2023-04-11 - School Board Meeting

5:16 Thank you, Arthur. Good afternoon. Wait, that’s the wrong one. Good evening.

5:22 The April 11, 2023 board meeting is now in order. I’m happy to welcome my fellow board members and the public. I would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that your appropriate place for public participation in the meeting is during your individual public comment opportunity as identified in the agenda.

5:39 Outside of your individual public comment opportunity, your role in the meeting is as an observer. Paul, roll call, please. Mister Susan.

5:48 Here. Miss Wright. Here.

5:50 Miss Jenkins. Here. Miss Campbell.

5:52 Here. Mister Trent. Here.

5:55 The board will now hold a moment of silent reflection and invite the audience to join. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republican for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

6:37 At this time, I would like to offer my fellow board members and miss hand an opportunity to recognize student staff and members of the community. Does anybody wish to go first? There you go, Miss Campbell. All right, so, a few weeks ago, we finished up with our destination Mars event, and I want to thank all the coaches and the judges, the volunteer judges who came in and the students did amazing work with their.

6:58 With Minecraft and building. The whole room was taken over with a giant map of Mars on the floor, and they just did so many creative things. It was wonderful.

7:08 And then that same week, I was able to go to the all county jazz concert. Our students were amazing, both the middle school and the high school, all county jazz. That is the end of the all county concert season, so we could look forward to next January.

7:24 I appreciate all of the people who attended the junior achievement gala and Business hall of Fame. It’s a huge fundraiser for junior achievement, and I can’t. I don’t have the totals yet, but they raise a significant amount of funds, most of which will go towards the programs that we have at Cocoa and heritage that the county commissioners, Christine Zonka, put towards starting those programs at cocoa and heritage.

7:50 But it’s going to be to continue and to advance those. So appreciate all the community members. There were 600 something community members at that gala, and we raised a lot of money.

8:01 Also wanted to recognize the teams from Brevard, who went to state. Odyssey of the mind tournament. I hope I didn’t steal any of your thunder.

8:10 I don’t know if anybody else had this on their list, but I just got this email today. These are the teams that will be advancing to the world finals for odyssey of the mind. I think there’s one team that’s not going to be able to go because of schedule conflicts.

8:24 But these are the teams. Manatee elementary, Cape View elementary, Edgewood junior senior, Viera charter, West Shore junior senior, and Riviera elementary. The world finals are going to be in Michigan at the end of May, and we’re super proud of those teams and their coaches.

8:50 Just going to put this plug out there. Each team has got to raise about $10,000 in a month and a half. Actually, they probably need it in about a month to book tickets to get all their transportation.

9:05 So that I’m just going to put the call out while everybody’s exciting clapping. Reach out. I’m going to raise those name schools again and reach out to those teams.

9:14 Manatee elementary, Cape View elementary, Edgewood junior senior, Viera charter. I think West Shore is the team that’s not going. Riviera elementary.

9:22 Reach out to those schools and offer them $100 and say, here you go, or 1000 or 10,000 and help them get there, because we want Brevard represented at those world championships. Thank you, Miss Jenkins. Thank you, Miss Campbell.

9:39 I also got the opportunity to participate in destination bars as well. So shout out to all of the volunteers and the staff that put that on and all of the incredible students who participate in that. Our kids are bright.

9:51 I just want to remind everybody who’s paying attention and listening that Brevard before and Aftercare opened their applications for their summer camps. And the ones that are going to be hosting are Atlantis, Enterprise, Manatee, Quest, Westside, Surfside, and Locmar. Hurry up and register if you’re going to need that childcare, because it closes very, very quickly.

10:12 It gets filled very, very, very quickly. So I had some really incredible opportunities, but I’m going to reduce it down. Not to take too much time, but I got to participate at Stone Middle School in an experience of a lifetime with our students.

10:27 And it was thanks to their teacher, Miss Meeks, as well as an organization called Eris. So this is a ham radio communication team that contacts the International Space Station. They do it all over the country and all over the world.

10:46 This is only the second time in history that contact with the International Space Station through Ham radio happened here in Brevard county on the Space coast. So this was beyond a unique opportunity. It was the coolest thing to see.

11:00 It took five and a half hours of on site setup just for that day in order to only make nine minutes of possible contact with the space station as it flew overhead. But it took over a year worth of planning through the teacher, through Aris through communications with Houston in order to make sure that they had the right timing in the window. The opportunity of the students to see the telecommunications telecommunication tower set up outside, as well as the him radio stations that were set up.

11:31 And it was so cool. The kids got to line up one by one and ask prepared questions of an astronaut right there on the space station. Pretty, pretty cool and unique opportunity.

11:42 This is something that will absolutely last a lifetime in their minds. And I am so proud that we had a staff member take the initiative to put so much time and effort over a year’s worth of work just for nine minutes for her students. So I just want to give a round of applause once again to miss Meeks.

11:59 At Stone Middle school, I also had a unique opportunity to spend the afternoon and evening with the counselor and a teacher at our south area ALC. And I went ahead on a ride with them to deliver meals and hygiene products and home products for some of their students. It’s a way for them to give back to them, to make sure that they have their needs met, but it’s also a way for them to complete their home visits.

12:38 To say it is a humbling and touching experience is not enough. Just listening to the conversation that those two were having in the car about their students and the lives that some of them are living, the environments that some of them are living in, the challenges in which they’re facing, was heartbreaking. But to see the students run up to them and greet them and give them hugs and to see the caregivers that were there that day being open and accepting of help and grateful for support, having conversations with the teacher about, how can we get this particular student to maybe go more times during the week because they needed a little bit more ways in which they can help get some training on how to help their student with their homework online.

13:38 I just want to say thank you to that team and that staff, because I don’t think they get recognized for the efforts they put in, not only on a daily basis, but literally until the evening time, until it is dark out. They worry about these kids day in and day out. And it was Thursday when we went.

14:01 It was when we had good Friday off and they hadn’t made it to all the students. And they were talking about, well, I’ll just go there tomorrow. I’ll go there on Saturday.

14:10 And, you know, that’s not a job requirement for them. And so hats off to our staff members who give every single ounce of them to their students day in and day out. I appreciate you so much.

14:20 I appreciate that opportunity and I look forward to joining them again. Thank you. Miss Jenkins, Mister Trent, Miss Randall.

14:28 Ladies first. Okay, listen, you’re the vice chair. You’re supposed to go second last.

14:32 But you got props. You go. You go.

14:34 All right. I have a couple shout outs I want to give. So I had the opportunity to spend a significant amount of time actually up at Jackson Middle School with Principal Susan, not Mister Susan.

14:44 And I want to give a shout out to that school because let me just tell you, you go to middle schools. We talked a lot today about reimagining middle schools and how much of a challenge middle school students are, right, just because they’re trying to figure out their path and where they’re at in life and where they’re going. And what she has done with that school is absolutely amazing, honestly.

15:01 So it was encouraging. I walked out of there and I was like, man, she is, is really running a tight ship there. She’s got a bunch of great teachers, educators that are in there.

15:09 And so I just want to give her a shout out because what she’s doing at Jackson is really good stuff. And so I recognize that. I appreciate you, Miss Susan.

15:15 You’re doing good things there. Also, I want to give a shout out to our Apollo team. I got the opportunity to go with BFT, our teachers union.

15:24 I know, believe it or not, we actually get along with our teachers union, which is not maybe the norm for everyone, but we have a great teachers union. And so I got the opportunity to go with one of the reps to Apollo. And we just toured Apollo and really got to see what was working and what maybe needed a little additional help.

15:39 It was encouraging. So Miss Delgado was a kindergarten teacher who again, has a doctor Seuss themed kindergarten room, had all of her kindergarteners sitting attentive, which is amazing. I mean, you’re talking about five year olds.

15:50 So to have a whole class of them sitting, paying attention means she’s a phenomenal educator and her husband, Mister Diaz, the same thing. So on the 6th grade team, just watching that team work together was very encouraging to me. It was really a neat perspective to be able to walk in and go into a pod and see four different classrooms and see the different dynamics of them and things that can help maybe improve some of our educators and then some of the educators that were just knocking it out of the park.

16:15 So want to give a shout out to them because they’re doing good stuff there at Apollo as well. And then again, I’m going to give a shout out to BFT because the world likes to pit us all against each other over everything, right? They want to divide us over whatever they can. And I want to say to BFT, I am grateful for you guys.

16:30 You guys work alongside of our district, which is a unique opportunity. They really advocate for the educators in our school system, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I think everyone on this board would agree that we are all in favor of advocating for educators.

16:45 And then my last shout out is going to go to our sheriff. Again, thank you to our sheriffs that are protecting our children in our schools. I am grateful every day.

16:53 There is no sacrifice greater than. Than being willing to stand in the gap. So thank you guys.

17:00 Good? Yeah. Good. Okay, first off, I want to say thank you to everybody in here.

17:05 There’s a wide variety of spectrum, all the way from veteran families, all the way to Suntree elementary parents all the way. And we really appreciate you all coming. I did want to say many of you guys may not know because all of you guys are probably going to leave before we get to one of the items that are spoken to.

17:20 But the commitment from this board in general is amazing. We spoke about it at the workshop. This is the first Brevard county school board that actually has students, as our children are all students.

17:31 So every board member has a student that’s in part of BPS, and that’s the first time it’s ever happened. So our commitment is also the commitment to our children. And even so, and I want to say this just because you guys may leave, Miss Wright has a transportation issue that she’s been speaking to.

17:45 She’s actually got earrings on right now to support the buses right now. And it’s just an amazing thing. So, like, all the way down to the detail of getting dressed in the morning and saying, we’re going to make a difference is amazing.

17:55 And I just want to say thank you to all my board members. Thank you for what you guys commitment. We’ve been moving pretty quick on a bunch of items.

18:01 I also want to say thank you to the military families. What you guys do in the infrastructure and backbone for our society here in Brevard is top notch. And we wouldn’t be who we are today unless it was for you.

18:10 We have. We have a proclamation that we’re going to read here in a second. But I did want to just shout out while we’re here, Jackson Middle school, not many people know this, but Tina Susan also was the reading teacher of the year for the whole state of Florida when she was a teacher.

18:27 So she was a darn good teacher. And some of those transfer into being a principal. So good job over there.

18:33 And then I just wanted to take a second because everybody else talks about all the cool stuff and I get to my list, which is like three things left. Sue, thank you. Many people understand that Miss Han has taken over as interim superintendent.

18:45 And I will tell you, she is. Yep. And we didn’t realize how popular she is.

18:53 So we have all taken second fiddle to sue, who now is like, the most popular person. She’s amazing. And you.

18:58 And it’s all because of your service, both with BPS and inside the community. You go above and beyond, and we’re very proud to have you as a board. And we wanted to say thank you so much anyways with that.

19:09 Yeah. Do you have any recognitions? So just briefly, I wanted to say thank you to the board and to the entire BPS team. Everyone has been just so full of grace and flexibility and helpfulness.

19:23 You know, stepping into this role two weeks ago was. Has been quite an adventure. And literally everyone at BPS has tried to make my life easier and do the right thing for our students and really focus on the great work of our district.

19:36 And so I just want to say thank you to everyone who has been so helpful. Special thanks to my cabinet members. They have helped me in ways that you.

19:45 You can only imagine. Russ Cheatham, Mister Wilson, are both helping me with facilities and making sure that that keeps going. My team and facilities is working extra hard.

19:56 So I just want to say thanks. It’s been a great experience and I do appreciate all the support I’m getting from the board, as well as from the BPS team. So thank you very much.

20:05 You’re welcome, Miss Hand. Give her a round of applause. She is amazing.

20:09 All right, that brings us to the adoption of the agenda. Miss Hand. Yes, sir.

20:14 On this evening’s agenda, we have administrative staff recommendations, three proclamations, 18 consent items, two public hearings, seven action items, and seven information items. Changes made to the agenda since released to the public include the deletion of f 18 job description, behavior coach, the addition of f twelve student expulsions, and revisions to a seven administrative staff recommendations. C ten after school professionals appreciation week.

20:41 Proclamation f 22. Amend the contract for Pineapple Cove Classical Academy at West Melbourne. H 38, transportation incentive proposal.

20:51 H 39, Thule Community Development Group amendment to Kyler lease agreement. And I 42, board policy 5511. Do I hear a motion? Move to approve second.

21:02 Is there any discussion? All in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. All opposed? Records 50.

21:10 Mister Paul Miss Hand, would you please let us know about the administrative staff recommendations? Yes, sir. Mister Susan. Members of the board, there are four items for your consideration.

21:20 Do I hear a motion move to approve? Second, is there any discussion? All in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. All opposed? Got it.

21:30 Paul. We are now on tonight’s proclamations. Miss Hand, the first item is to proclaim April 2023 as month of the military child, which will be read by Mister Russell Brune.

21:42 Actually, I’m going to read it. Do I hear a motion move to approve? Second, is there any discussion? You guys want to thank the military for coming? Yes. Yeah.

21:55 Again, back to, you know, when I say thank you to our sheriffs, obviously that thank you extends to our military. There is no greater sacrifice than being willing to lay down your life to protect our country and the wonderful things that we have here in the United States of America. So thank you.

22:09 We appreciate you. You are a hero. A true hero.

22:12 Your family is a hero because they sacrifice you in ways that, you know, that’s hard when kids are growing up and dad may be deployed. So to mom and child, I can’t see child because it’s behind the podium. Thank you.

22:23 You guys are giving it a huge sacrifice for your father to be able to serve our country. I don’t even know if there’s a child behind the podium, so how about that? Yeah, I can’t see back there, so there may not even be anybody sitting there. There’s got to be kids back there somewhere.

22:33 Thank you so much for what you do. We are proud to honor you as, as a military family. I don’t know if there is a kid.

22:43 No, I’ll just add mine in there as a military child to other military, military children. I appreciate the sacrifice of the family and appreciate you guys being here as well, so. And good job, BPS.

22:55 For we have several, what do we call the schools that have the special recognition? Purple, blue star, blue Star school. So I was thinking it was purple. Who were recognized for their outstanding contributions to our military children and so just appreciate all the work that our district staff go in, our school staff do for our families that are coming in and out and, you know, and the extra service they provide to them.

23:22 Absolutely. Well, Mister Trent, go. All right, so thank you so much, military families.

23:30 And you know, they say if you enjoy your freedom, think of that. You know, I didn’t grow up in a, in a military family, but now I’m a military parent. I have a son in the Navy.

23:40 So I just. It’s amazing the commitment that is taken from the military people. And thank you, BPS, for acknowledging it.

23:50 So again, thank you so much, Miss Jenkins. I’m obviously going to join everybody and thank you for your service and all that you do for this country. But I also want to recognize how difficult it is for the families of those that are serving.

24:07 And I know that BPS has always been a community that has to support children who have family members who are serving overseas. So we continue to support those students. We’re here for you and your families and grateful for everything that you do.

24:21 Thank you. Thank you. I did want to take a second and talk about the commitment that this BPS has to military families and our students.

24:29 Not many people know this, but we were the only school district to bring forward what would be ROTC for a career pathway. And let me explain what that is. So before three years ago, if you were in ROTC program, you had to take it as a elective.

