Updates on the Fight for Quality Public Education in Brevard County, FL

2024-08-06 - School Board Work Session

0:00 Music playing.

7:09 Good morning.

7:09 The August 6, 2024 board work session is now in order. Paul,

7:13 roll call please.

7:13 Ms. Wright.

7:14 Here.

7:15 Mr. Trent.

7:16 Here.

7:16 Ms. Campbell.

7:17 Here.

7:18 Mr. Susan.

7:18 Here.

7:19 Ms. Jenkins.

7:20 Here.

7:21 Here, please stand for the board, can you address the board with

7:33 the items that are on the agenda for this morning.

7:42 all right dr rendell can you address the board with the items

7:44 that are on the agenda for this

7:45 morning and just a second and just a second all right flip to

7:50 that page thank you madam chair on

7:53 today’s agenda we have these topics board policy revisions 31 20

7:57 employment of staff and 72 17

7:59 weapons and then the superintendent’s evaluation review

8:02 wonderful all right so the first topic on

8:04 the agenda will be the discussion on the board policy revisions

8:07 we’re going to start with board

8:09 policy 3120 so hopefully everyone has that pulled up

8:14 uh-oh making all the noise let me mute my computer all right

8:21 board um does any

8:23 i guess we’ll we’ll go ahead and look at this policy board um

8:26 have you guys had the chance

8:27 obviously to review it is there any recommendations or things

8:30 that you are have of concern with this

8:32 policy just a clarification i and i although i don’t completely

8:36 understand the the why and the

8:38 ways behind it it’s my understanding if we can that this change

8:43 allows us to certify as a district

8:46 um it gives our teachers who are waiting to

8:50 be i’m not it’s not the right word mr dufrani if dr wendell

8:56 would you mind ask having somebody come

8:58 come and explain what this change does because there’s has

9:00 something to do with us being able

9:01 to certify teachers it gives them a little more room in order to

9:04 pass the test and everything that

9:05 they have to do is that correct yeah mr dufrani can come up to

9:08 microphone and add anything that i

9:10 don’t cover because i don’t want to butcher that this is going

9:13 to give us a little more flexibility and

9:15 freedom to hire people on a temporary basis on adjunct teacher

9:19 for example if a teacher is here

9:21 hired initially and can’t earn that five-year professional in

9:25 those five years then we can keep

9:26 hiring them on an annual contract basis year after year until

9:29 they meet those requirements okay so i don’t

9:32 know if that’s that’s it pretty much and so question if we this

9:39 won’t be fully changed and passed through

9:43 until the six-week process whatever is over to we vote on it

9:45 then once we do that will it take effect

9:47 immediately and so we can call back even teachers that have

9:51 recently had to let go okay thank you

9:53 so go ahead so i saw this as an awesome opportunity because we

9:59 have not only

10:01 those five-year uh professionals that aren’t able to you know i

10:03 mean that we’re trying to get through

10:05 the system but we have so many more innovative ways that we’re

10:07 hiring people through ieas to the

10:09 classroom through foreigners to the school district like there’s

10:12 so many of those things then the

10:14 paperwork becomes very difficult to get um to hit right at the

10:17 same exact time that they’re supposed

10:19 to start so this uh mr dufran i just want to say thank you so

10:21 much for bringing this forward it’s going

10:22 to really alleviate a lot of stress from some people um we get

10:25 the phone calls from every one of those

10:27 types of people and this is going to be great so thank you so

10:29 much for bringing this forward um and i just

10:32 wanted to ask paul the weird she had mentioned that it takes six

10:36 weeks to get this thing through it’s

10:38 a 28-day process right if it nails directly but because of the

10:41 way our meetings go it’ll take six

10:43 weeks there’s two uh the meetings do play into it but uh it’s 28

10:48 days from the ad date to the final

10:51 hearing and then 14 days before the first public hearing so

