to, um, reach out and work together, um, in the spirit of transparency
and, um, try to find a solution, although we are not in a fact finding way, um, together. So I, I'm also happy to volunteer for the committee, So board members, if you would, look on board docs and members outside in the audience who have an interest in this, look on board docs as to some of the scope and timeline and structure and intended outcomes, and provide, um, some thoughts and feedback about this. And, um, and then we can synthesize it more
and come up with a better plan for, um, maybe even our next meeting, depending on what's going on in the next two weeks. Yes. Uh, vice Chair Donahue. Thank you Madam Chair. I just wanted to add one point for clarification. Um, at the risk of making myself look foolish, but when we, when we initially had this conversation at whichever meeting it was that we talked about having the select committee. I thought that we, I thought that we were looking at laying the groundwork for deciding what to do when Cigna stops carrying the one plan at the
beginning of 2026. And I did not entirely realize that. Um, my understanding subsequently is that is already determined. So this, the select committee going forward would be for a different purpose. So I, in the event that I was not the only one who had a misunderstanding of what the, um, scope and purpose might be, I just wanted to throw that out there. Yes. Um, Mrs. Griffith, Um, thank you Madam Chair.
Um, you had mentioned you are going to chair it. Are we able to nominate anybody else for the committee today? Um, per school board policy, it's the chair who decides the, and, and correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. Allen is the chair that determines the makeup of the committees. Thank you, chair. Yes, that's correct. Pursuant to policy 2310, Does that answer your question, Ms. Oh, are you gonna decide today? Um, I'm, I'm gonna decide. I'm still, I mean, I still wanna gather interest from the group. I think Ms. S Shernoff has expressed her interest. Uh, Ms. Chandler has expressed her interest.
I have expressed my interest and I know that at, at one point, uh, Mr. Stree, and that would be four has expressed their interest. Um, I Just wanted to mention Carrie's not here and she's interested as well. I wanted to know, I have talked to Carrie. Oh, you have? Okay. And she, um, and, and I'm still talking to Carrie about it. Uh, uh, sorry, Ms. LaBelle. So yeah, is there any other discussion? Seeing no more discussion? Um, okay. So to be continued, um,
we have about 10 more minutes. I would suggest that we just go ahead and go to dinner and come back at six 30. Um, so the school board will now recess for dinner and reconvene at 6:30 PM Thanks. Test, Test, test. Good evening. The board is coming out of recess at this time, and we will continue with item seven, the Pledge of Allegiance in the national anthem. Uh, today we will be, um, the national, the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem will be, um, performed by the Sanders Coron Chorus Group, who is a group of fourth
and fifth grade students who love to sing. They meet once a week as an afterschool club rehearsing with their music take, uh, teacher Alison Briscoe. Will everyone please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem? Great allegiance. Ready? Here we go. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for
All. Okay, ready? One, two, Oh, say, can you see by the so proud we at the twilights lasting who? Stripes and bright stars the we. So night. That's our flag was still there. Thank you so much. Um, let's see. Sanders corner. Um, we will move on to item eight, our recognitions.
Good evening everyone. Actually first is, uh, Mr. Repi going on yet? Has he arrived? Seven o'clock. Okay. Six 30. He is not online yet. Okay. Before we start, can I have Ms. S Shernoff, um, go ahead and read her disclosure please. Thank you, Madam Chair. As a member of the Loudoun County School Board, I make the following disclosure to the school board and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits, and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees. Specifically as a school board member, I am eligible
to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees while in the excess of the statutory three employees whose interests may also be affected, of which I am included, I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Thank you Ms. S Shernoff. Um, good evening everyone. It is with great honor and gratitude that we gather here today to recognize two individuals, Senator Perry and one of our own LCPS students, Milo Jackson,
whose tireless efforts have made a profound impact in raising awareness and fostering understanding of Aler R'S Dan LO syndrome. Aler Danlos syndrome can significantly affect the lives of those impacted posing challenges in daily living, mobility and overall health. Recognizing the importance of awareness and education in supporting affected individuals, Senator Perry and Milo have dedicated their time and passion to advocate for this cause within our community. Their unwavering commitment has led to the successful promotion
of a joint resolution declaring May, 2025 as Aler Danlos Syndrome Awareness Month. Through their advocacy, they have created vital platforms for dialogue, support, and outreach, inspiring countless individuals and providing hope and resources to those living with EDS Today, we celebrate Senator Perry and Milo for their exceptional dedication, compassion, and leadership. Their work exemplifies the power of community and advocacy in making a difference. On the behalf of the Loudoun County School Board and our entire community, we extend our deepest appreciation
for the remarkable contribution to wa raising awareness and supporting individuals affected by EDS. Please join me in honoring Senator Perry and Milo for their outstanding efforts and in continuing to promote understanding, support and action for this important cause. I would like to ask both Senator Perry and Milo to step up to the podium and take a few moments to share with us how this partnership came to be and how the impact of this joint resolution will be felt in our community. Come on up. Hi. So I'm Milo. Um, and, uh, this all started with an email. Um, and I'm so serious.
I was fundraising for the Ellers Danlos Society, the global organization that fundraises for and does research for the Ellers Danlos syndromes and hypermobility spectrum disorders. And I wanted to do something big. So that's how this came to be. And I'm just so honored, excited, all of the fantastic words to be able to do this partnership and be able to come to the Senate and raise awareness for this cause A very good evening to everyone. For those of you, I don't know my name's, uh, Russett Perry, the state senator for the 31st District, um, here in Loudoun County in Faki Counties.
And it's my, my very distinguished privilege tonight to, um, be able to present this Senate resolution from the Senate of Virginia. Um, Milo came to me some time ago, um, and discussed with me Eiler Sandlos. And to be honest with you all, I wasn't aware of what EERs Sandlos was. Um, and you know, it's like many of the children in, um, in, in Loudoun County and in Faar counties that I represent, they're very gifted. And, um, Milo, as part of her advocacy, really sought to educate me in my office on, on what Eilers Danlos was. And, um, as part of her advocacy, I was able to understand
that it is, um, a syndrome that is often undiagnosed, unrecognized and unknown to many people. And so people struggle for many, many years to have someone to be able to understand and to be able to, to give them an appropriate diagnosis. And in the time that I've known Milo, Milo has grown and changed and gotten better healthcare, um, than she had and has really blossomed and grown. And, um, more importantly, um, most importantly, um, been able to really lead on this issue and so many others, um, and really be a shining star.
And, and since I introduced this resolution, sometimes, um, sometimes as a senator, you get credit that you don't really deserve. And people come up to me and say, Hey, this really made a difference to me. I felt unseen. People didn't know, people didn't understand. And really, it's a reflection of Milo and Milo's leadership on this, um, not mine. I just have the privilege of being able to, to introduce this tonight and to give this, um, to Milo and, and to really, um, highlight Milo's accomplishments, not mine. Um, so it's with my, my distinguished honor to be able to present this from the Senate of Virginia, um, which is the oldest serving legislative body, uh,
in the Western Hemisphere. So it's a big deal. And, um, what it says is the Senate joint resolution number 2 54. It says designating May in 2025, and each succeeding year is Eiler Dan Low Syndrome Awareness Month in Virginia. Um, it says it was agreed to by the Senate and by the House of Delegates. It's hard for us to get to agree on anything, but we agreed on this. Whereas Isler Zalo syndrome are a group of heritable disorders that affect the body's connective tissues, which provide support, protection, and structure to various parts of the body, including the skin, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, internal organs and bones. And whereas EDS was first described in the earlier 20th
century by Dr. Edward Lawrence LERs and Dr. Henry Alexander Danlos and the classifications of EDS have evolved over time with 14 types of EDS recognized today. And whereas the different types of EDS are hypermobile, EDS, classical EDS, classical like two EDS, vascular EDS, periodontal EDS, uh, scalic, EDSI post, oh, she's, she's correcting me on the pronunciation. She tells you how she, how, how, how Milo is, um, spon plastic EDS brittle cornea syndrome, ortho, uh, COIA,
EDS, muscular contractual EDS classical like EDS demos, baris, EDS, myopathic, EDS and cardiova, valvular EDS. And whereas the different types of EDS are caused by variants on specific genes that affect the way the body produces collagen, the primary components of connective tissue and other related proteins. And whereas each type of EDS is unique and has its own signs and symptoms, although disorders are most commonly associated with excessively flexible joints and stretchy flagged fragile skin. And whereas in addition to the variability across types of EDS, different individuals with the same type of EDS may experience different signs
and different symptoms complicating diagnoses and treatment, and often requiring patients to see multiple providers across different specialties. And whereas the most common types of EDS hypermobile EDS is believed to affect at least one in 3,100 to 5,000 people, although the true prevalence is not known and may be greater, although with Milo's assistance hopefully greater. And whereas certain types of EDS may be identified through genetic testing. However, there's currently no such test for hypermobile EDS and whereas EDS shares similarities with hypermobility spectrum disorders, which are connective tissue disorders that cause symptomatic joint hypermobility
and joint instability, and which cannot be explained by other conditions, they were referred to a spectrum disorders because people experience a wide range of types and severities of symptoms. And whereas EBS can greatly impact one's quality of life depending on its severity and is often associated with comorbidities such as dia diaa, mast cell diseases and postal orthotic tachycardia syndrome. And whereas there is currently no known cure for EDS and greater medical research is necessary to offer aid and relief to those coping with this disorder. And whereas by bringing greater awareness
and understanding to EDS an untold number, an untold number of individuals and families may hope to lead healthier and more fulfilling lives. Now therefore, it is resolved by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, but the General Assembly of Virginia designate May in 2025 and each succeeding year as Eilers Danlos Syndrome Awareness Month in Virginia and be it resolved further that the clerk of the Senate who served there for 50 years transmitted a copy of his resolution to the Eiland Society so that members of the organization may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter and be it resolved finally that the Clerk
of the Senate post the designation of this month on the General Assembly web website, Susan Clark Shar, who is a very formidable woman clerk of the Senate. So thank you Milo, thank you for your leadership on this issue. Thank you for, um, raising awareness for all the people here in this room tonight, and more importantly, all the people across the Commonwealth of Virginia who may come to struggle with us, who have family members who do, you're a true hero to all of them. So my, my appreciation From the Senate of Virginia, Um, yeah, dad, you wanna come for a picture and this one is awesome. Okay, we're moving on to 8.02 Human resources and talent development 2025 LCPS Service award honorees,
and I'll, uh, let, um, Ms. Lisa Boland, uh, start with the, um, introductions. Thank you, chair Mansfield. Tonight LCPS is proud to recognize four employees with 40 years of service to the division. These four employees have shown invaluable dedication, expertise, and commitment to the division, and we extend our deepest gratitude to each individual reaching these service anniversaries, recognizing their vital role in shaping our success
and fostering a culture of loyalty and growth for years to come. At this time, I would like to turn it over to Carrie Sims, supervisor of employee recognition to announce tonight's honorees Dr. Spence School Board cabinet and guests. Tonight we celebrate four remarkable individuals who have each dedicated 40 years of service to Loudoun County Public Schools. Two, our teachers who have shaped countless minds with their knowledge and passion, leaving a legacy of excellence on generations of students in transportation. A dedicated professional has ensured the safe journey
of children to and from school, a crucial part of their daily lives and in school nutrition services. Another individual has nourished students and built positive relationships, understanding that her role equips kids to learn and thrive. The collective commitment has directed, has directly impacted the wellbeing and success of LCPS students for four decades. We were thrilled to have created a new tradition in Loudoun last week when Dr. Spence invited these four distinguished employees to lunch where they learn more about each of these accomplished professionals both inside and outside of the educational setting.
They learned what inspires them in their work, the changes they've seen in these past 40 years, and how their families have supported them in their careers. Tonight we honor each of them with their 40 years service pin along with an award packet that contains a certificate, a letter from Dr. Spence and an invitation to select a gift of their choice from our partners at Awards Network. Our first honoree is Ella Hobson on Ella was hired in November of 1985 at Loudoun Valley High School and has spent all 40 years in the same school
as a special education teacher and accomplishment of very few divisions of very few employees in the division. Principal Susan Ross has this to say about Ella. Ella Hobson is the consummate professional, treating all stakeholders with respect, dignity, and compassion. Throughout her 40 years in Loudoun, she has served students with disabilities as a dedicated member of the Loudoun Valley High School community. In this service, she has helped both families and colleagues normalize high expectations for students with disabilities. In addition to her teaching roles, Ella has been a part
of recruiting teams for Loudoun in her early years with the county, and she's proud of the equity work she has done in Loudoun from her very first year in the school division. Congratulations Ella. Next we have Deborah Stick, strick Stickman, sorry. Debbie's full-time employment with LCPS began in 1985 at Broad Run High School as a cafeteria worker where she served for 10 years, some of which included time as an assistant manager. She moved to Leesburg Elementary School in 1997 before heading to Loudoun Valley High School in Sickling
Creek Elementary in 2007. In 2014, she was hired at Kenneth Colbert Elementary School where she has remained for the past 11 years. Principal Monica Edwards shares this about Debbie. Beyond her professional life, Ms. Stickman shares a warm home with her husband of 54 years and their beloved cat education is a family affair with many of her relatives also working for LCPS. She always been, has been passionate about baking, finding joy in creating treats for the staff in of the schools in which she worked. Mrs. Dickman's legacy is one of kindness, dedication,
and a deep commitment to community. Through her years of service, her thoughtful traditions and her love for bringing people together, she has left an indelible mark on LCPS and the many life she has touched. Congratulations, Debbie Head. Next we have Connie Wacker. Okay, Connie began in 1985 as a bus driver and was promoted to lead bus driver in February, 2004. Eight years later in 2012, she was promoted to an area transportation supervisor. In 2015, she became transportation coordinator and continues to serve in that role.
Sue Carlson transportation supervisor tells us this about Connie. Above all, Connie loves her family. Some of us have only met one member of that family, but through her stories we feel like we know them all. Connie has three children and eight grandchildren that make for a busy yet fulfilling life. She has been a valuable member of transportation rising through the ranks to the leadership position she holds today and she has been a pleasure to work with. Just a heads up, don't ask Connie her opinion unless you're ready to hear the truth, because she will tell you like it is. Congratulations Connie. Our final honoree is Wes Walters.
Wes was hired in October, 1985 at Sterling Middle School as a technology education teacher. From there, his expertise in tech Ed led him to being asked to help open four different LCPS schools. Farmwell Station in 1995, Harper Park Middle in 1999, Stonebridge High School in 2000 and Eagle Ridge Middle School in 2001, where he remains today. Principal Scott Phillips said this of Wes. Wes Walters is a charter Eagle Ridge middle staff member from the 2001 school year. Wes is always willing to assist.
He hangs banners, fixes anything that is broken, designs, solutions for things that don't work, and is a resource for the entire school. In this aspect, he's also the first person anyone asks when home improvement or car pair car repairs are needed as well. He loves working with his hands and shares his passion through the robotics and tech ed courses that he teaches, as well as the TSA club he sponsors. He has been a mentor and division-wide resource for new tech ed teachers for decades and is of an invaluable asset to Eagle Ridge and LCPS. Congratulations Wes,
please help me congratulate these four amazing employees and their families who are here to support them for their years of dedicated service to Lain County Public Schools. Okay, we'll continue with item nine, our student school board representative comment tonight. Our first student school board representative is Delilah Sono. Delilah Sono is an active student at Heritage High School where she holds leadership roles in several clubs and organizations. She serves as Secretary of the Heritage Student Council Association, co-editor
and chief of the Heritage Yearbook Outreach Officer for Heritage Hearts and Vice President of both the Red Cross Club and Environmental Club. Additionally, she's a dedicated member of multiple honor societies, passionate about student advocacy and service. Delilah strives to foster community engagement and amplify student voices. This fall she'll be attending the University of Virginia where she plans to major in psychology on a pre-law track. Welcome Ms. Solorzano and the floor is yours. Thank you, Madam Chair. Good evening. Members of the board and community members,
my name is Delilah Lono and I'm honored to serve as the Student School Board representative as a senior at Heritage High School at Heritage. Our motto, roar pride reflects who we are, resilient, connected, and driven by something bigger than ourselves. Heritage is a place where students come from all walks of life. We are diverse in our perspectives, our stories, and our strengths, but we are united by the community we've built together, whether it's sharing each other on a games performing side by side, on stage, or staying after school to serve, we show up for one another.
This year we adopted a new schedule structure centered around wind time. What I need, Mondays are for pride time, a space for homeroom style connections and announcements. Tuesdays and Fridays are dedicated to clubs, which has brought new energy to student leadership and service. And Wednesdays and Thursdays gives us academic support, time and opportunity for students to get extra help, collaborate with peers, or simply catch our breath in the middle of a busy day. Academically, we continue to stand out as one of only two IB diploma schools in the county. We're proud to welcome students from all across Loudoun
who come to challenge themselves and grow as global citizens through the IB learner profile in the arts, heritage Pride Productions shine with Clue in the fall and big fish in the spring earning 20 glammy nominations including outstanding play on the sports side, our athletes made History Boys Cross Country won both individual and team district titles. For the first time. Girls Basketball not only reached states for the first time, but won it all with a score of 46 to 37. And more recently, boys Lacrosse just secured the district
championship title, but perhaps what defines heritage most isn't just what we accomplish, it's how we come together. After the loss of Raquel Lardo, a beloved student and friend, our school responded with compassion and purpose. Rocky Cares a club founded in her honor now leads service efforts across the school and local community, keeping Rocky's radiant spirit alive through action and kindness. Thank you to my principal, Mr. Adam and the school board for giving me the opportunity
to represent such a remarkable school. I'm proud to share the spirit resilience and unity that make heritage more than just a school. It makes it home. Thank you. And Aurora Pride. Thank you Ms. So Lazano for being here and for your comments. Our second student school board representative is Landon Quinones. Landon Quinone is a senior at Potomac Falls High School and was a captain on the varsity football team. He's involved in numerous clubs including president of the student council, a competitor in Deca, and a member of the Key Club. Landon plans to attend Virginia Tech in the fall
and major in business information technology. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with family and friends, golfing and spending time outside. Welcome, Mr. Es and the floor is yours. Thank you Madam Chair. Good evening everyone. My name is Landon Es and I'm honored to be representing Potomac Falls High School tonight. First, I'd like to thank the LCPS board, my principal, Dr. Wolf and the Potomac Falls administration for allowing me the opportunity to highlight the incredible things my school has done this year in my senior year, or my last rah as I'd like to call it.
I've had, I've learned that creating opportunities for others to shine not only build school spirit, it builds community. Whether I'm hyping up the crowd at pep rallies, organizing events, or helping other clubs promote theirs, my goal has always been to strength strengthen the Panther community. At Potomac Falls, we are one school, one community, one family. That spirit has been especially strong this year with 11 new clubs added to our 68 existing clubs, student involvement has soared our fair at the falls in October, saw participation from over 60 clubs while night at
the falls, raised over $3,000 and drew a massive turnout from feeder schools. From our international speakers, helping others program, supporting English learners to P Club, delivering Christmas cards to assisted living homes. Our students show what Panther Pride is all about. As of this year, student council at Potomac Falls is an accredited class, which is now referred to a student leadership. As a result of this change, student leadership members are given the opportunity to brainstorm, develop, and execute a way to improve the school and better strengthen the Panther community. The student staff basketball game at our,
in our three V three basketball tournament were school-wide hits, both hosted by the student leadership class. This has transformed SCA into a hands-on experience in leadership planning and teamwork. The performing arts department has had a standout year, the fall play. Emma kicked off the season followed by all my sons, a special production granted by the P panther, the Wolf Trap Education grant. Our one act play lockdown took second place in Virginia and earlier this month, the spring musical hairspray became the highest grossing musical in Potomac Falls history.
