Good evening. I call this meeting of the Penllis County School Board, March 31st, 2026 to order. Please note, Mrs. Long is appearing via Zoom. Mrs. Long, can you hear me? >> I sure can.
>> Wonderful. Um, present today we have Mrs. Kaine, Mrs. Blackburg, myself, Mrs. Peters, and Mrs. Hyde, and Mrs. Long appearing via Zoom. This evening, we will have a moment of
silence followed by the presentation of colors by Penllis Park High JC US Coast Guard Unit with instructor Master Chief Michael Collus. The pledge of allegiance will be led by Vice Chair Don Peters. The national anthem will be performed by
the children of freedom under the direction of Sam Estes who will introduce the second selection. Please stand and remain standing until the colors have retired after the national anthem. Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early
so we at the twilight last stripes and bright stars through The perilous fight or the ramparts we watch were so
gallently streaming and the rock glare. The bombs bursting in gave through the night that our flag was
still there. Oh, say does that star spangled yet for the land of the free and the home
of the brave. Ready forward march. Good evening everybody. Um my name is Sam Estes and I am the director of choirs here at Yes, you may be seated. Good. Um I am the director of choirs here at Penllis Park High School. Um
thank you so much for having us. Um uh this is the children are freedom which is our advanced mix group. Um and this evening we will be performing non noisi domin by roseanie powell arranged by William C. Powell and I hope that you all enjoy. No stormy to all the glory
to all the glory to all the glory stolor. Glory stolor. No, no, no. This means
don't miss all the glories glories. and domin Glor glor. Glor glor glor
glor glor glor glorina To all the glory stolor to all the glory stolor to all the glory
glory. Israel no glor. Glor, beautiful. We sure have talented students throughout our district. Thank you very much for the wonderful performance.
Next on our agenda, we will now share the video of Math Bania taking over Penllis County Schools. Good morning. Welcome. >> Today is our math mania competition that is for our grade four students. Are you
all excited? >> Yes. >> So, welcome to Math Mania. It's our first math competition in person that we've hosted by the elementary math department in at least 10 years. So, we're really excited. We have students in grade four from 54 schools uh
represented over a 3-day period. >> 19 and 23. >> Yeah. >> So, the students will be participating in three rounds. Our first round is a digital quiz. The second round is a math relay and the third round is a STEM
challenge. All of the rounds are collaborative, so the students will be working in groups. >> Yes. and showcasing that team effort and that student experience. This is kind of like the battle of the books but for math. So, we're having this competition
because we want our students to be excited about math. We want our students to find joy in mathematics. And so, this was a really great opportunity for us to elevate and showcase that math can be fun and um also have a little bit of
competition in there as well. Well, for this I think it's a great opportunity because these are students who might not necessarily be chosen to be in a type of competition and so it gives everyone who's on the same playing field kind of the opportunity to also
you know be a part of it and like cited and they want to represent our school and 62,000 that's six and that's the two. >> Oh, I really hope that it instills that math fire. Um, I was a previous math coach and so math is my favorite and so I want to see the love and I think it's
come out today and at lunch they were just telling me like we've got this. Their confidence levels have risen and the fast can be really daunting. It's a lot of time. Um, it's a lot of taking the time to read through questions showing your work. And so I feel like that confidence boost and motivation is really sparked today.