24:43 And what would happen is some of the students that needed, like, extra math, extra English and all that stuff, they would have to drop ROTC in order to do that. And some of those students are the ones that fit outside of the box of the classroom. Some of our best soldiers, you know what I mean? So what we ended up doing is under the direction of Stephanie Sullivan, Doctor Sullivan in the back, she came up with the idea, let’s make this an actual career pathway.

25:06 We went to Tallahassee, we got sponsors, we battled through committees, and one of them, it passed by one vote. So it was tight and we got it through. And now ROTC is a career pathway inside.

25:16 And it’s pretty amazing what we’ve done there. We also put veterans preference. Yep.

25:21 We put veterans preference so that when a veteran comes and he sits and says, or she sits and says, I would like to apply for a job, you have preference, and it takes. Those are supposed to come in first before we take many of the other employees. And then also we have our military schools that they spoke of where we work with transitioning families in and out of our school district to make sure that their transcripts and everything else are there.

25:44 So there’s a lot more to it. But we are committed to our 74,000 veterans inside this area and active duty and everybody else. So we’re really excited to have you guys.

25:53 So I’m going to read this with you guys. If you guys can all stand up, we’ll read it and then we’re going to take a picture. What’s that? Oh, yeah, we can vote about it now.

26:01 I guess so. All in favor? Signify by saying aye. All opposed? There we go.

26:06 So, let’s read this resolution. Come on. I didn’t bring my glasses.

26:24 Brevard public schools month of the military child proclamation. Whereas thousands of brave Americans have demonstrated their courage and commitment to freedom by serving the armed forces of the United States of America in active duty posts around the world, and whereas we recognize that the many of Patrick Air Force Base’s youth have been directly affected by the military deployment or separation of at least one parent and the difficult reintegration period that follows all deployments, and whereas these children and youth are a source of pride and honor to us all, it is only fitting that we take the time to recognize their contributions, celebrate their spirit, and let our men and women in uniform know that while they are taking care of us, we are taking care of their children. And whereas the recognition of the month of the military child, first established in 1986 by Defense Secretary Caspar Weinsberger, will allow us to pay tribute to military children for their commitment, their struggles, and their unconditional support of troops, because when parents serve in the military, their kids serve, too.

27:27 And whereas, everyone is encouraged to wear purple on Wednesday, April 19, as a visible sign to thank military children for their strength and sacrifices, and whereas, a month long salute to military children and youth will encourage local community support, to provide direct support to military children and families and reinforce the strong partnership that we have cultivated between Brevard public schools and Patrick Space Force Base. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that brevard public schools recognizes and celebrates April 2023 as month of the military child and April 19, 2023, to be wear purple day or purple up for military kids in Brevard county. Proclamation recognized on this 11th day of April, 2023.

28:15 Mass. Susan. Board chairman.

28:17 Thank you, guys. We’ve actually got a hard copy for you, and I had you read it because there was no way I was going to read it. Let’s go over here and take a look.

28:40 You guys stand right here on the back. This guy’s tall. Oh, thank you so much.

29:09 Okay. Thank you. Next item will be to proclaim April 2023 as child Abuse Prevention month, which will be read by Miss K.

30:03 Katie Campbell. Move to approve. Yeah, yeah.

30:07 Hang on. Do I hear a motion? Move to approve. Second, is there any discussion? No.

30:14 All right. All in favor? Signify by saying aye. All opposed? All right, well, board.

30:32 You know, sometimes we do proclamations to celebrate great things, and sometimes we do proclamations to shine a light on issues that are really important. And so tonight we have some special guests in the room. I’m going to ask them to come and stand behind me.

30:44 We have representatives from Brevard Cares. We have some of our guardians ad Lydom from the county who play an important role. And we have a special group of guests from the bikers against child abuse who joined us.

30:55 Some of them joined us for our. When we did the pinwheels out front, and everybody who walked in the room, you got to see the blue pinwheels. And that is reminding all of us, everybody who comes in through the doors this month, about the importance of all being on alert, because we can all take actions to prevent child abuse in our community.

31:13 So, thank you guys for joining us tonight, and we’re going to read the proclamation. Whereas, the mission of Brevard Public Schools is to serve every child with excellence as the standard, and whereas, child abuse and neglect are a serious problem affecting every segment of our community, and finding solutions requires input and action from everyone and whereas, our children are our most valuable resources and will shape the future of Brevard county and whereas, child abuse can have long term psychological, emotional, and physical effects that have lasting consequences for victims and whereas, protective factors are conditions that reduce or eliminate risk and promote the social, emotional, and developmental well being of children and whereas, effective child abuse prevention activities succeed because of the partnerships created between families and child welfare, education, healthcare, community, business, and law enforcement professionals and whereas, communities must make every effort to promote programs and activities that create strong and thriving children and families and whereas, we acknowledge that we must work as a community to increase awareness of child abuse, contribute to the social and emotional well being of children and families, and promote safe, stable and nurturing environments and whereas, prevention remains the best defense for our children and families. Now, therefore, the Brevard School board does hereby proclaim April 2023 as National Child Abuse Prevention Month and urges all citizens to recognize this month by dedicating themselves to the the task of improving the quality of life for all children and families.

32:49 Recognize this 11th day of April, 2023. Thank you. Now we’re gonna be.

34:22 Here we go. Last item on this is to proclaim the week of April 24 through the 28th, 2023, as afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week, which will be read by Mister Broom, Mister Broone, if you can, come forward and read this motion. Good evening.

34:46 Proclamation for National Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week, which starts April 24. Whereas Brevard Public Schools Office of Elementary Leading and Learning and the Brevard before and afterschool department firmly believe that afterschool professionals have a positive effect on our children, families, community and businesses. Whereas afterschool professionals are a decisive element in young people’s access to high quality relationships and expanded opportunities beyond what they have access to at school and at home, which they need to reach their full potential.

35:05 Whereas afterschool professionals deserve appreciation and support for all they do that results in increased social emotional skills, promote physical and emotional health, and provide a safe environment and expose them to new experiences. Whereas Brevard public schools, the office of elementary leading and learning, and the Brevard before and after school department are committed to supporting the professionals who provide expanded learning opportunities that will help close the achievement gap and prepare young people to be contributing citizens. Now, therefore, the Brevard Public Schools do hereby proclaim April 24 through 28th, 2023, as afterschool professionals Appreciation Week in Brevard Public schools and urge citizens across the county to join us in the special anyway, appropriate events and displays of appreciation.

36:11 Hello? Brain cramp. I apologize. I’m done now.

36:15 Thanks. Do I hear a motion? Is there any discussion? All in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye.

36:28 All opposed? Moving on. We are now at the public comments portion of the meeting. On the agenda items, we have 19 up.

36:35 We may have some more number of speakers and each will receive three minutes. I will call up three speakers at a time. Pursuant to board policy and tonight’s motion, you are allowed to address board members by name, but not staff or public.

36:48 The first three speakers are. I had a request by a mom to move our boy up that gaveled the meeting so that. So we’re going to put Murphy Arthur as first, and then we will go as Robert Dale, Mike McCarty, Samantha Kervin after that.

37:08 So, Mister Murphy Arthur, you have the floor to come up and tell us about your amazing project that you have. You have three minutes. Okay.

37:20 But I’m sure that somebody will give you an extension if you need it. All right, here we go. And thanks for gaveling the meeting.

37:27 He’s like, just leave me alone. Go ahead, sir. Hello.

37:31 So, my name is Arthur Murphy, and I am a 6th grade student at Freedom Seven elementary. At the end of our school year, we have a very big project called exhibition. In this process, we choose a global issue addressed by the United nations as a sustainable development goal.

37:48 Learn about it with the group, take action to help solve this problem and present about it to the whole school and to our parents. I chose to learn about SDG seven, affordable and clean energy, and we are currently at the point where we take action. That is why I’m standing here today.

38:05 I want to make a change with energy in our schools. I would like to suggest a few ways to decrease our energy use, thus leading to more money to spend on other things, and it would help our environment. One way to save energy in schools is by investing in solar battery chargers, which could replace the need to constantly be buying more batteries.

38:27 More appliances could also be battery powered due to the ability to have renewable energy to power things instead of everything having to be connected to the power grid. I have done some research on this, and battery chargers cost far less than regular solar panels at an average of $25 to $85. I understand that we may not have the budget to purchase those items now, but there are other ways that we can take action in our schools.

38:56 We can encourage staff and students to unplug lights and appliances when they are not in use. In addition to these ways to save energy, we can also set computer carts to charge for only a few hours overnight to decrease the amount of energy used at once. I just have one more suggestion to create outdoor classrooms.

39:20 What I mean by this is to provide every class with things such as metal stools and rollable whiteboards so that when the weather is nice, students and staff can go outside and teach lessons. Because not only would it conserve energy, it would also have health benefits. Because we live in the sunshine state, we should take advantage of this.

39:41 I hope to see some of these plans in action, and so should you. Following through with these actions will save both money and the environment. Thank you.

39:50 Thank you, sir. Yeah, I was going to say, Mister Arthur, if you would send Miss Hann an email with all of that so that we can possibly see if there’s some positive things that we can put into our facilities use plan. So thank you so much.

40:13 Is that you want to say something real quick? Yes. Thank you so much, sir. Those were excellent suggestions and some things we were already looking at.

40:19 I’d like to introduce you to Miss Karen Black in the back there. She’s been working on an outdoor classroom project for us, and so your recommendation fits right into the work that she’s been doing. So if you have a chance, before you leave tonight, you might talk to Miss Black.

40:32 But do please send me your suggestions and perhaps we’ll set up a meeting sometime to go over what you’re suggesting and see what we can do to implement some of those ideas. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mister Arthur.

40:45 She’s in the back, so look at. Okay. Mister Robert Dale.

40:49 Mike McCarty. Samantha Kervin. Arthur, you’re a hard act to follow.

40:58 Great job. My name is Rob Dale. I’m chairman of the bureau CDD elected position.

41:07 I am not here today representing that board. I’m very familiar with the roughly 12,000 residents that I do represent. However, I watched the March 28 board work session meeting.

41:20 Thank you Misses Wright, Mister Trent, Mister Susan for thoughtfully considering all aspects of the proposed middle school zoning. Thank you sue hand and Karen Black for your help and for attending the VA east meeting on March 9. The primary reasons Viera east should be included in the new middle school zoning.

41:46 Number one, Viera east paid school board taxes the longest and we were promised this middle school by multiple entities. We were first in line. Our impact fees went to other parts of the county years ago.

42:04 Number two, with two additional charter schools coming online around the science same timeframe, Brevard schools will lose VRe students to the charter schools if they are not allowed in the new middle school. Hb one makes it very easy to leave BPS. Number three, keep Viera east within the Viera dri arbitrarily utilizing Viera Boulevard as a boundary divides us as a community.

42:34 And number four, your own transportation department recommended making Barnes Boulevard essentially the Rockledge border, the northern boundary. I’d also like to correct some of the things I heard about our via east community on March 28. I’m going to paraphrase misses Campbell.

42:54 People 20 years ago didn’t buy in Viera east expecting a middle school. The middle school was the reason I bought in Viera East 26 years ago along with the elementary school. I had the expectation that they would both be built.

43:13 The elementary school Ralph Williams was built were still waiting on the middle school and my children now have master’s degrees. Again, I’m going to paraphrase Miss Campbell, the rest of the county paid for this middle school with impact fees, not Viera. And residents just don’t understand the issue.

43:36 Well where did the Viera east impact fees go? Did they go down to Palm Bay? What happened during all that time? What I will posit to this board is that Viera east understands the middle school zoning issue perfectly. Misses Jenkins made a WHOOP de doo comment over the transportation $750 for low income students in HB one. Well that’s money that will make a big difference for families willing to carpool the 2 miles to viera charter schools instead of driving 12 miles to the through heavy us one traffic.

44:15 Mister Dale, your time’s up. Thank you. We do have 400 affordable housing units in viera east.

44:22 Thank you. Part of that. Thank you mister bill.

44:30 Next up, Mike McCarty, Samantha Kirvin kelly kervin. Good evening. My name is mike McCarty.

44:40 I’ve lived in viera East 17 years. Love viera. It’s a great community.

44:46 And all I really want to say is when we purchased our house, we were promised by everybody we were going to get a middle school and a high school. So now we have the high school. We’re thrilled.

44:57 But does it make any sense to where VRe students will be bused to the high school, but to the middle school, which is right next door? They’re not going to be zoned for that. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I’m just going to kind of close. This is.

45:11 Look at this carefully. This is a big decision. Voting about, just zoning.

45:17 You’re voting about, do we want to divide Viera? Do we want to divide the community? This is something that’s going to divide people. It’s going to divide families, it’s going to divide the kids. So you really have to look at it.

45:31 I know there’s a lot of logistics. You know, it’s about the numbers and the space and, you know, there’s a lot to do. But we need to keep Viera together.

45:40 We need to make it one community. And that’s pretty much how it is now. But I can guarantee you, when you start dividing the kids from Viera east from the main west portion, it’s just divisive.

45:56 And so I think you guys should really take a look at it from that standpoint. It’s going to be tough because there’s a lot of kids, a lot of people want to live in Viera. They’ve added a lot of apartments.

46:07 There’s a lot of people coming here, but we got to make it work. Please don’t divide the community. Thank you.

46:15 Thank you, sir. Samantha Kirvin. Kelly Kervin.

46:19 Bernard Bryan. Hello. Good afternoon.

46:35 So I wanted to speak on some athlete issues. So I go to West Shore. You may not know this by looking at me.

46:45 I’m actually a cross country kid and a track kid I run. It’s what I love doing, and it’s fun. Right? But we have a quote track.

47:00 It’s not even a rubber track. It’s concrete, it has potholes in it, and it’s not refurbished. And I don’t understand why.

47:10 Miss Campbell, a while ago, a couple months ago, you made a comment that West Shore or Edgewood, we didn’t get a new track. It’s not fair compared to everyone else who got it. So, yeah, I would like a new track because for this the second year I’ve gotten shin splints due to it.

47:38 Basically the hitting onto the concrete with my leg. It wasn’t going great, and it causes shin splints, which is severe pain to the shiny. It’s not very good and needs rest to heal.

47:55 So another thing I would like to talk about is our dress code as an athlete. This is Florida. It’s really hot.

48:05 But I can’t just run in a sports bra on school grounds because it’s not appropriate, which makes zero sense even for the afternoon or in the mornings, which I do both most of the time. I don’t see why I can’t be in a sports bra compared to anything else, when it’s not even about showing so much skin, it’s just about keeping cool, which makes no sense to me. But yes, thank you for your time.

48:36 That’s all. Thank you very much. Kelly Kervin Bernard Bryan Maribel Campos what? Oh yeah, thank you and good evening.

49:00 Jean Trent, you ran on the platform of students over politics. Two weeks ago, a student stood up here and told the board her story, how she struggled for years in this school system because of its inability to provide intervention to students with the most common reading disability in the world. It wasn’t until her mother intervened, invested thousands into specialized tutoring, and fought in several IEP meetings did her story change.