Selling out a Saturday show for the first time in over 10 years. The music, the the music program was equally impressive. Earning a superior rating at marching band assessment trophy finishes at multiple competitions and having nine students for all district band with two finishing first in the county during the band's time playing in New York, our band was one of only, only one of 18 groups who receive the Spirit award for the professionalism and positivity. I would also like to congratulate Potomac Falls very own. Carter Lappe, who won was one of only students in the county
to place in all Virginia jazz band and all Virginia honors band. Congrats. Carter Athletics brought our community together week after week as Panther athletes gave us a lot to cheer about. I would like to congratulate the girls varsity basketball team for winning district and regional championship This year. The team on a went on a historic run advancing further in the VHSL playoffs than they ever did before. I would also like to recognize the four by 400 indoor track team as they won the state championship. This year our relay squad dominated the competition, bringing home the state title and showcasing their speed,
endurance, and teamwork beyond the field and stage. Potomac Falls continues to build an inclusive and academically strong environment. Our global ambassador hosted our Global Ambassador club, hosted a Dutch and French exchange students and offering them full at Potomac Falls experiences and giving our students a chance to share their culture. Our science, national Honor Society held monthly tutoring sessions and our academic team was invited to the Scholastic Bowl, the National Scholastic Bowl as quote the team to watch the debate
and speech team will be going to Chicago to compete in the WA CFL nationals after a successful run on the state level. Over a hundred students were inducted in the National Honor Society and Potomac Falls was selected as a model school. Once again, I would like to also congratulate Potomac Falls' very own yearbook advisor, Emily Advisor, Emily Everett. Ms. Everett has been recognized in the prestigious HL Hall National Yearbook Advisor of the Year competition and as a special recognition advisor by the Journalism Education Association.
Ms. Everett is one of only 10 advisors nationwide in the competition and among just three educators to receive the special recognition distinction. She'll be honored at the JEA spring conference in Seattle, Washington. Congrats Ms. Everett. I know it sounds like I'm just lifting on listing off of much of statistics about my school, but I truly believe that Potomac Falls builds a community where everyone has a chance to grow, lead and be proud of their, excuse me, to be proud of their accomplishments. It has been an amazing year and I'm so grateful to be a part of it. Thank you for your time.
Thank you Mr. Unis for your, for being here and for your comments. Um, we will now move on to item 10 superintendent's report and it'll be presented by Dr. Aaron Spence, our superintendent Dr. Spence. Thank you Madam Chair and members of the board. It's my pleasure to share some good news from around our school division. I'd like to start by asking Dr. Frederico Mack to stand up. I'm pleased to note that Dr. Mack has been selected as the principal of the LCPS Recovery School. The LCPS Recovery School, which will open next year, is designed to educate and provide services for students who are in recovery from substance use disorder. Dr. M is currently the assistant principal at TUS Aurora
High School, a position she has held since 2019. Previously, Dr. Mack was first the principal and then the assistant director of the Grafton school, part of the Grafton Integrated Health Network in Berryville. And Dr. Mack also served as a teacher and then principal of the North Spring Behavioral Health Education Center in Leesburg. Dr. Mack, we welcome you to this new role Roland congratulate you. I'd also invite Cassie Golisano to stand up. Ms. Golisano has been named the next principal at Potomac Elementary School. Ms. Sano is currently the assistant principal of Sugarland Elementary School and was previously assistant principal at Goshen Post Elementary and Dean at Selden's Landing Elementary School.
Ms. Sano began her educational journey with LCPS as a second grade teacher at Katon Elementary. Ms. Sano, we welcome you to this new role and we congratulate you Next. If I could ask John Cornell to stand up. Mr. Kelli has been selected as the next principal of Round Hill Elementary School. Mr. Cornell has been the principal of Mill Run Elementary School since 2015. He started his career with LCPS at Mill Run as a special education teacher. Took a brief detour to be the assistant principal of McNair Elementary in Fairfax County. Saw the light and returned to be the assistant principal and then principal of Mill Run Elementary School.
We welcome Mr. Canelli to his new role in congratulate you as well. And although she could not be here this evening, we do want to acknowledge Ms. Lindsay Civic. Ms. Civic has been named in the next principal of Lin Creek Elementary. Ms. Civic is currently the principal of Chavez Elementary School in the little element independent school district in Texas. Previously she was an assistant principal at Menden Hall Elementary School in the Plano Independent School district, also in Texas, where she also served as an assistant principal at Huffman Elementary and previously served as a teacher. And we do welcome Ms. Civic to Loudoun County and to her new role and congratulate her. Moving on, I want to uh, note
that more than 900 LCPS students took part in a transformative learning experience during the annual Geospatial Science Symposium held in late April at Watson Mountain Middle School. This event marked the culmination of these students' work in the Geospatial Science Dual Enrollment course offered. In partnership with James Madison University, our students demonstrated how data curiosity and collaboration can shape a better world. Many thanks to science department staff, GIS teachers, JMU faculty and the division of planning and GIS services for mentoring and inspiring the next generation of critical thinkers
and problem solvers in geospatial science. I'm very pleased to note that three LCPS teams are Plant the Moon Challenge winners. Plant the Moon is a NASA sponsored competition that challenges students to design and conduct and experiment to grow plants and simulated lunar or martian soil. In this spring's competition, the aquatic agriculturalists and the minty moons both from Heritage High School and coached by Heritage High School biology teacher Amy Goodyear, won best in show in the state competition. The aquatic agriculturalists whose experiment focused on
growing water lilies in lunar soil also won Best in Show in the international Plant the Moon Competition Freedom High School Team two A one student team composed of junior Shruti Kar and coached by Freedom High school science teacher Mike Thornton won best experimental design in the state and international competition. Her project focused on adding nitrogen, fixing bacteria to lunar soil. These teams will all now travel to Richmond at the end of May to attend a reception at the Science Museum of Virginia where they will present their results
to scientists from the Virginia NASA Space Consortium. We wanna thank all of the educators who guided the students in this innovative activity and the Loudoun Education Foundation, which provided support for these projects from projects that address solutions to the problems caused by microplastics to protecting biodiversity, to repurposing fabrics to make new fashions. Loudoun County students exhibited projects and experiments that address real world environmental issues. And the sixth annual Student Environmental Action Showcase. In total 149 students participated in this year's showcase,
which was coordinated by the Loudoun Environmental Education Alliance and supported by LCPS students presented their projects to judges and LEEA awarded prizes to the top three projects in elementary, middle, and high school categories. Many thanks to all of the students who participated and to the LCP STA LCPS staff and community partners who provided their guidance and support for our students. We also wanna recognize Dominion High School alum, Maggie Midling, class of 2006 who was recently named USA, baseball's Sportswoman of the Year.
Maggie, who is an eight time national team alum and 2006 World Cup Gold medalist returned to Dominion High School on Monday, May 12th to receive her award. So why dominion? Well, while a student at Dominion, she was the first female to earn a win and pitch a perfect game in a men's varsity baseball game in the state of Virginia. Outside of working competition, Maggie is passionate about growing the participation of women in baseball and coaches various major league baseball development events throughout the calendar year. Congratulations again to Maggie. It was wonderful that she shared this experience
with her former high school and coaches. And then finally this evening, I'd like to give a shout out to our dedicated and creative student assistance specialists or SASS who led Fentanyl Awareness Day activities at their schools. Each LCPS middle and high school is assigned a SAS. These mental health professionals have expertise in substance use prevention and intervention. They provide services to students which enhance resilience, educate about the risks of substance use, and encourages a healthy substance-free lifestyle. During Fentanyl Awareness Day, which was April the 29th, SA S'S coordinated messaging campaigns
and mobilize students to support this messaging around the division. SASS could be found in hallways with colorful displays and engaging students in discussions and handing out informative stickers and other information. Also, in many schools, students received advisory lessons about the dangers of fentanyl and parents and staff held video discussion groups. We wanna thank our SAS staff, team members, and the student mental health services staff who supported their efforts. We know that prevention activities like these are making a difference. And Madam Chair, that concludes my report. Thank you Dr. Spence.
That brings us to item 11, which is public comment. I'll read off the very lengthy procedures of public comment. Thank you for engaging with the school board through the public comment process. The school board welcomes comments from Loudoun County residents and believes that strong community engagement and outreach are important components of a successful school system. Speakers must limit comments to the time allotted based on the number of speakers and the agenda this evening, all speakers have been allotted one minute each for public comment. Please be advised that all speakers who missed their time slot will not be called at a later time.
All audience members shall maintain civility, decorum, and respect for the functioning and the dignity of the school board at all times. Please remain seated unless arriving, departing speaking at the podium or during a break. Violations of civility, decorum and respect include shouting, heckling, jeering, applause, or other noise which disrupts or delays the meeting obstructing speakers from being able to see the school board and vice versa. Interrupting speakers attempting to speak when not called to do so by the chair and approaching a speaker or
otherwise attempting to intimidate, disparage, or distract a speaker, staff member or other meeting attendees. Speakers should refrain from vulgarity, obscenities, defamation, profanity, or other like breaches of respect, nor makes TE speakers target, criticize or attack individual students and or individual division employees during public comment. As a reminder, school board policy 25 20 state speakers may not target criticize or attack individual students during public comment.
Speakers should communicate those concerns to their school principal or an appropriate school official. The school board requests that comments on an individual, individual, student or employee related matter not be shared at public meetings where the disclosure could violate applicable confidentiality requirements. I do wanna take a moment to clarify a few things. As I've explained previously, speakers can personally identify a student or an employee without stating a student's or an employee's names. That is personally identifiable.
Information is any information that a reasonable person can link together to pinpoint an individual student or employee and where that individual student or employee is known to others in their school and surrounding community. Based on the context that is shared, the school board welcomes you to share your concerns, but asks that to the extent you have prepared remarks that target criticize or attack any individual students or employees that you generalize such remarks
to ensure compliance with board policy. For example, comments that target, target, criticize or attack a student or an employee or a student or an employee from a specific name school or a student or an employee with any characteristics where the information would personally identify that student or employee to others in the school or broader LCPS community would violate school board policy. However, comments that discuss general concerns
with students or employees at schools and do not target, criticize, or attack an individual identifiable student or employee are permissible. While other entities such as the media and or law enforcement might be able to share information that relates to a personally identifiable student at their discretion based on reg relevant student privacy laws and relevant school board policy targeting, criticizing or attacking individual students is prohibited in this forum
under school board policy. I, as the school board chair, am charged with the responsibility to maintain order during school board meetings accordingly. When reasonable, I will warn a breaches of decorum, civility, and respect and ask speakers to redirect their comments prior to possibly discontinuing individual speaking privileges or taking other actions to preserve the civility, decorum, and orderly conduct of the meeting. Such action call includes calling a recess in order
to maintain or to restore order. If speakers fail to comply with board policy regarding public par participation, you will receive a warning and a request to redirect or generalize your comments should you fail to redirect or generalize your comments. After that warning, you may be asked to yield the microphone at which time you should yield the microphone as well as the floor and take your seat and I will then call the next speaker. To the extent necessary, I will also warn a breaches of decorum, civility, and respect from attendees prior to taking other actions
to preserve the orderly conduct of the meeting. Speakers should face the DA and direct their comments to the school board per school board policy 25 20 Members of the school board will not answer questions or respond directly to the public during the public comment period. Violations of decorum or civility by any meeting attendee may result in the chair directing staff to remove the attendee from the remainder of the meeting. Repeated or persistent violations of decorum or civility by the audience may result in on the decision of the chair public comment being tabled
until a later point in the meeting's agenda limiting the number of attendees in the meeting room during public comment for safety reasons or the public comment period ending for the evening. Copies of materials for board members should be given to the public information officer in the media box at the back of the boardroom before the start of the meeting, please provide 12 copies of the materials. Under no circumstances may a speaker approach the deis the public is reminded that access to school board meetings is available through LCPS on Comcast Channel 18 and 10 70 HD and Verizon Fios, channel 43.
The live stream of the meeting may be viewed on the website. We look forward to hearing your comments. Um, I just wanna mention that given the number of public commenters we have tonight, um, I think there's like 130, um, vice chair and Donahue, vice Chair Donahue and I will share the responsibility of calling the names of speakers and maintaining order during the public comment period. And so, um, we will now take the virtual speakers. Um, actually hold on. I need to, uh, I think Mr.
Refe has joined us for public comment and for the rest of the school board meeting. So, um, I think we're gonna have to agree to let him in to vote to let him in. So after all that, if you guys can remember all of that, um, I've been notified that Mr. Stree would like to remotely participate in tonight's school board meeting. Is he here? He has not joined the meeting yet. Okay, we're gonna move on. We'll, we'll have to when he comes on, we'll have to remember to do that. Um, okay. We'll start with our virtual speakers starting
with uh, Meredith Ray, followed by Nikki Maples Reynolds Thing that is biological red hair. A real genetic trait. So I assume we'll be hearing testimony tonight from someone saying, my kids feel uncomfortable sharing a bathroom or locker room with a redhead. Or maybe I'm not a ginger fobe. I just think redheads are being forced on our kids. Maybe we'll see legislation requiring redheads to register with the school nurse or be banned from playing girls volley volleyball because it's not fair. They have an advantage. Sounds ridiculous, right?
The focus on trans kids isn't about comfort or safety. They are gen about generating fear and the need to bully someone more vulnerable. And who better than a child just trying to exist? Let's be clear, trans kids are not the problem. Trans kids are just kids like red heads, black kids, brown-eyed kids and tall kids. The real problem is adults who think they're brave for going after children and adults who are running for political office who just want power and have no ideas or plans that would actually improve the lives of the cons constituents they re wish to represent. So if you're scared of re
Thank you. Uh, Nikki Maples Reynolds, followed by Glen Cunningham. We do not have a speaker by that name. Glen Cunningham, followed by PJ Cunningham. We do not have a speaker by that name. PJ Cunningham, followed by Emily Gyo. Hello, can you hear me? Yes, ma'am. Could you please state your name? Yes. My name is PJ Cunningham. Okay, thank you so much. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Loudoun County Public Schools will refer to as LCPS chose not to sign the assurance that it complies
with all federal education laws and the Loudoun County Public Schools Office of Parent and Community engagement in Title ix as well as other loudoun LCPS offices violated federal education laws and their own policies to save face while dis discrim discriminating against the complainants. For over a year now, our family has submitted multiple FOIA and FERPA requests to a charter schools where one of the two charter schools security camera video footage, 15 interior and exterior cameras to which we are being denied. Till this day, their charter school's video was shed more
light on our son's, their students' horrible bullying experience at one of the Loudoun County Public School charter schools. The charter school board and the Loudoun County Admin School Board appears to go to great lengths to conceal this video footage as our tribe. Thank you Emily Kapa. Uh, GYO followed by Brenda Bankson. We do not have an attendee by that name. Brenda Bankston. Uh, Bankston followed by Linda Bostrom. 2025 is marching orders targeting LCPS made for TV outrage
failed recalls out out-of-state interlopers fictitious fears charges dismissed. Yet the frenzy starts again fueled by a governor. AG and media monger. Anti-trans sentiment is a one hit wonder trotted out for election cycles. A byard knows the underlying concept is that something dire is happening to children and schools are at fault giving constant fuel for the outrage. Machine mobs for bigotry are bullies,
not role models. Trans kids are not prey for a zealous reporter. Virginia's top electeds or a church stop the hate. Thank you. Linda Bostrom, followed by Nadine nicu. The threshold of retakes dropped to a 70 will have unintended consequences on students' ability to fully master material, but also limit their comprehension due to the lower expectations now being permitted. When students know they can achieve a passing grade
with a lower score, they may be less motivated to engage deeply with the material. Initially. This shift in focus from mastering content content to merely achieving a passing grade can hinder the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills. The lowering of the grade to 70 appears to be motivated by angry fearful parents who have students who do well. But these parents may be anxious about students who were allowed to show improvement from perhaps a C minus
to a B minus as a threat against their own children's chance in getting into a specific college due to perceived competition. Thank you. Nadine Niku, followed by Jennifer Corrum. We do not have an attendee by that name. Jennifer Corrum, followed by Rachel Rigo. Hello? Can you hear me? Yes, we can hear you Barely though. You might wanna speak up. Okay. Um, good evening. I'm a parent in Laina Mill, residing in D South District 7.2 and I'm here tonight to voice my concerns
regarding the proposed zone changes and strongly oppose. Plan 2 8 9. I've seen firsthand the impact the previous rezoning has had on our neighboring families and strongly believe 2 8 9 will create further unnecessary disruption for many. 2 8 9 does not account for the logistical changes that would force our families to literally cross paths while driving to Mercer and Champ with other communities who will be passing us to go to Willard and White Ridge. This will undoubtedly worsen dangerous traffic patterns on Reic Road 2 8 9 will exacerbate overcrowding as it's simply moving crowd one students from
one crowded school to the next. We understand that there is no perfect plan, but we do believe that the staff plan is one that is unbiased balances, long-term stability, considers proximity in the logistical needs of the district. Keeping all zones west of Champ assigned to Return Champ, we are urging the board to reject 2 8, 9 and prioritize the safety of our families. Thank you. Thank you. Rachel Telco Teleco, followed by Ann Northern. Thank you. I'm speaking tonight to ask the school board to drop the investigation into the three students at Stonebridge High School. I do not know these boys,
but I have two sons of similar ages. After viewing the video, I do not see how anyone can logically say there was sexual harassment. These three boys were simply stating what they saw and one on how he felt about the situation. If students are afraid to speak their truth, then you have created an unsafe environment for them. You state you want to protect the rights of all students, but how are you protecting the rights of these three students who are videoed against school policy? What I do see from this video is that none of the students in including the transgender student, felt comfortable, and I would even argue safe. There is a reason why the transgender student felt the need
to video before anything happened. The three boys were taken by surprise and felt uncomfortable. Excuse me. Could you stop the thing real quick? Mr. Allen? Could you, uh, were you listing, is, was there a, uh, violation of policy at that point? Your mic's not working. Uh, Thank you Madam Chair. Uh, I believe based on the, this, the policy that, um, you referred to and your opening, um, dialogue, uh, any criticizing, attacking or targeting of individual students, uh, would be
a non-compliance or violation with Policy 25 20. Um, so to the extent there's, um, generalized, um, statements that do not target, criticize or attack individual LCPS students, um, though that would be in compliance with policy 25 20 Mention of the school name, would that be in compliance with the school? With the Thank you Madam Chair for that clarification. So to the extent a reasonable person could, uh, connect dots, um, to discern the identity of an individual student, if information, information such
as the naming of a school would identify a student, um, and again, the comments would need to be, uh, criticizing, targeting, or attacking an individual student, then that would be in not in compliance or violation with policy 25 20. I also have a student, would that be in violation of policy two A student? I'm just asking. I just need to be, excuse me, Point of order. Are you kidding? A student? I have a point of order. Mr. Allen. So what is your point of order? Mrs. Griffiths Point of order is whoever was speaking had every right
to speak and they were doing a generalization. I'm just clarifying. Excuse me. Please refrain from pause. Refrain from applause please. I need to clarify too, a student, 'cause that is in my script. Would you please clarify Mr. Allen? Thank you Madam Chair. So to the extent there's information regarding a student who could be identifiable based on other information shared to the extent that individual student or a student is being attacked, criticized, or targeted, then that would be a violation of 25 20 within the context. But it, it depends on a student
and what other information is provided to determine whether a reasonable person could connect the dots to identify that individual student. Okay. Um, Ms. Griffis, your point is not well taken at this particular point in time because I do feel like there was a student, but I'm gonna allow the, the, um, uh, commenter some to continue. But I think if you remember in my, in the very long speech that there is a student
and no discussion about schools and things like that. So we need to try and generalize our, our comments. I apologize Madam Chair. I'm just frustrated that we have empty seats and there are people waiting outside to come in and they might miss their chance to speak. Oh, thank you for reminding me that. Excuse me, please refrain from clapping. Um, I appreciate that you said that. And um, if people need to come in, come in and when they hear, and uh, when you hear the second name that I call,
you can, um, come in, line up and wait on the side. So, um, if you're the second name that I call, come on in line up and wait to the side of the podium. Thank you for telling me that Mrs. Griffiths. Okay. Um, what was her? Uh, it was with this, uh, Mrs to Rico. Was that that? Okay? Would you like to continue? Um, Yes, I would. Um, my comments were in no way to criticize any of the students involved. They are children. LCPS. You created this situation with your policy 80 40.