10:55 there’s two two of those locks in there

10:58 we usually do it in the same ad so we usually build it out far

11:01 enough that you have the 28 days and the

11:04 14 days and for some of the people that are out there right now

11:07 that may be a part of this

11:08 can you give an estimated date that might be that they’re

11:11 available to come back what for oh for the

11:14 yeah i don’t remember when this goes to final approval if this

11:18 is the first one the next board

11:20 meeting will be first or the next work session will be first

11:23 public hearing and then the final will

11:25 be at the next board meeting afternoon our our next work session

11:28 is not until september something oh no

11:31 no i’m sorry we have one next week we have one next week never

11:34 mind so we could potentially pass this

11:38 at the last meeting in august yeah i want to say it’s around the

11:40 last meeting in august okay we should

11:42 be pretty quick okay so we can that’s good for them all right

11:45 thank you because i had some people had

11:47 requested information so thank you can i toss it back one more

11:50 yeah it’s my understanding that

11:52 this process that will require more work on our part because we’ll

11:56 have to be doing like the things

11:58 that the state’s doing so are we do we have enough resources um

12:03 to what are we doing to make sure we

12:05 can man that properly so not overwhelm our currently already

12:08 overwhelmed staff we’ve got it handled you’ve

12:10 got it okay good okay if can i ask a question too about this is

12:14 there any uh limit to how many times

12:16 they can go through this process so five years five years is the

12:19 max so you’ll do your five year

12:21 temporary cert and then you can go annually for five years after

12:24 you can go annually for five years

12:25 afterwards okay all right that was that was my question so thank

12:27 you 8 827 is the final board approval so

12:31 827 perfect and i think i i think just so everybody out there

12:35 understands it’s not that

12:37 i mean these are some of the most phenomenal teachers that we

12:39 have that are

12:40 actually have amazing highly effective you know I mean

12:44 evaluations and they’re

12:46 being held up just like a test and we do the same thing for our

12:48 children and

12:49 it’s not saying that they’re not supposed to pass it but it’s

12:51 saying hey

12:52 if we’ve got somebody of quality that’s inside of here we we don’t

12:55 we would

12:55 rather have them inside the classroom and that’s what this is

12:58 about it also

12:58 frees us up for other things so again I want to say thank you

13:01 yeah this change

13:02 of board policy is just aligning our language with the state

13:04 language that’s

13:05 all we’re really doing so it allows us to be able to do these

13:07 types of things

13:08 yep all right I’m excited about it from the CTE aspect because I

13:11 think the

13:12 legislation has been obviously gearing towards more CTE oriented

13:15 instructors and

13:16 so I think we will see some changes there and we have some great

13:19 industry experts

13:21 that are coming in and teaching our kids you know welding and

13:23 different things

13:24 that maybe they didn’t go to school to be a teacher but they can

13:26 teach the skill

13:27 and our kids are coming out of our schools with this great

13:29 talent and a job

13:30 right away so I’m excited to see how this lines up with that and

13:33 maybe works out

13:34 and for the better all the way around for everybody Roger that

13:38 all right Miss Jenkins

13:39 do you have anything to add on this one I know she’s there so

13:49 she said just give her a minute yeah I apologize it’s kind of I

13:53 think it’s delayed but no I do not have anything to add thank

13:56 you okay thank you

13:57 all right perfect uh mr. Trent anything on this one are we good

14:02 to move on to no we’re

14:02 good all right all right the next policy that we are going to go

14:08 over is policy

14:08 seven two one seven which is the weapons policy I’m gonna go

14:14 ahead and ask it mr.

