alison and Jen someone's got sound over here I'm sorry You I'm sorry Sarah I couldn't hear you All right So can you hear me better now yes Thank you Okay perfect So I call this back to order at 604 We are going to
rise for the pledge of allegiance the flag at the back of the room 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 Um we do not have our student representative tonight She's at a performance and I'm going to open for commendations and then we're going to take the agenda a little bit out of order after that Does anybody have any commentations for this evening
thank you Um I'd like to um commend our boys and girls track coach Nolan Ramo and Willy Um I just found out this afternoon that um they along with there are some bad
things from the track teams Um were able to purchase a new bike for one of our alumnists Nicolay who uh rides his bike around the parking lot and I guess saw his bike robe and then they witnessed that he was walking around the parking lot and they all came together as a
community and bought a new bike Oh that's funny So I wanted to commend I'm sorry This is emotional for me Um want to commend it to coaches and all the student athletes for doing the right thing being so kind and doing um what we all should do is watching out for one
another Oh that's wonderful And actually I would like to ask the committee for a motion to enable the chair to send a a note of gratitude to them Such second Um we'll do a roll poll vote Allison Taylor
absolutely in favor Jen Shatner absolutely in favor Brian in favor In favor Sarah In favor the motion carries five to zero And um Jen you can just work with um John to get the contact information We'll send that off Thank
you Thank you sir From here on we're going to take a few things out of order because we have our um third graders some of our third graders from the Brown School their leadership council here to present to us And I want to give them an opportunity to present um before we
start with our public comments So we're so proud of you guys and we're so excited to have you here tonight I will hand it off to Miss Elmer and Miss Smith No it's okay Take your time You know what we can talk while you do that time We're good at that Okay Thanks for your
patience tonight Um I'm Mary Maxfield the uh principal at Brown and I'm school counselor and together this year we started a leadership council and uh they are here and they are amazing third graders We're very very proud of them
and they are going to present to you tonight about what it is that they do as leadership council members how they came to be leadership council members and um and all all the ways they've changed throughout the years Yeah we're just really excited We're super proud of them
They should be proud of themselves They've worked very hard and they're an amazing group of students and good leaders And they're going to start by just introducing themselves Could you guys turn around and just tell them who you are and we'll start with Matthew We We can't hear anything Sarah
I don't um it' also be great if we could we could see them I mean we can see the presentation but for Mr B's class Okay Seat and you can show them slides and you're gonna have them
take it away Um they're it's all in their face tonight So if you Yeah Great And the next slide So if whoever's talking can just when they talk uh speak into the microphone that would be awesome guys Yeah Maybe
Okay Yeah you can actually even hold it if you want Do they know how to do that pretty good There's kind of a new way to kind of making sure that you guys can receive and heard by not only teaching people
who are interested Okay So we're it's a new kind of setup You guys are much well versed on this than we are Okay Right And next slide in one
place This first we got to the Brown School meeting leadership council First we had to write a speech to our class and tell it to them Afterwards we vote the class vote for two representatives they thought were right for the job
At the end of the day the winners were announced and I was super proud of myself for being heard on the announcements And for the next day we did a meeting and we talked about what we were the goals that we were going to
do for our leadership First we set our goals Um one of our goals is to make the Brown School a better place Here's one of the things we do to make the Brown School a better place We help
people We use teamwork We try new things For all and we listen to our news This is some things how we help people at the Brown School Being a role model
we can be a role model in the lunchroom by helping someone put away their tray In the classroom we can help somebody if they didn't hear the directions On the playground we can help somebody if they got hurt
In the restrooms we can pick up trash that has fallen from the trash can These are some ways we use themework One way was we meet once a week during our recess and lunch time
and we also lead our community meetings Another way we used teamwork was when we edited the script with our parties we could if we had a part last time and our partner wanted that
partner's time we could give it to them Another way is we could partner up with someone new Last time for my first community meeting I was with Matthew but now I'm with M
And finally we can listen to each other Listening to each other is a is a big deal in relationship council because it's important if other people are sharing their ideas or talk
Thank you Once a month we will gather together and and have a whole school community meeting You will share what's your learning in each
grade and we will do all three names for the entie and we will also do a staff We all share We will we will sing our school
song Lunch lunch lunch And lunch and articles Oh and at the end we will huddle up say what was good and how we can improve it Also at the community meetings the grades would share their
learning Grades would share our learning One time we had the first grade show their fluency They were poems to us Another time we had the second grade talk about the west They showed us slid shows they saw talk about what they were
learning In grade three we saw that they were learning way wisdom art One of the art pieces that they showed us was the wave of Konga and the kindergarten will share a song about how to be ready to
learn on London Hello Um this is our um justice and fairness wall if you can't see it on the screen Um but we at Brown School try to notice
every voice at Brown School and we so we made a kindness and justice wall that shows multiple ways that we can help people in justice And um we try to improve in every voice
and have fairness and and justice for all And we think how can I have or think more of this and one of the notes here on one of our um one of our bricks in
the wall just is odd I noticed in other kids in their games I wonder if everybody can have Oh
someone Oh and the leadership council in me and Jackson were for a PTO for a new the uh some of the things on your
screen was the the one we had was um it was borrowed a middle school It was too tall for us to be a to sit on the um bottom step stage and the third
graders in the back couldn't see because we were standing on the bottom They asked questions the PTO voted and we got it Hope we're hoping for it next week for
many more kids Um another goal we had was listening to others and as representatives we need to listen to One way we did it is by we asked our classmates what books
they wanted in our book vending machine And um my class I took a piece of paper and we um and I like kind of voted my like the books
and um the one that had the most votes was Dork Diaries and we're hoping to put it in the booking machine soon Another way we listen to others was we did the kindness and justice call and we
asked students what were their ideas and show kindness and what they noticed about how people are showing kindness and what if we can show more kindness Another thing we did was to interview the teachers on video to learn more We
showed our video at community meetings and it was great for their students or for all the creat And those are some ways being listened to When we first got elected we had mixed feelings Most of us were nervous excited
and scared And for two of us it was a dream come true for them Um and now and now we are better at public speaking
We understand the importance of listening to others Um we have eye contact with our audience We problem solve Um we have been more confident and we understand that being a leader can
sometimes be hard Our vision You guys did such a wonderful job You want to take a picture yeah we're gonna But also I'm going to open it up to the committee if anybody has any questions or comments to make to you guys Two of
our committee members are online but um sometimes they pop up on the screen but you'll hear them either way Does anybody have anything well do you think this leadership council is going to help become school committee members at some point in time when you get older
he said just not the president So Sarah I just want to say everybody did a great job Thank you so much for coming out tonight We really I really appreciate it And I have to tell you that you have learned a lot of things at your age that I've only learned in the last few years
So excellent job everybody You I I have been so impressed to watch this program unfold I think this really embodies one of the goals that we hear about from the superintendent of student voice because you guys really get to have a voice You get to be leaders in
your community Um and they and your whole school got a voice because they got to elect you And I think this really exemplifies something we've been trying to do and I just could not be more proud of you Yeah Is Alison Alison
no you guys just did an amazing job Matthew you look very dapper in your suit You all look lovely You did a wonderful job I'm so very proud of you It's so hard to get up and speak in front of a bunch of strangers So you should be really really proud of yourself
So I just want I just want to say um you know this was this was a vision um that I had with uh with our administrative team around student voice and uh Miss Maxfield did a really great job of kind of coming up with this idea for student leadership and I think um I was really
proud to hear that she did that I was really proud to hear that so many kids were interested in that and you guys got voted in right it wasn't just like hey you know your your peers got to vote you So for me as superintendent of schools this is like really cool to me This is really cool to see student voice in
action leadership You guys are leaders of your school How cool is that right so you have set the bar this high for next year's third graders right so those second graders are watching you right now When they become third graders they're going to want to be in your shoes and do all the really cool things
you guys are doing So great job Be very proud of yourself And we have certificates for you guys So I'm gonna call your name and when I call your name thank you so much for coming You can grab Harrison We'll check at you There you go
Maggie Matthew Ruby Zara And yes we get everyone to stand over there so we get going to call a recess in the meeting so we can take you guys can do some pictures and stuff like that and um
I'm not your kind of recess I wish Um so I'm going to just call call like a five or 10 minute recess so the kids can have a minute to you know get the appreciation you guys deserve And I have to say like I'm so impressed particularly with this kindness and
justice wall and I really hope some of our other schools take that wonderful idea and start to do something like that too because it it's pretty cool to look at Um so I will call a recess at 6:25 21 minutes we started My parents could
take pictures if you want We'll run up here It's been 21 minutes since we started That's the torso Totally fine Just let us know Otherwise we might include it All right guys Get together Matthews
Yeah Thank you You get a little closer [Music] I don't want to miss it Well have to be precisely so when everybody sits and moves Gotcha It's
It's faced the other way We do it again Wow I got every time I frame it up as somebody's head going you know to forget about why we're here but Yeah we can send you I'll send you
Thank you Have a good night Probably should have nothing a little central I mean that would be nice city or something
Great job They they did well They killed it Better cameras I don't I'm not on They didn't They didn't turn me on They didn't make No I mean or he Oh Don't you work in the tech department i
thought so Well get some cameras Not too much It's all right It's all right Sorry Control I keep on my knowledge No I No no you're fine Just The real way for me to do that
is I do that It's just Oh really i bring one of mine up here Yeah So if you go every other table I think that's correct Right The other one came in We got a lot of
problem but that's not the Oh she asked not either Are you screen share do you need to screen share i don't think not not right now Okay I hope not I hope not to No it's okay
Check It's saying she is a compost Like when you look at your panelist window panel as a co-host right well this is my practice meeting Don't worry about it Sarah I just I couldn't I can't see all the attendees but that's all
right It's Sarah Cohost It's all right No no problem at all Okay because she didn't Yes I see Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah That's what I thought too But I'm seeing a call but I'm sorry Ken
We We've had quite a bit of um Yeah No absolutely No problem Thanks Um All right So I'm going to call us back into session at 6:32 Um and that will bring us to public
comment um as we had paused that while we had the students present So um for anybody online if you can raise your hand if you want to make public comment and if anybody in the room would like to make public comment just so we don't have a traffic jam up here maybe just
raise your we normally have a signup sheet Um but if you want to just raise your hand and we'll go in some semblance of an order here Um you in the black were here very early so you were here an hour early so I'm gonna call on
you Um and just for the record if you can state your name and address for the record Thank you Good evening I'm Shira K from Pwork Road and I wish I was anywhere here right now because my kids have been in this district for nearly 20 years I've
never spoken at a school committee meeting until this issue arose Um I always trusted that the majority of my school committee um we're doing whatever was best for student achievement involve being proud that here in Marble High we
are safe from issues that play in the grade educational performance states But lately I'm not so sure So here I am Uh there's so much that could be said about this policy How it feels unnecessary How it sets a poor example for our kids and
adults sanctioned exclusion of those who deserve support How we have more important priorities or how divisive the resulting banks have been for our town or even how it was possibly pre-planned and politically motivated But I won't go into all that now I am wondering this
Why has the proposed policy not changed at all since last summer not after a majority of students demonstrated that there was a better and legally edited alternative Not after our local newspaper endorsed that alternative Not after so many towns people showed up on
short notice to express everything from disappointment to outrage with what had been proposed Not even after the state commissioner of elementary and secondary education in light of recent alarming policies from the current administration released a statement informing districts
that it is quote essential that schools should continue their support for marginalized students to reinforce that they belong in their school communities The continued research consistently demonstrates that when schools take proactive steps to foster inclusivity
through strong policies affirming practices and support of educators students experience improved mental health academic success and overall well-being We can all agree that this guy would know what he's talking about If here in Marblehead we're told that