I ask that you revoke policy 80 40 and put into place a policy that actually provides a safe environment. Thank you. Please re if please refrain from applause. That's the third time that I have had to ask. Um, okay. The next one is Ann Northern, followed by Michael Deve Name is Ann Northern and I'm a parent from Lena Mill community. I'm speaking tonight to strongly oppose the redistrict Plan 2 89. My son is currently a sixth grader at Willard Middle School. He has already built strong relationships at his current school with both staff and classmate, and he is looking forward to continuing on
to Light Ridge High School as we plan for since the beginning of his school career. Changing his school path in eighth grade would be disruptive and unfair. These are critical years. Inconsistency matters. We've invested in our schools and our relationships within the schools. And Plan 2 89 would pull our family and many others away from schools we've been deeply connected to. I strongly urge you to support the staff plan, which keeps the Lena Mill community at Willard and Light Ridge. It's the plan that supports stability, continuity, and student wellbeing. Thank you. Thank you. Michael Deve. Good evening school board members. I'm a parent of two LCPS students.
I'm speaking to you today to thank you for your past support of LCPS policy 80 40, and to urge you to maintain that support in the future. Our children are the reason LCPS exists, not just some of them, all of them. We must ensure that all of our students are treated fairly and equitably. Policy 80 40 does this for our trans and gender expansive students. It does this at a time when some in our country with single out those same children to score political points. I appreciate your continued efforts to protect these students by supporting policy 80 40.
Thank you. Thank you. And now, um, we'll move on to in-person speakers and to Mrs. Griffith point, if you are the second name that I have called, um, actually let's, I see Mr. REI on the board and we're gonna have to allow him in the meeting for right now. I'm sorry. Um, I have been notified that Mr. Refe would like to remotely participate in tonight's school board meeting. Mr. Refe, would you please state your location, whether this is a medical or personal matter? Thank you Madam Chair. I'm in a hotel room. Um, and this is a personal matter.
Is anyone present with you at this location? If so, please state their names. No, no one is present. I'm alone. Um, if you're using your personal, uh, exemption, uh, this is your, I think this is your first remote participation for this calendar year in a school board meeting using your personal exemption. Therefore, I will entertain a motion that Mr. Tre's request to participate remotely be granted. Do I have a second? Oh, actually, do I have a motion? Yes. Thank you Madam Chair. I move that we allow Mr. Trei to participate virtually. Thank you. Vice chair. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second. By Ms. Chandler. It's been probably moved and seconded.
Um, is there any discussion seeing No, we will go ahead with the vote. Um, board members, uh, clerk, please open the vote. Board members please record your vote. And, um, clerk, will you please close and display the vote? That motion passes unanimously with Mr. Troi and Ms. LaBelle Absent for the vote. Welcome to the, uh, meeting Mr. Es Stree. Would you please, uh, read your disclosure? Sure. Thank you. Madam Chair. Could just give me a moment. As a member of the Loudoun County School Board, I make the following disclosure to the school board
and to the general public in connection with the item on tonight's agenda regarding the budget and or health insurance and related benefits and any other discussion that may include or affect benefits for LCPS employees. Specifically as an, as a school board member, I'm eligible to receive health insurance and related benefits as an LCPS employee. These benefits, however, affect thousands of employees well in excess of the statutory three employee whose interest will be affected, of which I'm included, I can and will participate fairly objectively and in the public interest. This disclosure will be reflected in the public records of the clerk of the school board for five years. Thank you Mr. Raffi.
Okay, we'll move on, um, to our in-person speakers, starting with, uh, Ms. Uh, Eric Sutton, followed by Yoko Jolly. The second person, if you wanna just go ahead and stand close so that you know, so that we can get through this. Thank you. Hello Board members. Um, I'm here tonight to advocate for the immediate, um, re um, reinstatement of my daughter's theater teacher. Um, recent evidence shows that personnel within these walls have been unfortunately trying to retaliate against this man for more than three years.
They didn't like it when he advocated for higher teacher pay. They didn't like it when he advocated for parity. Among fi fine arts, there is audio, there are emails and former school board members have warned about the retaliation efforts against this teacher. We've seen this pattern over and over again. A student and their parents don't get their way and try to get the teacher, uh, or coach fired. Now some people with working within these walls are trying to weaponize it and trying to get rid of him. School board members, you are the, you're the are the last stand for common sense
and decency in the school district. You could end this insanity today. You are our last hope. Thank you. Thank you. Please yield a mic. Yoko Jolly, followed by Katie Rivers. Hi. I'm also, um, requesting the immediate reinstatement of the theater teacher, um, who has been a critical part of my two boys development, not only as performers and artists, but as human beings. Um, the this teacher has had an impact on hundreds
of students across LCPS over the past 10 years and has created a legacy of excellence around theater education, um, teaching these students not only the value of hard work commitment, teamwork, empathy, inclusion, but also in how to be a leader and also to follow, uh, which is very important. And, um, based on what I've seen being involved as a, as as part of this program since my kids were really little till nine years old. Um, I have not seen anything that is consistent with
what this teacher has been, um, uh, dismissed for and I the the circumstances surroundings Dismissal is various Thank you. Katy Rivers, followed by Kaylee Rivers. Good evening. My child is a special permission senior at an Ashburn High School. She drives 42 miles round trip for the specialized theater education offered at only that school. I've been a volunteer there since 2016 and a part of the directing team as a volunteer since 2019. I was in any rehearsals I wanted to be in. I traveled with the company when they traveled shows
I was the primary chaperone on multiple field trips in and out of state and country. After April 1st, I was removed from all engagement other than the standard parent volunteer through the booster program, as well as all other parents being excluded from any engagement. The administration in the school has worked actively to eliminate parental engagement since April 1st. I was even escorted outta the building by security for sitting in a hallway during a rehearsal. As of last week, they severed the relationship between the high school and the drama booster program due to the outpouring of support for the theater teacher
that was removed and the regular questions about what is the plan for the future of this program. Thank you. Kaylee Rivers, followed by Lily Thompson. Good evening. My name is Kaylee Rivers and I am a senior in high school. I'm here to ask for your help in bringing my theater teacher back. My teacher was put on administrative leave on April 1st, and our school administration is doing everything they can to silence us as students in our teacher's absence. Our program has begun, has begun to shatter. The directing team is separating. The students are losing faith in the magic of theater. And you may be our last hope. This program has seen this type of devastation
before approximately a year ago, and there is no way to tell if we can make it through anymore of this. We have fought this fight before and we will continue to fight for our teacher, mentor and inspiration we so desperately need for this program, these students and this community to feel whole Again, I implore you to look into how our director was removed and how you plan to fix this. Bring him back. Thank you. Thank you. Lily Thompson, followed by Isabella Brodsky. Hello, I'm Lily Thompson from Broad Run High School and today I will be talking about our limited space stack stage. I recently was assistant stage manager for our show.
Two of my main responsibilities were managing everything and everyone during the show. A major challenge we faced was having very little space backstage. We had a lot of set pieces that needed to be stored and fitting. Everything was tricky, but we did our best. During our first dress rehearsal, we quickly realized there wasn't enough room for everyone to move around safely. After talking to the other stage managers and our directors, we realized that we should use the wood room as a place for actors to wait. Although we eased the crowding, it also brought new problems. The wood room was loud, making it hard for actors to catch their cues. Plus it was cluttered with tools and sawdust raising safety concerns.
Even though we faced these problems, we adjusted and continued to show. However, this isn't just irritating, it's a safety concern. I stand before you today asking for expansions and storage solutions for broad runs auditorium so students can move around safely. Thank you. Thank you. Isabella Brodsky, followed by Haley Sutton. Good evening. My name is Isabella Brodsky. I'm a junior at Broadwin High School and I'm also speaking on expanding broad run's wood room. After working as part of the paint crew for our school's leader department, I've been faced with risks every day because of the lack of space in our wood room. Since the place is small, we have to work in the cramped wood room or work outside.
We painted next to working saws with no production from dust below freezing temperatures where we had to paint and shifts and wind that blew away our materials and set pieces and alone in the dark using our phone flashlights to see. It's not that the teachers didn't care for our safety and that there isn't a place indoor for us to paint in the size of what we work on. We're hoping for funding to expand our wood room or cli climate controlled storage so we're able to work safely. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, is it Haley Haley Sutton? Mm-hmm. Followed by Reagan Sutton. Hello everyone. I'm a recent alumni of LCPS.
I'm here to ask for the immediate reinstatement of my former theater teacher and mentor. My high school is truly the D one theater program of Loudoun County. The training there is actually considered better than many prestigious college programs. My former theater teacher has helped numerous students, including myself, get into the top musical theater colleges in the country. Through his connections and his reputation, he secured more than a $12 million worth of scholarships. Now all of that is at risk. I would've never even had a chance of the college audition experience if it wasn't for my teacher support. My college instructors even credit him for preparing us for the tough industry I chose.
Please don't take away the opportunities. The training and the mentorship that I was blessed to have this program truly changed my life and I really wanna see it continue to inspire the next generation. You'll only get that by in reinstating him. Thank you. Thank you. Reagan Sutton, followed by Ella Ditton. Good afternoon. I'm currently a junior in high school and I stand here today to advocate for my theater teacher's resign. When I first joined the program freshman year, I was struggling. Middle school had been a rough couple of years where I developed severe anxiety and didn't know if I would ever find a place where I would truly fit in. But then I found theater and it wasn't just about the
acting, it was about him. My theater teacher made the black box, our theater rehearsal room a safe place. He provides a positive environment for students no matter their background, which isn't something you find everywhere. He saw so much potential in me that I didn't see in myself. And because of him, I've met so many friends who I've become my family have had the chance to get outside my comfort zone, perform on stage, help choreograph multiple shows. It was just voted by my peers to be the next CEO of our program. I'm a new person now and that is all thanks to him. Losing him would mean losing the heart of this program, so please bring him back to us. Thank you.
Thank you. Ella Dwa followed by uh, may Dwa. Good evening. My name is Ella Dwa and I'm currently a junior at A-L-C-P-S School. I'm here to speak not only for myself, but for many students who have been directly impacted by the removal of our theater teacher. What hurts the most is seeing someone who has given so much to your school and your community face a wave of misinformation and judgment. This isn't just about a teacher, it's about the lies they've impacted, the students they've lifted, and the mental health of the students. I ask this board to listen to the students, to the families, and to the truth.
Give us the grieving students of the unfair removal of our theater teacher their safe base back. Thank you. Thank you. May di Watten followed by Aaron Burns. As you can see, the sudden removal of our trusted teacher has a deep, has had a deep negative impact, especially on our seniors who are again dealing with a loss for them. This should be a time of achievement, not confusion and loss. The effects could go beyond just one class. The theater program has long been a safe, inclusive space, a cornerstone of our school, that build and corner of our school culture. It builds confidence, discipline, and connection.
Removing a trusted teacher with without clear explanation or community input has damaged that foundation and eroded trust among students, parents, and faculty. What's even more concerning is the way the situation has been handled. Parents have been treated differently and in some cases shut out. Uh, communication has disappeared. Decisions appear to have been made without transparency, due process or factual clarity. Instead of dialogue or restorative practices, we've seen resources and taxpayer dollars redirected towards unnecessary additional personnel and investigations driven by perception rather than truth. This is not about one teacher, it's about how this district values its students, its educators,
and the values of fairness and account. Thank you. Thank you. Um, and let's see. Aaron Burns followed by Andres Marrero. Marrero, I think Good evening. On March 24th, I received this disturbing text message from my son. My teacher put his hands on me after I was cursing. He put his arms around my neck and like a choke hold. This incident involved much more. This teacher also held a wooden mallet up to my son's face, as well as made comments to the entire classroom that my son should go back on his medication.
The next few days, my son refused to go to school, still feeling anxious and scared. This teacher returned to the classroom on May 12th. CPS determined that the case was unfounded for physical abuse. Human resources was unable to terminate this teacher based on CPS findings. Reportedly there was three student witnesses to what occurred, who corroborated my son's account. C-P-S-C-P-S might not consider it to the level of physical abuse, but it was still completely inappropriate in an abusive power. This was not a calm teacher trying to guide or coach with the use of their hands or arms. It was an aggressive move that left my son feeling scared,
intimidated, and threatened. I demand Thank you. Andres Marrero Marrero, followed by Yani Bois. Hello, my name is Andres Marrero and I'm a part of a theater program of an LCPS school. During my time at this program, under the mentorship of my teacher, the other students and I grew in numerous ways. We were given opportunity after opportunity and it was all thanks to him. Throughout my time with him, he had shown me nothing but kindness and his genuine intention to care for the students was evident. Now that he's gone, a program that was once defined by unlimited opportunity has shifted into a couple classes
that students dread due to his unfair dismissal. When a football coach has a player that doesn't show up to practice, the player can be benched or not allowed to participate in the game and no one bats an eye. When a theater teacher does the same with the student, they're held to an impossible standard. Right now you're faced with a choice. You can choose to ignore the cries of countless students who want their beloved teacher back, or you can do what is actually best for them. My teacher cared about all of us. I urge you to do the same and please reinstate him. Thank you. Yani Bois, followed by Adrian Morero. Good evening. I am a sophomore at Broad Run High School.
I'm here today to discuss our wood room safety and utility problems. Our wood room was originally a storage room, meaning it was not designed to be used for our purposes. Because of this, it has insufficient heating and AC capabilities, poor ventilation from saw, and dust and paint fumes, insufficient electrical outlets and moisture buildup, which leads to wood warping and rotting, all of which causes us much discomfort and inconvenience. Now, more importantly, the safety issues. The room small size causes many issues when building our sets, especially when we are in the middle of a production. The room becomes filled with set pieces with nowhere else
to put them, making it very cramped and hard to work in, especially when our paint crew is in there too. The space also has many safety concerns as the room has no sprinkler system or fire alarm as well as dismissal bell or PA system. If there was some kind of emergency such as a lockdown or fire, you would be completely oblivious to what's going on. I ask that you please allocate funds to expand and renovate our wood room as well as help us find storage solutions. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. Adrian Mero followed by Jolly Palmer. As a 14-year-old boy eager to start high school, I faced dis encouragement from my football coaches who focused on my weaknesses.
They called me fat. They fat shamed me. They called me names as a 14-year-old boy going into high school. Fortunately, I had a theater teacher who put my weaknesses aside and accepted me for who I was. Looked at me with a smile every day on his face. It made me feel like I was worth being there, made me feel like I didn't have to hide or pull my shirt down every time I was walking in the hallways because I thought I didn't look good in my shirt. He made me regret, you know,
doing a bad decision one day to myself that I would regret for the rest of my life. A teacher who made a positive difference in my life is now at risk of being fired. Please bring him back. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, a Adrian Morero followed by, uh, jolly Palmer. Right? What's your name? I'm sorry. It's Palmer Jolly. It's okay. I'm sorry. Jolly Palmer. Wait, what was your name? It's Palmer Jolly Palmer. Jolly. Oh, it's okay. I'm sorry. Palmer Jolly. I apologize. No, it's all good.
My director has been gone for a month and 20 days and in that time I felt a significant change in the program. I've noticed a massive loss for passion of passion for the art of performing all across the company. A classmate of mine walked out of, uh, class today to go to counseling and she came back crying and she said that she felt like she was losing her family. Another teacher recently stated that the hardest part about all of this has been trying to keep together a family that is broken and the people who have been chosen to replace him aren't exactly helping things. Please just bring him back. If you won't do it for him, do it for the countless people
that are affected by his absence every day. Thank you. Thank you. Aubrey Travis, followed by Stacy Perkins. Hello, my name is Aubrey Travis and I'm a Loudoun County High School Student. Theater means everything to me. It's why I've always felt safe, supported, and free to express myself without judgment. It has given me a sense of purpose and helped me manage the pressures of school, everyday life, and my severe anxiety. But since April 1st, everything has changed without my theater teacher. The program I have been a part of for several years has become stressful, confusing, and disorganized. The sense of community and direction we once had has now
completely fallen apart. It breaks my heart to see something I love being completely destroyed from the inside out. I hope the people in charge understand how much this program and the teacher who built, built it means to the students. This is our education and our futures at stake. We just wanna feel seen and heard and supported. Again, please listen to the students we are struggling. Please bring back my mentor, teacher and the person who helped me survive. Thank you. Thank you. Stacy Perkins, followed by Grace Monet Carper, Sorry. Hello, I'm a parent of a high school student
and I'm here to speak again about the response to the situation involving our theater teacher. Last time I spoke about unfair disciplinary procedures and a lack of communication. While those concerns remain, the situation has devolved further and troubling events continue to negatively affect our students. Recently, under the guise of a counseling session for theater students and unbeknownst to parents, students who have spoken out or whose parents have advocated on their behalf or singled out by staff and administration. This type of retaliation, whether overt or subtle, is completely unacceptable. It undermines student morale, creates division
and sends a chilling message that voicing support for beloved educator comes at a cost. No student should fear retribution for exercising the right to be heard. Adding to the distress administration has created a climate of exclusion and mistrust of parents. They have gone so far as to completely sever ties with the Parent Booster Club, clearly displaying their complete lack of interest in any parent involvement of any kind. I urge the school board to thoroughly investigate the actions being taken at the school. Our students, parents and educators deserve better. Thank you. Stacy Perkins, followed by Grace Monet Harper, I need to get better.
Okay, so Sta Grace Monet Harper, followed by Jack Wright. Hello, all My name does not matter, nor does my grade or my age. What matters is that many people in this room have come together to stand against the unfair removal of our theater community's most loved and committed member, our director. We ask you to allow us to reunite with the father of our chosen family and relieve us of unnecessary stress, which is plagued us throughout the past few weeks. For us, theater is a safe space free of any judgment students may face as it allows free expression and creative flow. It is what empowered me to explore myself as a gay, as a gay boy.
It is an art. And at the center of that art used to be our director. Not only was he a herald of happiness for our program, but he's also an ama, amazingly talented and highly regarded teacher as is recognized across many people within thespian culture around the world. I hope you truly hear my, my words as I speak them and understand that I am not just another kid speaking. I'm one of your students. My name is Angel Abset and I hope you remember it when making your decision. Thank you. Jack Wright, followed by thank you Jack Wright, followed by Patricia Roxy Carillo. Good evening. My name is Jack Wright
and I'm speaking on expanding broad runs Wood room out of 17 high schools, our wood room is the most terribly constructed. The ground area of our, the room is roughly 35 feet by 10 feet about the size of a small classroom. Most of the space has to be taken up by wood and equipment and the rest of the floor is supposed to be a safe place for a set and paint crew to work. It isn't. We had eight set crew members and six paint crew members in our latest musical. And for everybody to work, they had to put themselves in harsh conditions. They had to cram in the room and work next to dangerous equipment
and safety hazards all while there aren't any ways to know if there was a fire in the building. Loudoun Valley High School is older than we are, has the same layout of our school and has received very sizable expansions to their wood room. We need to expand to our wood room for safety reasons and we have to the ability to expand. Please consider this for our safety and thank you for your time today. Thank you. Also, like bring back, uh, CJ or something. Uh, um, Patricia, please hold, uh, refrain from applause. Um, Patricia Roxy. Carillo Carillo followed by Mike Kelly.
