Updates on the Fight for Quality Public Education in Brevard County, FL
0:00 Music playing.
11:29 Thank you.
12:34 The July 11th board work session is now in order. Paul, roll
12:43 call please.
12:44 Mr. Susan?
12:44 Here.
12:45 Ms. Wright?
12:46 Here.
12:47 Mr. Trent?
12:47 Here.
12:48 Ms. Campbell?
12:49 Here.
12:49 Ms. Jenkins?
12:50 Here.
12:53 Just so everybody knows, Ms. Jenkins is online and she’s at
12:57 about a five-second delay, so
12:59 if we can appropriately give her the opportunity when we speak
13:02 to, you know what I mean, for
13:04 that.
13:04 And the next is, can we please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance?
13:12 I can’t hear anything.
13:13 We’re doing the Pledge.
13:17 Okay, here we go.
13:19 I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
13:23 and to the Republic for which
13:25 it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
13:30 justice for all.
13:31 Ms. Jenkins, can you hear me?
13:35 Yes, I can hear you now.
13:36 Okay, good.
13:37 Sorry about that.
13:38 Okay, the first topic is board policy, 8600 transportation.
13:42 Dr. Rendell?
13:44 This is a public hearing, so you need to open it up for public
13:48 hearing to the public.
13:49 Okay, we’re opening it up for the public hearing for the public.
13:53 Yes, so does any member of the public wish to comment about 8600?
13:57 Does any member of the, does any member wish to speak about this
14:00 policy?
14:01 No, no, I’d rather go home with you.
14:05 Where is the timer?
14:10 I should go under three.
14:12 I got it right here.
14:13 I’ll tell you when you got 30 seconds left.
14:15 All right, perfect.
14:15 Let me know when you’re ready.
14:18 Awesome.
14:19 I was reading through the proposed changes to the transportation
14:22 policy, and I have a significant
14:24 concern about the addition of number 16.
14:25 It states, quote, in cases where a student with physical
14:29 disabilities is unable to leave
14:31 the area of a student stop without assistance, the bus driver
14:34 operator shall not assume responsibility
14:36 for such assistance, except in an emergency that threatens the
14:39 safety of such student or
14:41 students.
14:41 Now, I do understand that this line comes from Neola, but I also
14:45 understand from being in
14:46 your policy meetings that you don’t always agree with Neola.
14:49 So I’m asking for clarification on what that looks like, because
14:52 what I envision it looks
14:54 like could lead to a student panicking, experiencing trauma, and
14:57 or being left in an unsafe environment
14:59 once the bus driver leaves and that student’s stop point.
15:02 I fully understand that bus drivers only have X amount of time
15:04 to go from stop to stop.
15:06 However, if this means exactly how it sounds like it means,
15:09 which is potentially leaving
15:10 a helpless student on the side of the road, then we should have
15:13 some system where the bus
15:14 driver reports this to dispatch, or there’s communication with
15:17 the student’s administration
15:18 so some check can be done to ensure safety.
15:20 We don’t heart much on stranger danger anymore, but this could
15:23 put our students at risk of kidnapping
15:25 or harm.
15:26 I know we think in terms of every student seemingly having a
15:29 cell phone these days, but that just
15:30 isn’t the case, especially in our elementary schools.
15:33 But also, our students aren’t going to think rationally if they’re
15:36 experiencing anxiety or
15:37 panic.
15:37 So even a student with a phone may not be able to use the tool
15:40 to actually protect themselves.
15:42 I want to be wrong in my interpretation of this action, because
15:45 it comes across not just
15:47 as ableist, but also unnecessarily cruel.
15:49 From my perspective, it just looks like another example of the
15:52 board potentially approving a policy
15:54 that’s written poorly, and when implemented, actually harms our
15:58 students.
15:58 Thank you.
15:59 Thank you, Ms. Curvin.
16:00 Is there anybody else that wishes to speak to this policy?
16:03 Hearing none, do I hear a motion?
16:06 I don’t have one.