our district will take the opposite approach making us a very conspicuous outlier in the state of Massachusetts and beyond A change I did notice was the severity of the language used which I found rather thrilling declaring the
school community as sole power does not decide what reflects the the district's mission vision and values Since this policy has been unyieldingly out of step with so many in Marvel instance there has been no willingness
to take a single express concern under consideration Seems outlandish to then put yourself in charge of determining our town's values The first Morwood schoolhouse was built in 1675 Somehow we waited three and a half centuries without any such degree How
because we require our school administrators and teachers to have advanced degrees in education ensuring they are experts in creating healthy and productive school environments Wouldn't they be better qualified to make such decisions than a committee of rotating members who may have good intentions but
lack the benefit of such education and training i'm asking you to leave this in mere capable hands where it has always been enhanced by the wise council of our knowledgeable and compassionate students And I wonder if that makes sense to you
Mr Rodu If not I asked the committee if they would be willing to come into the school the morning after the policy is enacted and remove any and all offending banners of support and acceptance from the Junth flag in the Brown School foyer to anything in the high school cafeteria
walls to any little rainbow flag sitting on teachers desks in mud full of pencils as our children looked on wondering what might next Thank you um the right there you were you were next
and then we'll go uh over here and then to Rene Keiny and then if anybody's not popped up online and then we'll come back to to here that's kind of the cadence we'll follow Good evening my name is Sier Road a junior
at here today because I strongly believe that banning all fives at our school would be I understand the idea behind this policy might be to prevent conflict or make things simpler but honestly it would do more harm than good Flags are more than
just decorations They're symbols of identity culture and personal beliefs Taking that away would make a lot of students feel like they can't express who they are Flags give students a way to feel seen and valued Whether it's a pride flag a cultural flag or even a
flag from the sports team these symbols matter to people They help us feel connected to our backgrounds and to each other If we take that away we're not just removing a piece of fabric We're telling students that their identities and beliefs don't belong here
That's not the kind of message a school should be sending Our school is supposed to be a place where everyone feels accepted and supported Banning flags sends the respect Instead of encouraging understanding and respect it teaches
students to hide their differences And honestly avoiding differences doesn't make them go away It just makes students feel isolated and unheard I know that conflicts can happen when people have different opinions or beliefs but the solution isn't to erase
those differences It's to teach students how to respect them We should be encouraging open conversations and helping students understand each other That's where you create a school environment where everyone feels safe and included So instead of banning flags
let's focus on building a culture of respect and understanding Let's show students that their loies matter that diversity is something to be proud of not something to hide A policy that sounds student isn't the answer Listening to and supporting them is as
mentioned in the student forum with the policy subcommittee Mayor Nina and I put forward our own policy for the flags that was reviewed by lawyers Il few legal advocates and others This policy abides by the short vos court case and
takes into account student voices in addition to the input of parents teachers and other community members Additionally as we mentioned at the speed forum we created a survey that was sent to all high school students through the class officers and included questions about student voice and five
policy decisions and an opportunity to write a statement to be shared at the student forum The results of the survey included 103 out of 109 students who answered the form stating that they believe we should have five
policies These results along with student statements and our student proposed policy were sent to all school committee members We ask that you honor our commitment to take school student voices into account and consider adopting our immediately vetted student
policy Thank you Thank you Yeah No no no no Get it I am Margaret 29 Woodbridge Street I spoke at your dividing subcommittee u meeting and I would hope that you listen to that I spoke from with my heart in what this history of and your policy
would do uh regarding that and acceptance of people like myself and others Uh I hope that you actually listen to that meeting and you don't just isolate it to the few people that were there to hear what we had In addition to that you know that what I saw in the papers was that you modify
the policy slightly to say that it was going to be the school committee that would get to decide what flags in the school I I reiterate what someone said is we've had hundreds of years from our schools managing the flags and banners within their buildings with no lawsuits
related to flags or banners One outsider comes in and rips out a manner and suddenly we're going to be sued because someone else violates school property That just doesn't make any sense at all We can't You shouldn't be hiding behind a lawyer that tells you you have
to have a very restrictive policy I'd love to see if you guys could share into the record the language that they actually told you you were that you had to write into this What is the law saying you have to do i'd love to see
that And uh I don't believe that it has anything to do with the school importer at all or that it include banners versus flag I have only heard that it was flags On what grounds do you think you were somebody in the paper said that
they that they had to make this policy because they might be sued otherwise on what grounds would you think that someone would would sue because there's a pride what I for black lives matter what I hate what other questions I'd love to know what what that suit would look like because I just can't imagine
the case they have against conversely what I heard at that policy subcommittee meeting was that you were definitely going to be sued if you did pursue this restrictive that is putting us all at risk for suit as a
town is every flag banner has to go through the school committee I'd also like to understand if I say that it's going to strangle the school's ability to communicate You'll strangle their ability to have any causes that they work together even to support their own teams or you know other issues
Are you going to call a special meeting if a football team wins championship and they want to uh go around the high school with a banner and cheer each other on this period or is that just not going to happen because you haven't approved that banner for that
game what are your processes for accepting enforcement going to be are you and I would like to know are you going to do that in public meeting or are you going to do it behind closed doors are you going to have policies in place that say why one flag or one
banner is going to be rejected you should have those policies and those criteria laid out in advance of re of of reviewing any flag or banner What makes it rejectable and are you going to make it the whim of a subcommittee or is it going to be a
whole panel a whole five person committee unanimous decision that has to be rejected or are you going to say it has to be unanimous for them to accept or play and who decides what is artwork versus
banner who decides what is poster versus band and who is going to enforce are you going to go in and and then create a new position of an enforcement officer to go into the schools and get things down like what what is it going to look like and if you make arbitrary and capricious
decisions without a structure to decide what is and what is not an acceptable banner and flag you will open yourself up for loss Um sir you can go after the screen here whomever we have good
evening I've offered public comment to the policy subcommittee on the flag policy since last July and supported the students request for a reasonable compromise Over the past year we've asked the subcommittee to consider from
an educational and developmental perspective the importance of allowing student input We've asked them to trust our trained professional administrators to make decisions on what's an appropriate
banner to flag They know the students the dynamics within the school They know like the students in Lake so eloquently said this is more than a public building It's the students community and
educational home We have connected the state mission vision and values of the school district with this policy The students as they said thought legal guidance So we talked about the legal parameters of a flag
policy Yet with all of that we're here at the most restrictive policy So I have nothing more to add to this from a legal or policy lens I think those have been exhausted Um but
sometimes a story can capture the heart of the matter I'm a retired clinical social worker I worked primarily with children and families in school settings and outpatient mental health
I learned very early They taught me that any symbol expression or validation of who you are what you can achieve and what you can become is especially important to
children outside of family There is no underestimating influence of the school in a child's learning and development and in shaping your self-concept As a clinical consultant to a Head Start program part of my job was running a
play therapy group I had a function and beautiful lovable four and 5year-old very diverse group of kids We'd often start the group in circle with a theme One day it was what I want to be when I grow
up The very first most eager little black man shot up I call in Sabrina Sabrina said quite intently with a great big smile with full confidence that anything was
possible Her answer was "When I grow up I want to be white four years old." Another child Mandy was exceptionally bright I called him Michael therapist in this group He was a
natural leader Even at 5 One day after a finger cleaning project the class was washing up and then it was the last obsessively washing the blue primer paint up So I went over
to reassure him that he'd already done the great job washing up He looked up at me and said "But I can't get the black box off I wanted do you think I will ever forget
the anxiety in his eyes about not being changed his color even now in this moment so many years later I feel the tear in my heart at that moment There are so many
stories that are truly sacred to me and I only share this tonight because this issue and this moment in time require us to dig deep and realize this flag issue is not about being risk
averse not about just complying with the law It's about the importance of allowing our kids like you saw tonight build a welcoming accepting community for all and making sure that every child knows they're valued and can make a
contribution to their school family and community I feel badly for you I know it's not your intention You can't help it But your flag and banner banning draft policy it is happening in the
context of a government that is erasing from the Arlington National Cemetery websites All women and blacks who made heroic contributions to this country Articles on Navajo code breakers
taken down from military websites military bases on which my family are even con even even their contacted services have banned celebrations of black history and women's history There is an attempt to purge
anyone non-white non straight non Leo from our collective memory as a nation Indeed today there was an executive order to dismantle the education
department That's probably an affirmation of how important you are as a committee and our schools are So in the midst of these challenging times I truly hope that this committee will
model for our students courage compassion and integrity I ask you to please stand on the right side of history here in Marblehead and proudly confidently vote no on the strap policy
and yes for education I do see a hand up online After this gentlemen we will go to the online I'm sorry if I have missed that a few minutes ago Thank you Good evening I'm Brent speed from Dro Uh I came tonight
to just offer my perspective um on the proposed flat policy As a a lawyer of over 12 years I've seen in the local newspaper that some members of the subcommittee claimed that the flag policy and I'm paraphrasing is necessarily the only viable way to
regulate which flags or banners are displayed in the schools while simultaneously protecting the town from legal liability That's simply incorrect and it's based on a fundamental misunderstanding or misrepresentation of relevant first amendment law
Long-standing Supreme Court precedents empower schools to regulate the speech of students These include prohibiting mood obscene and profane speech exercising reasonable editorial control over the content and style of school sponsored expressive activities if related to a legitimate
pedagogical concern and regulating speech if necessary to avoid material disruption of classroom This school district is well aware of these standards as evidenced by other policies currently affecting the district For example the high school
dress code prohibits learning clothing that displays obscene sexually aggressive illegal paraphernalia weapons harassing and oredative remarks or symbols The high school code of conduct also regulates other speech by prohibiting bullying harassment hate
speech abusive or vuler remarks swearing and rude remarks to teachers and staff So what I suggest is that this committee could craft a thoughtful policy that empowers students to express their views while also advancing the educational purpose of the schools and maintaining
school discipline Instead the proposed policy is trying to use a Supreme Court decision that has no effect on the First Amendment principles that apply to the regulation of student speech in schools
And really it comes across as a thinly veiled excuse to end a practice which either members of the committee either don't agree with in terms of painting flags and banners up in schools or the particular speech that it's expressing Ironically the policy as it's
currently drafted as some others have already commented on actually potentially exposes the town to first amendment claims because it purports to be able to control speech that the school committee cannot legally suppress on school property
So the policy basically provides school policy can dictate what flags or banners or symbolic displays are displayed anywhere anytime by anyone on school property
Practically speaking some examples of things that potentially could be covered by the policy as it's currently drafted would include a car dropping off a student with a bumper sticker of a Black Lives Matter or a thin blue line flag a student wearing a shirt that's in the of
a gay in the manner of a gay pride uh flag um uh at a sporting event Scuby's holding up a pro marblehead banner cheering on their team It also would things like a Spanish
a teacher teaching a Spanish class from hanging up a flag of Spain or Mexico in the room unless approved by the school committee So those are only a few examples of some of the things that potentially could be banned that are protected speech or that would be
troubling um if they were um prohibited And so I would caution the committee that if it does decide to move in forward with a planned policy to carefully consider the language and the way that the policy is crafted and ensure that it doesn't suppress speech
unnecessarily or unconstitutionally Um we have a few hands up online I do want to note that we are we have a policy on public comment that it runs um 15 minutes We're now at 22 minutes I through a motion of the committee Can I