>> The first timer goes to Barb. >> I feel like happy. I felt excited. It's the reason why we got this trophy is because team work. We all work together. >> Elementary. >> One of our accomplments
we made is like teamwork and we really were happy that we got this. We had some like difficulties during the rounds, but overall we had fun and we were really excited about this. >> And there you have it. You know, some
people say they aren't math people here in Penllis County Schools. We are encouraging our students to become lovers of math. This is great. Thank you. Next, we uh agenda item 1.6, introduction of prof professional and
community organizations. Representative um Isabella Mascarinus, public information officer. >> Good afternoon, Madame Chair, members of the board, Mr. Hendrik, and staff. It is my pleasure to introduce the following representatives of community and professional organizations
from the Penllis County Council of PTAs, Reagan Miller. Representing the North Panelis League of Women Voters, Tanya Landry and Vivian Posey from the Penelis Arts for a Complete
Education Coalition. Sue Castleman, members of the media in attendance, Jeff Solichek with the Tampa Bay Times. Today we have a presentation from the Student Rights and Responsibility Committee. Please welcome Caesar Rangel and Chelsea
Smith from Panilis Park High School and its principal, Jeffrey Larson. Good evening, Madam Chair, members of the board, Mr. Hendrick, and Miss Woodford. This is my friend and classmate, Chelsea Smith, and my name is Caesar Ringel, and we have the distinct
pleasure of presenting to you tonight about our home, Penelis Park High School. As we see from our opening slide, we have a mantra at Penelis Park, which is to leave no doubt. We feel that the students, faculty, and community work too hard to have nothing less than
a highly successful school. And that is why this school year, it is our intention to leave no doubt. One of the things that make us special is our magnet program. We were recently granted the opportunity to combine our closely aligned magnet programs into one
with the hopes of bringing more opportunities for our students. Our criminal justice and first responder programs are now the criminal justice first responder academy. On the criminal justice side of our magnet, we have had over 200 certified and special populations, autism awareness, pistol
certification, duty to intervene, traffic stops, high-risisk traffic stops, contact and cover, chemical spray use, and tactical response. Our first responders have completed over 750 certifications earned in national EMR,
CPR, AED, first aid, stop the bleed, FEMA, OSHA, critical thinking, and cyber security. Our fighting program has been recognized as the top program in the state of Florida. Broke both programs continue to be high achieving and put on
major events for our communities. Some examples of this is our career day, law day, and disaster day. >> Some of our other great programs include our Coastgard DOTC and AVID. Our Coastg Guard JOTC continues to be the flag bearer. We are so thankful to have added
a Raiders obstacle course to our facility. Our core of cadets has flourished as we have been named distinguished unit two years in a row. This is the highest rank you can earn as a JOTC unit. We were the runner-up Raider team at the National Raiders Competition, which includes all
branches, not just the Coast Guard. We qualified for national competition with our academic team for the last three years, and we presented the national colors at over 45 events this school year and participated in countless community service organizations and programs.
>> Our AVID program has taken a huge step forward. Our AVID student leaders present at every faculty meeting about techniques teachers can use in their classrooms. We have also partnered with Big Brother Big Sister, visited six Florida universities and colleges, led college month activities schoolwide, and
visited multiple middle schools for recruitment. In May, we'll have our annual student led AVID picnic, and we'll be also hosting the AVID senior pinning ceremony this year. Another huge part of Penelis Park is our athletic programs. Our boys bowling team
has had its fourth straight winning season going 9-2. And our football team has had a winning record the past 17 seasons and has gone to the playoffs 14 of those 17 seasons. Our wrestling team has had three students make it to state and two having podium finishes. In
addition, in its first year of comp of competition, our girls wrestling team has had a state qualifier. Our golf team had a great season with Andrew Johnson making it to regionals for the second consecutive year. Our boys soccer
team had one player, Omar Cidto, who got picked up by the Temple Bay's rowdy second team. This is a de a development team that provides a pathway for elite young players into the professional environment. We love team and individual celebrations. Our biggest athletic accolade is that our school's overall
athletics team GPA went from a 2.8 to a 3.0 0. This year at Penelis Park, we start every day with pride. Pride stands for preparation, respect, involvement, determination, and excellence. These are the attributes we aspire to on a daily basis. We're we believe our community is
second to none. As all of our students have the opportunity to participate in multiple clubs, field trips, pep rallies, and dances. We bring our Patriot pride everywhere we go. >> And academics, saving the best for last.
We wanted to finish with this slide because we believe Penelis Park is on the rise. As you can see from our chart on our slide, we are at or up in all of our testing subject areas, including acceleration from last year. As we head to the finish, I hope our presentation
is proof positive that Penelis Park will finish through the line and leave no doubt. >> We would love to finish this presentation how we start every day at Penelis Park. Okay, Park family, let's lock in. Be your best self and remember
>> we are proud of you. We love you and as always make it a great Patriot Day. Let's go. >> Thank you Caesar Chelsea and Principal Larson for sharing information about Penllis Park and that patriot pride is clearly evident this evening. Thank you
very much. Next on our agenda 2.1, Mr. Mr. Hendrick, are there any changes to the agenda? >> There are no changes, Madam Chair. >> Board members, are there any recommended changes to the agenda?
>> May I have a motion to adopt the >> I have a motion from Mrs. Hine and a second from Mrs. Peters. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed?
Perfect. We approve the agenda. 6. Um, next, may I have a motion to adopt the agenda as amended? I meant as approved, presented. Sorry. >> Madam Chair, I believe you just did adopt the agenda. >> Right.