49:28 Can you imagine what it’s like to sit amongst your peers and not be able to do the thing that everybody else in the room can do so easily? Easily? As a reminder, the difference between freedom and slavery is literacy. Can you imagine what it was like for her mother to sit in IEP meetings, know exactly what she needed, and be told over and over again that BPS doesn’t have it. Imagine the frustration of sitting in those meetings and having to educate veteran teachers on dyslexia when she, too, was just trying to figure it all out? Incredibly frustrating.

50:04 Now imagine this mother’s frustration when she goes back into the video and watches you belittle her daughter by sarcastically turning to Megan and asking if she got all that before pretending to shove your microphone through your eye to simulate death. And Megan, we caught you laughing before the camera turned away. For those following along March 28 4 hours, three minutes, 45 seconds vps YouTube page Jean, you’re very invested in our books that students can access, or at least the controlling of those books.

50:39 You’ve made it clear that topics like sex and gender identity are too complex, too mature, or too sensitive. So explain to me how books are harmful to Samantha but the facing the fact that a sitting school board member would rather die than listen to her speech isn’t. Go on.

50:57 I’ll wait. Samantha is 14 years old and a student at West Shore Junior Senior High School. As you heard, she’s earned two varsity letters for cross country and track and field in 7th and continues to earn her second year pens in 8th.

51:10 She loves art. Her dad built her a custom loft bed and art studio so she could immerse herself in a daily. Samantha is known as being fiercely protective of her friends and is known for her maturity, intelligence, and empathy.

51:23 Her future ambitions include majoring in civil rights law with a political science minor, and her backup plan is aerospace engineering. Every parent wants to believe their child is special. We’re all biased, but it’s a truly unique experience when every adult who meets their child says the same thing year after year, person after person.

51:44 History is not going to remember my name or Megan or Jean. But I hope you both live a long life so you see all the places Samantha goes and the impact she has on this world because it will remember her. Thank you.

51:57 Thank you, Miss Kirvin. Next up, Mister Bryant. Thank you.

52:12 Thank you, school board. And thank you for allowing us to speak again. I’m standing on behalf of the southward branch of the NAACP, as well as the concerned citizen of South Brevard.

52:25 First, we want to say thank you for your data that you shared with us last board meeting. Very proud that this staff is looking at the educational gap data. So we just want to continue to encourage you to do everything you can to help close those gaps.

52:45 It’s really heartbroken for us to see these gaps over the last few years, but I just want to thank this board for taking the opportunity to really look at those areas. And really, we just want to encourage you to don’t get distracted, because every student matter, every child needs that opportunity. So I had an opportunity to visit stone when those students spoke to the international space capsule.

53:16 What a phenomenal event, and I was so proud to be there. Those kids need the same opportunities as well. But we are also concerned about the budget.

53:26 HB one, we know that the vulture program is going to impact many of our public school students. We know that it’s also going to impact how many funds that can be spent to really help all kids close the achievement gap. And we know that about 80,000 students will be displayed from the public school system, which means that’s a major revenue impact.

53:55 Some has projected that the impact could be somewhere between two to $4 billion. So what three we asking this board to do is really hurt your head on the budget, you know, with some assumptions, what will be the impact? How many will Bavard county lose in reference to the full time equivalent funds? And we really would like to understand how the poor schools and the schools that are, that don’t have a lot of, a lot of good things, how we gonna manage that during tough times. So if you will, we would like to partner with you with that.

54:32 We have a big heart for stone. We have a big heart for University park and we have a big heart for Palm Bay High. And if you look at the facilities, and I do understand the impact fees, but I believe that we need to hurt our heads going forward.

54:49 How those schools are going to be improved, how the assets going to be improved because they are deteriorating. Some of those schools are 60 years old. So I pray and hope that this board will put together a long capital strategic plan to help improve those facilities as well.

55:07 Thank you so much. Thank you, Mister Bryan. Next up, Miss Maribel Campos, Liz Brookshire.

55:15 Nicole Cannon and Richard Bieber. There’s an unspoken rule between parents that we follow. It doesn’t tell me how to raise my child and I don’t tell you how to raise yours.

55:37 Also, there are values that come from the home that parents know we need to respect. Values such as when we speak to our children regarding sexual sexual matters should also be left up to the parent of that child. The school should never have the ability to have the discussions about sex education with the student unless the school gets a parent’s permission.

55:58 Conversations regarding sex, along with gender identity are extremely complicated and sensitive. No school should be permitted to have these discussions with the minor without a parent’s acknowledgment or consent. I left California about a year ago.

56:13 I could no longer tolerate the abuse of power on its citizens and the lack of parental rights. Besides treating the parents badly, the state’s education system is a disaster. I cringed as the state limited charter growth and took away students.

56:27 Access to better schools. Online and homeschooling were also being attacked. The irony when the public schools had to shut down and go to remote learning.

56:36 Unbelievable. It was unbelievable how in a short period of time, California went from a majestic state to a fallen state. The parents were already demanding clarification on the California Healthy Youth act before the pandemic.

56:49 It’s an outrage what little rights parents have left in the California schools from free abortions, explicit sexual material, gender identity, and to be mandated to take COVID vaccines. It’s ridiculous of the state of California to think that they know more about how to raise my kid when their schools rate an average of four out of ten. A positive outtake from the pandemic is that more parents realize that California has tried to strip our children from us and somehow take them as their own.

57:18 Shame on the politicians and shame on the school board members for failing to protect our children. The younger child’s sexuality is awakened, the easier they become prey. Sexual predators.

57:29 Therefore, I support complete school transparency. The schools need to focus on core subjects such as math, grammar, reading, and the world is an extremely competitive place, and the schools need to allocate their resources in cultivating strong world leaders. Our children are truly the future, and we need to safeguard them at all costs.

57:51 I strongly agree with the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis. What a relief I have felt being here and to have a man with common sense in charge of Florida. Finally, why are people saying that Florida is banning books? This is a complete lie.

58:06 If a parent feels and is okay with their kids reading adult material, then they can’t find many books at the public library or on Amazon. But these types of books should have never been allowed on a school’s library shelf to begin with. Thank you, Miss Marybo.

58:26 Liz Brookshire. Nicole Cannon. Richard Bieber.

58:29 Katie Delaney. Good evening, board. I’m here to speak on a couple of different subjects and not only talk to the board members, but also everyone here and watching.

58:43 First, I would like to thank each one of you for taking on this very hard task of trying to strengthen and straighten out this board and our school system. I have not been able to attend the last couple of meetings, but I do watch all of them and try to catch the workshops. Also, the last couple of meetings have driven me to come back and speak again.

59:03 I’m disgusted to see the way some of the adult speakers get up here and spew hate and disrespect. I also what happened to t. Oh, wait, sorry.

59:16 What happened to teaching our children to respect their elders? I’m also glad to see that a certain board member has gotten much better at the way she conducts herself with other board members. Yes, it is okay to have your opinion and want to share them without being disrespectful. Watching these last couple of meetings since the board took over shows why we have such a big, disciplined problem on our campus.

59:40 The discipline issues are not because of the color of kids skins or their genders. It’s because the parents have stopped discipline at home. They are letting their kids run the homes and talk to them any way they want it’s like some parents have stopped trying.

59:56 We as parents need to step up and take our roles back. It’s not the responsibility of the board, teachers, administrations to handle disability. It’s ours.

1:00:07 And if we as parents don’t step up, then it will be the sheriffs and the police handling these issues. I think it’s time we, meaning parents, children, teachers, community leaders and board members, get back to basics. And those basics start with when a child steps on a school campus.

1:00:26 They are a student, not female, male, LGBTQ or transfer. They are not the color of their skin. They are a student, period.

1:00:36 The same goes for teachers. When they step on campus, they are teachers, period. They are the teacher.

1:00:43 Not there to deal with disrespected students or discipline issues. Same goes for the bus drivers. They are not there.

1:00:51 They are there to get the students from point a to point b, not dealing with discipline issues. I keep hearing that it’s time for us parents to take back our schools. No, it’s time that we take back the responsibility of raising our kids and understanding there are consequences for their bad behavior.

1:01:11 Discipline starts at home, and if there is none, there is not going to be any at school. It’s time for parents to step up and take back their roles. Listening to the issues concerning books is nuts.

1:01:24 Not every book needs to be vented. Stop the craziness. Yes, there have been a couple of books that needed to be removed from the schools.

1:01:32 I agree. Which the books should have been just removed and not made into this big stink that has happened. I get tired of hearing about dress codes.

1:01:42 My kid is one of the kids that loves to wear pajama pants. Let me just let him wear them. It covers everything.

1:01:49 They cover the lower bodies. He also likes to wear five inch seam shorts. He’s six foot.

1:01:56 They’re shorter on him, but they cover what they need to cover. If you’re going to dress code one type of shorts, then what about the cheerleaders wearing their uniforms to school? The field track kids wearing. There’s swimmers with speedos on, walking around.

1:02:13 Come on, let’s stop this. Let’s stop trying to micromanage everything and worry about getting teachers and bus drivers to stay. Thank you, Miss Cannon.

1:02:21 Or Miss Berkshire. Thank you. Nicole Cannon.

1:02:24 Richard Beaver. Katie Delaney. Good evening.

1:02:39 I’m here tonight as a concerned parent. The district is suggesting there will be 400 open positions next year. We have teachers leaving in masses.

1:02:48 New teachers who have only been teaching for a few years are leaving the profession because they don’t feel supported. What changes are you prepared to make in order to retain teachers in our area. And with so many teachers leaving bps, how will those positions be filled in the future? That’s all.

1:03:07 Thank you. Next up, Richard Bieber, Katie Delaney, Crystal Cayze, Jennifer Nagy hello Richard Bieber. The first thing that I want to address is what was discussed this afternoon in the workshop.

1:03:25 I learned stuff and appreciate it. The group assembled under Doctor Sullivan was a fresh air with the work on development of programs for middle school students and their attention to make middle school middle school is better for the students in 20, 23, 24 school year and beyond was good. The program that taught teaching enabling students to recognize their behavioral issues through cognition awareness was nice but expensive.

1:03:56 I agree with the board on my apparent decision on not spending the money on that program. My sister in law worked for the Dade county public Schools initially as a teacher, but taught continuing education classes to teachers before retiring. I would think that Brevard county public schools could use instructors that teach continuing education classes for teachers to teach classroom management classes, particularly to those that have found an alternate way to get their license, and even new incoming teachers that really just don’t have the experience.

1:04:35 One reason school board members thought that the Brevard county school public schools should not continue with the training currently in action is because of the expense. This takes me back to my first ever school board meeting that I attended in December of 2022. I had been concerned with a new board member members prior statement that the proposal on the November ballot to get funds to pay for teachers more was not needed, that there was plenty of money available and not being used.

1:05:11 Then at the first meeting, after being sworn in, the new majority opened the door for Superintendent Doctor Mullins to walk out the door. More recently, his interim replacement let go. How much does this fiasco cost us? Is it close to a million dollars yet? We have budgeting issues.

1:05:34 This banning on books issues is wasting our time and resources of our media specialists. I don’t think. I think the dress code issue, to me it’s a non issue.

1:05:54 But from what I’m understanding now is that the way it reads right now is so ambiguous and vague that it really needs to be addressed from the onset. So to be clear under how things will be implemented. Thank you.

1:06:17 Thank you sir. Katie Delaney, Crystal Cayce, Jennifer Nagy. Thank you.

1:06:27 I’m here to talk about conscious discipline. I’ve spoken about this numerous times now and unfortunately the data shows what many of us have been saying for years is that this program is hit and miss on where it works, how it works. It all depends on how it’s being implemented.

1:06:53 And frankly, the day the child’s having. And we’re spending a lot of money, and we’ve spent a lot of money already on this training, and they want to spend, I think it was something like $500,000 more after this next year, 225,000 for this year. And then.

1:07:19 So I hope that with the budgeting issues that we have, that we don’t continue with this program. Like many of you have said, our teachers are pretty great, and they can handle the classroom issues as long as they are being supported discipline wise, as long as our administrators are supporting our teachers. When a discipline issue comes about, the same thing at the district level.

1:08:05 Our country has gone through many traumatic things over the past 100, 200 years. We’ve had multiple world wars. We had the 911 towers fall.

1:08:16 We’ve had a great depression where people were jumping out of buildings because they couldn’t live anymore. All those generations managed to learn how to read and be successful in math, and they didn’t have safe spaces. And we need to teach our kids how to persevere and how to be strong and not to let our feelings overcome us to a place where we can’t function and our room can’t function.

1:08:47 Because you are having feelings. And that’s what this program teaches our kids, that the whole world has to stop because you’re having feelings. So I hope that this gets looked at.

1:09:01 And even if it does pass today, I hope that in the future that we don’t continue with this, we find something else that we can work with. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Delaney.

1:09:15 Next up, Crystal Cayze. Jennifer Nagy. Donna Herring.

1:09:22 Good evening, board. I’m here to speak tonight about school safety and a domestic terrorist threat of gun violence at Viera High School that occurred on March 28, 2023. Before I speak about that, I would like to reference November 28, 2022, where Matt, Susan, you stood with Sheriff Wayne Ivey and seat attorney Phil Archer and stated the most prolific school discipline policy this district has ever had would be implemented.

1:09:56 So I’m wondering, five months later, Mister Susan and we have a threat of gun violence at Viera High School. On March 28, 2023, my son was a named student that was going to be murdered with a gun by a student among three other students in the near vicinity. This was reported to the SRO and his superior, and a subsequent meeting was had by myself and my son that was recorded with consent the following day.

1:10:33 Unfortunately, the SRO of Viera High School stated that one of the students didn’t hear anything and he wasn’t going to interview him. Subsequently, that superior, Lieutenant Smith, did have that student interviewed for evidence about this gun threat at Viera High School. Your principal, principal Sarah Robinson, released.

1:10:58 If I can get you your. You understand the process, right? So we’re not going to. I’m going to need my time back and stuff like that.

1:11:02 I’m going to need my time back. Please proceed. I’m going to need my time back.

1:11:07 You’re fine. Please proceed. I’m going to need my 10 seconds back.

1:11:10 Please proceed. Are you going to censor me from saying, I’m going to let you roll for about 10 seconds after. Go ahead.

1:11:16 Okay. Your principal at Viera High School said that there was no credible threat and kids may return to school the following day on March 29. This is before any investigations occurred.

1:11:31 None of those students had been questioned yet. And I’m sitting in the audience and I’m hearing a story about Stevenson Elementary School. And in February, a student brought a knife to school and threatened to harm other students.

1:11:43 That student was suspended one day and allowed to return to brevard public schools after threats of violence. This student that threatened to kill students in Brevard public schools was suspended for ten days. And that student is back at Viera High School today, attending school with all the other students.

1:12:06 And I’m here to ask you, Matt, Susan, specifically, what are the new discipline policies that you are implementing or going to implement to prevent gun violence in Brevard public schools? Because as of yet, we don’t know how you’re going to protect our kids from being shot and killed in brevard public schools. So I am here tonight to ask you these very important questions, and I hope I get a response. Thank you, Miss Casey.

1:12:34 Next up is Jennifer Nagy. Donna Herring. Michelle Beavers.

1:12:41 That’s hard to follow. Wow. Okay.

1:12:47 My name is Jennifer Nagy. On March 28, I emailed my school board representative also, Mister Susan. I’d like to read a portion of that email.