extend the moved second Second Um any discussion um I didn't hear the motion Sarah I'm sorry Um to extend public comment I just am trying to follow procedure Um so we have a motion on the table to extend public comment Um I'll if there's no discussion I'll go for a
roll call vote Jen can I can I just How many hands are raised and how many people do we have lined up we have two more online We have two in the room Um so four
Um okay So I'm going to suggest that we maybe go another 10 minutes if we could Okay We do have a lot of stuff we need to get done tonight Like two two and a half minutes just to be respectful and give the other Thank you time too Um so I just I'll take a roll call vote on
that Jen Shaper in favor Alison Taylor I think she's dropped off Okay Um Brian in favor Williams in favor Sarah Fox in favor motion carries a boarded zero so we'll we'll continue just asking
people to um to those four folks to keep it I see more hands going up I'm going to hold tight to the four that I will made made the motion and then we can another one if we need to so it was Kathleen Zetter oh I'm sorry I just have to give
you permission to unmute I'm sorry you should be able to click on your going to do that now Hi can you hear me okay go right ahead All right so um my name is Kathleen Zedigran I live at 23 DERO in Marblehead
and I recently sent the school committee an email uh regarding my position on the situation And so I'd like to just read that now if I may So I recently moved to Marblehead in 2021 with my husband When we moved here
I was 6 months pregnant with our first baby and looking forward to all the things that being a new mom entailed We were thrilled to have moved to this beautiful coastal community which was renowned for its wonderful school system However I have been disappointed to read
all the articles of crumbling school leadership school building deterioration and now about your extremely disappointing school flag policy The children and people who live in town that you serve should have the right to contribute to the policies in place in
their schools At a time when civil rights are being stripped away from our marginalized community members and their representation is literally being erased from government websites allowing school groups to express and support messages of inclusion is exactly what the
community needs Part of education is exploring uncomfortable topics participating in debate and learning to find your own voice If we begin to censor ideas and groups now where will it end it's a very dangerous slippery
slope The landmark Supreme Court case taker v De Moine ruled that expression which does not disrupt the educational environment is protected under our first amendment rights A pride flag does not disrupt the learning environment A Black
Lives Matter flag does not disrupt the learning environment They do not represent hate These are flags that make small groups of people feel seen and included when historically they have been excluded or unjustly maltreated
Protecting free speech maintaining safe and inclusive spaces as well as allowing the free exchange of ideas are essential to public education I want my daughter to get an excellent education that I firmly believe public schools can
provide However the decision Marblehead School Committee has come to has just gives me pause It lacks to signal It signals a lack of trust in the experienced educators of the town and it signals that this town does not support
the people who need it the most We should affirm values of inclusion because we are stronger together and I do urge you to reconsider your decision Thank you
Thank you Um Genie Lamin and if we can again folks just keep it down uh to we're shooting for the now two minute marks doing over a little bit so that everybody that was um here and prepared to speak has the opportunity Okay
She's apparently she's yielding for Angus Angus McBoken 39 Tyer is my parent of an eighth grader at the middle school Um just realized I paused the recording during our recess I apologize greatly Um
but it will still all be on NHTV I apologize I just It's back on for me It is back on for you I really I apologize that it had been paused So I'm a Marvel resident parent and educator I teach in the classroom at LEL University in
Newton I'm so proud to live for being here and speaking so articulately on this uh on this issue tonight What we talking about here is is policy by political objective Policym by political objective I spent 11 years serving as
chief of staff for member of the state senate crafting public policy And every time I saw policy designed to accomplish a political objective it was policy that had unintended consequences In this case the political objective of at least one member of the committee maybe more is to
remove the black lives This has been stated political objective around which an attempt is being made to craft policy So now the committee has spent 18 months focused on trying to craft policy to accomplish a narrow political objective
Creating policy by political objective is a terrible way to create policies that policy will always have unintended consequences What we've seen over these many months are several versions of a policy draft each version worse than the last First we had a
policy proposal that would uh ban flags except with school committee exemptions Then we had a policy to just ban flags out that no flags except for the enumerated balls Now we have a policy that would politicize in a permanent way
this school committee and turn it into a partisan body making partisan decisions flag and banner by flag and banner about what will be hung on the walls of our school It will turn this into a political partisan body and it will
create partisan elections We have been well served in this community by having a nonpartisan school committee and I would suggest that we continue in that traditionally and a great deal of the committee's time and energy that could have been put toward improving our schools and improving the quality of
education in our schools has been put toward the effort to accomplish this narrow political objective I would note you know this whole debate has been on the the claim that that and and it's not inaccurate that an administrator asked for guidance from the school board That
very administrator came before the school committee shortly after asking for that guidance and said on the record "This is not designed to remove the Black Lives Matter flag." But I think it's clear now that that is the objective of proponents of
this policy So finally what we have now is the flag censorship policy that puts every decision every flag be flown um in the hands of school committee case by case with a complete ban on public
participation by quote third parties Well who is a third party under this policy every taxpayer in Marblehead every homeowner in Marblehead every parent in Marblehead every student in Marblehead every teacher who teaches in Marblehead under this policy would be
prohibited from coming to your committee to propose that a particular flag or banner be either flown or not flown Now I really appreciate the comments of the attorney who spoke earlier who I haven't met before but I look forward to shing her hand because he did a great job articulating the First Amendment
concerns with this policy But I would recommend that there's another also a first amendment concern in this country We have a right of free petition We have a right to petition our elected officials for regressive grievances Passing a policy that prohibits me and
everybody else in this community from coming to petition this committee to make a decision around a particular flag or banner is patently unconstitutional and it will lead to litigation something that this community very very much given the significant
expense of all the litigation that has preceded it does not want and cannot afford So I would suggest to you that this policy proposal that's before you is not fully baked despite it being 18 months into this dialogue is not ready for consideration by this committee
until a great deal more consideration is given to the legal implications of passing such a policy And I would recommend to you that this policy should be tabled indefinitely until a better policy has been developed And I would point out the only one that's been
proposed that is not designed by political objective is the policy put forward by the students carefully researched balanced drafted in consultation with counsel If this committee wants to do the right thing by our students in our community if we're going to adopt a policy at all which I would argue we
don't necessarily need to because we haven't had one for centuries and would been just fine that's the policy that should be adopted I would also like to second the question that was raised earlier by another speaker I'd love to hear what interim superintendent Robbo thinks about this I hope a member of the committee will ask him during your
deliberations Thank you very much Thank you I do see Jeanie stand back up Um so I'm going to ask that you unmute yourself Sarah before we get into Genie hang on one second I just want to make one comment which I know we don't normally do but I just want to state it
right now for the record that I am unaware of any member of this committee making any statements whatsoever in regards to any particular flag anywhere in our buildings And I'm going to leave it at that I have not heard any member myself included make any statements And
I think that's important to note Thank you I'm going to ask and as we do with public comment we we don't interact with public comment Um and there's if if you stick around and watch the meeting unfold I have yet to see people's public comment not be addressed at the
appropriate agenda item in the committee or in the meeting And as this is an agenda item um we can absolutely talk more about that at that point Um so I'm going to um I think Jeannie looks like you were unmute and we're going to Yes your magic uh unmute button from the sky
appeared this time So thank you Sarah Hello everyone I appreciate all the people who are um back at this um hard topic and and I think um things that um will at least give me um a little positive before I make my comments quickly because I know you don't want to
be here all night is um Renee um sharing the longheld perspective from her work really hit me hard Um and I appreciate how hard it was for her to say that So I just want to acknowledge that I also want to say that um one of the other
online speakers Kathleen is my neighbor of Two's Doors Down that through CO and everything else we haven't had enough chances to meet So I will run out of my house shortly to go wave at their house Um and I just want to say in this small townness of this small town when my
girls were babies the house that Kathleen lives at was uh owned and uh beloved by the Antonuchcci who Deb Antinucci was a force to be reckoned with in Marblehead schools and she was just an amazing person So I think our legacy of caring deeply about this town
and our schools wherever we are in our journey is is just one that I have lived personally Um and and I want to speak briefly to legacy and to the people that that need to make this decision Um I know Alison and Jen you've been carrying this for some time trying to figure it
out and and I would just in the spirit of we all will be the ancestors that our children and their children will look at You really want everyone on this school committee who will cast some vote on this to think in the very long term and this town loves our history What will
our children and their children say about our decisions in this moment um I I repeated these comments that I found on multiple uh websites John's Hopkins Stanford etc The developmental needs of our high school students they are ready
and they are starting to develop the ability to think abstractly They are concerned with philosophy politics social issues They are starting to think long term They are starting to set goals They are really interested in all the things their peers are up to They want
independence from their parents They they really want to start to get out into the world and say who they are And they are in high school And I would ask you to consider in addition to all of the other points made here tonight which
I endorse What are we telling them about our trust in them about our optimism that they can with the values and skills we have imparted to them from their homes to this town to our schools that
they can and they will meet the world That they will negotiate things that are new and different with night discernment and diplomacy and good values and they will figure out how to accept things that are different from them how to
learn and grow and how to contribute to the world And I ask you to not think about a place where instead this policy serves to put blinkers and blinders on them to encase them in bubble wrap to
hide them and make them fragile and rigid from seeing anything that they might not be aware of that they might not be comfortable with that they might not know what to do with Because in these formative years this is when they should be figuring it out And if they
don't have the experience to see a sign a symbol a message that they're unfamiliar with that they're uncomfortable about that they come to believe they disagree with and they learn how to do all of that respectfully and with empathy and with the ability to
realize that they too can be valued even if they're different Then I just ask you what is the point of having them in school at all so please think way beyond this moment What are we telling them don't put them in bubble wrap Don't put
the blinkers on them Don't make them afraid to see a world that may not be totally curated for their comfort Thank you Thanks G Um you sir Thank you I'll be brief Um Henry Glford
uh Mohawk Road Um I think one thing we can all read on is that we all enjoyed the third graders presentation at the beginning of this meeting And uh I was going to talk about something else but I was really taken by their the the
leadership qualities that they outlined in in their presentation about teamwork and collaboration and justice and inclusion You know I think it's it's it's a really important message that I hope everyone internalizes when they're thinking about this new flag policy Um
and we're all really proud of the third British of course Um but we should also be proud of our high school students who created an amazing flag policy that's been legally reviewed Um I think that their effort should be applauded by this school committee I think that they
embody a mission of this school committing to produce um what we call contributing members of society and I think if we have to adopt a flag policy um we should adopt theirs and I urge you
not to vote for this post policy Thank you very much I do have one more person who raised her hand after you made the motion I'm going to let her speak but then after that we really are going to move on with the the business meeting Megan Kaplan
I and I should have been able to I should have unmuted you You should be all set Can you hear me yep Go ahead So it's Megan Calvin Um I live at Seven Sapphire AB I am to talk to you as a parent Um I I don't I'm really speaking
off the cuff and my house is pretty chaotic right now so I might be saying some similar things as what others have said but I'm going to try I'm going to be really brief Okay so this past week my first grader at Clever had to do um a project It for homework he had to make a
leprechaun trap Um what he put on his leprechaun trap was a flag of iron Um so I just wonder if is the school committee kind of encroaching on curriculum a little bit with this policy like I I
assume they're not going to we're not going to make kids rip flags off projects However if and I think that this has been brought up before but if there's a project in the high school hanging that has a flag my first graders leprechaun trap like what does that look
like in terms of this policy my second point is and I think that the last gentleman spoke to this as well but is that we're we the community you all uh our educators our administration we're we're