>> There we go. All right. So then now on to special organiz special order agenda. There we go. Now on to agenda item 4.1. Mr. Hendrick, would you please introduce this item? >> I would be happy to, Madam Chair, and
ask the board members if you will go down in front of the deis and I'll give them just a moment to do that as we are excited to celebrate our allstate ensemble members. This is music in our schools month and our school board takes the opportunity several times a year to
recognize students who are all state performers in academic, athletic, and extracurricular events. It is always such a thrill to do these. And tonight, we apologize to some of our parents who are here for our standing room only
crowd, but this is what excellence in music education looks like when you have this many students recognized for all state competitions all across our state. And so tonight we share that the Florida Music Educators Association or FMAA
allstate program is a prestigious annual event that brings together the top K12 music students from across Florida to perform in elite ensembles. Selection for participation is considered one of the highest honors as students must pass
a rigorous multi-stage audition. It's our pleasure tonight to honor our students for this impressive accomplishment and we will do so starting with our elementary students. Students, when you are called, you're going to come up, shake the hands of the board members. You may bring your
certificates with you and then we will take a group picture for each ensemble. And we'll start with our ORF ensemble. And so students, when you hear your name, come on up. From Belchure Elementary School, Alana Hunt. from Lakewood Elementary School, Ivy Shazzle.
And from Leela Davis Elementary School, Ezra Chrisman. Congratulations students. Let's keep them right there. We have one more that just came in and that is Demiah Booker from Lakewood Elementary School. There is Demaya. Come on up Demiah.
And let's make sure Demaya gets in that picture as well. All right, congratulations. Next up will be our elementary chorus. First from Curtis Fundamental Elementary School, we have Finley Dolman, Kate Aiosa, and Alyssa Vieiraa from Cypress
Woods Elementary School. Ryan Acasta Lopez from Alisa Nelson Elementary. Andrew Buck Halter and Hannah Haidider from Forest Lakes Elementary School. River Van Avery from High Point
Elementary School. Sawyer Taylor from Lakewood Elementary School. I'm sorry, not Lakewood. from Leela Davis Elementary School, Martin Kulie, Alisa Marte, and Rowan Silverman. From MadiRaa Beach Fundamental, Talon Dockerty, and
from San Jose Elementary School, Amelia Smith, the Penllis County participants in the Allstate Elementary Chorus. Congratulations. Now for our middle school and high school ensembles. First we'll start with the seventh and
eighth grade honor band. And tonight we have just one representative from the band from Clearwater Fundamental Middle School, Pipa Coulter. Congratulations. Now for the 9th through 12th grade high school honors orchestra from Duneden
High School, Piper Greer. And from Oyola High School, Sebastian Mendoza. Congratulations Next, the concert ninth and tth grade orchestra from Largo High School, William Clark. Congratulations.
Now on to the high school concert chorus. From Duneden High School, Anna Patterson from East Lake High School, Mason King. Come on up. Congratulations. The next ensemble is the high school honors big band and our represent
Presresative from Gibbs High School, Jack Christian. Next is the high school reading chorus and the representative is from Dunen High School, Jazelle Rosenberg. The next ensemble is the All State Middle School band and the representative from Thood Marshall
Fundamental Middle School, Isaiah Robinson. Next is the All State Middle School mixed chorus. From Carwise Middle School, Jenna Hopped from Tarpon Springs Middle School, Benjamin Williams and Loki Miller. Come on up.
Next is the All State Middle School Treble Chorus from Carwise Middle School. Fallon O'Brien, Finley Casey, McKinley Mohler, Zarah Armara from Madiraa Beach Fundamental Middle School, Alba Moola, River Eldrid, Sophia
Decosmo, Tene Mia from Metalon Middle School, Julianne Daly from Palm Harbor Middle School, Cecilia Claire, and from Tarpon Springs Middle School, Savannah Going.
Congratulations students. Congratulations. Next is the All State Senior High School Soprano and Alto Chorus from Countryside High School. Olivia Wright from Duneden High School, Josie Yanda from Northeast High School, Elise Tippet from Acyola
High School, Aaliyah Ryan from Palm Harbor University High School, Cadence Urban, Valerie Alpazar from Seminal High School, Lyric Ortega, Michaela Conrad. Congratulations to the
All State Senior High School course. Yeah, correct. Next is the All State Senior High School tenor and bass chorus from Dundeden High School, Sasha Salstad. And from East Lake High School, Sebastian Young.
Congratulations. The Symphonic Allstate Band for juniors and seniors representing East Lake High School, Alana Samson and Gavin Davis. And from Semino High School, Caleb Adams. Congratulations.