1:12:56 About the book review committee. Reading books for age appropriate content is a media specialist. Chosen profession.

1:13:03 Do not remove them from the table where the decisions are being made. Do not silence their voices. This is not the right decision.

1:13:10 Decision. Take a moment to breathe. Think about the ramifications of telling someone whose profession and calling this is that their voice does not matter and should not be heard.

1:13:19 This is as anti teacher as you can get. On April 4, Mister Susan emailed me back stating, quote, the reason does not have anything to do with the qualifications or their knowledge of the issues, it has to do with the complete insanity that people are exhibiting directed at our staff and and others on the committee. The other reason is that if a book is inappropriate and it is not reviewed, the governor will move to remove the school board members with the accountability.

1:13:47 I believe we should represent the vote. These are the two main reasons. End quote.

1:13:52 Okay. I agree that the district has been inundated from both sides of the argument about reviewing books and the book review committee. I hear you that there are loud and passionate voices.

1:14:04 They each care a lot. I totally. I get it.

1:14:09 And if reviewing books and ensuring the safety of children is the actual issue, then the district level experts voting on the books in question would make the most sense. Here are my biggest fears about the whole process. Number one, anyone can anonymously request every single book in the district be reviewed because it’s potentially harmful to children.

1:14:31 Then what? Okay, big fear. Number two, has everyone involved in the book review process taken the required Florida Department of Education Training? I want to make sure everyone knows exactly the rules on how to evaluate the books in question by the state guidelines to keep the district on the legal, straight and narrow. Number three, the book review committee.

1:14:52 Your handpicked five members that represent you because your accountability is on this issue. And they know. I’m sorry.

1:15:01 I know they were stopped months ago from proceeding. From your email, I learned that you were concerned about job security if the books weren’t reviewed. But they’re not being reviewed right now.

1:15:12 Number four, five volunteers, unpaid non employees aren’t going to be able to magically read all the books in question, discuss the books, vote, and resolve the ever growing list in a short amount of time. This is not their full time job. Number five, why aren’t we utilizing the media specialist expertise? They could help write actual effective policy.

1:15:34 Those 400 district vacancies won’t get smaller without actions like these. Having them be consultants but not vote on any legitimate say in the process remains, in my opinion, as anti teacher as you can get. Thank you.

1:15:48 Next up, Donna Herring. Michelle Beavers. Kerry Takis good evening members.

1:16:01 My name is Donna Herring. I’m a mom of two Cocoa beach high school graduates, grandmother of a gold star child who is now attending elementary school in Cocoa beach. Prior to these roles, I served in the armed forces and I worked at Kennedy Space center.

1:16:25 During both of those stints, I found that the ability for people to critically think and make decisions was one of the biggest skill sets that was required. As I sat in the back down waiting to have my turn to talk, I kept pondering your mission to serve every school mission to serve every student with excellence as the standard. I think part of that excellence has to be the development of critical thinking.

1:16:57 And I believe that that critical thinking comes from being subjected, if you want to use the term, subjected, to alternate ways of thinking. Books are a phenomenal way of getting those alternate ways of thinking and having those critical discussions at home with your parents about the contents of the book. So I came here to speak about the book review process.

1:17:25 I could be nowhere near as eloquent as the woman who spoke right before me. I did hear Mister Susan talk about children being outside the box, and a lot of children are outside the box and they need their books. And, Miss Wright, you spoke about the divisiveness and how it isn’t serving any of us.

1:17:51 So I would encourage you, as you’re looking at this new policy, to call upon the media speaker one specialists who might be a little more dispassionate and less emotionally involved than some of the rest of us as we proceed on our goal to have a world class education for our students with excellence as the standard. Thank you for your time. Thank you.

1:18:18 Next up, Michelle Beaver’s Carrie tack is Mike Mueller. So we’re going to talk about critical thinking skills. So I’m going to read you something from a book.

1:18:27 I’m going to be nice. I’m going to take out a word that’s not appropriate. I’m going to place it with another word so I can guess what that word is.

1:18:35 Are you going to eat her cat? Yeah, Earl, I’m going to eat her cat. Do you even know how to eat cat? No, but he did teach me how to eat the other end of the spectrum of that, what that cat would be. I would teach you some, some cat eating techniques, but it’s a little complicated.

1:18:51 Son. I have the time for that. I got like 20 cats over here I need to eat.

1:18:57 You telling me now that you can look at some chests, get a hard something, look at some dude’s funky d word and get another hard on? Oh, excuse me. I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have slipped out.

1:19:10 You got to tell me that for real. So we need that critical thinking skill for our children. That’s in 15 of our schools right now.

1:19:18 15. Five of them are junior highs. Twelve year old kids.

1:19:21 Twelve year old kids are reading this material. I don’t know where to go. If we can’t agree that that’s not appropriate.

1:19:36 Do you want to talk about what the taking the librarians out means? It means we don’t have a conflict of interest. When a librarian first gets your material and you go through informal review, that librarian has to decide to keep that book or get rid of that book. If they keep that book and it goes to formal review, now we have librarians sitting around a table judging that librarian who decided to keep it.

1:19:55 That’s not fair. That’s why it’s considered a conflict of interest, because they either have to throw their peer under their bus or they have to do the right thing and get rid of this book. So that’s what that conflict of interest, because people don’t seem to understand what that means.

1:20:07 That’s why we have five parents. And the DOE says their guidance says, err on the side of caution. Err on the side of caution.

1:20:16 If we think for a minute that this isn’t appropriate, it should not be in our school. That’s what that means. So, yes, they can read that.

1:20:24 They can look at that training that I helped develop for that doe, and they can look at that and see that error. On the side of caution. As a parent, you need have everything you need to know about how to err on the side of caution.

1:20:33 We don’t need a librarian to sit and sit on that board and make that decision. They’ve already made the decision that that book is good. They’ve already had that chance to get rid of that book.

1:20:42 It’s our turn. You want to talk about screaming Excellence? I don’t think this is an excellent idea to put this kind of material in our kids. And this is just one book.

1:20:53 We have a lot more books. We haven’t even submitted all the books that we have to get off these shelves. We need to get them off now.

1:20:59 By the way, this book is gay. I found on an e book. Now, in your system, it’s hidden.

1:21:05 I don’t think you’re aware of that quite yet. There is an ebook of this book is gay. Oh, and by the way, that book that I did read is also ebook form, which means all librarians can pretty much grab that book if they’re junior high and high school, because it’s several copies of that ebook.

1:21:18 Thank you. Thank you, Miss Beavers. Carrie Takis, Mike Mueller, Paul Rao, Jessica Boyle, Boyco, Andrew.

1:21:32 Shout out to all the military families. It’s not easy for the kids to pack up and move their whole life. My kids have had to do it.

1:21:39 It wasn’t always fun, but it’s been an adventure. Y’all are awesome for sacrificing everything that you do. One of my students had dyslexia.

1:21:50 She was diagnosed in first grade. Her teachers helped her, and I downloaded a font specially made for people with dyslexia so that she could get over it. She’s now in honors English at her school is the bluest eye.

1:22:08 When she started 7th grade, she was eleven and this book was available to her. I’m going to read a passage from it and I would just love for people to think about it afterwards and what kind of education they think it’s bringing to our children. The tenderness swelled up in him.

1:22:25 He sank to his knees, his eyes on the foot of his daughter. Crawling on all fours toward her. He raised his hand and caught her foot in an upward stroke.

1:22:35 Picola lost her balance and was about to careen on the floor. Charlie raised his other hand to her hips to save her from falling. He put his head down and nibbled at the back of her leg.

1:22:47 His mouth trembled at the firm sweetness of the flesh. He closed his eyes, letting his fingers dig into her waist. The rigidness of her shocked body, the silence of her stunned throat was better than Pauline’s easy laughter had ever been.

1:23:03 The confused mixture of his memories of Pauline and the doing of a wild and forbidden thing excited him, and a bolt of desire ran down his private areas, giving it length and softening the lips of his other side. Surrounding all of this was lust, and it was border politeness. He wanted to duck her tenderly, but the tenderness would not hold.

1:23:32 The tightness of her private area was more than he could bear. His soul seemed to slip down to his guts and fly out into her, and the gigantic thrust he made into her then provoked the only sound she made, a hollow suck of air in the back of her throat, like the rapid loss of air from a circus balloon. Removing himself from her was so painful he cut it short and snatched his privates out of her dry private area.

1:23:59 She appeared to have fainted. Charlie stood up and could only see her grayish panties, so sat and limp around her ankles. Again.

1:24:08 The hatred and mixed was mixed with tenderness, and the hatred would not let him pick her up. The tenderness forced him to cover her. So when the child regained consciousness, she was lying on the kitchen floor under a heavy quilt, trying to connect the pain between her legs with the face of her mother looking over her.

1:24:27 That’s not educational. It doesn’t help children with dyslexia. Thank you.

1:24:32 Thank you, Miss Padger. Next up, Mike Mueller. Paul Rao, Jessica Boyle, Boyko.

1:24:40 Gregory Ross will be the last one. Mister Mike. Good evening, board.

1:24:46 So this morning I was poking around online and I found this book called sold by Patricia McCormick. It talks about a 13 year old girl from Nepal whose family was so poor that they had to send her off to make money. Unfortunately, she ended up in a brothel run by a woman named Mumtaz.

1:25:07 Here is a quick excerpt. It is the simple kitchen sound, the grinding of spices with a wooden pestle. Sometimes it means nothing more than spicy stew for dinner, but sometimes it means the cook is getting ready, the hot chili punishment for one of us.

1:25:26 And then it is a sound that turns even the hardest woman here into a whimpering child because it means that someone has crossed Mumtaz, the woman that runs the brothel. That Mumtaz will smear the chili on a stick and put it inside the girl and that all of us will awake throughout the night. Oh, will be.

1:25:54 That all of us will be awake throughout the night listening to the girl moaning. End quote. This book is listed at Barnes and Nobles.

1:26:02 I did a little research for appropriate like for children appropriate for age twelve to 17. One of my kids goes to the Laura middle school and this book is available at their library. I think I know best what’s good for my kid.

1:26:18 And I know for a fact that the intellectual and emotional maturity is not there yet to deal with subjects such as psychological and physical abuse, rape and prostitution. This book is accessible to our kids and parents would never find out if their kid read it at school. I have no problem with this book being read by an adult who can understand and properly process these subjects.

1:26:48 I’m sure this is a great book for a public library, but he has no business of being in a school library. Please vote in favor of changing the vetting process for books so that books like this one can be removed swiftly from our libraries. Thank you very much.

1:27:03 Thank you, Mike. Mister Paul Rao, Jessica and Gregory are up next. Sorry.

1:27:20 So, yeah, I’m going to talk about the book review process, which is still dragging on. And, you know, folks mentioned the divisiveness and so forth, but let’s not kid ourselves. It’s a series of self inflicted wounds.

1:27:35 The committee formed over the summer of 2022 because a few people decided that we needed a safe space from books. If you, literally nothing else, apparently had our first meeting in October, reviewed a book. It was the high school level book was left on high school shelves, although restricted, had another meeting in November.

1:27:56 High school book left in the high school, albeit unrestricted. Albeit restricted. Oh, and I think it was that one where I started getting called a groomer because I wanted a high school book left on high school shelves.

1:28:09 So when you referred to in your email, Mister Susan, other members of the committee being harassed, to the best of my knowledge, I’m the only one that’s happened too. And I’ve been here repeatedly begging you to not remove the media specialists from the committee. And I don’t see how that would help limit anyone else’s harassment anyway.

1:28:28 Now, of course in December, everything went sideways. We had new board members who felt that they needed to urgently, quickly. It’s very important.

1:28:37 We had to replace these people appointed to the committee by our predecessors. Four months later, that hasn’t happened yet. We’re on our third superintendent in that time, you know, you could fit several BPS investigations into that time.

1:28:55 I mean, depending on who you’re investigating. We’ve had no more meetings. The challenges, although apparently a lot more are coming, not surprisingly, have been pulled.

1:29:07 Apparently waiting for the new process, which is, you know, let’s get them through, let’s get them gone, let’s get the experts out. Thank you for not including the you don’t have to read the whole book part in the new process. I appreciate that.

1:29:21 At least you still have to read that. But if we were trying to expedite things, maybe we could have still had those couple more meetings. Maybe the next book would have gotten reviewed.

1:29:33 I mean, since literally no one wants pornography in the schools. If that actually came up, it would be gone. Yelling the word at anything you don’t like, as you all know, doesn’t make it so.

1:29:48 I’m particularly troubled by this idea that ignorance is helpful somehow. Having had some one on one conversations with people recently, and less recently, actually sexually molested, the ones who knew more, read more, had friends who understood that they felt comfortable talking about, got support, and were much safer as a result. The ones who didn’t know what was going on until it was too late, didn’t.

1:30:19 Ignorance is not safety. Thank you, Mister Rao. Jessica.

1:30:25 Jessica and Gregory Ross, please. Good evening, members of the board. While I understand that my concerns are not the concerns of others, and that there has been a lot of words spoken tonight in anger and in frustration.

1:30:46 I’m here on behalf of my school, Suntree elementary, to be included in the zoning for the new middle school. Our students have been pushed aside for entirely too long. We have put money towards these middle schools for the last 20 years.

1:31:05 Our money has been spelt elsewhere. While we understand it has been needed elsewhere, it is not something that we are able to stand aside and say no. Our students have waited for a very long time.

1:31:22 We have a lot of students who are finished. They are done. I’m sorry.

1:31:35 A lot of things have been said tonight that upset me. Regarding books, regarding dress codes, regarding everything. But your mission is to serve the students.

1:31:51 I request from the deepest parts of my soul that you consider everything put before you today with the most thoughtful and consider our students. I have a fifth grader who is not as considered as she should be because she is slower, because she is socially inept. And I hope that you think of everything, every statistic, every fact, every emotion that has come up here today for all, everything that’s been put to before you.

1:32:53 Thank you so much for your service. Thank you so much for your time. And please consider Suntree Viera east, all of it in your consideration for the new middle school.

1:33:05 Thank you. Thank you, Jessica. Next up, mister Gregory Ross.

1:33:17 Good evening board. Thanks for the opportunity to talk just off the top. First thing is I want to make sure the FcC hasn’t shut down our live feed, right? I didn’t think so.

1:33:30 I wonder why that is. I’m going to follow the school board agenda. I’m going to do thank yous first because this seems to be kind of my, my mo.

1:33:38 So thank you to the whole board. The public comments change. Great.

1:33:45 I think everybody agreed on that. I think it was good. I think you guys took things into consideration and made good changes to the public comment policy.

1:33:54 To Miss Campbell and Mister Gibbs, thank you for your patience and understanding as you helped me through the policy change process. I appreciate that. To Miss Campbell and Miss Jenkins, thank you for showing consideration today during the workshop.

1:34:08 It’s important. I think it’s something that members of the other members of the board could learn from you. Now let’s talk about things I’m not happy with.

1:34:19 Oh, let me add one more thing. Happy birthday, Miss Jenkins. We all wish you a great year ahead.