16:12 They didn’t, it’s on.
16:13 So, anyways, go ahead, Dr. Rindal.
16:16 No, thank you, Mr. Chair.
16:19 We will, am I on?
16:21 Yeah.
16:21 Okay, so.
16:22 We will take that input into consideration.
16:25 This is policy, policy language, and then there’s implementation,
16:29 so administrative procedures.
16:30 So we already do have administrative procedures about what a bus
16:34 driver is supposed to do in
16:36 a situation like that.
16:37 So we’ll review that and make sure we’re not going to leave a
16:40 student in a vulnerable position
16:42 on the side of the road or anything like that.
16:43 I’m wondering, Dr. Rindal, if that language doesn’t come
16:48 directly out of statute, so can
16:50 we get that clarified before our next meeting?
16:52 That would, that would be great.
16:53 Yeah, we’ll check and make sure that if it’s, if it’s amendable,
16:57 then we’ll amend it to something
16:59 that’s a little more specific.
17:00 And so we won’t leave anybody, leave a student on the side of
17:03 the road.
17:04 Okay, so any other questions on the board transportation?
17:14 Paul, I’m going to ask you, the next topic is going to be the
17:17 board policy 0118 through 0172.
17:21 Um, do we need to allow an individual from the, from here to
17:24 speak on each one of them?
17:26 No, this is the first work session stop for the board discussion
17:29 of the proposed changes.
17:30 And if, and so, um, public discussion, no, do you need me to
17:34 give a motion on each one?
17:36 No, no motion on any of them, yeah.
17:38 I just wanted to make sure.
17:39 Okay, thank you.
17:40 So the next topic is board policies bylaws 0118 through 0172.
17:45 Um, does any member wish to discuss any of those policies?
17:49 Yes.
17:50 And we’re not taking public comment, Ms. Girvin.
17:52 Oh, sorry.
17:53 It’s our first chance.
17:54 Thank you.
17:54 Thank you, Ms. Girvin.
17:56 Um, just laid that off.
17:58 So, yep, Ms. Campbell, you had something you wanted to say.
18:03 Yeah, I, um, I had the same confusion because I thought because
18:06 it was a public hearing that
18:08 this was going to be our first public hearing, but this is
18:10 actually our first chance to look
18:11 at work session.
18:12 So board, if, um, as we, I was going through, I think there’s
18:15 some changes we might want to consider,
18:18 um, that maybe weren’t exactly our intentions, but might not
18:22 have been super clear.
18:24 So on, I’m just going to go through, I don’t know if you want to
18:27 go through any, I mean.
18:29 No, start at 0, 0, 1, 8.
18:32 118 was the first, is the first one and it was my first concern.
18:35 I actually agree with several, I, when I was looking through
18:37 this myself, it was several
18:39 people mentioned today about why take the part about the
18:41 constitution out.
18:42 Um, I don’t know why Neola didn’t list that because we were
18:46 created by the constitution
18:48 and not necessarily floor statute.
18:50 And yeah, there’s a little bit, um, of a synonym, but I think we
18:53 would, it’d be an easy fix
18:54 to put it back in.
18:55 Um, and then, but as far as the desires to me, um, to address
19:00 some things that people said
19:02 this morning, um, I don’t see that as a conflict because we, as
19:06 a board have an obligation to
19:08 always be looking for the educational needs of our students.
19:11 Um, but this, to me, this language and this item B is more about
19:17 how we do our jobs because
19:19 we have statutory requirements and then we have things that the
19:23 community wants us to
19:24 do, but we can’t always, um, do what all the members of the
19:27 community want us to do.
19:29 Quite frequently, does that members, the desires of the
19:32 community conflict with one another.
19:34 So clearly we can’t make everybody happy.
19:36 So to me, this is just the way of saying we can’t make everybody
19:39 happy.
19:40 So when we’re going to do the best we can, we are the elected
19:42 authority to make those
19:43 decisions.
19:44 So I don’t have a problem with that, but I would like to put
19:45 constitution back into this
19:47 one.