14:15 Gibbs if you don’t mind just kind of shedding some light on why

14:17 this policy is

14:18 coming before us right now this was brought forward by

14:23 operations and they indicated it

14:25 was for technical changes only and to encompass changes made by

14:30 Neola right so

14:33 this is another example where Neola makes some policy changes

14:36 and we want to keep up

14:37 with those suggested changes from Neola so really any change

14:41 that’s in here was from

14:42 Neola suggestions I’ve got I just want to make a suggestion for

14:48 a change Neola

14:50 language I guess that we’re following removes the part about not

14:54 allowing

14:55 students to have weapons in their vehicles on campus and doesn’t

14:57 add it back

14:58 anywhere and I just was doing some research last night the law

15:02 allows us as

15:03 a board to prohibit students you know other people can have

15:06 their consult if

15:07 they have a concealed weapons license or in their cars but we

15:10 can have a

15:11 prohibition against students having weapons and their vehicles

15:15 on campus in

15:15 their parking lot and so I think we need to add that part back

15:20 in so if you look at

15:22 the first paragraph sorry you look at the first paragraph that

15:27 is struck

15:27 through it’s the last sentence of the first paragraph where it

15:30 says this section

15:30 applies to all vehicles being driven by students it’s a second

15:34 lesson so we

15:36 could add that sentence in the following sentence students of

15:41 any age

15:41 prohibited are proved from carrying or storing firearm slash

15:44 weapon within a

15:45 private motor vehicle at any time on any of the above listed

15:49 locations we could I

15:50 would suggest adding that after the new rewritten paragraph yeah

15:55 it’s actually

15:56 already I say I’m seeing it twice I’m seeing in the whole

15:58 paragraph that was

15:59 struck and then a sentence by itself it’s exact same sentence

16:02 correct yeah at the end

16:03 of the second paragraph yeah we could just unstrike the last

16:06 sentence of the intro

16:07 paragraph I think that would take care of it okay thank you miss

16:13 Campbell anybody else

16:15 have anything they want to add to this policy let me just ask

16:19 real quick because I’ve seen this I agree with the weapon piece

16:23 but down here it says

16:23 but down here it says by the action of an explosive knives

16:28 matter some of our kids carry

16:30 buck knives inside their car and they go fishing right does this

16:34 prohibit a student that maybe go in fishing that might have a

16:37 little you know multi-tool knife or something like that inside

16:40 of their vehicle from doing so

16:42 because it says projectile but I want to make sure yeah I

16:46 because I I’ve seen a student just so you know my one of my

16:50 students when I

16:50 was a coaching baseball he was a star pitcher got expelled

16:54 because he literally had a little three inch knife

16:57 that was a fold out in his truck and he was they somebody said I

17:01 saw a knife they went out there he said yeah absolutely then

17:04 they expelled the kidney missed his entire senior year for

17:05 baseball

17:05 so I just wanted to make sure that that’s not inside there that’s

17:09 all Paul can you help me out there the definition under weapons

17:12 includes

17:12 knives

17:12 so it is prohibited and so what I mean so like there’s a part in

17:19 our student I think

17:20 it’s in our student code of conduct I was looking at a lot of

17:21 things last night it’s

17:22 either in statute or our student code of conduct that talks

17:24 about there’s a little piece about

17:26 let’s say a like a pocket knife that’s handled maybe differently

17:32 so I don’t know I I guess maybe

17:34 what we could do is toss us to stuff and say make sure the

17:37 languages lines up with state statute but that prohibits

17:41 you know

17:43 leaves a little

17:44 I want to say the definition doesn’t include a pocket knife it

17:47 there’s a definition on the length of the blade to qualify as a

17:50 weapon under 790

17:51 okay

17:51 so that’s the distinction pocket knives are usually under that

17:55 length limit so they’re treated differently

17:57 multi tool when they made they don’t qualify as a weapon correct

18:00 usually a multi tool or a simple pocket knife does not

18:03 qualify as a pocket knife in your car you’re good but if you’ve

18:06 got a nine inch hunting blade then no

18:08 that’s you got a Rambo blade you’re gonna go you know that I

18:11 mean I get it um and just the intent of us talking about

18:14 it I think everybody up here agrees that we don’t want to get a

18:16 student that’s has a pocket knife

18:18 but when I read this before I kind of it triggered me to

18:20 remember that one moment so if you guys are okay with that

18:24 not being included as far as a pocket knife and you’re saying it’s

18:26 somewhere else then it’s in the it refers to 790 01 in the

18:31 definition of weapons that’s

18:32 that’s where you find the distinction under the definition of

18:35 weapons it includes blades over a certain

18:37 length okay so it wouldn’t classify as a weapon at that point

18:41 okay all right thank you for bringing