trying to create leaders in in the community where you know we're really encouraging students to be leaders and we've got leaders and we've heard from our youngest leaders uh this this meeting and it was awesome Um but are we
listening to our student leaders are we really hearing what they have to say and what message are we sending to them when even if we hear them if we're not acting in their perceived best interest um that's pretty much it Thanks
Thank you Megan Um all right So that brings public comment to a conclusion and the next agenda item is district updates with the superintendent Thank you Um appreciate that Uh so yeah that's tough to do uh updates after we've heard
a lot of lot of um public comment like that So you need to just take a lead for a second Um so good evening Um spring is sprung and there's a lot going on in Marblehead schools Um Hades Talent Team Edition is April 11th 12th and 13th at 700 p.m 2
and 2 respectively Congrats to This is going to be a little all over the place I try to grab a lot of stuff from a lot of newsletters um to share So congrats to Nate Assa for finishing sixth nationwide in the 500 me 5,000 meter race at the New Balance National Indoor
Track and Field Competition Um that's a great accomplishment Um I'm hoping I don't um butcher the name A I F E O Sorry EA Sullivan's documentary uh Making Magic in Marble has been selected
for screening at the I'm sorry Is she here are you here yeah Okay I'm sorry I I should have practiced it I'm I apologize Has been selected for screening at the Salem Film Festival on Saturday March 28th at 10:15 at the National Park Service Visitor Center So that's really cool Hopefully folks can
get out and see that Um the alltime musical concerts are beginning tonight here um here with the all coral at a concert that start at 7:00 March 25th for all the bands all bands at vets April 3rd for all strings at vets and April 16th back here for all jazz at the high school and they all start at 7:00
Community arts night sponsored by the MHS National Arts Honor Society is March 21st from 5 to 8 high school cafeteria So those are just some of the things happening Um I wanted to share that Meco AD advisacy day that was tough um was held today at the state house Our MECO
director Kasia Johnson represented Marblehead and shared how our program works the challenges with programming and funding and all the positives transpiring here in Marblehead Um the MECO program's uh really robust here in Marblehead We have uh you know um more students coming in for next year Uh
there's some funding issues from from obviously from the state but um you know uh K's been a really good advocate for um at the state house and in Mechco HQ the headquarters and making sure that we're getting what we need for our students um our Boston based students So
I appreciate her efforts Um yes Um make sure I word this appropriately Given the climate we're in right now are there any concerns um that the METCO program could become a
a target if you will or become a I think we know Yeah I I don't I haven't heard no I I think that I think the easy answer is no Um are there some funding issues that may transpire going down the road possibly Um but the METCO program has been in place for so long
It's so ingrained in I think there's 32 communities Um and there's a lot of Austin based students that come out to our to our um our educational facilities and communities And I think it's really well ingrained that state um from what I understand is is um hasn't really bought
anything the funding The only the only challenge right now is the president and CEO um has has resigned So they're actually in leadership change right now So I think that's really the only the big thing at the at the moment But I I don't foresee it Um you know the timeline for them replacing Millie or um
I know the spot No no I I want to say it's a July one start but it could be earlier I know they're looking at getting committees together and stuff So I don't think it's like that Okay I just Yeah Cuz I was hoping actually have program Yeah and I wanted to have her come to one of the school meets this spring but I don't know that that's
going to happen So but I just want to share that the MECO program is alive and well here in Marblehead I think it's I think it's a great program um in offering diversity and um inclusion and belonging for our students While the which stands for women's educational leadership network conference was held
this week this week Yep And we set a contingency of our our leaders for the day of professional development networking and sharing I think we had 14 12 14 um of of our leaders um went spent the day which um I heard was a great conference and I'm
glad we're able to represent Marblehead really proudly there We held professional development day on March 19th where things like curriculum alignment continue review the science curriculum special education programming review data um I read ready and pre-screening um etc was was done along
with other wisdom PD and a host of other topics um that were addressed across the district A few other upcoming events of interest are kindergarten registration begins on March on Monday March 24th The Brown Steam Fair is on March 27th I believe that begins at 6 o'clock Know
that I think it's 65 And the GL that well kids Um and the Glover Glow Run is on the 26th which really sounds like a blast I think that's going to be fun Um and I just want to share a few personal experiences um that I thought were really cool this week Um I received very
persuasive snail mail letters from nine of our high school AP students um from Robin Fine's class Um complete with research citations It was really cool I got an email saying "Oh you're going to get letters." And I kind of thought about it forgot about I took I took a few days off I came back and I had all
these a pile of letters on my desk and I was a little nervous because like you know they all had envelopes and stamps I'm like "Oh what's this?" Um and it was from the students It was really cool Um they had topics They were persu persuasive writing letters and the topics range from school start times There were several of those three-day
week talking about three-day weekends the length of the school year the ability to have a mental health day incorporated into the school year and the attendance policy So I just want to say I'm proud of the way the students wrote the letters um and how persuasive they all were It wasn't just sending an email They actually address the letters
They It was really cool Um I'm trying my best to write back It's definitely a lost art and it's got to take a little time but my plan is to um to write everybody back because I think uh they they're um that's that's the right thing to do right um but I wanted to thank the students Owen Ridge Max Teter and again
I'm going to apologize ahead of time if I mispronounce anything I'm going to do my best Max Teter Sarah Monroe Adeline Dober Timmy Wales Delai Dai Lopez sorry Daniel Guerrero Elanar Nile and Olivia Pru for sharing your thoughts and
perspectives This is students voice at its finest We we heard from the third graders today Really cool student voice Really well written orchestration letters from the high school students It was great Um I also want to share that I was asked to be guest speaker on the Hadasa webinar last night It was kind of really neat I didn't really know what to
expect but um I went on uh with uh yeah El Mc and her son David McN student here at Marblehead High School Myself and another woman that was from Oakland California I'm not exactly sure what her role was but she talked about some really cool um stuff around anti-semitism but I was invited on It
was a cool webinar Um it started at I think seven I was got on around 7:15 It went to around 9:00 last night There's about 100 people on Um and we talked a lot about um anti-semitism um anti-discrimination all kinds of things um are happening here in Marblehead but
also just like in curriculum how we review curriculum how do we look at that for for biases and anti-semitism Dave again was very instrumental here at the high school for identifying some materials that weren't weren't necessarily appropriate and he did some really great student advoc advocacy Why
am I having trouble with that word saying i don't know Um but again student voice at its finest right he spoke up went through the right channels did the right thing He talked to his teacher He talked to his mother and he he did um went to the department head and talked about it and and really um I thought it was really cool So he shared that story
I shared some of the stuff um you know since I've come to Marblehead I've met with many members of the Jewish community um I've been to things at um you know the ADL JCC uh Lapid Foundation met with a lot of community members just to kind of get a feel for what I'm not
Jewish I I don't have a broad knowledge of of uh the Jewish community and the culture here in Marblehead Um so it's been really eye opening for me to learn some some things about that community and what's been brought to the mix and really the concerns about anti-semitism
So I talked a lot about that I share that because I think it's important Um we created an anti-discrimination committee um with a with a a focus on anti-semitism right now um that's composed of some parents and some administrators teachers and students Um and we met a couple times Um but as we
move forward people have asked me some questions about this so I kind of want to talk about it in public for a minute Um so as we move forward I'll pull people in for you know some resources that you know we um we had a rabbi um from Swamskit who had been in one of the
meetings and he offered some assistance and maybe looking at some curriculum if we run into things because you know maybe some some subtle anti-semitic um things might be in curriculum He's offered his services there we've talked to you know the the um uh organizations I just mentioned and how how can we tap
into those for resources Um so I'll pull people in as we need to into the committee Um but I think we're off to a pretty good start I had really good conversations with the students I had met with them separately They shared a lot of uh their uh experiences and I met with the adults Um none of the students
were able to make the time that I set up the the meeting but um I think we've had some good communication I just want to share that I think it's important for folks to know Um I'll move on Um and then the last thing I just wanted to share was um uh read across America week
provided me with the opportunity to be guest today in partic um the students were really respectful They were attent attentive I read a book called Beu BU Um it's by Peter H Reynolds It was
really cool It was a book about you know being kind It was a book about it's okay to be different It's a book about you know accepting one another Um and I didn't pick it I I I couldn't find my box of books that I saved from when my kids were little this morning at 4:30 when I was getting ready to come to Marblehead I couldn't find it I was all
panicking but I got to the class where they had the book for me and I'm like what a cool book to read I hadn't read it before I read it and it's like so um um insightful and and um you know timely Um so it was a really cool book and I just share that because I love doing that and it's really cool to see the
kids I was a guest reader so I had to guess who I was I had no idea who I was but so when we talked about it and then I had to explain what a superintendent was and but kids were great and I just I appreciated being invited in So I just I like to share the positive stuff and the student stuff was positive to me So
thank you for indulging me for a few minutes Okay I'm done Anybody um have some questions or anything about the superintendent update chad Uh no That was great I know we have a couple reports we're still waiting on John but we'll I guess talk about those
offline for when we'll get those presented Yeah I apologize I I been to um I got I got way late this afternoon Um so the report on the anti-semitic um situations um that occurred I will have the executive summary I spoke with um
the the office yesterday We had a long conversation uh zoomed in I'll have the executive summary for that for the next meeting and I believe we'll have the academic discoveries report as well Um that reports um academic discovery reports around the special education Uh
we talked a little bit about it that was that was done you know kind of um started before we all got here but it's a 349 page report I think um was very comprehensive in one in one way but as Lisa Marie and I have delved into it
there's um a decent amount of inaccuracies So we're trying to work with the company to you know kind of course correct a little bit We want to make sure we're sharing what's um what's appropriate to share So but the plan Jen is to have both of those for the next meeting And I apologize for the delay It's really kind of out of our control
but um you think um John for first of all for the academic discoveries do we expect an executive summary or is it sort of just a deep dive into 300 the way I the way I read the read the the report is it was a draft report they said because they wanted to send it to
us and get our you know opinion about how it's formatted and things like that So we haven't got the complete report yet but um what I looked at how I looked at it the first like third 30 pages was really an executive summary They talked about they talked about what they did
how they did it what their process was their main findings and then the other 300 I can't do the math in my head pages left um were really uh about documentation that they looked at programming things that they looked at and what I can tell you So I think that if I don't get a separate executive
summary those first that first part of the um report will be what we I think we'll share um because that's really the meat and potatoes of it And then secondly what I want to say is everything that I read in the report Lisa Marie and her team has pretty much already addressed which we've kind of already knew um because she identified
those things really quickly and she's either addressed them or is in the process addressing them So I feel really good about you know we'll get the report it'll be it'll be good information but we're already um in my opinion ahead of the game for any corrective action that might come out of that So I think can I
just make one quick comment think that um you know this report it has taken a long time right and it it came out of a very very difficult time that we had a year and a half ago basically and it's clear in you know the current administration that at least it's clear
to me I should say that you know many many of these items have been um rectified So I just wonder I'm just throwing this out whether Lisa Marie you know you and John think it makes sense to I hate to put more work on Lisa Marie but to maybe have you know kind of a brief summary that you know here's the
executive summary and here are the things that we've dealt with and um we can sort of put it to bed at that point I think I think that's actually a really good idea and I'm happy to um to craft that with Lisa Marie I just I wasn't sure if they were going to provide us with something that was a briefer thing
where where Lisa Marie and I haven't had a chance to connect this week uh in in earnest to talk about it So um if they if they're not going to do that on their own we'll certainly do that because it does make sense because I think between the two of us we can kind of come up with a a two or three page that would make sense to share It's also only half
the story right the first half of the story is the issues that we were facing and the second half of the story is where we are 16 to 18 months later or 12 months later um in in dealing with it Yeah And I think the other piece to the whole puzzle is that um Lisa Marie at
some point this probably late spring will also come to the committee and kind of talk a little bit about her department and where we are and where we're going and kind of a a deeper dive into an update which which will be kind of subsequent to that report So I think between the two I think the public will