Is there. Patricia Roxy Carillo. Is there one outside? Is everyone in from the hallway? Yes. Okay. Okay, moving on. We'll move to, uh, Mike Kelly, followed by Caden Sorenson. Sorenson. Good evening. My name is Mike Kelly. I'm a parent of three with two currently at Broad Run High School. Both active members of the theater department. One of them will speak to you shortly. I serve on the board of the Theater Booster Club supporting a program that continues to do remarkable work with very limited resources. This spring, our department earned 15 glams nominations
despite building sets in the smallest wood room of the county and having to work outdoors where students have been approached by strangers. The wood room locks lacks secure tool storage. The doors don't lock. I even built and donated a workbench to help secure equipment, but that's just a stop gap. I spoke to you last year. In response, you provided equal storage to all schools, but the solution missed the mark because it was equal, not equitable. Broad Run needs a targeted solution for its unique needs. We ask for lockable tools, cages now, and long term, a renovated secure wood room that truly meets our students' needs.
Thank you for your time and for supporting our arts opera. Thank you. Caden Sorenson, followed by Chris Stevenson. Hello, my name is Caden Sorenson. I'm a freshman at Briarwood and I've been playing volleyball for almost five years after trying nearly every other sport. Volleyball is the one that I love and excel at and I hope to go on and play in college. Unfortunately, to play competitively, I have to go an hour away to Fairfax County three to four times a week because of the options and Loudon are so in, are so limited. With Fairfax County rolling out Boys of Volleyball this past year, I'm now the only student in my club team
who isn't able to play in high school. I would really love to have the high school sports experience before I graduate and I'm hoping Loudoun County can follow in Fairfax footsteps and bring boys, boys volleyball to our schools here. Thank you. Thank you. Chris Stevenson, followed by Haley Smith. No, Chris Stevenson. Haley Smith, followed by Katie Herbert. My name is Haley Smith and I'm advocating on behalf of Broad Run High School's theater department. We are here asking for help with a climate safe sword solution to alleviate some of the issues we see regularly at Broad Run's Auditorium as an actor.
During the most recent production here at Broad Run, whenever I wasn't on stage in the next minute or two, I had to go sit in one of the chairs in the wood room because of the lack of the space in the wings. This was not only inconvenient but also dangerous. There were large pieces of wood everywhere, loose nails on every table, and huge power tools next to the chairs that were placed for the cast. Additionally, the floors were, were, were still covered with dust and place were still covered with dust and wood chips, which was not good for the costumes because of all the loud noises in the wood room. It was very hard to hear anything on stage, if at all. So everyone, everyone was going in
and out periodically to see where we were on the show. I personally almost missed some cues because of the lack of space and inability to hear as well as the chaos going in and out. This got in the way of stage crew moving big set pieces and other cast members who were in a rush to get back on stage. This rough accommodation made it unsafe for cast and crew to be. Thank you. Thank you. Katie Herbert, followed by Gina Thompson. Good evening. I'm here to speak tonight about the need for boys volleyball in high school. I have three kids. I've had the privileged coach, each of them at some level. Unfortunately, when my oldest entered high school at Briar Woods in 2019, there was no option for him
to pursue volleyball as a high school sport. Fortunately for him, we were able to provide a club experience and his love for the sport and his skill grew. Not all families can do that. Adding boys volleyball at the high school level would provide an opportunity for more athletes to pursue a sport that they otherwise may not be able to do, um, participate in due to financial time and travel restraints. When I was coaching Jackson's first club team, we had boys checking volleyball out for the first time. As the season went on, their parents could not afford the fees. Luckily, we were able to subsidize their dues and the boys finished the season. They couldn't return the next season due
to financial constraints. Imagine if they'd had the option to play in high school somewhere close to home that was affordable. I would like to ask our board to help us open a new door for the boys of Lowen County. I know a big question is, do we have the support? But I'm here to tell you, I think if we open it, the boy Thank you. Gina Thompson followed by Ashley Long. It's Gina or Ashley? It's Gina, right? Gina? Yes ma'am. I'm not Gina. Hello, my name is Gina Thompson. I'm a parent and now the new theater booster president at Broad Run. Three years ago, my husband and I noticed something inspiring students pouring in their time, energy,
and passion into our theater program with stronger performances, bigger additions, and more students' involvement. Students are building larger and more complex sets. This is happening outside in unpredictable weather or an overcrowded unheated room without secure storage versus tools and equipment, which is a safety concern. We're asking for your support for a new climate controlled wood room. In the meantime, temporary outdoor climate controlled storage unit near the theater department would make a real difference. Broad run may be loudon's oldest high school, but our students shouldn't be left behind. They deserve the same resources other schools enjoy.
Let them have the space they need. Keep building something extraordinary. Thank you. Thank you Ashley. Long followed by Melody Visser. Dear board members, you may have moved on, but Ethan hasn't. 15 days later, this Dick Street has done nothing, no answers, no protection, no accountability. My son is just five years old. He was racially harassed on the porch of his son home. The middle schoolers feel is quiet and now he lives in fears. He doesn't understand why it happened.
What have you done to prevent things like this happening again? If you don't have any policy, please address this issue. I request the school and board to create one, not only for Ethan, but also for all the other children. By ignoring this, you're telling kids like, Ethan, your pain doesn't matter. We'll not accept debt. Not now, not ever. Thank you. Thank you. Please hold your applause. Um, melody Visser, followed by Allison Kelly. I'll just remind people that, um, in the, uh, in the decorum
and civility, uh, violations of civility, decorum and respect include shouting, heckling during applause or other noise which disarray, disrupts or delays the meeting. Thank you. Go ahead. Good evening. My name is Melody Visser and I speak to you as both a parent and the treasurer of the Broad Run Theater Boosters Broad Run was the first high school in Ashburn, a school that helped build this community. While new schools benefit from state of the art facilities, broad run is being left behind. Today I'm here to highlight a critical need, climate control storage in a functional workshop space.
The current wood room is not only undersized, but unheated students are forced to work outside in the cold and dark, raising safety concerns. There's also no secure storage for tools, putting equipment at risk of theft and misuse as a temporary solution. We propose a climate controlled storage unit right outside the wood room. Long term we ask for investment and proper renovation. Our students deserve equal resources in the same pride in their school as their peers. Let's give broad run the respect and future it has earned. Thank you. Thank you. Alison Kelly, followed
by Kellen Harbert. Hello, I'm Allison Kelly. I'm the stage manager for our school's department, and I have spent a large amount of my three years at Broad run re reorganizing our space. Currently, our storage consists of janitorial closets, sewage pipes, and boilers included and curtains to attempt to separate the space. But these creative, so solutions are not enough. We still end up with set pieces in the prop closet, props in the dressing rooms, costumes in the wood room, and set pieces in the wings. The set pieces being held in the wings would be fine if not for the cramped nature of our space. It's a game of Tetris to not only fit everything back there, but also to maneuver it something you'd hope is not
complicated when moving eight pieces on or off simultaneously, this cramp nature creates safety hazards, making it more likely for people to get hurt during a show. The public nature of backstage means leading up to our show. Stuff can be stolen, lost, or broken, all, all while putting others who may not be aware of the screw that had fallen earlier in the day at risk. Please continue to follow your goals of empowering students and allow us to engage our community by giving us the space to grow, learn, and exceed. Thank you. Thank you. Kellen Herbert, followed by Barbara Davis. Hello, my name is Kellen. I go to Eagle Ridge and I'm in seventh grade.
It'd be a great opportunity to have volleyball in high school for boys in Loudoun County. It'd be an easy addition because we already have all the equipment we would need. In addition, it would not be too expensive to have it. If we decided to have it, there would be an interest in many boys. We went to play. Thank you. Thank you. Robert Davis, followed by Jaden Thomas Falcon. Good evening board members. I am Barbara Davis. I live in Kirkpatrick Farms. I also serve as the president of the Community Association. And I am here again to ask you guys not
to split Kirkpatrick Farms apart as a community in the rezoning effort. Reject the staff plan. Um, both Braddock, Braddock Corner and Kirkpatrick Farms are coalescing behind Plan 40, which we ask you to seriously consider. And an idea just came to me tonight of why don't we ask the geospatial students to take a look at it themselves. Get a student's perspective on this. Anytime a redistricting or rezoning is coming up, I think would be a, a good, a good, a good exercise for them and I think it would be really good for the board
to get students' perspective when it comes to this. Uh, thank you. Plan 40, reject the staff plan. Thank you. Thank you. Jaden Thomas, followed by Deepa Raja. Good evening. My name is Jayden Thomas Falcon and I'm a senior at a Loudoun County Public School. I'm speaking to you today to please look into the dismissal of my theater teacher. Because of him, our program has flourished, become more of a family. He was a father figure, one of my safe spaces and made theater a home for me and many others. I was a cheerleader for my high school cheer team
for all four years of my high school experience. And thanks to my theater teacher, I was able to do both of my passions, cheer and theater since he's been gone. A classroom where we once learned different things about theater quickly became a study hall where we do nothing. As my college ex, as my college audition experience came to a close and it came time for me to choose where I would spend the next four years. I had to make a very hard decision without his guidance. The school building that once echoed with his laughter and good energy is now silent. Please look into his dismissal. Bring him back. Thank you. Thank you. Deepa Raja followed by Ali MACIs.
There. Deepa or Okay. Ali MACIs, followed by Melody MACIs. Good evening school board members. My name is Ally MACIs and I'm currently a seventh grader at Willard Middle School. And I'm here to share my thoughts about the risk of any part of the Lena Mill neighborhood. Being rezoned to another school, I would like the board to stick to the original staff plan to keep Le Lena Mill zoned to Willow and Light Ridge. My reason for this is that I have worked really hard to create, to make many connections with Light, light Ridge. Even though I am a seventh grader, I'm a part
of Willard's eighth grade symphonic band. This is an opportunity that I worked hard to earn. I've already made connections with all of the band directors at Light Ridge as I map out my academic and music programs for high school. I was also lucky enough to have one of the Light Ridge Band directors offer me one-on-one guidance as she sees how dedicated I am to the clarinet and to prepare me for marching band to zone me away from this opportunity would be devastating after I have worked so hard to keep connections. Please keep Lena Mill line to Lloyd and Light Rich. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Melody MACIs, followed by Catherine Thomas.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be here, here tonight. I'm here to speak on my behalf of my neighborhood Lena Mill and request to keep us aligned to Willard Middle School and Light Ridge High School. Ever since I was in third grade, my friends have been rezoned, moved, moved some more and moved back. This constant changing is being like a military child. Making new friendships is tough. It takes months to build friendships, then they are destroyed by rezoning in moves. This is hard on kids, too hard Connections between teachers and students are really important and should be impossible to break. Too many changes are happening
and it's making kids scared for their futures. I I have always known what school I was going to Willard then to Light Ridge Switching schools causes students to get off track. They can no longer focus on their studies because they're trying to find the a bathroom in the school. This isn't good for students being in sixth grade. I'm so excited to be a wildcat and a future bolt. I need my friends and I need stability, not a new school again. Thank you. Thank you. Catherine Thomas, followed by Thpo ti. Good evening. Um, I just want to say that Allie
and Melody did, melody did a great job expressing, um, some of the student reasons why they might may want to stay with, um, Willard and Light Ridge. I'm also the parent of, um, Lena Mill students who currently attend Goshen Post. And I would like to speak in favor of the staff plan and against Plan 40 and 2 8 9. Um, moving our kids to another school, um, would be detrimental to the relationships that they have already formed and the plans that they have already made. As well as, um, plan 40, which splits our neighborhood. Our neighborhood does not have a natural split. There is not a major road going through the middle of it.
To make a natural split, you would be creating a split in our neighborhood and our elementary school is already split between, um, two sections and so that would leave just a small section of our neighborhood, um, continuing to Willard and Light Ridge, which would, um, kind of alienate those students from not only their neighborhood friends, but also their elementary school friends. So I would like to advocate for the staff plan or other plans that, um, keep Lena Mill aligned with the Willard and Light Ridge. Um, it also, traffic would be really bad if you mix. Good. Thank You. Thank you. Uh, Tura GTI followed
by Nancy sra. I'm a parent of two boys in school, zone 7.5. They both attend Willard and are on track for Light Ridge. I'm here tonight. To respectfully ask that our Len Mill community stay in the school track. Willard and Light Ridge are the closest schools. Just one stop away when we exit our neighborhood. But the proposed plans of 0 4 0 and 2 8 9, our kids would be sent further away to Mercer and John Champ requiring longer commutes. Adding to already congested drives through rush hour, having to risk a lefty, uh, a risky lefty turn, uh,
on Braddock Road, uh, crossing through four lights, one stop sign and a yield. A four minute commute essentially turns into a 15 minute drive on a non rush hour time. And you can imagine easily turning into 60 minutes plus during rush hour. Our neighborhood functions, we rely on carpools tight, uh, routines and community support systems. Our neighborhood functions like an an extended family rezoning would break those networks apart. My boys will be displaced during their eighth and 10th grade. Thank you. Nancy sra, followed by
Amou gti. Good evening board. I'm Nancy sra. I'm a parent of two kids at in Lena Mill. They're a rising, will be a rising middle and high schooler and I would like them to stay at Willard and John at Willard and Light Ridge. Segregating us with 40 is you're gonna segregate us from the rest of John Champ and Mercer that are across the street since we live behind those schools with no connection to them whatsoever. And again, the rest of the Lena Mill going there, you would again segregate us as our, the only community behind those schools going across. And those left hand turns. Our kids are learning to drive, making left hand turns
that take 10 minutes to get out of our neighborhood would create accidents and we want our kids to get safely to school and get home. So we would appreciate it. 'cause there's no light, there's no roundabout and right hand turns are safer to get to Light Ridge. The difference of distance between John Champ and Willard from my house is one 10th of a mile. No, it's negligible. So let's keep our kids safe and keep 'em at Willard and Light Ridge. Thank you. Thank you. Am GTI followed by Nicole Kenard. Hi, my name is Amou GTI and I'm a sixth grader at Willard Middle School.
I live in Lena Mill. My school zone is D ds 7.5. I'm here because obviously I really don't wanna be moved to a different school. I made great friends build strong connections with my teachers and I'm involved in sports. Whether it feels like home to me, I wanna finish middle school with my friends and have the same great experiences my older brother had. It would be really hard to leave and everything is start behind Oh, all over at a new school. In my last year of middle school plans like staff plan would let me stay at Willard and go to Light Ridge with my brother and friends just like we expected. Please oppose oh four oh and 2 8 9
and help keep my friends community and family together. Thank you for listening. Thank you. Uh, thank you. Uh, Nicole Kenard, followed by Sally Yates, Members of the board. I'm here as a parent of DS 7.2, one of many who is deeply concerned about the potential impact of yet another school rezoning for our family. My son is currently thriving at Willard both academically and socially. He's a straight A student who has been recommended for honors next year by all of his teachers. While he's always been well regarded by staff, he's never been considered a standout academically until now. The environment, the teachers, the support, he's blossomed in ways we didn't anticipate.
We've already rather dis disruption once in Lena Mill with the first rezoning. Then again for my son personally. When Hovatter opened being separated from many of his closest friends, they've now been reunited at Willard and the idea of separating him from these bonds and new his final year of middle school is heartbreaking. So many families are sharing similar stories, but I'm here to advocate for what makes most sense for our children, for traffic patterns and for community continuity. The staff plan is grounded in logic and intention. It considers proximity future rezoning and avoids even more children driving past me. Champ. To attend Willard Light Ridge, my husband and I strongly oppose Plan 2 8 9 and support the staff plan
and others that keep him at Willard and Light Ridge. Thank you. Thank you. Sally Yates, followed by Gladys Johnson. Good evening. I live in DS seven D South 7.2 and I'm here to oppose zone Plan 2 8 9. My son is a sixth grader at Willard and is thriving in all areas. Willard has been the perfect environment for him and since seeing his growth has been incredible, we were shocked to see Plan 2 8 9 under consideration, especially after staff plan kept us at Willard Light Ridge 7.2 already went through a difficult zoning in 2020 and since then, our neighborhood has nearly doubled in size.
Plan 2 8 9 moves our large community from over one over capacity school to another creates unsafe traffic conditions with a left turn on Braddock Road and uproot our community from schools they love. Please prioritize stability, safety, and existing community bonds. We urge you not to move forward with Plan 2 89 and please strongly consider the staff plan instead. Thank you. Thank you. Gladys Johnson, followed by Claire Weber. Members of the board. I'm a homeowner in District DS oh 7.2 a community impacted by the current rezoning proposals.
I have a sixth grader currently at Willer and we chose this area specifically for the Willer and Schools. The staff plan will let our children stay. But proposal 2 89, we set them to Mercer and Champ as schools we did not plan for. We move here with careful thought, not just about buying a home, but about finding a future for our children. How is it that new construction continues to expand in areas where schools are already nearing or exceeding capacity? I respectfully ask, is there enough coordination between the zoning commission and the developers building this homes? Families like mine are doing our due diligence research,
school boundaries, planning long term, and yet we're the ones caught in the middle. When those boundaries suddenly shift, please don't make my child start over. Please don't erase the comfort she's finally found. Please give our kids the school they work so hard to belong to. Please do not choose proposal 2 89. Thank you. Thank you. Claire Weber followed by re how? Hello, I am Weber and I am a part of broad run theaters theater department for two years now. Within that time theater, the theater wood room has changed a lot.
When I first joined, there was minimal space to work or for storage. Then seniors saw this as a safety concern and there was a capstone project built to organize a new system for the wood room so it could be a safer and more efficient place. Even after that, there was still a lack of space and a parent in our community had to build us a movable work pit bench to increase space further. And yet we are still at a lack of space. Our, the theater department has been doing everything we can to make this the safest and best possible place for our students, and yet they still need help. There are aspects simply out of their control, such
as heating, ventilation, and pure floor space. Many of the set crew members would tell you that their crew could have been formed better if there was a simple expansion of the wood room. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Ran How we followed by a delegate Gary Higgins. Good evening. I'm here today. Not just a concerned community member, but as someone deeply troubled by the inaction of this board we've seen over the past month, nearly four weeks ago, a video surfaced of middle school students in our district verbally assaulting a 5-year-old Asian child with hateful,
racist SLS talking him while he cried and pleaded. And yet from this board silence, no formal statement, no public plan, no accountability. How long does it take to acknowledge a known hate incident? How long does a family and entire community have to wait to see what this board takes? The safety of every children seriously, including Asian American children? Summer is around the corner. If the message to our students is that this kind of behavior goes unanswered, then we accomplish it. I urge this board. Speak up, act now,
and commit to a visible, transparent response before another child is harmed. Thank you. Thank you Delegate. Gary Higgins, followed by Beth Hess. Thank you Madam Chairman, members of the board. My name is Gary Higgins. I stand here today as a former LCPS school board member, LCPS parent, as well as a current LCPS grandparent and elected state delegate. I must say I am thoroughly disappointed, specifically with regard to the treatment of the three boys at Stonebridge High School and the disregard LCPS has for state delegate Higgs state and federal mandates. Yes Ma'am. I'm sorry.
You, you named the school and that's part of what we were talking about earlier about not, uh, targeting, criticize and attacking. Please redirect and continue. I'm sorry. I have spoken with the parents of the students involved. I have also contacted your government government affairs staff for a meeting, but was told no one was available to talk to me. LCPS is failing these young men and his potential to ruin their futures should this ridiculous Title IX investigation not stop. The boys were uncomfortable with a girl in their locker room who was filming them, and yet the boys are the ones in trouble. As a 14 or 15-year-old young man,
I cannot imagine a more inappropriate, awkward, or embarrassing situation than having, Are you gonna gimme the time back that you took from me? Um, delegate Higgins. Um, what we, you there was directed comments and I needed to you to redirect and um, and then it continued. So, um, I can let you have about 15 seconds if that would, but please follow our rules. Thank you Madam Chair. Like I said, as a fifth, 14 or 15-year-old young man,
I cannot imagine a more inappropriate or embarrassing situation. Where is your common sense? Further, as a taxpayer, I'm absolutely amazed that you all would potentially walk away from a hundred million federal dollars rather than comply with federal policies. When I sat on this board every dollar count. Thank you. Please refrain from clapping. Please refrain from clapping The board's gonna go into recess for about five minutes and we'll be back in a minute. Thank you. The board is back from recess and we're gonna start with, uh, Ms. Beth Hess followed by um, Beverly McCauley.