19:48 I do in favor of adding the constitution.
19:50 I don’t think it’s flip yours towards you.
19:53 Okay.
19:54 Um, I too am in favor.
19:55 I’m not sure why that was struck out, I guess, cause Neola’s
19:57 recommendation was that I,
19:59 I have an issue with the word desires as well, and that’s been
20:01 brought up in public comment.
20:03 Can it be both?
20:04 Can we have needs and desires?
20:05 Um, does it have to be one or the other?
20:07 It’s your policy.
20:11 All right.
20:12 So, I mean, I would say, I think it’s good to cover both because
20:14 we’re trying to achieve
20:15 both.
20:16 We’re not going to be able to do that a hundred percent of the
20:17 time, but the needs obviously
20:18 are.
20:19 So you want needs slash desires or?
20:21 Or needs and.
20:22 And desires.
20:23 Okay.
20:24 Should it be educational needs?
20:26 I mean, I guess we could put both of them back in there.
20:29 Yeah, we probably should educational needs cause we’re not
20:32 meeting like all your other needs.
20:34 Right.
20:35 So that’s fine.
20:36 I’m good with that.
20:37 Everybody good with that?
20:38 I’m okay with all of those changes.
20:39 Are you okay with that?
20:40 Yep.
20:41 Ms. Jenkins, I’m not sure if you heard, but they’re working on a
20:46 couple of changes.
20:46 Did you hear them and are you okay with them?
20:48 Yeah.
20:49 I can hear you guys perfectly fine.
20:51 And yes, I’m fine with, with those changes.
20:53 Thank you.
20:54 Ms. Jenkins.
20:55 Thank you.
20:56 Fair direction.
20:57 Yep.
20:58 Okay.
20:59 All right.
21:00 Okay.
21:01 Sure.
21:02 All right.
21:03 Does anybody else have any of the other questions to any of the
21:08 other policies that we’re going
21:09 over today?
21:10 Oh yeah.
21:11 I got a list.
21:12 I was just trying to rather than do the whole list.
21:16 No, you’re taking a picture of my notes.
21:19 My notes are not public records, much less your records.
21:22 We’ll just run through it this way.
21:23 How about we do this?
21:24 Does anybody have a question about board policy 0121
21:28 responsibilities and authority of the board?
21:30 Yeah.
21:31 I’m actually, I don’t have something on every single one, but I
21:33 have, I have several.
21:34 So yeah, 121.
21:36 And I, I, when we talked about this, there was one member of the
21:42 board who wanted, who
21:44 wanted us just to list all of it.
21:46 I just want to go back on this one and several of these, I have
21:49 the same thing.
21:50 Is this what we really wanted?
21:51 Did we really want then for the whole entire section of this
21:55 Florida statute constitution
21:56 and Florida statutes on school board authority listed in this
22:01 policy so that now it’s several
22:03 pages long and will have to be revised every time the
22:07 legislature touches these sections.
22:09 So I don’t, is this, is this really we wanted?
22:12 So that’s my question on this and it’ll be the same question
22:16 when we get to some of these other items.
22:18 I would say the person, I was the person that wanted to make
22:21 that happen initially.
22:22 And I would say that if they are, that we would want to refresh
22:25 ourselves on each time that it happens.
22:27 And that was the reason many of the other policies that we have,
22:32 I was not, you know, I did not want to put them on it.
22:36 But what happens is, is many times the policies change behind
22:40 there and we don’t actually know them.
22:42 We don’t talk about them.
22:43 We don’t bring them up.
22:44 And I think that that’s the reason if you put them all in there,
22:47 that it not only tells you when it needs to be changed.
22:50 But it’s also a really good reminder for people who are looking
22:54 out there to what our roles and responsibilities are, including
22:57 new members and everything else.
22:57 So that’s the reason I put it there.
22:58 I’m in favor of keeping it.
23:00 If there’s any other discussion.
23:02 I, I too am in favor of keeping it.