get a really really good idea of all the good work that's happening where we're headed in Marblehead and I'm very confident that we'll be in a much better place um shortly Well excellent Thank you Thank you Really looking forward to that Thank you Lisa Marie Thank you John and I'm very eager to see
the report on the investigation into the anti-semitism that the school committee voted to um fund and and request Um for I think that actually what struck me through this whole discussion about the flags is that people seem to not
understand where what the root of that um investigation for the anti-semitism was And what happened was going back about 18 months ago or 15 months ago some about a year and a half ago um we
had um flags that our faculty got into a disagreement about Um there was very strong feelings after um the events of October of
2023 happened and um faculty was in strong disagreement um her interactions occurred um and this and and a lot bubbled up about feelings
of anti-semitism in our school feelings of anti-semitism potentially faculty to faculty Um and a lot very large portion of this investigation has to do with claims of some faculty telling other
faculty that flags that were hanging were offensive um and so on and so forth It ultimately culminated in um the loss of of several teachers um leaving of their own free will just because they this this was such a dynamic conflict
And I think what people don't understand is that that that it was the precipitous to all of this It it wasn't that the school committee all of a sudden one day decided um we're going to move forward on this Um and it's become you know we
we had one meeting It was the largest meeting I have seen You know I've been on the board for six years I was at every single meeting for probably three four years prior So in 10 years it was the largest outpouring I have ever seen where we had to have um a fire chief
here to make sure that could do or or there was some type of uh public safety here to make sure the overflow was okay We filled a room downstairs that there was that many people here that really culminated in that investigation happening And so for me I would really
like to see the outcome of this independent investigation and any recommendations they may have Um so I'm I'm really hopeful that we see that soon You will see you will see the executive story in the next meeting Um that what I
can say is um it's largely a personnel issue that that was the investigation So you know I I don't I can probably say that some people are going to be a little disappointed in the outcome um based upon the fact that it's it's per mainly
personnel issues It's you know it's not that an investigation was never intended to be is is Marblehead schools anti-Semitic That's not the intent I think some people think that was the intent It was based upon specific personnel issues that quite frankly could have been handled differently and
weren't and the investigation was set off because um there was some issues with how we could do it internally Um and so you know it's we'll get the executive Sony but I think in the speech it you know a lot of this boiled up from
that point and and I hope I I I at least hope to to see what it did in person came back Um so we'll see that next two weeks Y All right So thank you for your very very thorough update Sorry I just got a little today It was great Um so
that brings us to our consent action agenda items I did not see minutes in the drop box Uh they did not make it Um and I reach out to Okay There was a schedule of bills though No sir Bills So I'm going to ask for a motion No the
minutes We don't have Yeah we didn't have the minutes Yeah Motion to approve the identified schedule of bills totaling $973,74511 So moved Moved Second Jen Shner seconded by Al Williams
discussion So I will do roll call vote Jen Shaner in favor Brian Oden in favor Al Williams in favor Sarah Fox in favor Motion carries 4 That bills minutes that postponed That brings us to school
committee communication discussion items We have the FY25 Marblehead School District budget Um this has been very well publicized well vetted It's available FY26 um available online We had our budget workshop so people could really see how
it's made where the suggestions come from that each um that school committee does not make up the budget That our um administrators work together as a team to propose each of their budgets um for their individual school and their individual department which then um goes
up to our um superintendent and and our assistant superintendent of finance and operations uh they work on that and then bring it forward to us So I'm going to ask for a motion to approve the FY26 budget in the amount of 49
million120 $120,285 Moved by Brian Oda seconded second Jen Shatner and any discussion nope All right Wait I have I just want to make a comment I'm looking forward to
this vote I will make this quick but I just want to make you know one comment around um the issue of the budget this year There's been some things floating out in the press um and in the public Um I've had some people approached me and there were some questions around um that
this expectation that we were going to be needing additional revenue sources going into this uh budget season and that um the town um had a greater level of free cash than was expected um which came to light um for me around the time
of the state of the town in early January Um and I think the rest of the committee too um not sure that maybe the budget subcommittee had some discussions but I don't I don't think so Um so I think it's it's important to note um that this was an you know an evolutionary process um in the finances
of the town Um we did expected a certain projection that we had been told all throughout the fall through the summer the fall and into the winter early winter Um that we fully expected um that we were going to have we were going to have some difficulty possibly making
making this budget with the town projections and those projections changed And when they changed in early January early to mid January we were able to move forward um which I'm which is great news um with a budget that the administration superintendent and the
administration is um tells us they're confident it will be a level services budget and we are moving forward with a solid budget to educate our students Yes Um and and that was all announced during the state of the town I believe it came to the attention of the fincom
about my understanding is you know a week or two ahead of um state of the town So even fin was unaware that the revenue projections were coming in much higher than had been expected Um if people and I'd like to ask the press that it may be there to to um reflect
that if possible Okay And folks can also go back and review the minutes the fin meetings as well as the select board meetings because our revenue stream gets developed there not here Um the town comes and says this is what we have your
march for you and this is what we can project Um there was a meeting I believe it was that I don't know if my memory is right but I want to say it was around October 11th sticking out in my mind for some reason of last fall where they gave what they thought the projections were going to be and then fast forward two
and a half months later they came in much much higher So I encourage folks that you know don't want to take my word for it or Jen's word um to go back review those Vinc minutes re review those blackboard minutes and really really put it all together yourselves Um
all right So I'm going to call for a vote Jen Shatner in favor Brian Oda in favor Al Williams Sorry In favor Sarah Fox in favor Motion carries 4 to zero and we have a member to bring you to the
board hearing Um just for folks know looking at the timeline um VinCon will vote our budget at a meeting on March 31st At that point it then moves on to the warrant hearing which is that first week of April Um at the warrant hearing
is when Bing POM votes a recommendation Um often on the floor town meeting you'll hear Bing Comm recommends passage or Bing recommends the definite postponement The Warren hearings where all that comes from Um and then town meeting as always is the first Monday
and Saturday probably Tuesday of May Um so all that that's when all the fun happens Um next we have thank you very much for sticking out through the meeting the proposed overnight trip for the DECA Career Development Conference
Um and again congratulations to our DECA team because every year they seem to um be in front of us to go to the next conference because they they really have done do a great job So kudos to you for working with them and kudos to students
Thank you Uh my name is Paul Gleason I'm business teacher Marblehead High School in Cecil again So I'm here to appear for an overthe trip You I sent you um a packet with a
lot of details You want to go to Disney World That's where the conference is and it's a five night um overnight trip and we were able to uh fund raise and with a
uh generous um grant we were able to keep the cost down so that students will be responsible for covering the airfare So the registration fee and the uh and the lodging oh and they'll have to pay their rides Um but it really is a great
opportunity and uh we have three young ladies and um are the president of our club qualify to go to the national um that some questions finagle those rooms but that's a good issue Well I I
can address that So um I confirmed that this particular hotel um each room has two beds and CS are available in this in this hotel So um the three-year-olds know each other I'll be standing in one room and uh we
have partnered with uh another school uh who only has they only have three male attendees and our student agreed to um we sort of join forces with uh with their chaperon um in order to supervise
the students I've also been in contact with the um DECA advisor at Beverly High School who is a female and she'll help me with the uh making sure that the young ladies here their curfew will be in the
hotel So um the uh the school is regional high school So they have two students and so our student will be joining up with them and they sort of share their social media information and they've been in touch and sort of kind
of like we call everything Does anybody have any questions jen um and just for anybody that's wondering why we're voting this we have policy um I think which is pretty standard All school companies I think have the same one um for any out of state or overnight field trips which
checks both boxes um you need school immediate approval So I will ask for a motion to approve the proposed overnight trip for the direct DECA career development conference from 42525 to 42925 Just just a note uh the 30th is a travel
day So the conference runs to the 29th and then that Wednesday would be a travel start 20th still will be yes after school on the 25th Okay So um I'll amend that to a motion to approve the proposed uh overnight field trip to DECA
career development conference from 42525 to 4:30 Moved by Brian second by Jen Chapner Discussion Uh roll call vote Jen Chapner in favor In favor Al
Williams in favor Sarah Fox in favor Motion carries four and zero Please wish them all good luck from us Thank you Okay you congratulations Yes Thank you so much Great Every year you guys go to the nationals It's very impressive Um
so that brings us to our next agenda item which is the proposed policy IMDb flags and banners first reading I will ask Jen to speak to this as she is a member of the subcommittee has Alison popped back on or is she still
I don't okay see her on so we should probably keep that in mind So So just a little um um update since the last time we met We had um Alice and I met in the as as a policy subcommittee on March
7th and um I had shared with her at that point the which you should also have in your uh Google drive the legal brief that was presented to us which I had requested from our attorney John Foscuit and a recommended policy
um based on that based on his advice and on that on that u brief So I shared that at the policy subcommittee meeting Um we discussed it Um we had public comment We discussed it Um Allison did have a few questions and particularly around the
brief um and some questions around the draft which I was not in a position to answer um from a legal perspective So I had encouraged her to speak to the attorney Um and we were planning to have another policy meeting um to review to
come back after she had had that conversation and then we would decide what um policy we would come forward with I felt very strongly um just because this has been going on for quite some time um that I wanted to get it on to tonight's meeting So I know that
there were some um fits and starts and uh her being able to get in touch with John and they did have a chance to speak However it was not in time for us to post for subcommittee meeting before this school committee meeting So I kept this on the agenda Um and I didn't realize she wasn't going to be here
tonight So that may be something we might want to talk about that issue in terms of possibly tableabling it But um what I've presented to you is what has been presented to us from from our attorney um based on current law current
Supreme Court law and the um um what's going on you know in in other districts in in the state of Massachusetts So there were there have been a lot of comments We've had forums which I um I know the committee's been aware of but wasn't necessarily in attendance when we
had student forums and um a community forum We've had a lot of um input from the community um some of the same folks who spoke tonight Um I think there is some um I don't want to say misinformation
but there our attorney is giving us advice um that does not um that speaks to our responsibility as a committee in terms of what is government speech um and that what is displayed in the buildings um according to our attorney
is actually government speech if we are going to make a policy around it So that's where this issue around free speech or first amendment and and government speech gets kind of um I think um I don't want to say confused but it
it it gets it gets it gets difficult So I know there are a lot of questions I know there's been a lot of input I just felt strongly that because this has had so much community input and so much um discussion that it was important to bring it to the full committee and get a sense from the full committee of where
where what your thoughts are and where you would like to go forward with this Um Jen I believe you made this this is the opinion of that was presented at least to the committee from um our attorneys It's a three-page brief and
it's um the shortlived case It cites uh versus independent school district um out of the 8th circuit 2024 It's it cites a couple pieces of Keith's law And then my question is I believe you made
this public as part of your um subcommittee I saw it in our packet for this meeting Um was this available on the P for everybody to see because it seems like some folks may not have seen it Um yes it was made public Um I believe
it's been referred to in the press So yes it has definitely been made public Okay And just so you know I in my discussions with John Foscuit who who is the attorney in this case the associate attorney who's who's working with us on this it is not typical for attorneys in
any case but school district attorneys to be communicating directly with the public They don't typically come to open meetings and give their opinion They give their opinion generally to the chair um who then will share it with the other commit other committee members and then oftentimes as is necessary in some
cases in executive session with the entire committee In this case I spoke to John and specifically asked him to draft something that could be released to the public that would speak to why he is making the recommendation he's making to
us for this policy And that is the that's the brief you have Um and just because folk I as I said earlier we try to answer questions that are arising public comment One of the questions was would we be doing things in executive session Executive session is outlined very clearly There's a list of