As you all know, policy 80 40 was last updated in 2021. Since then, Dena Griffith has asked twice for the policy to be put on the agenda for vote and not a single one of you agreed to that. If the board had taken action in January to ensure our schools reflect the current executive order defining sex as only male and female, the current Title IX investigation would not be happening. This board has delayed putting politics over parental rights and community concerns. Constituents have a right to know your vote on policy 80 40.
Stop using the grim case as a reason to delay because Grim may very well come to an end in June when SCOTUS decides on the RIT case. No amount of money spent on the communications department or the public Information office can save LCPS from the National News News until you do the right thing. Thank you. Thank you. Um, Beth, uh, let's see. Sorry, I need my glasses. Beverly McCauley, followed by Cassie McCauley. Good evening. My name is Beverly McCulley and I've been a mom to 41 children. So I come here to speak with an experience that very few
of any of you have kids in middle and high school face a litany of things bombarding them, not notwithstanding a locker room where kids are very vulnerable, they're physically and mentally exposed. Boys made a comment out of being uncomfortable with a female being in the locker room with males. It's not about who you identify, it's biological truth. It was uncomfortable for them to be changing in front of a girl. They were stripped, bare, videotaped in the locker room, whether clothed or not exposed to Boulder Time. Cooper, please pause the clock. As I shared during the comments during the outside of public commentary, speakers should refrain from
targeting, criticizing, or attacking individual students during public comment as that's against school board policy. Please redirect or generalize your comments. We wanna hear your comments while ensuring compliance with policy timekeeper. Please resume the clock. Okay. It's against a lot of video tape in a locker room. We have reasonable expectations of privacy and private spaces. They were stripped bare of their rights to privacy. So rather than investigate, I wholeheartedly believe we should have reversed 80 40 and it never would have been an issue. We're talking about biological differences, not feelings. It's imperative that we teach kids truth.
Booker t Washington said, A lie doesn't become true. People doesn't become good because you lie About it. Thank you. Beverly mcc, uh, Cassie McCauley, followed by Ryan King. Hello, I'm Cassie McCauley. Um, I graduated high school and I have multiple siblings who have moved out of public school because of transgenders and children claiming their horses and jumping on them saying sexual terms. It has made my siblings and foster siblings very uncomfortable. In the Bible it says God made two genders, male and female. The fact that you guys are allowing transgender in
schools is ridiculous. Children are being ruined and scared to death to go, to go to school 'cause of your guys' lack of finishing what you're supposed to. People concern voice their concerns and you just disregard them like it's nothing. Multiple parents and a adults in general keep saying that they need transgenders out of their kids' lives and you keep pushing 'em on saying it's okay. Um, you can just work around them. Nobody wants to work around them. God made two genders deal with it. Thank you. Please hold your applause.
Uh, Ryan King, followed by Ryan Hart. No, Ryan King Ryan Hart, followed by Matt Malone. Hello. I am a junior speaking here today to advocate for the reinstatement of my theater teacher because he has been a pivotal mentor in my life ever since I met him in my class freshman year. That class was genuinely the most fun I've had in school in my entire life. Every day I looked forward to learning new methods to improve my acting and to bonding with my friends and classmates. 99% of that fun and excitement was due to my teacher not only creating an amazing curriculum
to teach us more about acting, but to also teach us how to be better people in general. He directly gave me the passion that would fuel the rest of my life and he's given me many opportunities to grow and experience the world of acting. And personally, I suffer with severe self-doubt issues and even when I doubt my own capabilities, he was always there to show me that I am able to do anything. All I want is for the man who did all of this to be able to see my growth and see how far I've come as an actor and a person make that happen and also grow the
Wood room. Thank you. Um, Matt Malone, followed by Lori Walsh and after Lori Walsh, uh, vice Chair Donahue will be the one who's uh, in charge of the meeting. No. Matt Malone. Uh, Lori Walsh. No. Wally. Uh, Lori Walsh. Our next speaker will be Megan Jenkins, followed by Hannah Visser. I am here in support of the three boys from a high school that were charged with sexual harassment for objecting to a female student videotaping them in the boys' locker room LCPS allowing a biological female into the boys' locker
room, deprived the three boys of their dignity and privacy. First, I urge a school board to drop the sexual harassment charge against the three boys. This charge could unfairly haunt their reputations for years and it is completely absurd. Second, I would like to call on Governor Yin to revoke state funding to LCPS. LCPS is still following transgender policy 80 40, which is in violation of the statewide VDOE model policy, which requires bathrooms and locker rooms to be separated by biological sex. Therefore, L-L-C-P-S does not have a leg to stand on
and must drop the harassment charges. Thank you Dina, for standing up for the three boys. I urge the rest of you to find your voices and stand up for these boys. Boys cannot be girls and girls cannot be boys. Sorry. When the brain is in conflict with the body, the brain needs to cha. Thank you. Our next speaker will be head. Our next speaker will be Hannah Visser, followed by Lisa Wolf. Good evening. My name is Hannah Visser and I'm the president of the International Thespian Society At Broad Run High School, our teachers and students have been advocating for years for more storage space or more equitable opportunities within our department when compared with other spaces we've usually been told no
or told it would happen at some point in the future yet never did. Last year we spoke and this school board approved a $1 million budget that was supposed to be used for storage for theater or our music department. However, the money went to storage on the other side of the school and was not given to our theater department at all. We've adapted and utilized our space the best we can. Even still, no matter how much we organize or clean our wood room or other areas, there's never enough space to store new materials. We're hoping we would be able to receive any sum of money to either extend our wood room or provide more space to store our sets and set design materials that will certainly go to us. Thank you.
Thank you. Our next speaker is Lisa Wolf, followed by Jesse Travis. Hello. I am a 34 year resident of this county and a former employee of LCPS, but tonight I'm here as a grandparent of one of those three boys being accused of sexual harassment under the Title IX investigation. The video released by local media clearly shows there's absolutely no valid reason for investigating this matter unless it is to charge the person who illegally recorded the those minors in their safe space. The video was premeditated.
In the video, you can hear timekeeper. Please stop the time as the chair shared during her comments at the outset of public comment, speakers need to refrain from targeting, criticizing, or attacking individual students during public comment as that is against school board policy. Please redirect or generalize your comments. We want to hear your comments but also ensure compliance with our policy. Timekeeper. Please resume the clock In the video. You can hear, you can plainly hear the students saying, we'll see, and then the screen goes dark and then you can hear some of the young men reacting to what they saw as a girl in the boys' locker room.
At that point, the phone is taken out of hiding and the recording continues. The local policy 80 40 in effect supersedes both Title ix, which is national and common sense. Thank you. Our next speaker is Jesse Travis, followed by Ella Stevenson. Good evening. I'm here to speak about the recent dismissal of our theater teacher. This occurred with vague disciplinary claims, a lack of transparency and contradiction of Loudoun County public school's. Policy parents and students have been left in the dark, no communication on the program's future or college support for juniors and seniors.
The theater program and its students are being neglected with associated support programs being dissolved and claim that they don't help students. There has been a systemic decrease since the dismissal of educators and dissolution of external programs for support of theater students and their activities. This directly contradicts Loudoun County Public Schools four A of success. The theater program built over a decade, self-funded and awarded millions in scholarships is being dismantled with no plan or justification. Why is Loudoun County Public Schools choosing to single out one of its most successful teachers
and inclusive student program that they created without reason or accountability? Bring back the mentor and teacher. These students should never have lost. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Ella Stevenson, followed by Deb Glass No, Ella Stevenson. Deb Glass, followed by Rena Sinha. Good evening by listening to us tonight. Thank you for recognizing like Alexander Hamilton wrote in the Federalist Paper number 78, that our elector representatives you cannot legitimately substitute their will for the will of their constituents. I commend your desire to help and protect our children.
Thank you for your hard work to do so. Since many of you're parents too, I'm sure you'll agree that no one wants to protect our children more than we are parents. As a parent of an LCPS student, I can tell you that policy 80 40 does the opposite. It's a destructive policy and it harms our children. I assume you had noble intent when you voted for policy 80 40, however much like Einstein said, success is failure in progress. This policy is a failure and needs to be revoked so that it can be successfully benefit all of our students. The recent incident at LCPS showed
how it unfairly puts our students in a situation they should never have had to experience and didn't have the maturity to handle. Please revoke it. Thank you. Our next speaker is Reina Sinha, followed by Beta Naji. Good evening. My name is Rena Sna and I have been in Spartan Stage studios since 2022. During rehearsal, many other actors and I would stand in the wings or sit on the stairs or chairs there for the mystery of Edward Drew. There were these moving flats and other parts for the set of the shoulder that was movable. The room backstage becomes,
came especially tight and a safety hazard. Therefore, we could no longer perform in the wings, I mean be in the wings and we're required to sit in the wood room backstage during the performance, which wasn't convenient because the wood room was really small so I couldn't practice singing or choreography without disturbing others or hitting the many things in the wood room. It was also a bit hard to breed with without the sawdust and wood in that room. On many occasions I was close to missing my cues because I could hardly hear what was going on on stage. If it wasn't for the other actors telling me to get ready
or if I didn't wash him, leave the wood room, I wouldn't have known it was my queue. Thank you for your underwater attention, please consider funding storage for Broadband's Auditorium. Thank you. Our next speaker is Beta Naji, followed by Nadia Naji. Thank you. Hi, my name is Beta Naji and I am a parent from Lena Mill District S oh 7.5. I know many parents have been speaking tonight about the rezoning and about their own children and that's completely understandable. After all, I'm standing up here in front of you, but this decision is bigger than one family
or one neighborhood. That's why I'm urging the board to trust and adopt the original plan presented by the staff. It's rooted in data, it's unbiased, and it takes into account the broader needs of our community. On a personal note, my kids have went through four different schools in four years back to back. They are finally settled and thriving. Um, to move them again, especially apart from their Lena Mill friends would be deeply disruptive. Academically and socially. I do not envy your positions and I thank you for what you are doing and I trust that you'll choose what's best for to serve the entire community. Thank you for your time.
Thank you. Our next speaker is Nadia Naji, followed by Zane Naji. Hi, my name is Nadia Naji and I'm a sixth grader at Willard Middle School. I'm here tonight because I love my school. I've made great friends and I feel safe and happy at Willard changing schools and means starting all over new teachers, new hallways and not having my friends around. That's really hard, especially after everything we've already been through in the past few years. I've had to change schools a lot because of things like covid and moving. It was tough, but I'm finally in a place where I feel like I belong. I don't wanna lose that. Lena Mill is a close community. We carpool do after school activities and support each other.
Please don't split us up. I hope you'll keep us at Willard and go to the original staff plan. Thank you for listening. Thank you. Our next speaker is Zane Naji, followed by Samin J Far. Hello, my name is Zay Naji. I'm an 8-year-old and I'm in third grade. I wanna talk about my big sister. She goes to Woodard and I've heard her talk about how much she loves it. She tells me about her awesome teachers and all the fun things they do. I've been to the campus and I've been really excited to go there one day too. It makes me sad to think she might have to leave her friends and everything she loves about school
and I don't wanna go to a different school from my friends either when it's my turn. Our neighborhood is really close. We do so much things together and I wanna stay with them. Please don't split us up. I hope you let let my sisters stay at Willard and keep Lena Mill together. Please choose the original staff plan. Thank you for listening. Thank you. Our next speaker is Samin Javan, far followed by PU No Samin Javan Far. Our next speaker will be YA P, followed by Jessica uar. Sorry. Good evening.
It has been nearly a month since Loudoun County Middle Schooler filmed themself racially harassing a 5-year-old Asian child, mocking his ethnicity while the child cry and begged to be left alone. This act was intentional, hateful, and deeply damaging, and yet we have seen no public consequences, no accountability, and no leadership from this board. This is not an isolated incident. LCPS reports hundreds of hate speech incidents every single year. This is a crisis when racism becomes routine and leadership remains quiet. The dam, the damage spreads far
beyond one child or one family. This student must face real consequences. The schools must take ownership and this board must act with policy training and accountability because if you cannot protect a 5-year-old, 5-year-old from hate in this community, then you are failing every student you are sworn to serve. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Jessica Owa, followed by Michael Stansberry. Good evening. My name is Jessica Owa and I am a sophomore and the advocacy chair of the International Thespian Society.
At Broad Run High School, the lack of storage in the wood rooms becomes unsafe for everyone, especially when people are crowded backstage because many large set pieces have to to be stored in the wings, which are rather small. This contributes towards a safety issue. As many actors and crew members, especially in larger productions, must stay backstage. This makes the wing areas crowded and harder to navigate through. In many cases, actors have tripped over set pieces while trying to travel backstage and while no serious injuries have occurred, the possibility remains. In addition, it impedes on the crew abilities to perform their duties since they have to maneuver around the other actors to get the set pieces on stage.
This has resulted in actors staying in places such as the wood room and costume room to safe space, which is an ideal, especially in the case of the wood room where there are many tools out in the open which could lead to further safety issues or accidents. Please consider funding storage for broad run's Auditorium today. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Michael Stansberry, followed by Kate Alona, A node to the school board. Some years have passed since the school board has caused a scene and it's all because three boys were thought to be mean. We know recording in locker rooms is against the rules
and the boys were brought up on charges, which makes you look like fools. As a coach and a dad, I would stand in the way of this 80 40 crap that will ruin the day God made all boys and girls perfect at birth. It's in his eyes that we all find our worth. You wish that us Christians would swim with the fishes, but why wouldn't you? You're doing what the evil one wishes and bring that teacher back and build broad. Run a wall and let's play some volleyball. Thank you. Our next speaker is Kate Celonis, followed by Lindsay Maritz. Today I am gonna share how our lack
of wood room space at Broad Run has impacted me and the rest of the costume crew. Although we have no connection to the space based on our title and responsibilities, we have been forced to be surrounded by it During our shows, we have such little space backstage, it's required for our ensemble actors to wait in our wood room. In rows of chairs we place when actors wait in the wings without entrance. We are unable to make any costume changes, let alone quick ones. There can can't be any movement of set pieces and our stage manager on that side can't get close enough to whisper to in order to communicate any important information. Along with that, me and the costume crew has adapted to do, to do changes and store costumes in the wood room
despite the temporary fix. This runs the risk of our hard work being ruined by sawdust, paint or screws, scraping the delicate fabric along with just the costumes, having the potential to get ruined. We're also on our knees or moving quickly to do costume changes. We are surrounded by screws, nails, and pieces of wood that can cause splinters. We are asking today to receive climate control storage immediately so we can alleviate broad run auditorium space issues. Thank you. Our next speaker is Lindsay Merritt, followed by Abby Plat. No, Lindsay Merritt. Our next speaker is Abby Platt, followed by Kate Hudson. Four years ago I came to speak to this board about policy 80 40
after my son then in the fifth grade had a horrifying experience in the school bathroom. A girl from his class walked in, stood next to him, and stared at his penis. While he used a urinal, he was embarrassed, mortified. He came home in tears. Since then, my high school daughter has spent years sharing locker rooms and bathrooms with boys. The toll on our family has been significant. We have been forced to have conversations that no parent should have to navigate, all because of policy 80 40, which is titled The Rights of the Transgender and Gender Expansive Students. What about the rights of all the rest of the students?
It is disgusting that an entire policy was crafted to placate less than half of a percent of 81,000 students in LCPS while the other 99% are ignored, sidelined, or even punished for speaking up and now Title IX is being weaponized to target and harassed students who should be protected. Not villainized enough is enough. This board must represent all students, not just the ones that fit your personal agenda. Our kids deserve better. Thank you. Our next speaker is Kate Hu. Katie Hudson, followed by Mohammad Chair. Hello, my name is Katie Hudson
and I'm the theater teacher at Broad Run. Since my employment in 2020, I have been advocating for renovations to be done to broad run's Auditorium. As you see, many students have spoken up here today to say what issues they have personally faced in terms of safety due to lack of space, having to send students outside in order to build and paint is just not acceptable yet. It's the reality our students live. I'm here today to say I am tired and I'm burnt out from having to find alternative solutions to storage and safety issues that frankly should not be safety issues. I have personally had to work with my staff to address multiple safety concerns as our students worked
outside, including strangers coming up and talking to them, and even, um, strangers attempting entry into the building. You all have heard from myself and my community for years now, and we need storage solutions to happen for these safety issues Today. I'm a mom of two and one being an eight month old and I can no longer give up my extra time on the weekends and on holidays, organizing and reorganizing storage suit solutions and put in extra hours of work on top of mounting shows. It is disheartening. Our pleas are not heard. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Mohammed Chair, followed by Jude Armstrong.
Good evening. I wanna make it clear. God creates perfect world and we try to make it more confusing for us, but let's not make it confusing for our children. Title nine, it's basically used to advance personal agenda. I don't know who's the invisible force behind this Loudoun, I I lived in so many different countries, so many different states, so many different counties, and I I I never seen a, you know, a public school system
that's more confusing than Loudoun County. So basically we are allowing the minority to govern the life of the majority, and that's not democracy. It's, it's, we better change it before it's too late, otherwise it's better to change. Thank you. Our next speaker is Jude Armstrong, followed by Jason Harding. Hi, so how many of you have had a kid run up to you? Excited to meet you simply because you're old with my increasingly white hair,
my laugh lines, my chronic pain. I stand out because I'm a 40-year-old trans person. Ask yourself why that is. Don't let politicians twist this moment to attack 80 40 just to win votes. I commend LCPS and ask that you continue to protect trans kids because if we don't, their best case future might be to become like me, one of the few rare survivors carrying the stories of those that I have lost. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Jason Harding, followed by Larry David Ratliff. My name is Jason Harding.
I'm a longtime resident, voter and parent in Loudoun County. I come before you today to express my concern about the bias by l the LCPS Title IX Office. I've personal experience with the bumbling and competence of the Title IX office and the conveniently sloppy approach to investigating sensitive matters. The rights of parents and all students are consistently disregarded if they conflict with a certain agenda. A few years ago, horrific sexual assaults forced a new and improved Title IX office to be organized. Unfortunately, incompetence and special treatment for favored victims remained the office's primary mission. All kids deserve to be safe
and treated fairly, not the select few. This board is responsible for this ongoing incompetence and should hold the Title IX office to the highest standard and, and ensuring accountability. If not, the voters will. Thank you. Our next speaker is Larry David Ratliff, followed by Mike Clancy. Good evening. My name is Larry David Ratliff and I'm an employee at Broad Run High School. I'm here to ask for equitable spaces for our theater department. We've missed deadlines and wasted time and materials because we lack the proper storage. Pricey lumber gets warped, tools aren't able
to be safely locked away, and students spend valuable time searching for what they need. Worse, our students are forced to build and paint outside sometimes in the dark and cold because there simply isn't space inside. I've personally purchased fans, heaters, floodlights, et cetera, you name it, just to make that possible out of my own pocket. This isn't just inefficient, it's unsafe. It's a liability. Our students deserve better. Theater is not a luxury. It is a classroom and it deserves equitable treatment.
Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Mike Clancy, followed by Ely Pathy. Good evening. I'm Mike Clancy. I've been here numerous times to urge you all to repeal policy. 80 40. 80 40 violates the Bill of Rights of the Virginia Constitution, including the prohibition under discrimination and the right to free speech. 80 40 violates federal law. 80 40 is itself a Title IX violation and your handling of the investigation is itself a Title IX violation. It is time to restore common sense.