And our final recognition tonight is the All State Symphonic Orchestra, 11th and 12th graders representing Palm Harbor University High School, Samuel Williams. And from Semino High School, Sarapim Fitzgerald. Congratulations. And just to double check, we're working
on the list that you signed in on. So, I want to make sure we didn't miss anybody. Is there any student that we didn't represent? All right. Congratulations to our all state students. And as our board members make their way back up to the deis for the rest of the board meeting, parents and students, you
are welcome to join us for the rest of the board meeting. But if you're not wanting to do that, now's a really good time to exit. and we will continue with the rest of our meeting in just a moment. It's really fun. Well, as you can see, we had a great
turnout in recognition of our students. Congratulations, everyone. Now on to agenda item 4.2. May I have a motion to approve item 4.2,
presentation of the proclamation designating April 2026 as National School Library Month. >> Second. >> I have a motion from Mrs. Kaine and a second by Mrs. Peters. Mr. Hendrick.
>> Thank you, Madam Chair. It is important to celebrate National School Library Month in April starting tomorrow. And here to tell us more about what we're doing in our libraries this month to celebrate is our coordinator of our library media services, Bronwin Slack.
Mrs. Slack. Good evening, Madame Chair, board members, and Mr. Hendrich. As we recognize April as National School Library Month, we acknowledge the essential role school libraries and library media professionals play in supporting literacy, instruction, and
student achievement. I would like to share some examples of how we are continuing to build unique and engaging programming for students as well as professional learning opportunities for our library media professionals. Last summer, we extended the literacy engagement created by our boys read
program beyond the traditional school day and made it into a summer camp. During Camp Readstrong, boys were creatively engaged in strengthening reading skills while fostering a positive and sustained connection to literacy during the summer. I'm excited to announce that Camp ReadStrong is back
and is expanding for summer 2026 with two camp locations. In addition, we began a multi-year project to refresh TV studios in our libraries, ensuring that schools have updated equipment that support digital literacy, communication, and media production. Our TV studio
programs provide students with opportunities to develop presentation skills, create content, and engage in authentic learning experiences aligned with instructional goals. We have also invested in providing meaningful professional learning through our new library media trailblazers initiative.
Our Trailblazers program is designed to support library media professionals by strengthening leadership skills, collaboration, and instructional influence. This initiative reflects our commitment to empowering educators and providing personalized professional learning to bolster our library media
programs across the district. All three of these examples are positively influenced by our referendum, and without it, we would not be able to offer the variety and depth of programming throughout the district. In closing, as we prepare to celebrate April as National School Library Month, our efforts underscore the essential
role of school libraries as dynamic learning environments supported by highly qualified, innovative professionals. I'm proud to continue to support our library media programs and professionals, and I'm grateful for the continued support of our library media programs as we work to inspire learning every day. National School Library Month
will culminate with our annual Battle of the Books competition on April 30th. And in May, our Penllis County Student Film Festival will take place on May 18th, and we hope to see you there. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mrs. Slack, for highlighting the importance of National Library Month
and the work that the district does to encourage a love for reading. Board members, I need to Oh, Mrs. Peters, would you please read the proclamation? >> Yes, Madam Chair. School library month. Whereas school
library programs promote and encourage a love of reading and are influential in preparing students for lifelong learning through through the development of information literacy skills. And whereas school library programs close achievement gaps for all learners by
providing equitable access to academic resources. And whereas school librarians play a critical role in supporting the instructional technology that is necessary to maintain a rigorous learning environment at each school. And whereas school librarians are
instructional partners who directly support and enhance student achievement. Now therefore, the school board of Penllis County does hereby recognize April as school library month signed this 31st day of March, 2026. >> Thank you very much, board members. Any
discussion? All in favor say I. >> I. >> I. >> Any oppose? Motion passes 6. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. >> Now on our agenda, item 4.3. Mr.
Hendrick, would you please introduce this item? >> My pleasure, Madam Chair. Tonight we are pleased to present the 2024 2025 independent citizens referendum oversight committee or Icrock annual report to the board and to the citizens
of Penllis County. I'd like to call up our chief academic officer Denica Jones who will introduce the report as well as the chair of the Icrock committee this year Reagan Miller who will present the board and the public with the report. As she comes up to the lectturn I do want
to thank Mrs. Miller and Icy Rockck for their continued great work as a team. They just visited Thood Good Marshall Fundamental Middle School for their quarterly meeting and I have heard from multiple members of Icy Rock that it was another great school visit as they make sure that referendum funds are spent in
the correct way. So, Chief Jones, take it away and then we'll hear from our chair, Reagan Miller. >> Thank you, Madam Chair, board members, Mr. Hendrickk and staff. We are pleased to present this annual report to both the board and our community. In November
2004, Penllis County voters first approved the referendum to support public school education. Since that time, our community has demonstrated its continued commitment to education by renewing the referendum five times, most
recently in 2024. 70% will be dedicated to teacher salary, 15% to support staff, and the remaining 15% supports reading programs, visual arts, performing arts, and technology.