1:34:29 Looking backwards though, it has been a rough two weeks for brevard schools. Let’s review some of what has happened in the last two weeks. The BPS interim superintendent was placed on administrative leave following the release of a skateboard scathing email directed at certain members of this board.

1:34:44 Phrases like immaturity of the board they don’t know or do not want to learn what they don’t know and quick political solutions for complex problems is no way to look at a complex $1.5 billion organizations. Those phrases were used by Doctor Schiller.

1:35:00 Not a good look for BPS as it tries to bring an equality permanent superintendent. In addition, it was revealed that the school board chair, Matt Susan, failed to act back in January when unacceptable behavior from the interim superintendent was first brought to the board’s attention. And then after.

1:35:15 And then acted after the public release of Doctor Schiller’s email. Not the best timing to assure a good look for BPS again. Follow that up with you, Mister Susan publicly claimed that you did not back the hiring of Doctor Schiller when the recordings of the school board meeting showed a unanimous single vote to hire Doctor Schiller.

1:35:34 So much for accountability, huh? Take BBS down another notch on the respectability chart. Then there was the Florida Today editorial criticizing and condemning this board. This time, the phrases were political ideologies contaminating the supposed nonpartisan board failure to follow their own policies.

1:35:54 And if they just stop with their bad behavior and decisions, basically more incompetence from this unqualified board and the students, faculty, and staff suffered again. But they’re not the only ones to suffer, are they? Taxpayers are watching their hard earned dollars be siphoned off because certain members of this board put politics over students and forced the resignation of Doctor Mueller in the middle of the school year. It is regrettable.

1:36:18 Thank you, Mister Ross. I appreciate it. Have a good day.

1:36:21 That concludes public comments. We thank you for your willingness to address us in this public matter. I think we can move through these pretty quick.

1:36:27 Does anybody need a break or are you guys good? Good move. All right. Good, sue.

1:36:34 All right, we’re now at the consent agenda. Miss Hand. Yes, sir.

1:36:37 There are 18 agenda items under this category. Thank you, Miss Hand. Does any board member wish to pull any of these items? Hearing none.

1:36:44 Zero items will be pulled for discussion. I will entertain a motion to accept these consent items, with the exception of these polled, for discussion, if applicable. Do I hear a motion? Is there any discussion? Hearing none.

1:36:58 All in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. All opposed? All right.

1:37:04 We are now at the public hearing portion of the agenda. The first item is g 31, board policy 5136, wireless communications. Is there anyone who wishes to address this item? Is there anyone who wishes to address this item? Listen to this move.

1:37:23 Do I hear a motion? Is there any discussion? All in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. All opposed? Item passes.

1:37:34 The next item is g 32, board policy 25 21, instructional materials program. Is there anyone who wishes to present address this item? Mister Ross, come forward, please. So here we are.

1:37:53 We’re down to it, right? Voting on the what I’ll call the book banning policy. Right? Maybe that’s an extremist view on my end, but here’s the question I have for the board and basically for Mister Susan and Miss Campbell. You voted on this policy back in December of 2021.

1:38:14 You thought it was a good policy then. The changes you’re making to this policy now, only some of them are to bring it in line with the law. So why the additional policy changes? Why remove the media specialist? You thought it was a good idea when you first voted for it.

1:38:29 It was a unanimous vote for that policy. In December of 2021, you voted for it. You thought it was a good policy, and now you want to change it, but not to comply with the law.

1:38:40 You want to change it even further. So my question to you is why? Why do you need to change it further? Thank you, mister Ross. Anybody else wish to address this item? If you are going to address the item, please line up.

1:39:00 Thank you. Miss Corbin. What’s happening to this policy is not in the best interest of our students.

1:39:12 We had multiple speakers up here read off some passages of books that are in our libraries. I have no issues with certain books being delegated to elementary and middle school and high school. Obviously, every book has a thing.

1:39:32 As a parent, I have a say over what my kids can and can’t check out. Every parent in Brevard county can go to their librarian and make those requests and sign those forms. What this policy is going to do is lose the voice of the student.

1:39:51 I get you don’t want media specialists. It makes zero sense. I get you don’t want principals.

1:39:59 Again, doesn’t make any sense. Taking professionals out of the voting committee loses the professional voice. But we also don’t have any student voices within this committee beyond a parent.

1:40:15 And I’m not saying parents don’t have rights. Some of you ran on parental rights. And I already foresee this committee stomping all over mine.

1:40:26 Stomping all over the rights of my children. Paul spoke earlier about people who have experienced things that are talked about in these books. And I’ll use the bluest eye because it’s one of the most popular.

1:40:40 The book is about the oppression of women. That book is about women being harmed. It is incredibly difficult for me to stand up here today and admit that I was one of those children using your public school library to figure out what was happening to me.

1:40:58 That wasn’t okay. I didn’t have resources. I didn’t have a home to ask questions in.

1:41:07 God, love my mother. She’s a 1950 Catholic. I had books, I had pamphlets.

1:41:15 I had resources in my school. And by eliminating that and setting up a committee that is going to eliminate those resources for those students? You are harming them. Ignorance solves nothing.

1:41:32 It harms people. I am 37 years old. That trauma does not go away ever.

1:41:42 Not for 1 second, not for one day. I have daughters myself. They have to know about these issues.

1:41:50 They’re uncomfortable. I get it. I lived it.

1:41:56 When you make a policy that is going to harm our students, don’t expect the people who were also harmed to be silent because we won’t. And let the games go. Thank you, Miss Kirvin.

1:42:15 My first question is the books that were read today is how in the world did they get into our libraries? How did they get into elementary, middle school, even high school? I have a 17 going to be 17 year old son. There is no way that I want him reading that stuff in school. It’s disgusting.

1:42:36 It is totally disgusting. How did it get into our schools? You know, I made an. I come up here and I said, you know, this book banning, we don’t need a group of people to read these books and say it shouldn’t be in the schools.

1:42:52 Come on, people. It takes one person to read the book and say that should not be in there. And for the lady that just, yes, I am a survivor.

1:43:02 I’m a survivor. But my children are going to learn from me. They’re not going to learn from a book that this is how, if you get molested or something like this, this is how you survive the parents.

1:43:14 It’s the parents responsibilities to do it. This is crazy that we’re even talking about this. It’s absolutely insane that we are talking about these types of books being in any kind of school, elementary, middle or high school.

1:43:30 This has got to stop. This has just got to stop. Thank you.

1:43:35 Thank you very much. Next up. Sorry I’m short.

1:43:49 After I spoke, I received a couple text messages, messages telling me that while I was reading the bluest eye, the live stream was paused or frozen. So if we cannot live stream it to the people at home, why is it in the school library? My heart goes out to anyone that was sexually abused. I have a family member.

1:44:13 That was when we were children reading these books in school. There’s no mental health counselors at my child’s school. Zero.

1:44:24 So when that child reads that, maybe they have a bout of PTSD, which I’ve seen with my own eyes. There’s no one there to comfort them. There’s no trained professional to handle it.

1:44:35 They should be in therapy. They should be speaking with their parents. They shouldn’t be reading a book that wasn’t able to, to be live streamed to the people listening at home.

1:44:45 Thank you. Next up, yes, some of these books don’t belong in our school, but it does take a village to raise a child. Now, I’m not one to have my daughter read these books, but there are also people who are trained professionals.

1:45:12 There are also parents. So I think that we need to take a step back, look at both sides of the aisle and bring everyone together, because just saying yes or no is not going to do a damn thing. Thank you very much.

1:45:29 Next up, just learned I could speak again. So to everyone who has been up here in the last few minutes, and I’m not addressing anybody personally saying the kids should talk to their parents, kids should talk to their parents. My kids should talk to me.

1:45:50 Absolutely and legitimately. I am glad that you feel that your kids can and you want them to talk to you, and I hope they agree with that. Seriously, that’s terrific.

1:45:59 Are we going to pretend that that is universal? Are we going to pretend that kids who are molested most often by anyone? Strangers? No, no, not strangers. Friends, family, people close. We know that the way these actual groomers get away with that is fear.

1:46:18 Fear, shame. Not being willing to talk about it with friends, with family. Not everybody has that parent they could talk to, and it’s not.

1:46:25 We can’t fix that problem right here. You can’t fix that. That is not on you.

1:46:29 But let’s not pretend that that is an option available to everyone. This idea that parental rights are somehow served by letting one parent with as few obstacles as possible under this new policy, remove the choice from all the other parents in the district for, I believe, eight years is the new period. It’s insane.

1:47:03 I’m a parent. I have rights. I think I realize we’re in Florida, so I have fewer and fewer and fewer.

1:47:10 But the idea that, well, I’ve put it this way before. Does anybody want me deciding which books your kids can’t read? It’s going to be a different list that make me uncomfortable. But I can survive being uncomfortable with books.

1:47:28 I can survive being uncomfortable with things my kids are reading. I can survive them coming to me with opinions I’m not thrilled about and, you know, difficult questions or things I’m. Well, maybe go read this other book.

1:47:43 It’s challenging, but parenting is challenging. But I chose to become a parent. I plan to continue to be one.

1:47:51 And I don’t want the state, the county, the school board, the parent who thinks that everything is pornography. If you say it loud enough and scribble it enough deciding for me that, no, you don’t get to be a parent. I’ve decided your kid doesn’t get to read that.

1:48:11 And before you say public libraries, please look at the makeup of our current Brevard library board and question how safe an option that is. Thank you. Next.

1:48:31 Okay, some of you may know me. I’m Virginia Hamilton. I am a teacher in Brevard county, and I started an animal organization, and I’ve been working with animals since the nineties.

1:48:43 The reason I work with animals is because as a child, I was molested by my uncle. I had no family support. I turned to animals for my hardship.

1:48:55 Then the next thing I turned to was my friends. And then finally, books. I don’t have a problem with parents saying they don’t want their kids to read certain books.

1:49:03 That’s your choice, that’s your prerogative. But don’t take it away from me and mine. Have a system to where parents can opt out.

1:49:14 They can opt out from their kids going through the sexual education program. There’s other things they opt out of, like the FCAT testing. Well, have a system where the parents can just say, you know, you got the list.

1:49:25 We know of another county that’s doing it. The books are on different tiers. Do that, you can make everybody happy.

1:49:32 That’s all I’ve got to say. Let’s bring animals into schools. Okay, Matt.

1:49:36 Thank you. Next up. Hello.

1:49:45 Good afternoon. You’ve already heard from me, so guess I’m back. So there’s been a lot of adults up here to address it.

1:49:51 So let’s get it from a kid’s perspective. From my perspective, personally, I would want to read these kinds of books. Why? Because honestly, it’s helpful to people that go through it.

1:50:03 Because the irony is you don’t understand how your life is so different from other people. Until you see it from another perspective, you may not realize it, but if you think about it, it’s true. No matter what scenario, my household is very, very different from a lot of my friends.

1:50:21 And a lot of my friends cannot go to their parents. So who do they go to? They go to me. I am what would be the one who listens.

1:50:33 And I help with advice because they don’t have anyone to go to that they trust. I am that person. The things I have heard is very interesting.

1:50:45 Do I expect them to go to their parents for that? No. And I’ll remain their names anonymous of what they talked about with me. Anonymous.

1:50:52 You don’t get to hear that you cannot take these books away from these kids that need to know how their lifestyle is, how they’re being affected mentally. That does not fade. Trauma doesn’t fade.

1:51:11 PTSD doesn’t fade. That’s life. You can’t just expect people to go into life blindly because that creates problems in the long run.

1:51:26 Thank you for your time. Thank you very much. Do I hear a motion? Are there any discussions? Yeah, I have some.

1:51:38 Miss Jenkins? Yeah. I’ve been pretty clear where I stand on this, but because we’re voting on it, I’m going to, for the final time, make it clear on record. I obviously am against these changes.

1:51:53 I’ve said this before, but I’m going to say it again. I don’t understand why we’re taking professionals out of the discussion and leaving five members appointed by the board. Quite frankly, that’s a conflict of interest.

1:52:07 I don’t even know why we have a committee at that point. Then the books should just be coming to the board. Then we should be taking ownership.

1:52:13 Because if you’re selecting the representatives to have similar viewpoints of your own, because let’s be real, that’s what you’re doing. I actually met mine in Publix, knew nothing about them, chose them on purpose because I didn’t want that to be accused. Oddly enough, we align on quite a lot.

1:52:34 It’s interesting to me that that term conflict of interest was brought up by board members, and now it’s being brought up in defense by members of the public. When 67 school districts were sent a memo by the Florida Department of Education asking for their recommendations for parents to participate in a parent group at the state level to potentially draft a training for media specialists. We all sent ours.

1:53:07 None of them got on it, but someone else from Bavar did. Conflict of interest would be someone who submits dozens of books to be challenged, who is a proud member of a purported nonpartisan organization writing the media specialist training at the state level, making suggestions for the policy changes to our board members, that’s a conflict of interest if I’ve ever seen one before. It is insane to me that I have spent a year and a half of my life talking about a book policy.

1:53:40 It is insane to me with all of the things that we could be doing with our time, and instead of worrying about inequities and deficits and gaps, we’re creating more inequity, less access to equitable resources for our students who may not have the same opportunities as others. Nobody wants pornographic material in the schools. That’s illegal.

1:54:16 It’s already illegal. There’s nothing I can do to change what’s going to happen today, but I absolutely want it on record, a final time that the conflict of interest is the decisions being made by the members of this board. Thank you, Miss Jenkins.

1:54:40 Miss Campbell. Thank you. This is the fourth time, actually, that I’ve been a part of revising this policy.

1:54:48 We didn’t actually pass the third time. We went into the fourth, directly into it. But there, and there were reasons every time.

1:54:54 Yes, the laws changed. Yes, the board changed. You know, actually, between the very first time, which happened in the first year I was on the board, and the second time, we didn’t have any challenges, so we didn’t even see, even staff had even said there were some things that we didn’t foresee because we had not had any challenges district wide.

1:55:12 And now we have, our policy couldn’t address them district wide. District wide. And now it can.

1:55:15 That was one of the changes we made in round two or three. I can’t remember, but. So I’m just going to go back to some things, because it’s been a few months since I’ve talked about these things, you know, that go, that deal with why we’re doing this, why we can do this, what our policy is about state law.

1:55:34 I’m going to say this again. I actually did say this a couple weeks ago in the workshop, but state law gives the responsibility for the instructional materials in our school, all instructional materials, textbooks, library books, videos, whatever it is, to the school board. I’m glad I didn’t hear as much tonight of what we’ve been hearing all along, which is one group of parents shouldn’t be able to tell another group of parents what their kids can and cannot read.

1:56:00 That’s not where the state law puts the responsibility. It puts it on us. And this school board has a responsibility to make sure by statute, Florida Statute 106.

1:56:25 28, that that instructional material does not include things that the statutes specifically tell us they can’t have in there. All right, that’s just one. That’s one of the statutes.

1:56:41 And it refers to Florida Statute 847.012, which lists specific body parts and the states of those body parts and the kind of descriptions of things and material that can’t be in there. You can call it pornography.

1:56:53 You can call it not pornography. The statute is very clear on what can and cannot be included in those books. And so we, I take that as a school board member very seriously.