stipulations that you can and cannot use for executive session We take it seriously Our attorneys take it very seriously Um so no nothing to do with this has been is being decided in executive session because it's not an exemption Um so just to answer that question that it's it's all an open
session So um all right So I will open it up for a discussion by the committee I'll go first Um if we do need a policy I'm not exactly there to be quite honest I am against this policy is written Uh I
know there are folks questioning the soundness of our legal advice but I will not further address that Instead I would say that the current draft doesn't go far enough and specifically does not address student voice which is a crucial component to our school improvement plans I mean how many times have we
heard student voice mentioned even just tonight nor does it address a very relevant question that I have and that how does a proposal for a certain flag get to the school committee for consideration Fortunately I believe there's a solution that may address some of these concerns as well as complies
with our our legal advice Although I'm not sure about that third party component right sounds like there's questions still about that that we will not address tonight Yeah Um so I would suggest we allow the high school students and administration follow the proposal that the students have presented with the added that you know
because of the legal advice that what they decide has to be approved by the school committee This provides student voice aems are presented to the school committee and complies with our legal advice We've heard from many how important flags are uh and banners and
how important they are students and we cannot ignore that Are there risks absolutely But I would prefer trying what is suggested here versus assuming there will be a risk and trying to avoid that at all costs Uh and if what I'm
suggesting becomes intentable we can always change the policy Uh lastly I'd like to just conclude by saying that this policy has to be part of a larger holistic plan to have all students feel part of a community Flags and posters are important but they are a piece of
providing a welcoming and supporting supportive environment for all students All right Well we've been getting a lot of support proposal from the public And I
also want to point out that nobody ever comes forward to say it in a public forum like this Why because they don't want to get the backlash We're having a an opinion that should only be the three flags Period So that's where my concern
comes from because I also believe that I mean it's very hard to talk about some of these houses the rainbow flags and because they for majority of the people they may support those kind of causes but there
are traditional religious people who believe in traditional family values whether you do or not and you know the rainbow flag doesn't support them and they can't say that out loud because they would get backlash So that's where my concerns are is that you know this is
such a controversial issue that we can't ignore the fact that we're getting a lot of support for the current policy has proposed but nobody was willing to come forward and speak about and the question you have to ask yourself is why and that's where I am at this point
Um Jack I'll defer I defer to you Sarah I'll I'm going to go last So what I would say is I think what Brian is talking about is we've gotten a tremendous amount of emails of people asking to go forward
with the policy Um I don't know that we're seeing that publicly What I will say is I think to be truly what's been troubling for me here and reading different you know letters
we get you know things in the paper is that often whoever is speaking it no matter what side quite frankly they're speaking it from they are sure their sides are um and the people who are adamant we should not have xyz feel they're right
that's it they're right and the people that feel we should have xyz feel they're right and you know we we hear very compelling very compelling stories um from everyone and I think the point
I'm trying to make is when we as a community in Marblehead as a school system as a society say this person's bad this person's good this is the only idea we can have we stop listening to each other um I brought up I I at one point tried to get her to come in as a
speaker this one woman Monica Guzman who's written in bulk and and goes around speaking I've had other people hear her speak and and she talks about when she goes in a room the person she sits next to is not the person who thinks the same way she thinks or aligns the way she lies
politically because that's not going to broaden her eyes She seeks out the person who thinks differently who may vote always differently And only by having a conversation does is she able to to realize that like we all have good
parts and bad parts and good ideas and bad ideas And we really have to be able to have these conversations and debates in a way that is civil And I have not seen any civil whatsoever around this
topic And I think that I feel that so strongly because I saw what we went through when it started How we lost some really good educators and and that's sad for me that we lost educators because they couldn't have a conversation and
say I agree one way and I I think another way and let's talk about that So I don't know what the answer is I don't know how that applies to a policy I will say that when we talk about what happened hundreds of years ago the bottom line is shirtlift happened in
2022 and it changed the landscape It it really what it said was if you don't have a policy and declare the flag as your government speech you can all means all And the the problem with that quite frankly is we've already started to have
people call or stop us and say "I've ordered my flag for XYZ fully knowing how offensive that flag is going to be to the majority of the people in our buildings to be quite honest but they're ready to just make a point and say once
you say all is all my offensive flag is going up too." And that's the problem Um and and before someone writes and I'm saying you know the pride flag is the offensive flag that is or whatever flag I am not saying that at all Um but the
idea like I hear a lot of people say you know what could be wrong with the Black Lives Matter flag and quite frankly I sat there and said the same thing And then we had a room full of 200 people who explained from their
point of view from their religious identity from their national identity as Israeli Americans how that could be And I can't speak for them I can't I absolutely cannot I do not see it through that lens I I who am I to tell them how they feel
just like when one of our students of color came and talked about how the flag made her feel like she had a home and it was accepted here and had a voice Who am I to tell her she's wrong i I don't have a chance like I can't tell her she's
wrong either And so I'm having a really hard time with this because to go one extreme or the other is to say only one voice matters This side's voice matters or this side's voice matters And that that is a problem because quite frankly
the bigger problem I see is why do some of our students only feel like they belong with the flag what what are we doing wrong like there's a bigger story here folks We need to provide a sense of belonging to our students All of our
students and and we need to get under a knee What are we not doing that's making our LGBTQ students feel heard feel supported how can we do better because I feel like it's kind of to be perfectly honest both tokenism to put just the
plague up and say "Check we did it." Like what is the problem what What is the problem where our black students aren't feeling heard aren't feeling supported like let's get under that Let's have bigger discussions Like how how are these students going to be
really included and not a tokenized way in our community so that they feel heard How are our Israeli American students going to feel really heard really supported by their peers how are we going to support all of our students in a better way than to say like "Okay I
put a flag up on a wall downstairs You should feel included." They really truly should have curriculum that includes them They should have an environment a community a representation on you know
these presentations we see like we saw tonight on um from Brown if we really want to make people feel included and feel heard let's let's dig deeper folks Like let's really figure out how to do this because the speeches I've heard
from every side I'm not pointing one finger for the folks that took the time to show up tonight or the folks that took the time to email us like let's to Rene's story let's really find out what's going wrong and and figure out how to make these kids feel like they're
part of our community So I guess that doesn't answer anything in the draft policy but it's been really gnawing at me that that no one I haven't heard anybody yet peel back the layers of the onion and say what's going on in our schools that we have demographics of
students that they don't feel belong like they belong here And I really want to find out how we do that And maybe it's through our curriculum maybe it's through other areas maybe like how how can we do better so I mean
we still have to discuss the play policy and I just went on my soap box but it bothered me that I hadn't heard that yet So can I can I know you want to go last so I apologize if I could just inter ask if we could ask John what his as our superintendent interim
superintendent what his perspective is And John if you want to say can I have till the next meeting around that i know Kind of So so you Yeah I appreciate you putting me on the spot It's fine It's fine Um yeah I wasn't really prepared to speak to it tonight just because you know I I just I I don't know I just
didn't really give it the due diligence that I probably should but what I can say is that you know I think because the policy in and of itself this is a first reading so I don't know that this is the policy yet I've heard some some dialogue back and forth from the committee Um I
sat in on when the students came to to meet in the subcommittee they asked if I was to be there I don't know if they were asking me to come but they were asking if I was going to be there So I was there Um I purposely stepped aside from all the other subcommittee meetings Um and there's been there's been
committee members kind of asking me why why why did you do that why haven't you taken a stance why haven't you aligned yourself with one side or the other um because that's not who I am I don't align myself with one side or the other I try to speak my truth Um so knowing
that as superintendent as a lifelong educator as a as an administrator for many many years I know that I'm never going to make every person happy Um and I'm fine with that As far as the school flag policy um I'm not there yet I I
think that I honestly think that needs to be worked on if we're going to have a policy a little bit what you said Al said it if there's going to be a policy I think it needs a little bit more um little bit more attention um but what I can say is that if you're asking my
opinion my educational administrative opinion I believe that there's educational flags or b flags and banners that have educational relevance within the schools um when they're aligned with our curriculum and they're aligned with
you know our values as a district as a school Um I do I think there's there's value there I think um with that being said we've talked a lot about um student voice which I I mean I'm banging that down loudly as we've seen Um and I think
it's I think it's imperative that we um know listen you know I said in that forum doesn't mean that the students get to make the decision They're not decision makers but they can lend their input and thoughts feedback into the discussion Right i said that Um so I
think it's important that we listen and hear what they have to say I also think it's important that as we go through this um there's been some conversations about what are the unintended consequences and I don't think we have the answers to those yet That's I'm I'm struggling with that You know someone
said um you know is artwork going to end up being taken down because it's a flag or seen as a flag or banner are we going to have to get permission to have an athletic banner put up i don't know the answer to those questions I don't Um so that's one thing Second thing Edward
Form says that the building principle has the governance of their building with within the confines and constraints the policies that are established That's my it's not the actual words but those are my words Um so at the end of the day as
superintendent I'm charged with making sure policies and procedures are followed school committee is charged with developing reviewing maintaining revising establishing policies They're my boss I'm in charge of making sure the
policies are are that are in place they voted upon and that they have in place are enforced whether I agree with them or not So I'm in a really strange position because I have a I have a committee that's my that are my
bosses I'm an lifelong educator who is here to support administrators who support teachers who support our most important people the students Um and I think I think you know in regards to the flag I mean I've been accused of
aligning myself with the right I've been accused of aligning myself with the left I'm about the most apological person that um I know and I I I try to do what's right for kids long long and short So I share that and I share the fact that I think this needs a little
bit more work I think this needs a little bit more discussion Um and I think we need to move forward mindfully and knowing that there are going to be ramifications no matter how we how we come out and um and how do we how do we
create um critical thinking students so to your point Sarah how do we how do we make sure kids feel like they belong well you saw you saw it live tonight That's a perfect example those third graders they're they're leaders in their school That's not by accident That's by
planful discussion and and and making sure that we're doing those things at a young age So when they become your age and they're in high school they have those critical thinking skills and they can think about and then maybe they could say "Oh I see a pride flag I see a black eye flag I see an Israeli flag and
maybe I'm offended by that one or not by that one or that." But that's okay We're all different We're all We all have different perspectives and we need to teach our kids how to accept those different perspectives So is it about flags i honestly think it's less about flags than how do we how do we develop
and and nurture a culture in our schools that allow people to feel as though they have a place that they feel comfortable being here That's my soap box I sorry I wasn't planning on talking but Jen can I ask you a question and again I want to thank you and Allison because you are been on this subcommittee and I do
believe deeply on we establish subcommittees you need to let the subcommittee do their job and then bring back the recommendation to the full committee and then that's where it you know you vote it up or you vote it down but I do not agree with the idea of micromanaging subcommittees if you wanted to be on that committee then you
know myself included I should have been a asked to be on that subcommittee so I appreciate you guys you know waiting through this and and giving multiple opportunities for feedback So thank you for doing that
Um we've heard a lot of people say or I think I what I was hearing was people were kind of aligned with what was the first iteration which is has to be quite maddening because I remember when the first iteration came out people were adamantly opposed to it but seems like
folks have come around and so do you h I I know that you probably don't have it in front of you right now but can you paraphrase roughly what that first iteration was well I believe I don't have it in front of me that it basically said that
um any flags that would be dis or the banners would would to be displayed in public places in the school buildings would [Music] um come under the the jurisdiction of the school committee I I believe ultimately that it would there would be