Since the referendum's inception, the board has maintained the independent citizens referendum oversight committee. That's a mouthful, so we'll call it, which serves as an advisory board to the school board. ICROCK meets quarterly to
review referendum expenditures and ensure that all initiatives align to both the board priorities and voter intent. Icy Rock is comprised of representatives from the Penllis Economic Development Council, the Concerned Organization for the Quality
Education of Black Students, the League of Women Voters, the Penllis Realtor organization, Arts for a Complete Education, the Penllis County Council of PTAs, and the Penllis Education Foundation. IC Rock
members understand the gravity of their service and give hours of their time to honor their commitment and for that we are grateful. I would like to take a moment to thank each of the Icy Rock committee members for their service.
Your leadership and commitment to oversight promotes transparency and provides the community with confidence in how these voterapproved funds are stewarded. Each year, an Icy Rock member presents an annual report to to the
school board and the public. The 2425 report will be presented today by IC Rock Chairperson, Miss Reagan Miller. Will you please come to the podium? >> Thank you for having me here tonight.
Icy Rock continues to meet quarterly to oversee referendum expenditures and to provide assurances to both the board and the public that funds are being used as intended um by the voters. During our quarterly reviews, we pay close attention to ensuring that each year's
funds are spent on that year's students in a responsible and equitable manner. It is my pleasure to share the following highlights as examples of initiatives supported by the referendum. Due to the support of Penllis County taxpayers through approval of the referendum, the
school system was able to allocate approximately 68.7 million in the 2024 2025 school year to focus on retaining and recruiting great teachers and approximately 17.6 million supporting
the arts, reading, technology, and charter schools. The referendum funds provided $6,967 annually to each Penllis County Schools teacher salary. Penllis County Schools has expended the tax referendum money by
increasing teacher pay, supplementing reading programs, enhancing music and art class materials, and pro by providing up-to-date materials, textbooks, and technology services. As required by law, approximately $5.4 4 million were shared with charter schools
proportionate to the student enrollment of ch to the to student enrollment. Charter schools are required to spend referendum funds as outlined in the ballot language. Charter school spending is individualized to meet the needs of their students and must include one or
more of the following areas: teacher compensation, reading, visual arts, performing arts, andor technology. In the visual arts, Penllis County Schools referendum funding supported 152 field trips for 8,819
students to local art museums and centers and offered 660 summer camps. In the performing arts, more than 100 music classrooms received funding for new instruments and equipment. New teachers also received enhanced support to help ensure a successful start to their
careers. Referendum funds further supported all countywide events in BA band, chorus, and orchestra, including um Ignite Camp, which also incorporates theater and dance. Technology funds continued to provide software programs to schools with a focus on increasing
academic rigor, student engagement, and individualized instruction. Funding also supported ongoing targeted professional development to help staff effective to help staff effectively use these tools. In support of reading, referendum funds were provided to every school to
purchase needed classroom resources and materials. Targeted programs for uh grades K through two continued and hundreds of teachers across all grade levels participated in training aligned to the specific needs of their students in meeting state standards. Secondary
media centers also received funds for circulation upgrades and expanded electronic book collections. Professional development resources continued for reading and ELA teachers to support the transition to best benchmarks. As we look ahead to continue referendum implementation, Icy Rockck
will remain steadfast in providing oversight of these invaluable resources and in keeping the school board and the public informed of the district's progress. Thank you again for the opportunity to be here tonight. Thank you, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Jones, and
Superintendent Hendendrick for this overview and the presentation from Icy Rock. We know that this is one of the um most important things that our stakeholders are thinking about how the taxpayer funds are spent. So, thank you
very much for that great presentation. >> Thank you. >> This item does not require a board vote. Board members, are there any comments? Mrs. Hine, >> I want to say thank you as well and thank you for the oversight certainly, but thank you for the advocacy. All of
you sitting over there, plus many others who supported the advocacy around increasing the referendum this year. I mean, this year we have a record number of national awards, right? Then we had all the recognitions tonight, certainly everything else with the field trips and the teacher development like you mentioned, Reagan. Um, so thank you.
Thank you for supporting our schools and being out there and and helping the public support this referendum. It's excellent. Thank you. Thank you. Next on our agenda, public comments on the agenda items. Mrs. Hal, are there any speakers? >> Madam Chair, there are no speakers for
agenda items. >> Thank you. Agenda item six, unfinished business. We have no unfinished business. On to the consent. May I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> May I have
>> I have a motion from Mrs. Blackburg and a second from Mrs. Long to approve the consent agenda. All in favor say I. >> I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Motion passes. 6.