It's time to protect the privacy, safety, dignity, and constitutional rights of every student. It's time to bury 80 40. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker will be Ely Pathy, followed by Daniel Brubaker. Hi, my name is Ely. I'm here to, to express my deep concern about an incident that happened involving male students and a girl student. Three male students who were in the locker room and a girl student entered the locker room and started recording them. When the boys asked and questioned the girl, why are you videoing me
Timekeeper, please stop. Once again, I need to ask you to refrain from targeting, criticizing, or attacking specific students during public comment. Please redirect or generalize your comments. Timekeeper, please resume. Well, I think we all know about the incident that happened, so I'll just continue. Two years ago, a male student went into a girl's locker, a girl's bathroom, and a sexually assaulted another girl, allegedly LCBS covered it up and all they did was transferred him to a new school. He did it again. Yes, he, there was consequences
and there were legal actions taken. 80 40 is a policy that needs to be stopped because it's affecting many students and not just a couple schools. All schools, especially Loudoun County and Loudoun County, is supposed to be a really good county for kids, but this policy is making kids feel so unsafe that they don't even wanna go to school anymore. Thank you. Please. No applause. Our next speaker is Daniel Brubaker, followed by Lynn Davis. No, Daniel Brubaker. Our next speaker is Lynn Davis, followed by Michael Hart. After sitting through 77 speakers, I feel like I have about a hundred different comments.
The first one is that I don't care if it's less than one half of a percent of students that are transgender, they still have rights and this is the same exact reason that Loudoun County didn't desegregate because you know, it was only a few black people. So it's a, it's a, it's a flawed reason. Additionally, I've heard people come up here and totally misrepresent actions that have happened. Uh, again, I don't want to say who said it, but the, uh,
they just are misrepresenting so many things and I hope that the truth will come out and I have to wonder where the separation of church and state is when it comes to pastors at the pulpit. Gin up people to come here. Thank you. Our next speaker is Michael Hart, followed by Michelle Statton. Hello, I come here as a taxpayer Al Loudoun County resident and Al Loudoun County parent, and I ask you to immediately end and policy 80 40 and fully exonerate the odd number of young men
who have been accused of sexual harassment. I'd like to publicly thank Mrs. Deanna Griffiths. I understand from looking in the media and, and learning about this story that the entire Loudoun County Public School Board was asked to comment on a potential incident. There was one comment made to the public. I come here because I remember about four years ago when we still had open comments going on about the potential for policy 80 40. During that time, a teacher spoke up or a number of teachers spoke up,
were improperly terminated, and then the, the board was ordered to restore them. This is another case. I can't talk the specifics 'cause I'll get cut off. Thank you. No applause. And I have been advised that a rude gesture was made towards one of our previous speakers. We will not be tolerating that kind of behavior. Actually, It was here first to the, to the speaker. I actually witnessed it. She hit a sign on her way out. She do this one too. That speaker did the root gesture. So what do you got to say?
I'm a witness. I saw it. We Saw it. What say whatcha Gonna say? Please let us sak, may I be able to squeak? Please. Okay. Before you speak, I will remind the audience to abide by our code and our rules. No rude gestures, no heckling, no applause. Our next speaker is Michelle Statin, followed by Samuel Young. Hi, my name is Michelle and I'm a mother of five children. I wanna be at home having dinner with my family, but I have to be here because the Loudoun County schools
can't seem to stop making national news for all the wrong reasons. Brave boys that I don't even know are unfairly investigated because you've created policy that allows girls to go into boys' bathroom and locker rooms. Your policy created this abusive situation. You've put our children at risk to appease your own ideology. This is child abuse. You sacrifice the safety and wellbeing of students in favor of a handful of gender confused people, people who wish to become something that they are not. Parents raise children to tell the truth, only
to send them off to Loudoun County schools where they'll be shamed and punished for recognizing biological reality. Dean Griffith, thank you for speaking up to, for these children to the rest of you, you, you're on the wrong side of history. Do not let these boys suffer because of the sins of their school board. Thank you. Thank you. No applause. Our next speaker is Samuel Yan, followed by to my Harding. Yes. Good, good evening. Uh, I wanna talk about the 5-year-old Chinese boy was Humili, uh, bullied, uh, by some, uh, Logan County, uh,
student, public school student. That instance suggests that, uh, the school board need to re uh, reestablish code conduct of a student to extend a code conduct, uh, outside school. A police officer without uniform is still still there. Uh, still the, uh, police student outside the school still, uh, uh, student. Another incident video taping incident once again, tell us that policy 80 40 is a big distraction, uh, to education, a big divider of the community. The policy should be seriously reconsidered
or simply replaced. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is to my Harding, followed by Mia Johnson. Good evening, Loudoun County School Board. I'm here to address the unjust Title IX investigation underway regarding alleged harassment in a boys' locker room. The accused guided by their religious beliefs, it spread valid privacy concerns protected as free speech under the First Amendment. Their statements captured on video were neither sexual nor harassing, yet they face severe consequences. LCP S'S policy allowing opposite sex locker room access, contradicts federal executive orders
and Virginia law, which mandate sex-based facilities. The allegations lack evidence and credibility, especially uncorroborated claims of threats. I urge you and the Title IX office to dismiss these investigations to protect these students' futures and align with state and federal policies. Thank you for ensuring fairness and privacy for all students. Thank you. Our next speaker is MIA Johnson, followed by OER bud, Members of the board. My name is Mia Johnson. I'm a sixth grade scholar at Willard Middle School. It has come to my concern that you have plans
to rezone my community, Lena Mill District DS oh 7.2 from Willard and LightBridge to Mercer and Champ. Not only would this disrupt my academic progress, but it would also affect the connections I have made with my administration and peers. I'm currently in the Student Council Association and have enjoyed helping my community and school in being the best it can be. I have worked really hard to make friends and find where I fit in. I've joined clubs, talked to new people, and have built real connections with my classmates and teachers. It took time and a lot of courage, but now I have friends who feel like family teachers who know my name and a routine that makes me feel safe.
If you change my school, it's not just a new address. It's like tearing up everything I've worked hard to build. I would have to start over again and that's really scary. I'm asking you to see the students behind the number. We aren't just names on a list. We're kids with feelings, friendships, and futures. We are trying to build one day at a time. Please don't take that away from us. From me. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is oer, but followed by Leslie McFadden. Come over here. Good evening. My name is oer but, and I'm here to address two different issues. After waiting for more than three hours,
my six year asked more than 117 times. When can we go home? When can we go home? So I hope this one minute really counts that you guys are listening. Bullying causes, it causes serious emotional and academic harm. It leads to anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. It doesn't just affect individual, it damages the entire school system. So please do something about the recent incident that happened. Secondly, policy 80 40 has been controversial from the start. It has taken many, uh, lives in mental issues
and physical issues to a lot of kids and parents. Were sitting at home, no one is born in the wrong body. There's a boy and a girl and we need to protect all children like Dr. Martin Luther King, Sid. The time is always right to do what is right. Thank you. Our next speaker is Leslie McFadden, followed by Michelle Vika. No, Leslie McFadden. Our next speaker is Michelle Vika, followed by Renee Whitmeyer. Thanks to you and your predecessors. My dream is to someday be a wife within a God-centered
marriage and a homeschool mom that supports inquiry-based learning and focuses on preparing my kids to successfully pursue their careers and serve within their communities. I now understand this is in the best interest of children to keep them mentally, emotionally, and physically safe while they're learning because you are failing. If I want to raise children that are respectful and curious, I must believe and trust in God alone. As a former student of LCPS, I was taught that scientific discoveries were made by asking questions to speak up and collaborate with others who disagree.
It saddens me this is not what this board stands for and is ignoring our community that's spoken against policy 80 40. I pray you recognize my conclusion not to trust this board as a result of the decisions it's made along with my experience spending over a decade in LCPS. Thank you. Our next speaker, quiet. Our next speaker is Renee Whitmeyer, followed by Jackson Herbert. No, Renee Whitmeyer. Our next speaker is Jackson Herbert, followed by Cory Renee. Good evening. I'm Jackson Herbert and I'm here to speak on boys volleyball in high school. I graduated from Briar Woods in 2023
and I'm currently playing division one volleyball at George Mason. I'd been fortunate enough to have opportunities to play boys volleyball, but it hasn't been easy to get these opportunities. I've had to cross state lines. My family has had to pay a good amount of money to make this happen. All of high school I wish to play varsity boys volleyball, but I was never given the opportunity. Schools have the courts, the nets, the poles, and the balls. All the facilities are there to have the sport that has changed my life. Counties around us and states all, all over offer in high school. Why can't we give boys the same opportunities girls have to play volleyball in high school? Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Cory Brene, followed
by Rebecca Ratliff. No, Cory Brene. Our next speaker is Rebecca Ratliff, followed by Santos Munoz. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Rebecca Ratliff and I'm the mother of a first grade little girl who attends Loudoun County Public Schools. It concerns me deeply to think that LCPS put my daughter in a situation where she's forced to share a bathroom or locker room with a male or be punished for expressing discomfort in such a situation. That's why I'm here to express my opposition to policy 80 40 and the outrageous way the district is choosing to address the female in a boys' locker room while filming them issue.
You should be focused on providing an excellent education, not pushing an ideological agenda. Dr. Spence, you recently said in an email quote, we recognize that strong schools are built on trust. Every student deserves to feel safe, respected, and supported. Quote, if I were to grade LCPS and the board in this regard, I'd give you an F. How can I trust that my daughter will receive a quality education and not be told nonsense? Like you can choose whichever bathroom according to how you feel and how can I trust that my daughter will be safe from a boy being in the girl's locker room and she's trying to change clothes. I can't trust that and I don't with respect.
Drop the nonsense and get back to the important business of educating children. Thank you. Thank you. Our next, our next speaker is Santos Munoz, followed by Chris Countryman. Good evening. My name is Santos Munoz and I'm calling, um, talking about policy 80 40. As parents, we want our children to feel safe, respected, and supported in schools. Since this school board adopted policy 80 40 in 2021, many families have raised serious concerns about privacy and fairness. In 2025 January, a federal court rule that Title IX protects students based on biological
sex, not gender identity. In 2023, governor Young King, uh, implemented policies to reinforce this prioritizing student safety and parents' rights. Yet this board is not aligned to this guidelines. Tonight, you can replace this policy with one that prioritizes children's privacy and safety. I urge you to include this as a new business and vote to repeal or revise this policy by listening to the overwhelming voices. Parents are acting decisively and you can change the course and uphold your responsibility as public servants.
Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Chris Countryman, followed by John Pepper. No, Chris Countryman. Our next speaker is John Pepper, followed by Karen Lear. Greetings. My name is John Pepper and I'm a resident of Kirkpatrick Farms and we are also part of the Dulles South rezoning and I've heard the beautiful words spoken by the members of the Lean and mill community and we're looking at plans. The staff plan is a disaster for us because like Lena Mill, if you go with the staff plan, my daughter loses the ability to be with her elementary school friends when she goes to middle and high school. So I looked at the plans and the compromise plan, it's Plan 9 35
that keeps us where we are. It keeps Lena Mill where they are and everybody wins and gets to stay with their friends. There is no more dangerous time for kids to lose love of school when they're transitioning to middle and high school and to be separated as a neighborhood kids you play with at the pool, kids you've gone to elementary school with. Let's keep our kids together. Let's look and support Plan 9 35. Thank you guys so much. Thank you. Our next speaker is Karen Lear, followed by Julia Holcomb. No, Karen Lear. Our next speaker is Julia Holcomb, followed by Susan Cox.
No, Julia Holcomb. Our next speaker is Susan Cox, followed by Fred Avila, LCPS in the news again for another scandal. And when you hear the details, you think you're in the Twilight zone. Where is the accountability for the violation of the policy against filming in the locker room? What happened to transparency and building trust? Do you still think it lies to keep secrets from parents? This goes against common sense and decency and policies that erode trusts such as policy 80 40 Many constituents think you are not capable or ethical enough to handle issues.
So once again, there is an investigation by the Attorney General into LCPS. It seems many on the school board are compromised. Aren't you concerned about filming in private spaces? Don't you care? Where's your empathy? We are your check and balance and you are letting the community down, especially the students trust issues abound. Stop the bullying and intimidation. Wanting privacy in the locker rooms is not hate filming in the locker rooms is against your policy. Thank you. Our next speaker is Fred Avila, followed
by former Senator Dick Black, no, Fred Avila. Our next speaker is former Senator Dick Black, followed by Christine Dixon. I am Senator Black who served on the education committee. This board is known for racial and sexual discrimination and now you're investigating boys who didn't want a girl filming them in the locker room. What is wrong With Loudoun County School System? The US recognizes just two sexes, yet you insist on letting students intrude into locker rooms based on gender preferences.
80 40 makes us a laughing stock. It fosters dangerous hostile environments violating Title IX of the Civil Rights Act. Sexual assaults have occurred. Citizens can file complaints online@civilrights.justice.gov. Tell the Department of Justice that policy 80 40 created a sexually hostile environment. It's time we got the Department of Justice involved. Thank you. Our next speaker is Christine Dixon, followed by Sean Murphy. I speak as a parent, a grandparent and former teacher.
I would like to, um, uh, talk about 80 40 policy and the hopes of it being abolished. My concerns are that, um, excuse me for a minute on my phone, it, my concerns are that we are not giving the best interest of all children, um, in El, in Loudoun County. Due consideration, I say this in light of the recent locker room controversy. I don't feel that people should be penalized when they're, they're exercising free speech there. That's, that doesn't constitute sexual harassment.
I think we need to care about bullying in school, but we need to differentiate as teachers and parents and educate our children the difference between being insulted because of a rude comment or, um, true bullying and we need to define it. Not only that, I think that, you know, we need to also understand that feelings aren't necessary an indication of truth. Thank you. Our next speaker is Sean Murphy, followed by Amy Riccardi. Thank you. I'm here as the Vice President of Equality Loudoun as an LCPS parent
policy 80 40 ensures every student is treated with dignity and respect is firmly rooted in state and federal law reflects the will of loudoun voters and upholds the right of students to be free from discrimination based on their gender identity, including their right to use facilities aligned to their gender, but that it has nothing to do with the incident in question, nor are our schools investigating or disciplining students for their personal beliefs, thoughts, or opinions. Once again, we see news outlets, faith leaders, and elected officials spreading false
and misleading information and exploiting the situation for their own cynical motives. As a parent, I appreciate that LCPS prioritizes student privacy and won't discuss specifics of disciplinary matters publicly. Let's remember that all of our students deserve support, the right to a fair disciplinary process and not to be made into political talking. Thank you. Our next speaker is Amy Riccardi, followed by Lily Howard. Good evening. I am gonna say what everybody in this room that has common sense wants to say but hasn't gone up here to say the way you all are conducting these school board meetings
now is abhorrent and incredibly disrespectful to the public that holds you accountable. These rules, these rules that you have put in place continue to grow week after week meeting after meeting they a little bit more, a little bit more. Every single time I have yet to, I've been to every school board meeting basically for the last three years and I have yet to see you all vote on these public rules that you've now created and they don't violate ferpa. These people are not violating anything. You all in interrupt people that have viewpoints
that you don't agree with and it is time to stop the shenanigans. It's absolutely ridiculous. 68% of this county is not in line with you and do not want boys and girls bathrooms or sports or anywhere else. There's only 18% of the county that does. You all need to put your personal politics aside. Thank You. Our next speaker is Lily Howard, followed by Jessica Greenberg. Good evening. I'm Lily Howard, a student at Broad Run and member of Broad Run's Theater Department. My mom works at a different LCPS school and I've done many productions over the summer at other schools in the county.
These experiences have allowed me to see the inequities between Loudoun County schools firsthand. As a young student who is very passionate about the community that we've cultivated at Broad Run, it's been very disheartening to see other schools with spaces at least double the size of ours. I know our department is just as worthy and I want for us to have e equitable spaces where we can learn and grow as performers and technicians. Thank you for your time. Please consider funding storage and expansions from Broad Run's Auditorium today. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Jessica Greenberg, followed by Elizabeth Whitley. Good evening, members of the school board.
My name is Jessica Greenberg and I'm here today as a mother, an advocate, and a voice for my son because Loudoun County Public Schools have failed him. Let me be clear, I'm not here to play politics. I'm not here to mince words. I'm here because my 11-year-old son, a fifth grader at an LCPS school has been bullied, sexually assaulted, physically attacked, threatened and harassed throughout this school year and your administration has done nothing to protect him and the result my child says he has. Thoughts about suicide. My 11-year-old child is having suicidal thoughts because what he's enduring, let that sink in.
He, the LCPS promises every student a safe and respectful learning environment, free from harassment, discrimination, and bullying. You promised accountability, but where was that accountability? When my son was sexually assaulted on the playground by a fellow classmate last month, my son reported it immediately. There were witnesses who corroborated his account. No consequences. Thank you. Our next speaker is Elizabeth Whitley, followed by Hilda Maltes. I'm Elizabeth Whitley, a resident of Kirkpatrick Farms. I have four children and my family is deeply involved in our schools.
Our community is in strong opposition to the staff plan. We are in support of Plan 40, but have compassion for our neighbors in support keeping all communities in tact and other current schools. Plan 9 35 keeps us and Lena Mill where we are. We have been rezoned multiple times, housed hovas entire kindergarten for two years and are always targeted to suffer for the greater good because of a road that goes through our neighborhood now we're being asked to shoulder another burden that isn't our fault and one that fractures our community. Our community's children are already experiencing anxiety around rezoning. Poor planning between LCPS
and overbuilding in the county shouldn't create problems that citizens are sacrificed to solve. The staff plan fractures, our sense of school community as well as our actual community. A road is not a natural boundary for a community established in 2005 long before wealthier and larger communities were built. Please don't punish us for living on the wrong side of Braddock. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Hilda Maltes, followed by Heather Gottlieb. No, Hilda Maltes. Our next speaker is Heather Gottlieb, followed by Lee Guanella. How can you tell? It's a gubernatorial election year.
Senators delegates and a bunch of failed Republican candidates are here. Nick Manock is back pedaling his propaganda like it's 2021. The usual grab bag of transphobia, fear mongering and fake outrage straight out of Ian Pryor's dusty Republican playbook. But here's the thing, Loudoun County has changed. We're smarter, we're paying attention and we will not allow a repeat of 2021. Dr. Spence has shown us what real leadership looks like, leading with facts, focusing on students and refusing to be pushed around by allowed perpetually outraged minority. I wanna thank Dr. Spence on the school board for continuing
to ensure that all students feel safe and seen at LCPS. Shame on the pundits, pushing this trash, targeting vulnerable students and exploiting families to score political points and weaponizing children and their desperate attempts to stay relevant. We will not obey in advance. Oh and boot lifts our gender affirming care. Thank you. No applause, please. Our next speaker is Lee Guo, followed by Seth Wolf. Hello, my name is Lee Guo. I am board president of Equality Loudoun. I wanna thank LCPS for upholding their policies and respecting the dignity
and privacy of all students and families. Policies like 80 40 send a clear message that all students are welcome and protected. 41% of lgbtq plus youth have seriously considered suicide in the last year and only half found their schools affirming. But when schools like LCPS do affirm students suicide attempts drop dramatically, reversing policies like 80 40 not only puts vulnerable students at risk, it undermines our commitment to engage students with compassion,
empower them to grow and enrich their future by ensuring their right to learn in safety and dignity. Please continue leading with compassion, integrity, and evidence-based decisions. Thank You. Thank you. Our next speaker is Seth Wolf, followed by Michael Rivera. Good evening, members of the board. My name is Seth Wolf and I'm here tonight as a father and a concerned citizen. First, thank you for your service. Leadership isn't easy and I respect the difficult decision you face while making decisions that affect our communities and families. I'm here be because I believe protecting our children from
policies that can confuse them or harm them, especially regarding complex issues like gender identity. Schools should focus on academics, critical thinking and character building free from unnecessary distractions and radical ideology. I urge you to review, revise and redo any policy not rooted in law facts or the best interest of our children. Prioritize compassion, common sense and rebuild trust between parents and educators. Align Loudoun County policies with state and federal guidelines and mandates our children futures.