1:57:23 The responsibility that I have for what I am providing, along with this board, to our children to read and to watch. I hear the concerns about the role of media specialists, but I’m here to tell you that statute and our board policy, including this board policy, still provides for our media specialists to be the primary responsibility that we have given through the superintendent for the additions and the management of the collections in our media centers. They have that responsibility to vet the books that are already in there, to purchase additional books, to follow the board policy and the state guidelines, to add books, to add books that have variety so that our children can become the informed citizens that we want them to become.

1:58:06 They have that primary responsibility. But state statute also requires that school boards have a policy for challenges, a policy that address challenges to our instructional materials, like our regular, like our math textbooks and our science textbooks. But also it requires us to have a policy for challenges to library materials and other things that would not necessarily, or our classroom libraries as well.

1:58:16 We have to have that policy, and it can look different. And yes, there are school boards who the board makes the decision. There are school boards that have more comprehensive or less comprehensive policies than we have.

1:58:25 But we have the authority and the responsibility, responsibility to have these kinds of policies, and we’ve made them. So, yes, I hear you about the media. I hear it.

1:58:31 We’ve heard it many times. And thank you for everyone who sent an email and sharing your role. And I’m sorry for those of you who I didn’t reply to.

1:58:45 I got a whole bunch all at once, and I’m, we’ve had a lot of meetings lately, so I’m kind of behind, but I did read everyone, just haven’t replied to all of them. But our media specialists are very important. Their role is very important, and they will continue to do that.

1:59:08 But when a challenge is made, and honestly, they have a role in this policy, in the informal review process, because the first step, if a complaint is brought is it has to go to the media specialist and the principal and for them to review it and take a look. And that is where we have had books pulled because a media specialist who maybe came into a collection that they didn’t buy, maybe the new media specialist, and it was already in there. They said, oh, I didn’t know this was in there.

1:59:11 Or the principal, hey, they didn’t know. And so they pulled it, volunteered. That was the.

1:59:21 Their role. That’s their job, and they’re doing that. But when that doesn’t, when they decide, you know what? I think I have justification for it, and so I’m going to leave it on there.

1:59:31 And whoever brings the challenge, you know, says no, I’d like for the formal review. Then we have this committee process. And you know what? This is where I will say again what I said a few weeks ago.

1:59:56 Policy making is a collaborative process, and not everybody on this dais, I think everybody had to give a little bit, like we always do. And I don’t think we’re going to have unanimous vote tonight still, but we all had our say, and we all had some collaboration, and even people who vote no got to have a say and got to have a piece. And so moving forward, I just want to reiterate, there are a couple of things that are continuing to be misunderstood.

2:00:14 The committee will still have to read the whole book. The people who are submitting the request have to put passages on there specifically and what they find objectionable to it. But you know what? Before, they didn’t necessarily have to read the whole book, and I think even some of them have shared it because other people read the book for them.

2:00:25 They just were the ones, the mouthpiece. But the committee still has to read the whole book. I’ll say it again, we’ve given each committee member a week per every hundred pages, so they have time to read some of these really long books.

2:00:31 And then we’re still going to have books about abuse. We’re still going to have books about LGBTQ topics. We’re still going to have books about racial issues.

2:00:31 We’re still going to have those books. And I know some fantastic media specialists who I’ve had several conversations over the last few years about this process. They work really hard to make sure that their books are representative of their student body.

2:01:06 We’re still going to have those. But you know what? We can have those kinds of books without having graphic, scene by scene, play by play, sexual descriptions. We can.

2:01:28 People make lots of money selling those kinds of books every day, and we can have those, and we don’t have to have the other that state law requires us not to allow. And the committee. The point of the committee is because sometimes that is subjective, and we have, as a board, have chosen to revise the policy, and this is policy, and this is where we are now.

2:01:39 We have five representatives. And by the way, it doesn’t have to be parents. You know, one of us could choose a media specialist because all it really says is a school board appointee.

2:01:50 There’s nothing that says a media specialist couldn’t be one of our appointees. So we have that authority, and we’re going to take it. But I just, you know, this continuing to.

2:02:04 I understand where the drama is coming from. But a lot of it is misinformation, and a lot of it, to be honest, is political spin. But I’m just going, just want to point people to the statutes, because this is very serious and I take it very seriously.

2:02:17 And I believe the rest of the board, we may not all come to the same conclusions, but we take seriously this responsibility that we have. Thank you, Miss Campbell. Mister Trent.

2:02:31 Well, thank you, Miss Campbell. If I could say anything differently or better, I would, you know, to throw out a movie quote, I’ll have what she’s having. That was excellent.

2:02:39 Again, I would just trust the process. It is a policy. It’s not a perfect policy.

2:02:50 I have a feeling that we may be revisiting this policy in the future. If we’re going to repeat the past, it’s probably going to come up again. But again, I would trust the process.

2:02:57 And we will err on the side of caution. I like that phrase. And I believe this committee is going to do it.

2:03:02 And that’s a hill I will die on. So again, trust the process. Thank you.

2:03:15 Thank you, Mister Trent, Miss Wright. Okay, let me start by saying I am bothered when I hear those books being read. I am bothered that we would ever argue that that should be in the hands of a child.

2:03:29 That is absolutely horrific. There are roughly 130 million published books. We do not have them all in our public library because we can’t house them all.

2:03:43 Quite frankly, that doesn’t mean they’re banned. It just means they may not be appropriate for the setting that they are being trying to be placed in. So what I will say, Miss Campbell, you so eloquently put this, you know, with the statute and our responsibility.

2:03:57 But at the end of the day, if we’re arguing about protecting a child from exposing them to sexually explicit books, you’re right. I’m gonna say not on my watch. I’m not for that.

2:04:04 Thank you, Miss Wright. I think all of the points that have been set up here are valid. I think that everybody up here has made some great arguments.

2:04:10 Miss Campbell. Perfect layout. Right? You did an amazing job there.

2:04:22 And the rest of the board members have done a great job. I want to take a second and say thank you to everybody on both sides that came forward to make their arguments. I appreciate you guys coming in, and I think it’s time to call the question.

2:04:30 Do I hear a motion that’s already moved? All right, second. All in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye.

2:04:35 All opposed? Nay. Four one. Miss hand, please.

2:04:47 Let us know about the item under the action portion of today’s agenda? Yes, sir. The first item is h 33 travel approval for Katie Campbell to attend the FSBA annual summer conference. Do I air a motion? Move to approve.

2:04:53 Second. Is there any discussion? All in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye.

2:05:02 Anybody opposed? Next is h 34 travel approval for Matt Susan to attend the FSBA annual summer conference. Do I hear a motion? Move to approve. Second.

2:05:11 Is there any discussion? All in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. All opposed? Next is age 35.

2:05:15 Department. School initiated agreements. Do I hear a motion? Move to approve.

2:05:24 Second. Is there any discussion? All in favor, signify by pause. Pause, pause.

2:05:27 Give me a second. I’m pulling them up as you’re going. Okay.

2:05:35 All right. When I pull this up, make sure I’m on the right one. You’re on age 35, correct.

2:05:39 Okay, so this is age 36. Age 36, I think. No.

2:05:42 Okay. It should be age 35. Age 35.

2:05:50 Okay. I’m gonna bring it into question because we just discussed it earlier today, and the conscious discipline aspect of things, and I think this is part of it. Correct.

2:06:03 The second item on this, the $225,000 that we’re looking at for sending the teachers. And I may be the only voice that feels this way, but honestly, after. After the things that were said today and that we.

2:06:18 The data that was provided to us, you know, five out of seven of the schools that had conscious discipline had a higher percentage of students receiving. Receiving office discipline referrals. Five out of seven of the schools that had conscious discipline have a higher out of school suspension rate.

2:06:25 So, to me, I. After. Especially after the presentation, I’m not in favor of approving that part of it. I don’t know how that looks on striking.

2:06:42 You know what, Mister Gibbs? What is your recommendation here? If you don’t want to approve that one, you’d have to move to approve the h 35 minus the loving guidance contract. So, I would need to make a motion to approve. Hjalmar, you would amend the.

2:06:59 Make a motion to amend the motion on that’s already been seconded to remove loving guidance. Okay. So I am going to make a motion to amend the motion and remove the loving guidance portion of this contract.

2:07:10 Second. So now we’re back onto the original, right? You gotta vote on the. You gotta discuss and then vote on the amendment.

2:07:14 All right. Is there any discussion? Yep. She made the motion first.

2:07:26 So, did you have anything else to say? No. I mean, I really covered what my issues were, I think, with it. Okay, Miss Jenkins.

2:08:05 Man, it’s so interesting to. To me how often this board, the newest members of this board, make judgments and decisions on the fly without inquiring about things ahead of time. I question how many classrooms and schools you visited and watched this program being implemented to make the decision that you’re making today, and you’re basing it off of a piece of a presentation that was put together today.

2:08:36 And yet those professionals who put that presentation together still support this program. So you accept one slide of their presentation as fact and worthy of their opinion, but not their expertise in working with this program for years and years and within those schools that have flourished with such a program. That is very frustrating to me.

2:09:02 I’m not shocked by it, seeing as though we hear conscious discipline as seen CRT in the media. I’m not shocked by it, by the people who are whispering in this room, that smile every time you make some of these random motions. This is so frustrating.

2:09:39 We are continuously taking away resources from our children, our children who may not have access to the same environments as others. This is a program that teaches adults to self reflect on how they interact with a child and teaches safety and comfort between the adult and the child in the room. Empathy, respect, self regulation, that they have emotions.

2:10:04 It’s okay to have emotions, but you need to learn how to get over them quickly so that you can continue to be a part of the educational environment that you are in. How you can justify removing that from our children, 70,000 children. It’s mind blowing to me.

2:10:21 I literally am thinking of the families that I went to visit last week with the ALC. Those children need these connections with adults. They thrive on programs like this.

2:10:48 This doesn’t harm them. And to say that it’s so expensive and it’s not worth the money, this is the first time that we’re spending money and making a decision, quite frankly, that is like affecting change on our children. We have spent so much money on these random decisions since November that could have went towards benefiting our kids.

2:10:53 This is crazy. This is not new. This is not a new program.

2:11:25 This program is so beneficial that when it was piloted in small ways across this organization, it has finally made it to the level in which we had pilot schools. And now we’re trying to add more because it’s benefiting our kids. Have you asked our teachers how they feel about it? Have you asked our administrators how they feel about it? This is not a decision to make off of one slide in a 30 slide presentation.

2:11:29 Education. Respect. The professionals in the back of the room.

2:11:39 They know what they’re talking about. Some of them have worked here for 25 years. Some of the most challenging schools they’ve been administrators for.

2:11:48 Trust them. Ask them about it. Don’t question the data that they transparently present to you and explain why.

2:11:59 Why it is that way and why they want another year out of it. Don’t do that to them and don’t do this to our kids. They deserve better.

2:12:10 Just for point of clarification, Miss Jenkins, this is. The amount awarded is $225,000 for the training for conscious discipline for a five day, 200 person academy. Susan, I’m well aware of what it is.

2:12:15 It is what the recommendation of our staff was this afternoon in the workshop. Miss Jenkins, if I could finish. No, Mister Stevenson.

2:12:20 Point of order. Paul, can you explain when I start? No, you don’t. Point of order, Paul.

2:12:26 You don’t. Can you come in here? Paul? Paul, can you come in here, please? It’s his turn. Thank you.

2:12:31 I just wanted. There was some comments that were made that was like, the program and all this other stuff. Just wanted to say that this is for.

2:12:34 The amount awarded is for the 225,000. That’s all. Just point of.

2:12:40 Point of order on the. On the conversation. Miss Campbell, do you have anything to say? Yes, I do.

2:12:44 Thank you. I just. I’m just going to be very practical about this.

2:13:05 First of all, just want to point out to the board again that what we represented, where the funding is going to come from, because a lot of times we make money decisions. We talk about where it’s coming from. The bulk of the funding is coming out of title four, and I need staff to clarify, but title four has very specific.

2:13:15 It’s not that we can move that funding over and pay bus drivers or pay, you know, ias or whatever it has to. I believe it’s a professional development type thing. Is that something that.

2:13:19 I believe that’s correct. Miss Campbell. Mister Reid, is that correct? Yes.

2:13:28 We’re getting a thumbs up from Mister Reed. So it has to be sent specifically professional development type activities and then the other funding. And so that’s the 225.

2:13:51 That’s what we’re talking about for this contract, is money that’s coming out of title four. So I have a concern, again, just going practical. You know, we were presented with all the principals who are already in the middle of the program and the ones who are anticipating starting it next year.

2:14:03 And I have a pretty big concern with. It’s April 11, and we’re gonna kind of pull the rug out from under these schools who have already have new staff. And I appreciate that.

2:14:22 Honestly, I appreciate Mister Reed coming and presenting. You said it, Mister Trent. If I was going to try to sell this, he was being very transparent and saying, we don’t have the data to show absolute success here, but we’re only a year and a half in and in that year and a half, and I made the point this afternoon, I’ll make it again.

2:14:34 We’ve had a lot of teacher turnover and everybody who came in knew didn’t get trained. And so we’re kind of starting. Some schools aren’t able to have as effective of an implementation as they probably would have liked or that we would have had otherwise.

2:15:10 So I would. Before we move forward, I’d really like to hear, if we don’t have this training, you know, what does that mean for our schools who say, I would still would like to participate? I mean, does that take away our, does it also take away our. Because I’m not sure where you’re going with this in the future, but does it also take away our access to the coaches and other things? Or is all that contingent upon this training? You know, obviously new schools can’t come on if they’re going to, because we can’t have one person who knows what to do come into the building.

2:15:23 The training is to get it started and going in an effective way. So I don’t know. I’m going to leave that to you, Miss Hann, if it would be okay to ask staff what it means if we don’t approve this.

2:15:38 So I’m going to ask Mister reed to come up to the microphone, if you would, please. Thank you. I can sing a song while we’re waiting for you.

2:15:56 I’m just kidding. So the idea of the June training, number one is it is being used for title, Title IV funding, and that funding needs to be spent by the end of July. So this funding has a clock on it.

2:16:18 So if we don’t move forward with this, we have some knee jerk decisions that need to be made with regard to that money. The other part of that money is using ester funds that also does have a clock on it as well. The piece with, with regard to timeliness of this is one that funding source expires and we need to make that decision.

2:16:29 Secondly is with the vendor. We must have a contract at 60 days out. And so for months I’ve been attempting to try and get on the board agenda and we’re at that 60, we’re at 58 days today.

2:16:47 So I got a two day grace period, so we’re at that. Do or die timeline. The consequences of us not doing that is a lot of money will have to be reallocated and some knee jerk decisions will need to be made, and there may or may not be time to get approval from the board, is how I would see things going forward.

2:17:08 Secondly, if we don’t do the training for those schools, we kind of put a halt on that learning where we have large groups that get to come together versus smaller pockets of individuals. So we lose that opportunity to train the masses rather than the minority, minority in a group setting together to kind of keep that momentum. Okay.

2:17:12 Okay. Thank you. I appreciate that answer to my questions.

2:17:22 I just want us, again, just from a very practical standpoint, the money’s been set aside. It’s coming out of title four. It’s not money that can go towards other things.