Agenda item item eight. There is no consent. Now we will move on to new business. Superintendent Hendrickk. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to provide the board and public an update tonight on our weapons detection pilot that we discussed at the October schoolboard workshop. As school
districts across the state of Florida continue to look at ways to improve school safety, many districts have gone to weapons detection systems to look at and explore safety enhancements for students and staff. The systems are non-intrusive and detect weapons whether they are carried on a person or
concealed in a backpack or a bag. To determine whether this is something that we want to do in Penllis County schools in terms of its security and also can we afford it. We are running a pilot as we discussed back at our workshop. We will begin that pilot at two high schools, Palm Harbor University High School and
Gibbs High School beginning on Tuesday, April 7th. Families at each school have been notified and communications have begun. These schools were selected as pilot sites because of the size of their campus, the number of students and staff at each location, as well as some of the unique programming, particularly in the
arts. The pilot will enable the district to assess effectiveness in hightraic areas, determine appropriate staff for deployment, and gather direct input from students, families, and staff at the pilot schools. students and visitors can move very quickly and efficiently through the systems as you've seen at
other places, schools, and other theaters and similar places throughout our state. However, as is any new implementation, we do expect some delays just like a new car line uh that will have a little backup the first day or two and then we will get everyone through after a few days. As we begin
the implementation of the pilot, the district safety and security team will be on site to help with the implementation and hear direct feedback. We will bring back a summary of the pilot to the board sometime this summer at a workshop for future discussion. Information about the pilot, including
frequently asked questions and a video overview, can be found on our website at pcsb.org/safeeschools. We have a number of students to celebrate tonight beyond just our all-state recognitions that have occurred recently. And I want to start with Dunin High School's 3D team, who
won the National Home Depot 3D challenge, defeating teams from five different states for their project called the Orange Zone, which is a do-it-yourself customized painting support in the Home Depot stores. This team stood out, according to the judges,
for the viability of their solution, which addressed outdated technology and unmet needs. And congratulations to the students at Duneden on this national championship. We've had a number of students competing in the allstate uh career and technical education student associations including future business
leaders of America where more than 6,000 students from across the state competed in Orlando recently and we had some really outstanding students finish in the top four to move on to nationals in San Antonio this summer. 70 Penllis
County students are on pace to go to Texas this summer, competing in areas such as coding and programming, business communication, accounting and finance, marketing and economics, and digital media and video production. Congratulations to Steve Plamer and all of the team in career technical
education on a job well done. Not to be outdone, colleagues in career technical education and students just went to the family career and community leaders or FCCLA state conference this past weekend. And from Largo High School, students earned seven gold medals and
four silver medals by demonstrating skills, knowledge, and professionalism aligned with industry and career expectations. Congratulations to students there. and also recently through a partnership with many local businesses in architecture, construction, and engineering. Four
Penllis County students recently received over $10,000 in scholarships from companies such as power design, reinforced structures, AEI engineering matrix, and mechanical systems engineering for their work in partnering with businesses. Congratulations to all
of our crew technical education students. We saw our allstate arts students tonight in performing arts. Some of those students performed at Carnegie Hall over spring break with the Tarpon Springs High School Leadership Conservatory for the Arts. 120 students performed on stage in New York, attended
master clinics, workshops, and received feedback from professional musicians. And as Mrs. Hine alluded to just a moment ago, Penelis County Schools had a record-breaking number of students win the prestigious National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. 20 students won
national awards from 110,000 students who entered 300,000 works of art across the country. 20 winners from Penllis County, including eight gold medals which are invited to Carnegie Hall in New York City this summer.
Congratulations to our students. Recently, our students in middle school participated in uh a poster contest with the Penllis County Emergency Management. We integrate curriculum from Penelis County Emergency Management in our middle school and elementary schools.