Depend on your leaderships today. Please act with clarity and courage to ensure the safety and the success of all children. Protect our children, not our policies. Thank you. Our next speaker is Michael Rivera, followed by Renee Smith. There's something looming over all of us that everyone is overlooking. The fact is that our, that fact is that our ability to air our grievances lies at the feet of one person on the Deus Melinda Mansfield. One person has arbitrary ability to cut you off, to limit your speech, correct your grammar, and to initiate retaliation. I know this because it happened to me
when I spoke on October 8th of last year, critical of LCPS. Someone from the school district called my employer and attempted to get me fired. They didn't care about my family, my special needs daughter or my career. They only cared about the fact that I criticized the school board and I needed to be taught a lesson. I persevered after six weeks of suspension. The school board is currently in litigation for First Amendment violations for that same meeting. When you vote this November, remember that the school board is supposed to represent us, not silence, retaliate and litig against, against us.
While you're at a do your jobs, fix the wood room fund boys volleyball and stop over renovating the admin building. Thank you. Our next No applause, please. Our next speaker is Renee Smith, followed by Carrie Kidwell. I'm speaking on behalf of my son who is wrongfully accused of a Title IX violation. LCPS claims to prioritize safety, dignity, and respect. Let me be loud and clear. No one felt safe. No one felt respected and no one walked away from that locker room with their dignity intact.
Policy 80 40 was implemented under the guise that it's helpful, but in reality it's created more problems than it's ever claimed to solve and it's time we stop pretending otherwise to Loudoun County parents. What happened to my son and to the others involved could happen to yours. This policy has created a system where schools focus more on managing optics than protecting any of our kids. We cannot stand by while our children's safety and dignity are sacrifice for politics and appearances, I urge every parent to speak up, demand transparency, and insist
that policy 80 40 be repealed immediately. Our schools must prioritize protecting all students, not punishing them. It's time to take action. Thank you. Our next speaker is Carrie Kidwell, followed by Amy Paul. Good evening. I'm here to speak in strong support of policy 80 40 a policy created with input from experts, data and community feedback to ensure that all students, including transgender students, are safe, seen and supported in our schools. Let's be clear, transgender people exist. They always have and no executive order, sermon or headline
or public comment can erase them. We cannot in good faith, debate policies impacting students if we deny the existence of those very students. That's not discourse, that's dehumanization. We have seen this playbook before. Fearmongering. Misinformation and political theater all at the expense of vulnerable children is happening again. Just as it did four years ago. Happens to be another governor's election this year. Our kids deserve better and they deserve schools that protect them and not platforms that use that are used to exploit them. Let's redirect our energy toward real issues like literacy,
food insecurity, apparently theater and volleyball. Thank you very much. Thank you. Our next speaker is Amy Paul, followed by Anne Miller. Uh, good evening. I'm here to show my support for the three young men from a certain high school and also to demand that Loudoun County end its insane 80 40 policy. You all have helped facilitate this charade for long enough and it's time to put an end to the madness. You're investigating three young men for having common sense enough to state the obvious. Girls do not belong in boys' locker rooms. Please don't tell me that he or she is really a he.
We're done playing that game. There is no such thing as a child born in the wrong body. 80 40 has damaged so many children. You're taking kids who have serious issues and instead of trying to understand why they're rejecting their true selves, you encourage them to go down a path that could lead to irreparable harm to their bodies. It is time for you to act like the adults. Instead, you're investigating these young men for sexual harassment, but in reality you are the harassers. If you don't end 80 40, it's my hope that there will be so much press that the Trump administration
will pull every dime. Thank you. Our next speaker is Ann Miller, followed by, followed by Suzanne Satterfield. Good evening last year. I spoke to school board members about my son's, uh, high school football team who was terrified, um, to speak up about being uncomfortable having to, uh, dress in a locker room with a female student. They were ter they were terrified that they were gonna, um, that retaliation and retribution was going to come against them. And that's, um, exactly what happened. They waited till the end of the season. They held, uh, a walkout and they, um, were harassed
and experienced disparity. I come to you today, not to give you hell, but to give you heaven. We speak the name of Jesus over this school system. We pray, father God, you will be done for, uh, you. Your will will be done for the children of this county. We pray, Lord God, that you would remove policy 80 and all other destructive policies that are harmful to the children of this county. We speak to these mountains of destruction and we say, be thou removed. In Jesus's name, amen. Amen. Our next thank you. Our next speaker is Suzanne Satterfield, followed
by Benjamin Callaway Jones. Children rely on adults to be truthful and protect them from harm. Every girl and boy has the right to feel secure using private spaces without being invaded by the opposite sex. Every day that policy 80 40 remains in play. Children are being lied to so that they, that they could be born in the wrong body can change their sex. And this board administration actually cares about their safety, dignity, and mental health. You pride yourself on saying you are, you support transparency. Yet this very policy states you keep secrets from parents and harmful policy 80 40 today,
or get off the day, cut the millions of dollars in unneeded admin jobs, building unneeded schools, and fund the broad run wood room expansion and Guilford school renovations and all other necessary renovations. Stop pulling apart neighborhoods with unnecessary redistricting. Redistricting. Let the boys play volleyball. Thank you. Our next speaker is Benjamin Callaway Jones, followed by Philip Wiis. Good evening. My name's Benjamin Calloway Jones. I'm here to speak with you about my desire to bring boys high school volleyball to Loudoun County. Um, I'm a Leesburg resident
and my son Gregory, is a ninth grader at Tuss Aurora. Uh, he's a passionate volleyballer who wants to play, uh, very competitively, which necessitates a 250 mile weekly commute to play on a boys travel team in Springfield. Uh, many of his teammates attend high schools in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County, and Montgomery County, where they're also able to compete on their boys high school volleyball teams. Um, men's volleyball's, a increasingly popular sport all around the world, and I hope that we'll provide that opportunity to our high school
boys here in Loudoun County. I think it's probably inevitable, so please, let's bring it sooner rather than later. Um, I want you to know that you can count on our family's support in this initiative. Uh, thanks for your attention. Thank you. Our next speaker is Philip Whiti, followed by Alicia Brand Ludeman. Hey, um, look, I wanna address this room as an Englishman. I do find something very funny about this board. This is a school board. You act like the US Supreme Court. I thought your principles were by the people, for the people, and it's a kangaroo message. Timekeeper, stop the time, please.
I'm not allowed to say something like that. An objective evaluation of how I see this, Sir. The rules require you to address the members not the rest of the room. Okay, good. Sorry people. It's not Here. Timekeeper, please continue. Okay. Let me address one member of the board who looks like she's asleep this evening. Dr. Samir Rashid, you on April the 24th chair, the special permissions board committee and a bar denied the appeal for my son to go to Blue Ridge Middle School. Um, I don't think you're impartial enough to sit on that board, given the feedback I've had since is that you
create the rules and the policies for special permissions and told someone in confidence that therefore you couldn't vote an exception such as my kid's case to go to Blue Ridge Middle School. I also think Carrie LaBelle in her absence is not fit to be my concoction representative. She petitions and pitches the fact she has a sister with autism, yet couldn't look after my son. Thank you. Our next speaker is Alicia Brand Ludeman, followed by Scott Smith. Alicia, No, Alicia, brand Ludeman. Our next speaker is Scott Smith, followed by Jessica Smith.
Good evening, everyone. It's the first time I've seen you here. I sat this year out, but I thought tonight was a good night to come talk to you. This policy 80 40 has hurt so many people since my daughter was raped at Stonebridge in 2021 because of this policy, 80 40. But what I really wanna tell you is, is what you're doing tonight is to these three boys is the same thing that you tried to do to my family. I had to testify under perjury that my family didn't know anything about Policy 80 40, because there was testimony in the special grand jury
that said, we made this up. Can you believe that we got accused of making the rape of my daughter up? And now four years later, you're doing the same damn thing. You're victimizing innocent children over the priority of kids that don't know what. Thank you, sir. I'm Not done yet. Please yield the mic. Your time has expired. Well take it Fed. I watched you all night tonight. You have to, Sir, your time has expired. Come arrest Me. You already crying.
You guys are sick and pathetic. Thank you everyone. Our final speaker. No applause, please. Our final speaker is Jessica Smith. It has been almost four years. On the 28th of May, there are only two genders, male and female, boy and girl. You know, this is like an SNL skit. Tonight we have the gavels going, nobody paying attention,
nobody understanding the devastation that you have caused my family personally. Title IX wasn't even in place. There was no Title IX when, when it happened. There was no Title ix. You still have this administration over here that failed End policy 80 40. Thank you. That is the end of our public comment list. Thank you all for engaging with the Loudoun County School Board. The board will now take a 10 minute recess. All right. The board is now in session, and we are going to, um, continue with item 12
and our action items, starting with item 12.01, uh, finance and operations committee, revision of policy 61 30 unpaid mail, uh, mail debt presented by, uh, Mr. Stree Chair f and o Committee to have a motion. Mr. Stree, You are, he's on mute. He's not talking either. Are we on mute face? Yeah. Mr. Stree, can you, um, unmute or frozen or Hold on. Hold On.
The WiFi's still not working. Is it? Is it working now? Yeah, it's, it's okay. Okay. I'm gonna have, um, vice chair, um, Donahue, would you go ahead and make a motion? Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh, I move that the Loudoun County School Board adopt the Finance and Operations Committee approved revisions of policy 61 30 on unpaid meal debt. I have a motion. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second. By, uh, Ms. Chandler, it's been properly moved and seconded.
Um, Ms. Willoughby, since you're here and Mr. Raffe is not, could you help us, uh, remind us, remind, remind the board what this is, please. Of course. This policy, um, went through the f and o committee and was brought to the school board with some edits to the policy. Um, the edits was to provide, um, additional definitions related to unpaid meal debt. We also provided additional clarity regarding, um,
our communication efforts and our efforts related to when, um, or what the threshold was whenever we do start our communication efforts, which is when an account becomes $5 or more delinquent. And then we also at the end, um, provide additional clarifying information regarding what happens with the unpaid meal debt at the end of the school year. And so that was what was proposed. And then during, um, committee and during the school board meetings, there's have been, you know, discussions regarding edits and I believe there are some possible motions and board docs. Thank you, Ms. Willoughby. I think we got Mr. Raffe back on.
Do you wanna add anything, Mr. Raffe? Thank you. And apologies for that. Um, didn't have audio, couldn't hear you all. Um, no, I don't have anything to add. Um, just was gonna, uh, I think, uh, Ms. Willoughby covered it. Um, there were two potential amendments that were contemplated, um, in when this was an information item. So, um, that's, that's it. All right. I will, um, I'd like to, since we're having, we, it's been motion seconded and this is our discussion part. Um, I'd like to make an amendment. I move that on line 55 after on the red line
after mail, remove the punctuation and insert in a DA accessible format. The communication is also available in multiple languages. Um, so I've made a motion. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second. By Ms. Chandler. It's been properly moved and seconded. Um, this is just to kind of, um, make certain that this is in accessible formats and multiple languages, which they pretty much do multiple languages anyway, but this is just to put it in policy to make sure that things are accessible. Um, so we can go ahead. Any other discussion?
No. Um, where's my thing? Oh, here. It's, uh, we can go ahead and vote on this motion and then it'll go back to the base Motion Clerk. Please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote Clerk, please. Oh, Arvin, would you please? Uh, Mr. Raffe, would you please state your vote? Yes. Uh, clerk please close and display the vote. And that motion passes unanimously with Ms.
LaBelle Epstein, uh, um, absent for the vote. Um, and we go back to the base motion. Is there any other discussion? Yes, Ms. Chandler? Thank you Madam Chair. I also would like to make a motion. Um, I would like to move, um, that on the red line version at line 50, after a, will not be allowed to incur debt for al all la car items that we add language to include items available to purchase, such as chips, beverages, additional entrees, additional meals, et cetera. And strike line B are not allowed to charge a second meal.
Um, after expressing some concerns with the language as it was initially presented, um, we worked with staff to develop language that aligns more with our current practice and does not contradict any other provisions of the policy. There's a motion on the floors. Do I have a second? Second. Second. Oh, I have a second by Ms. Shernoff. Um, so the motion's been, uh, made and seconded. Um, is there any other discussion? Do you wanna speak to your motion? You kind of did, but do you wanna, okay. Uh, any other discussion? Seeing none, we'll go ahead
and move forward with the vote Clerk, please open the vote. This is for the Second Amendment. Uh, board members, please record your vote. Arvin. Uh, Mr. Stree, would you please state your vote? Yes. Clerk, please close and display the vote. And that motion passes unanimously. We'll now go back to the base motion as amended by both amendments. Um, is there any discussion? Seeing none. Um, clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Clerk please. CLO Oh, sorry. Uh, Mr. Stree, please dis.
Uh, state your vote. Yes. Ms. Chandler and Clerk, please close and display the vote. And that motion passes eight with, uh, Ms. LaBelle, absent for the vote. Okay, we'll move on. We'll continue to 12.02 Human resources and talent development, HRTD Committee revisions to policy 73 0 6 Personnel records and files. Uh, Ms. Griffiths, do you have a motion? Yes, Madam Chair. I would like to make a motion to adopt revised policy 73 0 6 personal records
And file. Uh, and file. Uh, I have a motion by Mrs. Griffiths. Do you have a second? Second. I have a second by Vice Chair Donahue. It's been properly moved and seconded. Would you like to speak to your motion? Um, Mrs. Griffiths. Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh, policy 73 0 6 Personal records and file was an information item on March 27th, 2025 at the HRTD, uh, meeting. After reviewing the committee voted to bring it back as an action item at the April 24th, 2025 HRTD meeting. The P policy was made available
for public feedback via the Loudoun County School Board, uh, school's website. We also discussed this policy at our May 6th Board meeting. Ms. Boland, please speak to the straightforward policy if necessary. Thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Griffiths. So I'm happy to add, um, a few points. Uh, policy 73 0 6 provides the framework for the proper maintenance, confidentiality, and accessibility of personnel records for all LCBS employees. Its original intent was straightforward to ensure complete accurate employee files
and other offer a process for employees to correct factual inaccuracies. The proposed revisions to this policy are part of a broader strategic effort to create clarity and consistency across policies governing employee complaints and grievances. Uh, and to ensure alignment with this effort, the proposed revisions, which begin in Section G, clarify that request to amend or remove records must be based on a factual inaccuracy such as incorrect dates
or other objective errors, not as an avenue to challenge past employment decisions. Um, recognizing that our revisions aim to clarify the intent of this policy, we did also add Section H, which directs employees to the appropriate grievance and appeals policies when seeking to rebut or challenge a disciplinary action. And I'm happy to answer any questions if there are any. Thank you, Ms. Poland. Board members, do you have any questions? Any discussion? Yes, Mr. Chernoff? Thank you, Madam Chair.
I have a slight amendment, so I would like to move that. On the red line version line 33, we strike the word authorizes and replace it with may authorize. And on line 34, after employment, add where consistent with applicable laws. So in section C two, it would now read in the event that an employee or former employee engages in conduct, which becomes a subject of public concern as reported in the news media or such person. Otherwise, discloses matters related to his
or her employment, to the news media, the school board may authorize the superintendent or designee, disclose accurate and relevant information regarding such persons actions and employment. And then switching over, sorry, where consistent with applicable laws, Could you tell me where, where, where consistent with applicable laws would be, Um, after employment? Did I read it wrong? Oh, okay. No. Okay. Um, we have a motion on the floor. Do I have a second? Second. I have a second. Um, by Vice Chair Donahue. Uh, Ms.
Shernoff, would you like to speak to your motion? Yes. Yes. Thank you. Madam Chair. I apologize for the late arrival of this amendment. I was contemplating whether or not to do that and having some discussions with other board members, but just given our conversation about what our best practices already are, um, I think this language just tightens it up. It also, the way it read to me seemed funny that a policy would authorize that for all situations for the superintendent. And I just feel like this puts a shared accountability on both the school board and the superintendent,
as we may authorize in a case by case basis. Um, and obviously with consistent with applicable laws is just to provide clarity. Thank you. Ms. Shernoff. Uh, Mr. Allen, could you give me an understanding of how that authorization would work? Would that be a vote? Would that be what? Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh, I, I think that's within the discretion of the board, but, uh, it appears that that's fairly vague. So to the extent the board is, um, uh, willing or, or has the will to incorporate such a, uh, an amendment,
um, perhaps it, it would be suggested to provide some greater clarity on, on how that mechanism might work. Just for clarity. Dr. Spence, do you have any? Um, I think there are, throughout the board's policies, a number of instances where the superintendent is authorized by the board to take specific action. And I think that's just a reflection of policy being specific about delegated authority to the superintendent on certain things. Um, in this case, I, I think this amendment would require
to your specific question that the board take a vote. So you would need to discuss the situation, take a vote to then tell the superintendent that they could release information to the media. Um, 'cause I don't know the, uh, know any other way that the board corporate could authorize me to do that on a case by case basis. That's what I was wondering. Um, just thinking out loud, um, if we did that, then that would disclose matters already. It makes it a little complicated. Right. Or you'd need to go into executive session and then come out and take a vote in each of those scenarios where that might be appropriate. So that really would probably be the only way you could
accomplish that, um, given the, given that language of it being on a case by case basis. Any other discussion? Could you tell me, sorry, could you tell me the line again? Yes. Line 33 and 34. 2 34. Okay. No, no. 33, 33 and 34 You said May? Yeah. Section C two, and then it says, where's the, where do you put, um, so we would strike the word authorizes and replace with may authorize Ms. Chandler. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, I'd like to ask Mr. Allen if there are any other places, um,
that are specific to this exact issue where, um, it's already codified. Thank, thank you, Ms. Chandler. Um, to, not to my knowledge, uh, we can certainly look in into that, but not off the top of my head. Um, am I aware of any specifics? You know, to the extent there's like a, a subpoena per se, or, or where it's legally required, um, that that would be a different story where compliance would be compelled?
Um, but I'm not sure about my recollection, but I was wondering if it would've been in the superintendent's contract that the provision is already, the, the relationship, the responsibility is already contemplated that, that there would be discussions with the board as well. Yeah, I, I think we'd, we'd have to look into that, um, further. Okay. I, I would be worried. Um, I do appreciate the desire to wanna, um, codify that relationship. Um, but I would worry about the added, um, burden of having
to do it in closed session because in the worst case scenario, we might need to move quickly. Any more discussion? Yes. Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you Madam Chair. Um, I share Ms. Chandler's concerns, um, about being able to respond quickly if the need arose and the logistical challenges that that would present if we were to add in a requirement of authorization on a case by case basis.
Um, and I would like to make a motion to amend the amendment. I know she can amend the amendment. Oh, okay. Sure. I move to amend Ms. Proposed amendment to not so that, so that it would read, um, after employment, adding in, um, what did you say? As consistent with law laws, we are consistent with the political laws. So then you would keep that, but keep, but,
but not put the May authorizes. Yes. Okay. So just delete the May, but keep the other. Yes. So lines 33 to 34 would read the school board, authorizes the superintendent or designate to disclose accurate and relevant information regarding such person's actions and employment. Were consistent with applicable law. Um, okay. We have a motion on the table, uh, to amend the amendment. Do I have a second? Second. Oh. Oh, okay. I have a second by Ms. Chandler. Um, so now for the discussion part, um, Mr. Raffe, I, I don't wanna leave you out.
I might have a, it's even though your face is right in front of me, I still might miss, so if you want say something, raise your hand or something. I know. Um, so Mr. Allen, I'm wondering if there's any way that it wouldn't be contemplated by law, applicable law, or against applicable law? Thank you. You for the question? Yeah, I, I, I think if, if the board's seriously contemplating this, it might be worthwhile postponing
until these questions can be looked at further. Um, we're kind of spontaneous tonight and we wanna make sure we look at them if that's the board's Well. So in order to do that, we have motions on the table and we have an amend the amendment. So what would be the next step? We would have to close one of the amend the amendments out, or to make a motion to postpone for next week or, or the next school board meeting. Is that correct? Yes, that's correct. There, there can't be an amendment to an amendment, um, upon an amendment.