2:17:39 It’s being used. We’ve got all the schools and the teachers who have shared about how it’s, you know, how it has helped them so much. And so for us to now come and say, I know it’s helped you, but we’re pretty much putting a halt on it.

2:17:58 Again, I don’t know where the board’s going to go from here, but it kind of sounds like we’re getting to a place where we don’t want to do it at all then, and we’ve got to have something I said earlier today. In an ideal world, no, we don’t have to do all these because children come in and they already can self regulate and whatever, but we’re just not living in that world today. We’re just not.

2:18:15 The reason why we’re having all the conversations about discipline is because children are coming into our schools not being able to self regulate. And, you know, we can find something else over the next year, you know, and make recommendations and ask staff to do the research. They have done research.

2:18:21 They came up with this, like I said, they shared it with us earlier today. They started with a pilot program, if that. Pilot.

2:18:28 Pilot program. We do pilot programs of things all, in fact, iready, which we have. They did a pirate program for iready a year or two before.

2:18:42 We started with iready and then expanded because it had such success. It was at Palm Bay Elementary, I believe, and so then it grew and grew, and then now we have, we got to place where we are today because it found success. And so we do pilot programs with all kinds of things.

2:18:55 And so there’s a reason why it moved forward. I just, again, from a very practical point of view, think we need to just we need to approve it and allow these schools to continue on. And if we want to spend the next year, say, you know, there’s got to be something else better out there.

2:19:11 Let’s do the work, but let’s not jerk the rug out from underneath these schools and leave them really without the training that they’re, they’re hoping to get. They were planning to get to do this work. Thank you, Miss Campbell.

2:19:29 Mister Trent. I think we discussed it, the pros and cons, at least from my side during the workshop. It does matter where the money comes from.

2:19:39 I mean it’s when you’re budgeting. If we can take the money and use it, I mean, that’s a few ias there, there’s that, you know, that’s help in the, in the classroom. I understand that now.

2:20:03 So, and I did then, but I was hoping to possibly say, you know, move this down the road a little bit. We’re so close to getting a superintendent. I would like to have some input from he or she on that topic, but from what I hear, it’s really not an option.

2:20:24 I also said to Mister Reed that I assumed it was going to go forward, but we’re going to have lots of eyes on this because just like Miss Wright said, the dad is not backing it up right now. And we have limited time in a classroom as it is. I know times are different, but we went to school without conscious discipline.

2:20:42 We got through somehow. So I hope the data, if this passes, I hope that data bears out that it helps, because this is a small drop in the bucket. If it works and it helps out, I’m not convinced of that.

2:20:52 But we do have to give some things up to the professionals. So I think you kind of see where I’m going. Okay.

2:21:04 Just so that everybody understands, there are a lot of other expenditures that you can use utilize this funding for besides the training and stuff like that. But it’s on there and I could read them all. There’s some stuff on there, but it’s not.

2:21:09 I think people’s decisions are not based on that right now. So. Okay, everybody had a conversation.

2:21:19 No, I need to follow up. Okay, because Mister Susan, you feel the need to clarify every time I make a statement. So I’m going to clarify as well.

2:21:29 If you were paying attention in the workshop, the training is the program. The training itself is the program. That’s it.

2:21:50 That’s how it works. And I’m going to say to my fellow board members, March 27 and March 30, these attachments were added to your agenda every single board meeting, there’s some surprise. Gotcha.

2:22:05 Motivating movement to make some wild decision. Putting staff and staff that’s about to be appointed in curious positions. Respect the people that were for us to ask these questions ahead of time.

2:22:15 There was plenty of time to do so. Thank you. Okay.

2:22:17 All right. Am I allowed to. Yeah, you’re allowed to go.

2:22:25 All right, I’m gonna go one more time with this. So, again, asking questions. And you can’t have a conversation, Miss Jenkins, unless we’re in the sunshine.

2:22:40 So I have to bring this up in front of you guys. And I’m expressing my concerns with why I think it maybe isn’t the best decision for our school board. And then now, as we look at the data that’s being collected, that kind of substantiates what my concerns are.

2:23:01 So whether or not you agree with it or disagree with it, I feel fairly confident that there’s professional development that exists out there that this $225,000 will be able to be used for in a different arena. So, just to be clear, again, we can’t talk about this until we’re here. So I’m sorry that the element of surprise exists, but this is how it works with Sunshine law.

2:23:13 We have to bring it up when we’re at a board meeting. So that’s why I brought it up at the board meeting instead of talking with staff ahead of time when I still would have to have this conversation. Conversation in front of everyone at a board meeting.

2:23:24 So, again, I just feel like this data substantiates everything that I’m concerned about with. Is this the best program? I have read the book. I’ll happily give it to you.

2:23:31 I have a copy of the founder who created consciousness. Miss Jenkins, please wait. That’s Mister Susan.

2:23:34 Point of order to you. Yeah. You’re interrupting.

2:23:47 You’re interrupting Miss Wright. She’s directing her comments. Mister Gibbs, can you please find point of order here? Mister Gibbs, can you please come in? Mister Gibbs, should she be directing her comments to me or the board chair? All comments should go through the board chair.

2:23:59 Thank you, Mister Gibbs. It is clear that people need help regulating their emotions and responding appropriately. It is very clear.

2:24:06 I’m not in favor of it. I don’t know where the rest of the board lies. So we’ll have to make that decision tonight.

2:24:12 All right. Do I hear any other discussion? Yep. Okay.

2:24:18 Miss Jenkins. Yeah. So Miss Wright made a comment.

2:24:20 Guys, please don’t. Please don’t. Please don’t.

2:24:24 This is a contentious time. Let’s just get through it. Miss Jenkins, if you can address me, since you.

2:24:28 I’m not addressing Miss Wright. I said Miss Wright made a comment. Thank you.

2:24:40 So the sunshine applies between board members. That doesn’t stop us from discussing our questions with staff ahead of time. That doesn’t stop it at all.

2:24:57 And there would be potentially no need to have the conversation in sunshine if your questions were answered by staff members. If you didn’t like those answers, then yes, that conversation would be in the sunshine. My issue is that those questions weren’t inquiry ahead of time.

2:25:16 And again, the presentation that was sent today or presented today was posted on March 30. Plenty of time to review the data that was presented today and ask questions ahead of time out of respect of our staff. We should be doing that.

2:25:33 Also the respect of the time of our staff. Every single board meeting, these conversations come up and we stay here till 1010 30 at night discussing things that could have potentially been avoided by asking the questions ahead of time. Okay, thank you.

2:25:41 Any other discussion, Miss Jenkins? I’m not mistaken. I mean, I’m sorry, Miss Wright. No.

2:25:45 No. Okay, so let’s call a question. All in favor, signify by.

2:26:01 Let’s clarify what we’re voting on. Yeah, we’re voting on whether we are going the to attachment for conscious discipline outside of the other items. So what we’re supposed to do is vote on this, yay or nay, and then you’re voting on the amendment to remove loving guidance.

2:26:19 And then are we going to vote on conscious discipline separately? It will approve the item without loving limits. So loving limits will not be approved. Sorry to be dense.

2:26:26 So if we vote. No, we’re actually. Are we right now we’re voting on the amendment? Yes, the amendment.

2:26:40 Then you go back and you’re approving the amendment, which will then be approved, 35. But loving guidance will not be on there. Only if you’re going to approve it.

2:26:42 It won’t be approved. So it’s not. You’re.

2:26:52 You’re removing it from. You’re removing it from h 35? If it passes. The amendment was to remove, the original amendment was to pull it out of age 35.

2:27:03 So we are voting to literally pull it out of h 35. Then we go back, pass h 35 and come back to the conscious discipline. Yeah, the amendment is to approve h 35 without loving guidance.

2:27:24 So we’re going to vote on all the other items right now? No, the amendment that we have on the amendment that’s on the table that we would be voting on is to whether we are going to pull it out successfully or keep it inside. That’s what this is about, right? The amendment to remove loving guidance from h 35. Right.

2:27:30 So we are trying to amend it right now. Then we will go back and we will vote on age 35. And then if.

2:27:47 Then if it passes that we’re to pull it out, then we would go back and vote on each the amendment to the. Basically, just right now, the amendment is to remove loving guidance. So that’s the vote.

2:27:52 So thank you for that clarification, Miss Campbell. All in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye.

2:28:08 Aye. All opposed? Okay, so it gets pulled out. Now we go revert back to h 35 as an overall other items, right? It’s h 35, which only includes a.

2:28:14 Right now there’s only one. All right, so then all in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye.

2:28:28 All opposed? Nay. So now we bring back up the loving guidance by itself, correct? No, only if somebody wants to. I move that we approve the loving guidance contract.

2:28:40 Second, is there any discussion? Okay, all in favor of approving the loving guidance, signify by saying aye. Aye. All opposed? Nay.

2:28:46 Nay. I don’t think that was necessary, but okay. Thanks for giving me the opportunity, mister chair.

2:29:01 What happened? Okay, we’re good. Same thing twice. You want to explain what we just did, Paul? Miss Campbell made a motion to approve loving guidance, and it was seconded by Miss Jenkins, and it failed.

2:29:03 Two, three. Right. So we’re good.

2:29:20 Before we move on, I hope that you guys would be willing to work with staff to come up with something to kind of help develop. I mean, I know. I’m sure they’re scrambling right now.

2:29:28 They’ve probably already been scrambling for the last 15 minutes, and we’ve been having this discussion because we’ve got to have things in place for our staff. Absolutely. So.

2:29:37 And we do have to spend that $225.25, 225,000 before the end of the fiscal year, so. And we’re running short on time.

2:29:44 And same thing with Esser dollars. They don’t last forever, so it’s. We just want us to feel the weight.

2:29:48 Sorry. Of the decision that we just made. Sounds good.

2:29:54 Everybody good? Moving on. Next is age 37, the elementary and secondary emergency relief. Esser funding or.

2:29:57 No, no, no. I’m sorry. Next is h 36 procurement solicitations.

2:30:06 Do I hear a motion? Move to approve. Have a move to approve. Do I have a second? 2nd.

2:30:16 All right, is there any discussion on h 36 procurement solicitation dissertations? No. No. All in favor, signify by saying aye.

2:30:24 Aye. All opposed? All right, next. Up next is age 37, the elementary and secondary Emergency Relief fund under the American Rescue Plan act.

2:30:36 Updated instructional contuity plans. Do I hear a motion? No to approve? Second, is there any discussion? All in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye.

2:30:45 All opposed? All right. Next is H 38 transportation incentive proposal. Do I hear a motion I move to approve? Second.

2:30:55 Is there any discussion? I know we’re gonna have some good stuff here. Who wants to speak first? Why don’t you take it last? Because this was your baby. Anybody else have any other conversation? No.

2:31:10 I just want to thank staff for doing the work to make this happen. Miss Jenkins, again, I just believe this is a step in the right direction. I want to thank staff and the many groups that had to come together to put something like this together.

2:31:25 I understand it’s not a long term solution, but again, it’s just another opportunity for us to say thank you for those of us. For those of you that are, in this case, getting our children to school. So thank you, Miss Wright, this was kind of your baby.

2:31:38 Can I go and just leave it to you? All right. I want to say thank you to all of our bus drivers who are out there that gave that little bit of extra. There were a lot of individuals who, at the last minute, decided to fill the gap.

2:31:58 And, Matt, not many people understand, but across the state of Florida, there are other school districts who don’t have people that step up to get the kids to school. So literally, there are other school districts that went on multiple, had schools opening at different times, had less bus drivers moving around. But our staff stood up and said, we will cover extra runs.

2:32:11 It’s amazing to think that the individuals, and just so that everybody understands what’s happening, we are giving $25 to every bus driver that did an extra run since January. We’re honoring them for stepping up and doing more for each run. Sorry.

2:32:21 For each run. Not just $25, but the thing is that this is amazing, and this is such a huge opportunity for our bus drivers. Such a honesty.

2:32:25 And for people stepping up. That’s who we are as individuals. And I just wanted to say thank you.

2:32:30 I want to leave all of the thunder for Miss Wright. I brought this thing in September. I couldn’t get staff to move.

2:32:37 Couldn’t get staff to move. She went and visited every single transportation center. She met with staff multiple times.

2:32:41 She got this thing across the finish line. I would give her credit. So, Miss Wright, go ahead.

2:32:51 Yeah, I want to thank Rashad. So, Rashad, from day one, you know, the resounding message I got from every one of those deals? Deposit was how thankful they were for you because you were there. You showed up.

2:33:01 You listened to them. And sometimes a person just needs someone to listen to them, even if they’re in a hard situation. And so it really showed your dedication to this department as those being your people.

2:33:04 You were part of the team. And so I just. I truly do thank you for.

2:33:16 For walking alongside there and to our bus drivers. From the second a bus driver came up to me and started crying over the things that they are experiencing and going through. And I’m thinking, man, this is rough.

2:33:26 And then you hear their story and how much money they’re making or not making, and they can’t live off of the wages that they’re receiving. And. And I think, okay, you know what? We have to honor our people.

2:33:31 So I’m super grateful. Thank you, Cindy, so much for scrambling. I know you were working the budget end of things.

2:33:45 I tremendously appreciate all the numbers and the questions. I think I’ve asked a million questions on this, so I appreciate you tremendously and your team and to our transformation department, just know that we appreciate you. This is a thank you for all that you’ve done.

2:33:56 We could not get our babies to school every day without transportation, so it is a vital role in our school system. We are appreciative, and we celebrate this victory with you guys. So congratulations.

2:34:02 This is a good one. Beautiful. All right.

2:34:07 All in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed passes 50.

2:34:15 The last item is H 39 Tulia community agreement. Group amendment to Kyler lease agreement. Do I hear a motion? Move to approve.

2:34:21 Second. Is there any discussion? Okay. All in favor, signify by saying aye.

2:34:35 Any opposed? We will now move on to the information agenda, which includes items for board review and may not be brought back for action at a subsequent meeting. No action will be taken on these items today. There are seven items under this category.

2:34:49 Does any member wish to discuss any of these items? Yes. Okay. I wanted to discuss the new middle school attendance boundary to make some clarifications, but I would like to ask Miss Hinn first.

2:35:03 Is the current recommendation going to be. I know right now information is going to be we’re going to publicize the hearing at the next one, and then the hearing will be at the end of May. But is the current recommendation to include all the extra.

2:35:14 I just want to clarify all the extra boundaries. It includes the base boundary and areas one, two, and three. There were other comments from various communities that also wanted to be included.

2:35:19 It does not include those. Just one, two, and three. Okay, thank you.

2:35:27 You know, we’re going to have our process, we’re not voting tonight or information next week. We’re not even vote on it either. We’re just voting on having a hearing.

2:35:34 And it’s just the process that’s laid out by law. And then we voting on it after the public hearing on May 30. But I did want to clarify a couple things.

2:35:58 You know, first of all, I want to appreciate the work that staff has done because your office, especially Karen, has gotten to take the brunt of the very passionate voices of the Vera Suntree residents who have come. And, you know, it is, there are a few things that to me are unfortunate. It is unfortunate that people don’t have been misinformed about the process.

2:36:10 Right. Some people have been told, like, their Viera residency fees go to pay schools and they don’t. It’s unfortunate that school board members past and present have made promises that they really shouldn’t have made.