And one of those is in middle school, a poster contest, and the winner dons the cover of this year's 2026 hurricane preparedness guide, which we all hope to never look at or use. But the winner is from Seminal Middle School sixth grader Jaden Usri, whose poster was chosen and
will be on the front. Additional students who were chosen as finalists from middle uh MadiRaa Beach Middle School, Clover Fundamental, and Tarpon Springs Middle School, will have their posters on display at the Emergency Operations Center this hurricane season. Last weekend, the Multilingual Voices
Districtwide competition, our very first one, was held for students who are learning the English language for the first time, as well as students in Spanish and French at both the beginner and advanced levels. Students from six high schools competed in the finals, demonstrating language development,
proficiency, and engagement. Congratulations to all the students who participated. We're getting close to the end of the year and lots of scholarship presentations. And I want to thank our colleagues at St. Petersburg College who once again are promoting the Promise Scholarship, which covers full tuition
and fees for associate degrees and financial aid eligible certificates at St. Petersburg College for graduates from all of the following high schools: Bokeh, Clearwater, Gibbs, Hollands, Lakewood, Northeast, Penllis Park, and
Tarpon Springs High School. Every student who graduates from those high schools can qualify for a two-year college scholarship at St. Petersburg College. More information can be found on the colleg's website, but I want to thank President Dr. Tja Williams and her foundation for continuing to support our
students. A few upcoming events. Uh, the Rising Stars annual competition will take place on April 21st at 6:30 at the Mafy Theater. Best of luck to student finalists in culinary arts, dance, instrumental, theater, visual arts, and vocal performance. The students are
absolutely amazing. We look forward to their performance in a few weeks. And the next night on April 22nd, we'll have our next listen and learn session. This one focused on positive staff experiences. It'll be held across the street at the Gregoro Leadership Institute. We look forward to hearing from employees and members of the public
and how we can continue to make working in Penllis County Schools a great place. And our final uh upcoming reminder is to families that today begins the summer camp acceptance period. Families who applied for camps can check out which camps they were uh awarded and must
select and pay for those camps between now and April 14th. More information is on our website at pcsb.org/summeramps. And as I do each board meeting, I want to celebrate one of our employees who was nominated by a colleague for celebrating our core values. And
tonight's honore is a library media specialist in honor of our upcoming month from Penelis Park Elementary School. Lynn Reeves has worked for Penelis County for 25 years as a library media specialist and was recently recognized by a colleague for wearing so
many hats across the school and doing so with responsibility, professionalism, positivity, and support. This person said that I've had the opportunity to work with Mrs. Ree for several years and seeing her is always impressive. She's super supportive of not only her
students but other library media specialists that she mentors throughout the district. Thank you, Miss Reeves, for your work and all of our employees for the work they do each and every day. Thank you, Madam Chair. >> Thank you. Next, agenda 9.2 items introduced by the school board attorney.
>> I have no report today. Thank you very much, ma'am. Thank you. Agenda item 9.3, items introduced by board members. Okay. Agenda item 9.4, review of board requests. >> No board requests. >> I will adjourn the meeting and we will
move to public participation. Meeting adjourned. Mrs. Hal, are there any speakers this evening? >> Madam Chair, we have three speakers this evening. >> Perfect. We will now move to public comment on general business of the
district. Please note that the views and comments of the public speakers are their own and not endorsed nor sponsored by the school board or district. We cannot ensure the accuracy of statements made but will review concerns that are raised and take appropriate action which may include clarifications or the
referral of speakers to the proper staff member for assistance. The board is committed to a standard of civility and decorum in conducting our meetings. This includes refraining from clapping or making audible noises during or after a speaker's comments, we appreciate you
assisting us in maintaining a civil and constructive environment. Additionally, please note that although board members or superintendent Hendrick may leave the dis briefly, there are speakers in the back room and we will continue to be able to hear your comments. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The first two speakers are Tanya Landry and Peter West Morland. Madame Chair, members of the board, Superintendent Hendrickx, and staff, my name is Tanya Landry, and I'm the president of the League of Women Voters of North Panelis County. The Lea Women
Voters is a nonpartisan grassroots nonprofit dedicating to empowering everyone to fully participate in our democracy. We believe that strong public schools are foundational to a vibrant, civically engaged community and we are honored to partner with Penllis County
Schools to champion highquality public education for all students. Tonight, I'd like to share a few highlights from our work. Our education committee comprised of the North Panelis League and the St. Pete League of Women Voters is very active. Our mission is to inform the
community about key issues impacting education, expand access to voter registration information, and advocate for the equitable use of resources that ensure educational excellence and opportunity for each child. The League
of Women Voters has served on the Icy Rock Committee, as we heard earlier, since the referendum was first passed more than 20 years ago. We take that oversight role seriously and we also work to educate the community about the profound positive
impact referendum funding has had on our schools. In addition to monitoring education legislation and local policy, I want to highlight a few of our studentled initiatives. We are proud to support peer-to-peer voter voter registration events at local high
schools. These are studentled events with the league there only for support to ensure that all laws are followed. Students must pass a quiz demonstrating their knowledge of voter registration rules before participating. What started
at one school last year has grown and we expect four schools to hold peer-to-peer events by the end of this school year. It has been exciting to watch these student leaders in action. We look forward to the day when every graduating senior is also a registered voter and
we'd love to see voter registration become a part of a senior checklist. We have also launched a Y vote video competition open to all high school students with suggested topics and details available on our website. One of
our members also delivers a two-part My Vote counts training for doorway scholars, a program that we are happy to expend to other groups as well. We want to thank you for your commitment to highquality education for all students. We share your enthusiasm and we welcome
every opportunity to ensure that students not only succeed academically but are civically informed and ready to participate fully in our democracy. Thank you. Hello friends. Uh my name is Dr. Peter West Morland. I'm a professor of ethics
and a Gibbs High School parent. And I'm here to address the piloting of weapons detection systems at Gibbs. I'm one of those parents who received notice about this program last week. I'm concerned. Everyone wants safe schools. It's a reasonable goal. In fact, we already have very safe schools. Thanks, by the
way. Uh you're part of that. I'm grateful for it. Uh, safety is supposed to support education. Education is the main goal. And more security is unneeded. These systems reinforce two difficult ideas that our schools are unsafe and that they don't educate well.