So you have two levels of amendments, and I think two are already open on the floor, so you would have to close one out. Okay. So let's go ahead and, um, is there any discussion on the amend the amendment? Madam Chair? Yes, ma'am. Yes. Vice Chair Donahue. Thank you Madam Chair. Uh, I just wanted to ask Ms. Boland if there would be any concern from spa staff's perspective if we were to postpone approving these revisions? No. I mean, of course we'd prefer not to, but there, this isn't a, um,
a time constraint policy. No, Thank you. Okay, so there's a motion on any other discussion. Let's go ahead and vote on the amend the amendment. Just say, Um, okay. So clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote Clerk. Oh, our, uh, Mr. Oh, I'm sorry. Mr. Raffe. Mr. Raffe, please, uh, state your vote. No. Uh, clerk, please close and display the vote. That motion is a tie. How is that? Oh my goodness. Even. Okay,
so then did we revote? No, Just It's what? It's, it is what it is. Does it pass? No, it doesn't. It doesn't pass. It doesn't Pass. It doesn't. Mr. Allen, could you please give us a little bit of guidance? Yes. I'm checking policy to make sure I don't misstate. I seem to recall that there's one opportunity for Revo before, but just if you could gimme a moment, I'll, But in any case, if it's, I guess we have to figure out if it's passed or not passed, and then we can just make a substitute motion.
Thank you Madam Jerry? Uh, that's correct, but I'll refer to policy 24 40 D two, um, under the header of voting. In any case in which there is a tie vote, when all members are not PR present, the question shall be passed by until the next meeting when it shall again be voted upon, even though all members are not present. Great. We're okay. So there we go. We don't have to have to vote anymore. It just goes to the next meeting. That's correct. Per policy. Okay. Per policy. Okay. We're gonna use that. All right. Per policy, we're just gonna move, um, some,
uh, policy 7 3 0 6 to the next meeting, which is when? June, when is our next meeting? She seven 10th. June 10th. June 10th. June 10th. Okay. All right. Moving on. Uh, 12.03 Student services Committee revision of policy 81 25 admission requirements, um, presented by, uh, Ann Donahue, chair of the Student Services Committee.
Do you have a motion advice chair? Donahue? Yes. Thank you. Madam Chair. I move that the Loudoun County School Board adopt these student services committee's approved revisions of policy 81 25 admission requirements. I have a motion on the floor. Do I have a second? I'll second. Um, it's been properly moved and seconded. Um, vice Donahue, would you like to speak to your motion? Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, the, the policy 81 25 was due for its cyclical five-year review. Uh, came before the Student Services Committee earlier this
year for in, as an information item, um, was passed unanimously onto the full board for consideration, and was presented to the board as an information item on May 6th. Uh, prior to being referred to the full board, it was sent out for public feedback and review. Um, and there were minimal comments received. Um, and that's, I would defer to Ms. Richardson for any other, um, details or context. Ms. Richardson? Thank you MSS Donahue.
Um, that was a great summary, just the notable changes. We did update the federal codes for students eligible under the me, the McKinney-Vento Act, as well as the addition of Section D, which pertains to students who are children of certain federal IM employees. And the revisions were also moved to the full board of the removal of the tuberculosis test because the Code of Virginia only requires the screening. Um, we also clarified the requirements for non-public or international school students
and non-resident students now aligns with, um, the language in policy 8 1 55. Thank you, Ms. Richardson. Um, board members, the discussion? Yes, Mrs. Griffith? Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, with regards to this policy, I had asked at the last meeting about, um, language changes, um, and I was told, uh, we follow the a PA. So I would like to say changing pronouns is not always changing language. Sometimes it makes sense, however, uh, deliberately changing pronouns in nine in a nine page
document doesn't sit well with me. Uh, and policy 81 25 would like the public to know that using the a PA to make changes for this policy are only recommendations that LCPS has chosen to adopt not regulation. I invite the people of Loudoun County to check out the American Psychological Association apa.org. This is not only policy. We are changing, uh, we are changing the writing style. We are following a writing style that changes the English language. I do not believe we should be changing the English language in our LCPS policies
or using the A PA recommendations, not a regulation. Um, their website here is a blurb, um, from a PA style and a PA style. It's crucial to use language that is inclusive and respectful, particularly when referring to individuals and their pronouns. When referring to a person whose gender is known or irrelevant, use the singular they or their Identified pronouns. If the person's pronouns are unknown, avoid making assumptions and rephrase the sentence. To avoid using pronouns
or to use singular, they avoid gender gendered pro pronouns. Avoid using gendered pronouns. He, she, unless you specifically know the person's pronouns, if you can't use identified pronouns or singular, they rephrase the sentence. I will tell you that I read news articles all the time that have adopted this style, and it's certainly confusing. I keep seeing they them, um, when they're referring to one person, and it's totally confusing. Um, I don't know that we need to do that here. Um, I have to say that I think the peop, I think, uh, our county's getting a little sick
and tired of butchering of the English language. I want everyone to know that this is being done to our policies here at LCPS, and I am against the process of changing the English language with a style that LCPS has decided to adopt. So I know how the vote will go today, but I wanted the people of Loudoun County to know that we are changing, uh, language in our policies. Thank you. Yes, Dr. Deans, I Just wanted to note and ask Mrs. Richardson, um, would we need to cross reference section eight A and B with the admissions policy
that the Office of School Administration has before us at this time about students who are expelled or on long-term suspension? These two policies are not saying the same thing. So maybe since we haven't voted on ours yet, if we vote on this one tonight, that needs to be some consideration of cross-referencing the wording with Mrs. Um, with Office of Student, Mrs.
Scanlon. Ms. Scanlon. Yeah. It's sba, correct? Sba, yeah. The sba, uh, policy that we're, we now have on the table? Yes. The student, the, the Department of Student Services will certainly work with school leadership on policy 8 2 2 5. Um, I'm not sure the status of that policy, is it going to be coming before the board so that we know which sections need to be cross-referenced? But we're certainly happy to do that, Dr. Deans. Okay. I'll share with you, because it was a discussion, a big discussion in SBAC this week,
and, um, carrie's not here to speak to it, but I wanted to bring it before us, um, so that we won't have two policies that conflict in any way. Thank you, Dr. Deans. I think I actually brought that up at the student services meeting, um, when we did this. Uh, but I, I, I think that they thought that they did something, they checked something out and it was gonna be fine, but maybe just check it again 'cause my memory's not so great. Um, so if that's gonna be the case, then, then we don't, then we wait on this policy too.
Mr. Allen? Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh, yes. If it's the will of the board to run, uh, Dr. Jean's inquiry to ground, then uh, it appears that the board would not be taking a vote. Um, and it would be reserving this matter to the, the next board meeting. Okay. Um, we have a motion on the table for this. Um, I kind of would just like to do my amendment first and then, yeah. Dr. Um, vice Chair Donahue. Thank you Madam Chair.
Uh, I was going to ask, uh, uh, a question for clarification or guidance related to that because we did, when we had this on for information previously, chair Mansfield made a suggestion of adding language about international transcript evaluations being conducted by the welcome center. And I see on board docs that there is a Mansfield proposed amendment, but when I am looking at the red line of policy 81 25, that language is already in the red line on board docs.
So just for clarification of how to proceed, do we need to vote on an amendment or are we just voting on the red line since the red line includes the language at page two or at page, um, from lines 2 83 to 2 85. Thank you, Ms. Don, if you, for highlighting that we have the discussion in committee in April about, um, the process that we currently have through the welcome center for international transcripts.
So staff obviously included it in the red line that is now before you. So, um, chair Mansfield, I'm sorry that you've made the additional amendment, but we've already integrated the language into the red line policy coming out of committee in April, because that was the discussion that was had. Mrs. Donahue, thank you for bringing that to our attention. No need for an amendment. Okay, so there's no need for amendment, so we can just wait. Do then someone needs to make a substitute, uh, motion to postpone this to next June 10th, correct?
At least. Yes. Dr. Deans, I just, I just wanted to share with, um, we, it's 82 25, it's admission expulsion or reassignment of a student. The language in where is not the same language as in microphone is off. Oh, yes. Oh, I thought I turned it on. I'm sorry. 82 25 is the other policy that I'm referencing. Um, Mr. Allen, I'm sorry. Um, and I just wanted the two not
to conflict with each other. Okay. So in order to move this forward, uh, or wait, if we wanna wait on it, then someone needs to make a motion. What? Nothing. Uh, Dr. Rashid, Chairman Mansfield, I'd like to make a motion to wait on this till the next meeting so we can have better clarification. Okay. I have a motion to postpone until June 7th, so we get clarification to have a second. Second. Okay. Motion has been properly moved and seconded.
Uh, clerk please. Uh, is there any discussion? I think we just Mm-hmm. Um, clerk, please open the vote. Board members, please record your vote. Mr. Steffey, can you please state your vote? Yes. And clerk, please close and display the vote. And that motion passes seven to one with, uh, Ms, with Vice Chair Donahue in opposition, and Ms. LaBelle in, um, is absent. Okay. All right. Are we moving on to information items If we must?
It is past 10 board members. Do you wanna continue with the, um, meeting, uh, thumbs up if you wanna continue with the meeting. We finish the time sensitive, right. Chairman, Um, cabinet members, could you, could you look over real quick and everything's, uh, is there things that are time sensitive on the information items? Dollars. Dollars. Oh, doles. That's right. Okay. We do need to do one more and then I'll take that. So do you want to move on to, um,
that first? Okay. Where is it? Oh five. Thank you. Okay, we'll move on to 13.05 first, then I'll, um, department of, uh, support services DAL Secondary School Attendance Zone, presented by, uh, Ms. Tate, director planning and GIS services. Ms. Tate, Thank you. And while I have a presentation, I'm happy to go through it. Um, in light of the hour, we have five plans
that have been advanced for additional consideration, um, that are part of tonight's item that would you like for me to go through them briefly? Yes, please, Ms. Tate. All right, thank you. They are the staff plan, which was presented April 22. We have redistrict plan 0 4 0 that, um, both Ms. S Shernoff and Chairman Mansfield, you asked to be advanced for additional discussion. And then Ms. Chernoff, you asked for three more again for additional discussion. Redistrict plan 2 8 9, redistrict plan 2 9 3
and Redistrict 9 3 5. I'm happy to answer questions on any of them, but for brevity's sake, I will um, simply highlight the general capacities for Mercer and Willard Middle School, since those are the two schools of focus with this initial process, the staff plan um, reflects for the 2026, 2027 and 2027 2028 year, a capacity utilization at Mercer Middle School of 105% and 108% respectively for Willard
for the same 26 27 27 28 year, it would be 101% utilization and 104% utilization. It involves the changing of school zones for five planning zones, redistrict plans 0, 4 0, and all four of these plans were created by community members utilizing the Virginia Tech platform that is on our website, um, with this plan for 0 4 0 Mercer Middle School for the 26, 27 and 27 28 years are at 104% utilization,
108% utilization Willard Middle School would be 103% utilization and 105% utilization. Um, j Michael Lundberg would remain under 100% utilization with this plan. This involves the movement of four planning zones, including, um, part of the Lena Mill, which some of your speakers earlier tonight alluded to. There were some that were in favor of this plan and some against redistrict. Plan 2 89 involves the changing of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 planning zones.
It's long, sorry, I'm counting. Um, with this j Michael Lundberg in the 26 27, 27, 28 years would be at 1 0 1 and one oh 3%. Utilization Mercer for those same two years would be at 102 and 104% utilization. And Willard Middle School would be at 100 and 103% utilization again for the 26 27 27 28 school years. I'm going back to this one. Um, this plan just for awareness for board members, does not keep all
of the Pine Brook community together. This was a question that was asked. Um, if I miss Shernoff, um, there are six planning zones in the Pine Brook Elementary attendance zone that advance to two different middle school clusters. And while this plan moves, DS 17.6 into Willard and Light Ridge planning zone 12.8, which is part of the Pine Brook attendance zone, remains at Mercer Middle School in John Champ High School. So I just wanna just state that for awareness as follow up to a question. Plan 2 9 3.
Um, does keep part of the Kirkpatrick farm community at Willard and Light Ridge with the southern portion south of Braddock. In this instance, j Michael Lunsford remains under a hundred percent for both of the two school years. We're looking at Mercer Middle School is at 100 and then 103% utilization for the 26 27 27 28 school year. And Willard Middle School would be at 105 and 108% utilization for those same two school years. Plan 9 35 involves the movement of three planning zones.
With this plan, um, JMIC Lundberg would be at 98% utilization in the 26 27 year, and 100% in the 27 28 year Mercer would be at 101 and 105% respectively, and then Willard would be at 103 and 106% utilization. Do you wanna point out with this plan, um, moving planning zone DS 12.1, that um, actually bisect the Buffalo Trail Elementary School
and so Buffalo Trail with this plan, should it be adopted, would then proceed to two different clusters. Planning zone 12.1 would be the only Buffalo Trail planning zone that would not remain at Willard and Light Ridge. It would instead move to j Michael Lunsford and Freedom. Likewise. Um, unlike the other four plans, this one would actually keep Cardinal Ridge Elementary School as a split feed because planning zone 16.1
would remain at Mercer and John Champ. Um, DS 9.1 and 9.3 would move to Mercer or sorry, would move to Jay Linford in Freedom. But I just bring that up because those were conversations that the board has talked about in the past. We have a briefing and public hearing. The final one before you're scheduled to take action on June 10, the briefing is June two, be here in this room, televised live advanced speakers sign up. We'll, um, begin late next week. We have, we're continue to receive questions
and comments in the packet of information left for you tonight. You have large copies of the maps, you have large copies of the rationale that was provided for the other plans besides the staff. You've received copies of all the questions and answers that we have, um, responded to from the public, including one from Chair Mansfield that we couldn't answer. Um, my only other comment and then I will stop is that on June 10 at your board meeting, um, the process would be that you would entertain a motion for adoption of any of these potential five plans, um,
including any modification to those plans to introduce any additional new plan would require a suspension of the rule and two thirds majority in order to move that forward. Um, we will certainly go through these plans at more detail at your request at the June two, and I will stop in light of the hour, but happy to answer questions. So I have a question, Ms. Tate, what is better decreasing the percentage of kids who are at the, like the amount of base capacity utilized
or keeping feeder schools cohesive, like together? The feeder school consideration is a factor that is part of policy, um, utilizing schools efficiently as part of the policy. As we have talked about at our previous meetings in the work sessions. Some of the factors do conflict with one another and what may be a strong, um, strong desire of one board member to support a given factor may be counter
to another board member. Um, attendance zones, as you've observed already are not easy and not, um, we are here because we know that we have two middle schools that are overutilized and it's not, um, in my opinion, it is not something that should continue if we know we have available capacity to another school. Recognizing that it involves change for students, but to have students in
overfilled classrooms, it's impacting their instruction, it's impacting their day. Again, my opinion, uh, yes. Dr. Rashid, When we, when this is implemented, or rather when we vote on this, will we vote all in one big vote or will it be each plan and like a vote for each plan that was presented? It would be, um, that a plan would be put forth, you would move, a board member would move to adopt a plan and then if there were amendments to that plan, such as a planning zone to not be moved.
So, well I'm trying not to pick a plan. Let's say somebody moved to adopt the staff plan and then a motion was made to amend it to right to keep, I'm sorry, can you Say that again? So the staff plan moves planning zones DS 13 three and DS 1312. Those are Kirkpatrick farms residents that have come and spoken and don't want. And so a motion could be made to adopt the staff plan and then an amendment could be made to that motion to keep planning zones. DS 13 three and 1312 at Willard
and Middle School, Willard Middle School and Light Ridge High School. And so then you would vote on that amendment and then you would vote? We would not vote on all five plans because we only need one plan. Any other? Uh, yes. Ms. Shernoff. Thank you Madam Chair. Um, and thank you so much to Ms. Tate and Mr. Lewis who took extra time to unpack all of this for me. And um, I, I'll say it again. I said it before Dulles for us as a new board, you're kind of the Guinea pig here. And so I erred on the side of putting more plans in play for our vote just
because of what the public had said and requested. And so I don't know if that's always the best for people because tonight a lot of people came and spoke. But, um, I had different perspectives on each one. I think 40 has had a lot of public support because of Kirkpatrick Farms not wanting to be separated, but then you heard tonight from Lena Mill, they would be separated. So it's, you know, how do you pick, um, I think in my mind personally, 2 89 is kind of out. I put it on the table because it had great percentages, but at the end of the day there's so much disruption.
Um, so for me that's probably not gonna get my support. Um, and then the others have sort of unique takes on on the different perspectives. So I would encourage everybody to look at the different plans and um, I'm continuing to kind of digest the questions as they come in and um, I just wanted to thank staff so much for looking into this. And then Ms. Tate, would you kindly illuminate the conversation we had about a potential amendment about offering a legacy option for some students? Because the high schools are not the issue.
It is the middle schools that are the issue. There may be something that we could, um, propose. You were speaking about the rising sophomores. Yes. Okay. So school board policy 81 60 provides options for the board to potentially grant exceptions to students who are rezoned for the first year. That the attendance zone change takes effect. The policy states that rising seniors do not move. Um, typically boundaries are tied to the opening
of a new school and there is no senior class that school year. Um, in this instance, while there are high schools that students will be assigned to that already exists, it would still be staff's impression. And I believe the board has already agreed that seniors would not move by per policy. Rising juniors are surveyed, the families of those students are surveyed for interest. If they would like for, um, educational continuity for their rising junior the year that a new school attendance and change takes effect to remain at
and graduate at the school they're currently attending. That would be the students that are currently freshmen at Light Ridge High School, John Champ High School or Freedom this year, because this boundary would take effect in the fall of 26. Um, we talked about the opportunity for, um, a board member or members to request that when we survey, because this is a survey for interest and so it's not a guarantee, we survey and determine how many students might want this opportunity
to have the board request that we also survey the rising sophomores. So those would be this current year, eighth grade students who would be starting ninth grade next year so that they potentially would not have to move for their high school, providing them continuity. So they would start at Light Ridge or they would start at John Champ or they would start at Freedom and they would potentially have that option to stay. Um, that is not covered by policy. So it would be direction that staff would need from the board to move forward with
that, but that would provide that continuity for those students. Um, we've acknowledged that the high schools are not as overutilized as the middle schools and so there may be that opportunity for space. It would certainly be at the board's discretion to approve or deny those, but it would be based on space availability. And we work with, um, dassel and teaching and learning to confirm that there is space available. But that was what we spoke about. So if there is not space and we make this motion
and then you come back and say, I'm sorry, there's too many, then we kind of go back on things. Is that correct? Well, it would, the policy asked to survey for interest, transportation is not provided. Typically it's provided because seniors aren't asked to move. And so we would have it the first year. Um, but if it, it's surveyed and only 10 or only 15 people do, I mean there could be space. Um, it has not been an issue in the past,
but Right. You're, you're indicating it could give false hope. I, I acknowledge. Okay. So then the motion to, for that amendment would be to a survey? Yes, we would survey potentially. We're surveying rising juniors anyways. So we would survey rising sophomores as well? Yes ma'am. Okay. We also, I should say part of the policy, we would survey the rising eighth graders as well so that they could finish out at their middle school level
to the highest grade of their level. Thank you. Board members, do you have any other questions? No. Okay. Um, seeing that it is, uh, a late hour, uh, and we have now done all we that are the time sensitive board members, do you want to continue with the, uh, board meeting, the info items and everything else, or per policy? We are supposed to take that vote at 10 and it is 11.
So board members, uh, thumbs up if you wanna stay. Thumbs down if you want to go. Conflict when? Huh? It would be, it would be closing out 1, 1 2 Oh, Arvin. Arvin. Okay. That's majority to stop. Um, so then we would go ahead and stop the board meeting for today. Um, and everything else would be moved to the June 10th board meeting.
Okay. Um, thank you for coming and the board. No more business. So the board meeting is now adjourned. Please drive safely Home.