some sort of process that would come to the school committee Okay and which you know the case law seems to establish but that but essentially allowed for a process if you will It did I just want to make a couple points before we move on and I know it's getting late but it's really important because I'm going back
to some of the comments that were made tonight Um the first thing I want to say there was a and I didn't catch her name at the beginning that spoke about the students that presented to us at the student forum Um I guess it was last month um and that the the surveys that
were sent out and received were sent to all school committee members That is not true We have not received at least I haven't received them Um okay She's I haven't seen them in fairness and she hasn't seen them It may be as simple as um just the you left off
plurality of something Do you mind if one of us emails you and you hit reply with that okay But that would be 100 109 responses That's what we were Yeah we're looking for these hunters tonight Um and I apologize because we don't normally go back and forth but I do really appreciate you as a student sticking it
out the whole night and seeing how this all works Um so did that went out to the entire student body so it went out to like 900 whatever the numbers are 942 students and you got and you got responses by 100 so about 10% Yeah out
through um the student government and available on um the student uh Instagram accounts like the um Instagram I'll tell you so um a lot of people whether go through there it was like
this is an optional okay or you would like to fill it out and um fill it out We have to come with three who said they won the student before 109 answers in total and I believe it was 37 people actually wrote
out this little statement Okay So I'll shoot you an email tonight and you can email us back So Jen she was I just asked the mechanism and she said it went out through the student officers just these mics don't pick up different mics pick up different Um it went out to the student officers which I assume men like
you know the freshman officers have served for their whole group I'm looking to Michelle to say yay or nay Um and then it also went out on their social media posts Um so that was the mechanism and then they had 109 engage in the survey and 103 write actual
narratives wrote narratives 103 said yes Okay All right Um 109 responded 103 said yes student voice 30 some odd 37 wrote narratives So she will forward that data on to us after I email you
Um all right So that so I just wanted to cover that to make just I'm trying to I'm going to set a few things straight for the record Um and there were a couple of comments earlier and this is going to also get to um Al's uh proposal for I guess lack of a better word um um
earlier So um I think it was Renee um that's um gave a great presentation which I appreciate but she and I wrote down this quote said this is not about complying with the law end quote Um and while I appreciate that um actually it is right and that's really what I'm hearing from our our attorney and that's
what I'm presenting to presented with the to the policy subcommittee to Allison and presenting to the board Um there was another comment earlier tonight that the Supreme Court case doesn't pertain to schools Um according to our attorney in fact it does because
we are a public building like Boston City Hall Abbott Hall any other public building We absolutely are subject to this school committee case in the opinion of our attorney Um there was references to um um bumper stickers and
wearing things on shirts and going to sporting events All of those would have nothing to do with this What this policy is repres is is discussing is what is in common areas of our public buildings which is not what someone is wearing on
their own body or on anything that that is their own person and they have absolutely every first amendment right to do that My understanding Jen is it something that's aixed to so that school committee has care of the buildings so it' be
something a fixed like hanging on a wall hanging on a flag pole not people um that would include a first graders leprechaun trap By the way bear what you want I mean that's the Tinker case really talks about you know it stems
from someone wearing um the the shirt um that I think we all anybody familiar with the cases and it also would um pertain to the I the um mom who spoke about her first graders leprechaun project same thing like that is
personal you know property or belongs to that particular student so that has nothing would not be part of this um part of this policy So I just want to go back for a second and just adjust because Al you had you you made a a statement and and made a suggestion So I just what I do want the committee to
understand what has been explained to me which I believe was printed or put out in the pre in the brief that we just do need to consider I would ask the board to consider is that according to our attorney the issue is
around if if we are going to have any if we are going to have a policy around flags or banners then it we are then de facto stating that whatever is displayed in common areas on flag poles and common
areas in our buildings are therefore government speech So this is according to our attorney not an issue of first amendment free speech It is government speech and what his concern was with the policy because he reviewed the policy that was um submitted by the students
And I do appreciate and recognize they did a tremendous job in in researching and and resourcing and and presenting that to us that if we are going to have a policy that states that the committee is the decision maker but we are going
to accept requests and make determinations from either individuals or groups that we are giving up our government speech and that it therefore is no longer government speech And and again this is in the words of the attorney And then it is now the fact
that we cannot restrict anything at that point It becomes a matter of of free speech In other words that we are making our halls and our flag poles available to anybody That's the concern That is what he is explaining to us is the risk with this shortlift decision So I just
wanted to make that point Now this may be something that this committee is willing to consider And I I you know again as the attorney explained as John explained to me he's you know he's just our attorney giving us advice and we will move forward with what we choose to
move forward with Um but I think that's just important to note And again he's also you know obviously I can make him available or he can be made available to any member that wants to speak to him directly because I don't want I'm not an attorney I can't sit here and give you all of the legal background on it other
than what he shared with me His brief Jen um it's I'm just reading directly from his brief Pending further development of the law in this area That means beyond the shirt or the um the eighth circuit court case um that he
cites here Pending further development of the law in this area it should be assumed that what is government speech in the school district likely would be limited to the speech determined and designed by the policymaking body the school committee and the superintendent
acting at the committee's direction Teachers students and families are private persons in this context and cannot determine government speech their involvement in the adoption of flags or banners could compromise the district's government speech immunity from having
to comply with the First Amendment The reason why that's important is then you get back to what happened in the Shortlift case where all means all and anybody that walks in with any banner Even if the entire student body and every teacher in the building said they vote that it's offensive every every
administrator says it's offensive every school committee member says it's offensive once we open it up that we're basing it on the First Amendment rather than government speech all means all Anybody walks in here with anything it goes up or we're in violation of a Supreme Court case Now anybody that
knows me knows there's multiple Supreme Court cases that have gone through in the last couple years that I'm adamantly opposed to it doesn't mean they're not case law Not like and it not being true are two different things And while I know many people are here on their or have
made public comment as attorneys or have written and corresponded with people as attorneys we have gotten this from our council And if we disregard the written notice of our counsel and then we get sued we have acted in the eyes of Mayer
our insurance company against legal counsel So that means we're doing more than paying a $10,000 deductible we're owning the full vote on it If we act in accordance with our legal counsel and they're wrong their their
indemnification comes into this So this is more than just like this is about more than just what our personal feelings are about things going up and down Once we get you know notification in writing from legal counsel that is their
recommendation we should act one way or another If we disregard that we're acting in opposition to advice of counsel and even the attorneys who have been glaring and laughing when we have talked about advice of our council are
no longer like So sir I'm not a lawyer I I appreciate what Jed said I'm not married to a lawyer Um but what you what you just stated from that so John can act So I'm not we're not saying give the
students the ability to come and process the requests in a school That would clearly be across the line But John doing his duties as a superintendent of a school system you know he was listening to his community of students
and administrators and you know comes to us with a flag proposal Just John is that violating what you just said because I'd like to hear from council um specifically on that question if our if the recommendation comes through our agent the superintendent if we're
covered I would I John's now looking like he no longer wants to be in a hot seat on this one again I you know I signed up for this it's fine I just I need to make sure that whatever is decided I'm very clear with what the what the governance is on it and how I
have to operate within the confines of the policy you know across I would like to hear from legal counsel It seems abundantly clear to me that the only person that there seems to be any ambiguity about is the is the superintendent acting as our agent Um
I'd like to have more clarity on that Um but it seems abundantly clear that their recommendation at least in this brief is that any other anybody else coming forth with the recommendation would violate the the case law Well I
don't know that it's anyone coming forth necessarily It's if we take in to under advisement someone's request that helps that then then formulates our decision or helps us formulate our decision It is supposed to be the reflection if we have
this if we have a policy reflection of the governing body Yes But again I mean we can have these conversations because we're not all independent islands where we don't let's face it right i mean we're all going to anytime we make a I when I make a decision I you
know I I there are people I talk to who I ask advice of and um opinions of So I I think that um you know to to Al's you know proposal tonight which is in some to some degree
similar to what the students put forth I understand that So I think the I think the concern and maybe this is something we need to go back and get clarification from John Foscet is you know if this is you know a formalized process just give us some guidance on this because we want
to be able to at least I'm hearing this from a school committee member um want to be able to have input um from constituents and what does that you know really what does that mean um and what
are the risks define you know define the extent extent of the of the risk but it is a risk according to him it is a risk absolutely I think that's why we need clarification so if I'm a school committee member and someone in the public comes to me asks about something am I allowed to because I'm a school
committee member am I allowed to bring that up at the school committee and process it and if so that's not that different what I'm asking for John to do on our behalf right for so I understand that we have to be the sole authority around the approval but there has to be some method that a request gets to us I
think a member would sponsor it essentially like sponsor available a member Can Sarah let Sarah can I let me just make one comment from my conversation from my understanding from the attorney um Al is that if we go forward with a policy that therefore then makes whatever is displayed de
facto government speech it is supposed to the genesis of that should be from the committee That's what the advice is So I think so I think you know we're going back and forth like if I'm the agent of whatever I I mean from what I'm hearing
what you said Jen in regards to what the lawyer said I'm not the decision maker right I could be potentially the conduit to students saying I want I want to do this they talk to me I come and I say this has been requested then you make a decision you know but I also I just
sorry don't interrupt I just think as superintendent I mean it if it's part of my job it's part of my job Like part of my my my job is to make sure that students are being educated And quite frankly I I want no part of spending three quarters of every one of my days trying to figure out whether I have to
bring flags to the school committee and and because that's really not a good use of my time Although so we have to figure that piece out So you know it's not that I wouldn't be the agent of it I just you know I don't think from what I've heard that I would be the decision maker which I'm fine with But we also have to figure
out if there's a process What does that process look like and is it reasonable to expect um to take place with with doing the job as well So the way I would see it happening is and what I think I hear from people is that you know we
have our educators as you are chief educator in charge if they're like more finite term um have the subject matter expertise that if people brought their petitions to you you would vet them you would then come to us with a recommendation So our like like when you
recommend raising user fees or or you recommend changing start times like you bring us recommendations all the time that it would be your recommendation that you would not come say Sally Smith is proposing XYZ You would come to us with your
recommendation and we would then deliberate on your recommendation I would assume if one of your goals is student voice that to form your recommendation you utilize the things in your goal but my understanding from reading this brief the only potential
goal I see here is that you bring us a recommendation not so I think so I think we go back and we ask the lawyer if that's if that's if that's a possibility and the answer may be no I don't know but that's the only loophole I see in their recommendation
Fair enough Um and again I'm interested in seeing the first version Jen because you obviously brought it forward not willy-nilly after much thought and what I heard from several people I think you know tonight was that they now find that
more palatable So if we can look at that first iteration or maybe I did not hear that but I heard some people say that that it started off with something they could live with and then moved on So either way I'd like to see um but I'd
like to see a determination if John or bring us his recommendations Okay Um Al I mean you have a proposal in front of us so I can also bring that forward too if if you'd like to share that with me electronically Yeah
absolutely Yeah Again just yeah something that speaks to how requests would come before the committee But I I'll I'll I'll send this to you Jen Okay And thank you for helping me understand you know the whole government free
speech because that wasn't clear to me from me reading the brief Um and because we are a committee I don't just get to ask Jen to look into something Alvin doesn't get just get to ask Jen to um look at something we have to we have to