First, by putting weapons detection systems in schools, it signals that they're not safe, that there's some problem that needs addressing even though the schools are very safe. It signals that the people entering the school are potential security threats rather than children. Children who
deserve to learn. My daughter's first reaction was to assume that her school was dangerous. She believes these systems will disrupt her every day as she's focused not on being prepared to learn, but on getting through security, like going to an airport. There's a reason why no one goes to the airport to
study. It's a nervous, anxious environment, not an educational one. Second, these weapon detection systems prioritize the wrong values. Safety serves education. In fact, it's better education that improves safety. Schools
that educate better have more invested students, more parent involvement, more community engagement, happy employees who feel valued. That's what makes a place safer. Like, think about this. Have you ever heard someone say, "Oh, well that school's great at educating, but it's not safe." Right? Of course
not. Right? If we want to make our schools safer safer, we should educate better. Like, look, my child at Gibbs essentially didn't have a geometry teacher for a month. She didn't have a guitar teacher for a month. My son at John Hopkins didn't have a math teacher for over a month. My child's had
substitute bus drivers for weeks. She gets to school late. Like, I would love to see money diverted from excessive security measures to funding educational goals, paying teachers and bus drivers. Please end the weapons detection system
pilot program. Please fund education. May I add, the state's efforts to pay families thousands of dollars not to send their children to public schools sends the same message that public schools are both unsafe and bad at educating. I know the school board is not the source of these issues, but you're the connection that we have in
our community to the people who are right. So, I'm glad to speak about any of these things with you further another time, work with you to make our schools great. Thank you. The next speaker is Tracy McConnell. I'm a third grade teacher and today was much like a lot of other days in the
third grade in spring. Kids love to teach each tease each other, especially about who they have a crush on. So today, while the kids were drinking water at the water fountain after PE, I got to hear the latest rendition of a third grade song called You Like So and
So until the kid sitting next to the fountain was ready to smack the tar out of that kid. Of course, we all know the kid waiting for the drink had one intention, and that was to get the other kid upset. And as you can as you can imagine, that wasn't the first time it
had happened. This truly is typical type of behavior that happens in elementary classroom. In the past, I may have just had the student sit down and pull him over and had a quick conversation with him. But today, I felt the need to do all of those things and write a minor
infraction. At the beginning of the year, when we were first trained in minor infractions, I was really excited. I felt like there was a lot of potential for the process. I love the way that in my opinion that it could be used to give a warning to a student. I also liked
that it had a way to notify parents right in focus and log the parents contact for you. This makes it easier for teachers. Then one day I had a student call another student a racial slur. This isn't typical third grade
behavior. I wrote a referral for that behavior and I was then later told that that was not a reason for a referral, but that it needed to be a minor infraction. It was at that moment I realized I had just lost the right to use my teacher judgment on what is and
isn't a referral. I realized if I was ever concerned about students receiving consequences, I was going to need to document a lot more behaviors than in the past could have just been a conversation. This got me to thinking that there are too many loopholes with
minor infractions. I know that kids are smart. If I can figure out the loopholes, so can they. Kids are going to be able to figure out how many times they can get away without doing work, using their cell phone, or even skipping class before getting a real consequence.
They're going to realize that they can do all these things and more in multiple places and that they do not get real consequences for it unless it is three times in one location. Not to mention it resets at the end of a grading period. What about the middle and high? That is
a lot of classes that they can have repeat behaviors without a real consequence. This is a lot of work documenting behavior that doesn't really amount to much. I have two wonderings. Did this way of work reduce the behavior or just the consequences and frequency that it's
being reported? Since this procedure has been in place for almost a year, would you consider getting teacher feedback on the process moving forward for next year? >> Madam Chair, there are no more speakers. >> That concludes the public participation
for this meeting. Thank you all for attending.