2:36:17 But you know what? We’re going to get there. And honestly, I’m not down on this. I made my case last time, but we’re, we didn’t to go going there.

2:36:34 I still have those concerns. I still have the concern that we’re going to open the new middle school close to capacity and we have all this growth coming in the future. I did want to clear up one thing about impact fees because a couple people have talked about impact fees and how their impact fees went to build other schools.

2:36:50 But the last school up until Viera elementary, the last school that we built was Heritage High School, which opened in 2009. I remember because that was year my son was born. That was the last school that we had built.

2:37:13 And then the next school we built was Viera elementary in 2020. So, you know, 1112 years later. And so the impact fees for the south end went to build a school that we desperately needed in this area because as I mentioned last time, quest amenity were bursting at the same overcapacity, a whole city full of portable buildings outside them.

2:37:23 And we had to have a new elementary school, and those impact fees went there. Now we have impact fees going to build the next school, which is also in Viera. Here’s my concern board.

2:37:46 And I’m not sure if I’m still going to be on the board at such a time, but when we start seeing that huge growth out to the west, if this school goes to the way that the, you know, the potential, you know, the predictions, they’re just predictions that we don’t, we have a crystal ball. But if it goes to capacity and overcapacity, and we’re putting portable buildings outside of our brand new middle school. We’re gonna need a new middle school pretty.

2:38:05 We’re either gonna have to redistrict, which don’t want to do that. Certainly I don’t want to be on the board when that happens, or we’re gonna have to build a new middle school. And I will tell you right now, I do not want to be a part of a board that takes on the amount of debt that previous boards took on to build the schools that we have right now that we desperately needed.

2:38:14 We needed heritage, we needed bayside, we needed Viera, we needed all these schools that we built with this debt. But when I got on the board, we had $400 million worth of debt. It makes me nauseous to say it.

2:38:26 We still have over 300 million, around $300 million worth of debt for the buildings that we have. And thank you. Thanks to the community and the growth, we were able to build VR elementary debt free.

2:38:46 We’re building this new middle school almost debt free with this line of credit, which I’m so thankful for that flexibility. But we’re not going to take on millions, tens of millions of dollars worth of debt. We’re building impact fees up, because now, down in the south area, we’re desperately going to need something, whatever it may be, an elementary, a k eight, or whatever.

2:39:01 And by the way, parents down in the Palm Bay area say, why do we only have one middle school in the city of Palm Bay? It’s the truth. Palm Bay is the largest city in the county. It has 115 to 120.

2:39:06 I lost count. Some hundred and 20,000 people. We have one middle school in Palm Bay southwest.

2:39:18 So where are the rest of, you know, those kids don’t all go to that school. So let me just tell you. Some of them get bused up to stone that live on the southeast side, and some of them get bused up to central that live on the northwest side of Palm Bay.

2:39:38 So we’re going to have to do some building down there, and I don’t want to build that school with debt, and I don’t want to build a new middle school to the west of us with debt. So we’re going to have to really think about it. We may have to do some creative adjustments, but I just, you know, I just had to make that statement when we get there.

2:39:45 You know, we’re getting. We’ve heard from the community. I hear the community, I hear what you’ve been promised, and I feel bad for the promise promises that were made to you.

2:39:53 But I understand. I do understand that people have had that expectation that that’s what’s going to happen, and it may be best with hb one. I understand that board.

2:40:08 And so I’m, you know, I am moving in favor. You know, I’m moving in that direction. But I just want us to keep our eyes open because as that development continues, like I said, my priority in any new construction projects are going to be doing it with no debt.

2:40:19 And if we can move people around to not go into further debt, that is what I will move for. But again, not on the board. Hope that’s after my term is over, because I don’t like those.

2:40:33 I don’t like the conversations where we’re starting to overextend ourselves. Thank you, Miss Campbell. Any conversations on this side? I would appreciate your concerns about those future growths.

2:40:44 I think that there are just like you said, and I appreciate your support in moving forward. I think you’re 100% right in some of the way. The debt flow, and I think Miss Hann and I have discussed that with them and tried to explain that to them.

2:40:51 I would also say that in the event that there is some sort of massive expansion and all this other stuff in growth, there’s a lot more. We can. You can.

2:40:55 The elementary school can be turned into a k eight. You can add additions to it. You can.

2:41:02 There’s just so many other things that we would not. I think it is not in the plan to build an extra middle school. There would be a other things that we would be doing.

2:41:12 So I wanted to say thank you so much for that support. Thank you so much for bringing up those very good points. I think that they’re valid, and I think it’s something that we need to take care of.

2:41:28 And with that, does anybody else wish to say anything? If not, all right, we don’t vote on that, so we’re just going to move on. One of the things that I wanted to bring up is we’re now at the board member reports. We had some follow up from the workshop real quick that we wanted to discuss.

2:41:53 We had talked about if we were ready to make a decision based on these three items, which was Paul’s self evaluation, if we wanted to move forward, that kind of stuff. If we wanted to have him give us a self evaluation, I’ll let him speak to that in a second decision to renew the FSBA relationship. And then there was one that we wanted to talk about real quick, which is just something that we talked about before at the off site, just kind of make it official and start moving there, which is the strategic community summit.

2:42:06 So with that, I think we can go to the decision to use Paul’s self evaluation. Do you want to explain that, Paul? No, it’s not my self evaluation. It’s the evaluation tool that was used last year.

2:42:15 So if the board wants to continue with that, then Tammy will send it out to me and I can start preparing myself. Evaluation. I think we were all okay with that process that we used for the.

2:42:25 I’m sorry, I didn’t know we were going to talk about this tonight. I had not reviewed that before the meeting because the self evaluation tool. Yeah, we talked about it on the 30th, but I didn’t.

2:42:31 You’re just kinda like, we’ll talk about that. A future date. If I had known we were gonna have that conversation tonight, I would have made sure to go through that evaluation tool.

2:42:37 I mean, same thing we use. Yeah, I’m fine with it, but I did. I mean, I want to make sure the rest of the board’s okay with that.

2:42:41 Yeah, I looked it over. It looks fine to me. So, I mean, I would say use the same thing that we’ve been using.

2:42:46 Yeah, I didn’t have a problem with it last year, so I’m. Is there gonna. Anything you wanted to change on it? No, no, no.

2:42:52 I mean, it was just. And just so you know, Paul. It says Paul, self evaluation two, not tool.

2:42:58 So, like, I was, like, looking at it, I was like, I don’t know why he wants to use this thing. So, like, his own evaluation, but I’m gonna go with it. So that’s why I asked.

2:43:03 Yeah, I think Tammy was just gonna put on their approval of the tool. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That’s all.

2:43:06 So if we’re all. Okay. Miss Jenkins, I didn’t hear you weigh in at all.

2:43:09 No. Okay. So I think that’s okay to use.

2:43:17 Right. A decision to renew the FSBA membership. Did you get clarification on the percentage? I did.

2:43:34 If we don’t have a majority board membership, we do lose our spot on the board of directors. I don’t know that if it’s immediate, but we have to maintain. You have to maintain over a course of two years membership in order to keep your spot on the board of directors.

2:43:48 With that being said, I plan on continuing it and I don’t want us to lose our seat. So I already know one of us is not a part of it and another 1 may not. So if I can help out, I’m in.

2:43:54 All right. So I think. And just so you know, everybody, I plan on joining the other one also, so that we’re a part of both of them.

2:44:04 I think that the. So that was my big question, was the fact that our budget, majority of it, consists of that FSBA due. So do we have the ability to be a part of more than one organization? So we.

2:44:18 So, a couple of years ago, Miss Deskovich and I were put into this position, and we allocated the funding to be able to be a part of both of them. So that was clearly stated and clearly put in. Now, I’ll go back and check that.

2:44:23 But that is the intent of the board, so we should have no problem because I will be joining. Okay. Okay.

2:44:29 I mean, it’s pretty simple. Yeah. And I plan to renew my membership as well.

2:44:35 If you can take notes for Tammy, I’m sure she’s listening tomorrow in the future. Cool. And then the last thing just kind of.

2:44:45 We were discussing this just a couple of days ago about putting it together. It’s something that we had. We had talked about it in the retreat, just talking about some strategic meetings with the community.

2:45:10 So dealing with veterans, dealing with faith based support opportunities, stuff like that. One of the things that we could do that’s really good is have meetings, and I would work with Miss Han about setting up some of these topics, some of these dates and stuff like that. But what we would do is announce, hey, we’re going to have a summit based on veteran support.

2:45:42 And then what we would do is at another meeting in a month or two, we would have a meeting with all the veterans groups that would sit down and talk about, do we want to expand ROTC programs? Do we want to work on a pipeline for hiring? Do we want to do curriculum alignment with some of their opportunities, like boys and girls state? And basically what it does is it brings the community to us and we communicate back and forth. And maybe the veterans was a bad one, but we have. The other one is like a faith based support and opportunities summit, where we would find that all of the churches coming in, see what they can help out with, what the needs of the principals are and those things.

2:46:02 So if the board would agree to it, then sue and I could go ahead and sit down and put together that scope and just come on, because I want to make sure I’m not confused. I know we originally had discussed the fact of maybe possibly taking board meetings to different cities, is that this is different what you’re saying, than what that is. So creating a summit that will bring different.

2:46:24 And to be honest with you, it’s, if you guys don’t want to do it, if you guys are saying, hey, it would be separate. So sue and I, it’s spoken about going to the different cities and that whole scope, and she had some really interesting input on what that would look like when we got there. Talking about collaboration, she said there’s some great examples in Cocoa and others that she wanted to do.

2:46:40 Miss sue. Right. So what I spoke about is, rather than having a board meeting per se, where you conduct normal business, that the true agenda is a collaborative effort between city council and the school board.

2:46:59 And we have a lot of things to talk about together, and it may depend on the community. So Coco, for example, has been super supportive of a lot of our programs in a financial way, and we want to recognize their council for their work in that regard. We have joint programs such as the community school at Endeavor that Coco has been very supportive of.

2:47:14 So we want to talk about those, those things and what we can do in addition to what we are already doing. We have a number of our municipalities as well as Brevard county, where we share facilities. We have rec agreements.

2:47:26 The Hoover example is a good one that was just approved. So I think we have some things to talk about. And I would imagine on the municipal side, they have some interest in some of our work as well.

2:47:51 Workforce development is probably a big one. Are there things that we can do to support, for example, Palm Bay, the firefighter academy, law enforcement academy, the water wastewater treatment plant operators? Like, that’s a huge new, huge new west Melbourne has one, too, on the municipal side. So I would imagine that the cities would have an agenda and we would have an agenda of joint items for discussion.

2:48:17 And so rather than a board meeting per se, a business meeting, we would have a collaborative discussion about these items of concern to both of us and some of the other school boards. What they do is they have their actual meeting. But when sue brought that up, I was like, that’s the perfect play because we don’t want to bring it up to where we’re talking about items that people couldn’t travel from around this county, but actually getting into the nuts and bolts of collaborating with our cities, which is part of it.

2:48:28 Yeah. So that’s separate. So the other piece, though, is like four of these that are, we would do that are also aligned towards our strategic planning that we do.

2:48:43 So, like, you have support through volunteers, right? Well, faith based could be part of it. You could also do the other thing. So the idea is we’d like to sort of put together a couple of these ideas that were like, veterans, some of the volunteer supports from the churches.

2:48:53 We talked about on that on the January date. Bring that back to you guys in a series of possible summits. And all it is, is a couple of staff members community coming in and collaborating.

2:49:05 That’s it. And it just gives them an opportunity to discuss with us rather than this kind of setting. So the people attending would be a couple of staff members with us as the board and then the people that we invited.

2:49:09 And it would be like. And it would be. So if we did, the veterans, it would be.

2:49:16 And they’re asking, just so you know. So it would be the generals from Patrick, the generals from the Space force. The generals would come.

2:49:33 They would talk about, hey, we have these retiring officers that could be good teachers, maybe, right, for your ROTC programs also. We have that if you have a need for teachers, we’ll put your jobs out on our job site. Like, there’s a lot that we can do in that space if we just sat down collaboratively, and there’s just a couple of them.

2:49:46 So just wanted to kind of throw it on there. Strategic community summits to make sure we’re still on pace and then come back to you guys with a plan. So I really like the idea, and I hope that we can do that moving forward.

2:50:01 I have a hesitation. My hesitation is who we have sitting in that seat, who’s putting on all the hats, so I don’t want to. And who we will be having sit in that seat shortly, you know, within the next couple months, who.

2:50:24 I think these kind of conversations would be a great way to induct the new person into the community. So I don’t want to put too much on staff when they’re already overtaxed right now, trying to finish up some things at a pretty strategic time of year. But if, you know, whatever sue is willing to do to get, to get started, even if we just get him scheduled.

2:50:34 But like I said, we’re going to have a new captain of the ship very soon. Just so everybody understands, there was no intent that this would be happening anytime before we have a new superintendent. It would be.

2:50:48 We might announce them, but, like, the meetings, definitely as a part of the strategic planning and stuff like that would be out there, because sue has reminded me, when is that vacation you’re taking that we cannot touch? July 14. Yes. So I am making sure that I am honoring that.

2:51:01 The idea is just, if we can collaboratively work with some of our major groups that also align with, with our strategic planning and then just do it that way. It’s not like we’re going to be inviting everybody but just a couple of them and start that process. Now.

2:51:11 I’m all in favor of getting our community to be able to come and meet with us and kind of hear ideas that we can partner with them. So I don’t see any downside to that for our district at all. All right.

2:51:21 Anybody else have any other discussion on this item? Okay, we are now at board member reports are completed. Does any other board member have anything further that they’d write to report on? Sat all day yesterday. Sat all day today, too.

2:51:33 Sat all day yesterday online on the FSB nominating committee. And you should have gotten a report. We put out a slate of officers that we’ll be voting on in June.

2:51:48 So if you want to ask me about them, that’s not a sunshine issue. So I’ll be happy to share with you, but I feel good about who we put forward as our slate of officers and we’ll vote on. Is going to be amazing.

2:51:57 Yeah, he is. And then we have to vote on that. We have to vote on them also.

2:52:15 I’m going to, I’m probably going to remind this next time, but I want us to get some more lead time to be thinking about this. But the first week in May, I believe, is the, and I can’t remember the name of it, but it’s the cafeteria. Oh, what do you call it? Mister Wilson or superhero.

2:52:24 Right, right. The superhero cafeteria week. And I’m gonna get some hair nets for us and get, you know, Kevin.

2:52:31 So we’re, I’m gonna put forth a challenge board. Everybody needs to go volunteer in a cafeteria that week. All right.

2:52:35 All right. And dress up and wear the hair net. Anybody else? Thank you for that.

2:52:40 Hairnets, stuff like that. I got it. I got it.

2:52:57 I would like just to remind the board members, since it’s been a little bit of time, that maybe if tomorrow you can get out there and say thank you to those bus drivers, mechanics, and all those individuals and the IA, everybody. But focus on what we just did because it’s pretty amazing. So, Miss Hand, do you have anything to report? No, sir. All right. There being no further business, this meeting is now adjourned. It.