vote to to send this back to this the subcommittee and ask them to do these things So um I will ask for a vote to enable Jen to bring back to the subcommittee have our attorney answer the
questions regarding the superintendent and at the subcommittee to talk about Al's suggestion So moved Seconded by Brian Discussion Um Jen Chapar in favor
Brian Williams in favor Sarah Fox in favor Motion carries Four to zero Um and thank you because I know this is the 18th iteration and I and I know that no one's happy that this is continuing but I want to make sure that we're taking the time to get our answer questions
answered make sure we're following the advice of legal and also at the same time trying to to hear you know all sides not one side or the other but all sides
Um okay That brings us to the timeline for the superintendent evaluation Um Jen had sent out um a timeline summary based on our workshop meeting Um
I had my recollection was slightly different than what was in the timeline Um my recollection was that on on or about May 8th we were going to have a workshop to compile our um
composits We had done this previously with a previous school committee It worked really really well All voices I say it was the most productive meeting we we had as a group at the time Um all voices were heard words that it was a long meeting but at the end of it we all
left with a product that I think we all felt we had a voice in Um so there was a tenative date of May 8th for that A tenative I think tell me if people think I have it wrong A tenative date of May
the following Thursday Was that the 14th 15th 15th to vote to um approve or or or fail um to approve the the compilation of the mid midcycle
review Then at that point we would also be we're going to be doing a survey It will go out to all staff all um all administrators um parents community members Um we had talked about having that ready to go out um midapprilish So
it can go out for a week to 10 days that the the folks filling out um school committee members will have the results prior to doing their individual reviews seeing as um some of the goals really would relate to that feedback that we're
getting and then we'll make those also available to the public So that would be on May 14th that we would um 15 sorry J that and again these are round May 15th that we would talk about that and then May um it's a joyous month it is five
five Thursdays so we um in theory could have a third meeting and we talked about at the end of the month having a third meeting to really talk about next steps after our review um you know and and and see what that means teams for moving
ahead with um contracts and um that way that would be done at the last minute That was my recollection but if I had that wrong please do tell me Okay Um okay so thoughts just so everyone knows the public as well So I
had sent out I my notes were a little different We had had so many days flying around I did not hear I did hear back from Sarah I didn't hear back from anyone else on this So what I had said is we have a regular business meeting on May 1st Um that we would have um we would be sending surveys out to the
staff and the community and parents Um that the deadline would be May 12th May 13th On May 15th we would have instead of a regular business meeting our school school committee workshop to develop the composite evaluation And on the 22nd we would have a regular business meeting
that would include potentially voting the that composite and the determination whether to move forward with um a permanent or a per change to a permanent contract Um
that also brought us to June potentially to June 5th if we didn't have a vote at that meeting and that was the issue I think Al um which is our next scheduled meeting uh June 5th was I think you would not we're not going to be available that night which is an important vote So Sarah you're they
might be available excuse me because I I should be in my destination a day or two before that Okay As long as our governor signs the extension of virtual meeting possibilities I should be able to to
to safe anyway because in 2019 we had a warrant article at town meeting that allowed for remote participation via phone or video conference as long as the majority the quorum of the committee was in person So even prior to 2020 um I
used it multiple times to zoom to call into the hospitals So um that that's an established in Marblehead um practice So as long as the majority of us are here we still So J I'm sorry I didn't mean to up but hope if that's you know we need
to have a meeting what is it on the 5th and it's an important vote I can I'll make myself available Okay So I guess that's what I'm just trying to determine what um because I think what the difference Sarah is Sarah your your recollection is
that five May 8th we would be workshopping to do the composite evaluation and mine was on May 15th So that's kind of the only discrepancy we have and then we can move from there So it doesn't really doesn't make a difference to me I just
want to make sure we're not that we have time We're not lagging but we've got enough time to get this done One thing I would ask and I think Brian you are meeting as a survey subcommittee I think tomorrow Is that right that's correct Yep So do you I mean maybe until you
meet do you have any thoughts on when you what the timing you think would be on these surveys because the surveys are going to be an important part of the evaluation process I think I don't foresee us meeting I think by next week we can honestly be done with the compilation of it and then it's
just having Stephen do whatever magic Stephen does Does this post committee before we release the survey oh yeah and we have we'll have our first meeting in April for them to review it Okay Because I don't think we would be sending it out till midappril anyway So um I think Brian and
I are both confident we'll be able to get that in front of the committee Um for the first meeting in April Okay So then once we complete this discussion that we publish the schedule so that we have right kind of bounce some numbers
and dates allow date so the public knows That's why I'm so so if if you guys feel comfortable with being able to come back out of the next meeting with the survey questions That's right Her and then your time is a little bit shorter right whole
thing And then I would still be incarnated here right we have to worry about if we did all that time Yeah I feel like every I like it Yeah If it can be accommodated and then I'll know before maybe before June whether I'm
invited back Oh yeah Your birthday contact So I just want to make So I and I I agree I think Sarah's your your timeline is is better So if we look at doing a workshop on the 8th that's so we have a regular business meeting scheduled on the because I also want to minimize upsetting our regular
schedule May 1st we have a regular business meeting May 8th we meet off cycle to do a workshop to develop the composite evaluation We will have had the surveys back and we will have each completed our evaluation And then the 15th we have a
regular business meeting and we would discuss that in our regular business meeting Mhm Yeah Is that right Okay And then we wouldn't necessarily vote We would well maybe we would vote
to I guess the thought was we would techni potentially vote to approve that evaluation that composite evaluation that would give the I guess some some time for community input so that on the we could meet on the 22nd which is not a
regularly scheduled meeting to vote to move forward potentially vote to move forward with a new contract Yeah I have no pro uh preference between the 27th and 29th as long as we get out that composite get out those survey so that any feedback
from the community that they have time Agreed Which that I mean yeah that gives it gives I just I want to remind everybody to block out your calendars that starting May 5th it's going to be a long week
is town meeting um possibly and likely the 6th as well then we have the 8 So just prepare yourself and also the other issue remember is that the 8th um that we will be meeting to discuss the composite evaluation is
the week of town meeting So you know depending on how it could be a long week Yeah Yeah one I think is we send an email out to the committee Thank you If we hear that there's just
there's so many Yeah Um okay perfect So that brings us to subcommittee and the on updates Um oops we got anything yes communications magnet Um we're finishing up the March
school committee newsletter We're also going to be adding in a very short survey because we've had the uh January and February newsletters that went out We had over a thousand readers on both newsletters So that's a pretty good number seeing how we usually don't have
more than 30 people attend a meeting like this So getting it out a thousand people is it's a good thing And the survey we had Garrett we had said from the beginning we're going to take a quick look at it three months into this school newsletter to make sure that
people are finding it of value So this going to be like a five or six question survey So it's very simple that's going out Um we're also still looking at other alternatives which are also on the survey because we had said that uh we
were looking at maybe a small two committee member meetings with informal meetings with parents to be able to talk freely about what's going on Uh as long as they're not two committee members on the same sub And then we're also looking at a full town hall kind of meeting in
which people can throw questions at us in the uh mail that will be ready to answer or come and ask questions live to vote as a whole So we're we're working on that that that's going in the survey to find out what people are interested in because we don't want to do it if
only one person's interested I would be happy to pilot that idea of the two members Um I'm not on a sub You have to be careful because who you're meeting with you can't be on a subcommittee For instance if Alan and I did it if people started talking to us about facilities
then it should be posted Jen and I aren't on any current subcommittees together I don't think No we were the negotiating committee but that's effectively been dissolved So so if if you um want to work out some time
you know in a few weeks when you're local Um I if everyone's okay with it I'm happy to pilot that Yes If if we get enough interest in having a small Yeah absolutely That's fine with me Al any questions
so um Alan Brian I just wanted to ask one question when I I'm going to be back um the early the week after next but I may ask you to host your subcommittee meeting as a school committee meeting so I can attend So I wanted to talk about
um a couple of ideas issues around the school committee uh social media Facebook account um and um some ideas I have on um maybe doing some articles in the local press And so I want to run that by you both and just it's best to
do it in the subcommittee meeting That's fine That's that's one of our agenda kind of future agenda items anyway Jen Okay we can definitely do that I think we welcome that because if we are going to do things like that we need some guidelines and around that and how we
use that form of communication So yeah we'll let that would be great And also I know we had the FAQ thing bouncing around I didn't know if that at some point gets resolved if we can get some version of that up at some point That would be great Yeah we'll have a resolve
by the next Thank you Appreciate it Um the finance leazison did meet with another joint meeting with FINCOM It's earlier this week It feels like many weeks ago Um at this meeting we really focused on looking at the revolving
funds It's something we started to focus on last year as ways that we could um balance our budget use revenues that have been coming in but mainly just sitting in those revolving funds uh in order to quite frankly um avoid any
reduction in staff or services So that was a that was something we started last year We relied um quite a bit on revolving funds this year compared to years prior It has worked well While we reviewed the balances um Lane brought us through all the various balances We
talked about the potential of tapping into some of those revolving funds that are a little bit larger Um they're they're stipulated by law very specifically what you can and can't do with each revolving fund So Mike really explained to us what we could and couldn't do We had a great conversation
with Vincom and we have some areas we're we're looking to delve into a little bit more to um try to take some of the burden off um our other revenue streams but make sure that we're still funding
everything we need to fund Um so I was really appreciative for John and Mike and and their level of transparency on that and um Pat Franklin volunte um so the only thing I uh want to uh mention real quickly policy subcommittee
we also are working on the operating protocol so we did meet with Alicia Malin last week and she presented um some suggestions to us that um Alice and I are working on So that's hopefully going to be brought up in the next you know couple of meetings I will note just
so you know Brian in doing some research I was on the Melrose School Committee protocol website uh page but they do have um like weekly coffees with two school committee members Um Melrose does that So um we won't we won't be alone in
doing that So I believe when we looked maybe it might have been Newton that you sign up for a slot slot which I think was worked really well to sign up for slot Um all right so that was good Uh closing business Anybody have new
business well I just wanted a couple things CPAC I attend the CPAC meeting Uh they now have funding for the unsung heroes So they're going to be doing it again this year They were concerned for those who don't know what the unsung heroes are This for any special education educator whether it's a parent
tutor or teacher they get recognized by their colleagues get submitted to CPAC and they get an award uh like an awards there So um that's back on the table I attended the superintendent's safety advisory committee and we normally don't
report out on that because the information we share at that meeting is confidential because it involves safety in the of schools However the chief of police notified us that they are short crossing guards and that's a serious
problem They don't have enough and he's asked us to put a plug in for him If anyone's interested in being a crossing guard it's pays $21.33 per hour up to 10 hours It's easy work And if anyone's interested people
who are retired uh people looking for some extra things to do just go to the police department and pick up the application there So thank you for doing that I know at Brown we're down several crosswalks Oh yeah That was and it's not a fabulous situation I have to assume
it's happening over a Glover too Um so thank you for putting that plug in Um that's oh heroes I encourage everyone in the community to keep their eye open for when those emails come out Um it is
a beautiful program It's a beautiful evening Um it doesn't have to be a special education provider that people get notified of Um be a general education provider Last year or the year before a student was written as an unsung hero It really is a beautiful
evening Um and there was a couple years they published a book So you know it I I'm never actually got to see the book but I know when I wrote in about people they they came to me and said "What a beautiful letter you wrote." And so they must have read it somewhere Um I I just
it is a beautiful field of night where we really celebrate the people in our community that go the extra step for the students in our special education community to really make them feel like they belong and they're um they're it's
just a wonderful night So I encourage people to keep an eye open and you've seen someone or witnessed something really wonderful to celebrate that to bring that in Uh all right So closing business new
business announcements um correspondence and then we have adjournment at 8:43 p.m And I just did the math Jen I think it's 3:00 a.m there It's uh 2 am but who's counting good
night folks Thank you for sticking it out No