18:44 that up mr. Susan um I had one one recommendation uh when we’re

18:47 talking about the exceptions on

18:49 letter a it says police or other licensed law enforcement

18:54 officers I believe that our um our specialist and

18:55 guardians should also be included in that line uh I know that it

18:59 the next line kind of or actually I think

19:02 it’s maybe two lines down where it says that board policy covers

19:05 anybody that we make exceptions for but

19:07 I want to just make sure that it’s clear and transparent that

19:09 way everyone knows these are the potential

19:11 people which section sorry I’m on under exception uh the

19:13 exception section which is two yeah letter a second letter a so

19:14 it just says police or other licensed law enforcement officers

19:14 as well as other persons approved by the

19:14 I’m under exception the exception section which is a two letter

19:20 a so it just says police or other

19:21 licensed law enforcement officers as well as other persons

19:24 approved by the school or district on a

19:26 case-by-case basis which I know that covers it but I think in an

19:29 effort of transparency saying

19:30 that our specialists or and or guardians should be included I

19:35 feel I feel like that sorry I feel

19:38 like that language does include them there it does it on a case

19:43 by Kate it does but I just think it’s it

19:45 could be clearer because I think most people she’s right you

19:48 know I don’t know I’m just thinking an

19:50 effort of transparency that that’s all and if the board doesn’t

19:52 wish to put it there that’s okay

19:54 because it’s covered under the the sentence that’s there as far

19:57 as us approving them we had this with

20:00 our security specialists and they wouldn’t be counted as law

20:04 enforcement officers so I think already the

20:07 way that it was worded covered our security specialists because

20:10 there’s not any other exception

20:12 see what I mean c a is police and law enforcement officers c is

20:18 school resource officers

20:20 so our security specialists currently we’re falling under a

20:27 under yeah that sentence of as well as other

20:30 persons approved by the school or district on a case-by-case

20:34 basis again I just for transparency

20:36 purposes that’s the only reason I was saying because it does

20:38 appear as like okay police or law

20:39 enforcement but we also need to I’ve that sentence covers us but

20:42 to be more transparent and open I

20:44 think that lets everyone know hey these are the the people um

20:47 that was the only recommendation

20:49 I had on this policy so we could just add in specifically the

20:52 word guardians even because that

20:54 would cover security specialists and right guardians and I mean

20:58 I think I would say guardians and

20:59 specialist I it’s the same training that they’re going through

21:02 correct right okay so that was the only

21:08 recommendation that I had on this policy forward is there

21:11 anything else that you had on this policy

21:13 no miss Jenkins are you you still with us I know it’s a slight

21:21 delay but I just didn’t know if you

21:22 wanted to add anything uh I can hear you guys clearly no okay

21:25 perfect do you have anything that you want

21:27 to add to this policy no thank you okay is there consensus for

21:33 adding is there consensus for adding

21:35 guardian specialist you’re in favor mr trent you’re you’re okay

21:38 with it all right just out of curiosity

21:41 why did we get rid of the armed services and national guard what

21:45 was the anybody know why no I I think

21:49 that was in the changes when we went through the neola stuff um

21:54 but left as it is that means you’re a

21:57 member of the army you can come on campus there’s there’s not a

22:00 restriction you know anybody who’s

22:02 coming in with a specific job to do related to the military

22:05 would fall under just sometimes they carry

22:08 and put it in a car when they come on the internet yeah well not

22:11 people who are not students can have

22:13 it in their car you know locked up okay um so makes sense yeah

22:20 yeah all right any other questions

22:24 discussions input towards this policy no all right um we are

22:30 going to take a short recess and we’re going

22:34 to uh meet into the superintendent’s office to do the evaluation

22:37 there just so that we have all the

22:38 wonderful technology that’s accessible to us and allison who can

22:41 input things as we’re talking so

22:43 board are you okay with meeting in there i mean right now all

22:47 right so we’ll meet back in the

22:49 superintendent’s office at you can get if i get five minutes to

22:51 meet with comms okay let’s let’s

22:53 let’s meet in there at 9 50 that’s five minutes are you sure you

22:57 want 9 55 i’m like 9 55 9 55 okay we

23:01 can move all right we’ll meet into the superintendent’s

23:03 conference room at 9 55 thank you to pick up the

23:05 the rest of the workshop thank you board mr

23:24 the rest of the workshop thank you board of the workshop so we’re

23:26 going to have a couple of

23:27 questions and we’re going to have a little bit more questions

23:29 and we’re going to have a little bit more

23:30 of a little bit more questions and we’re going to have a little

23:31 bit more questions

23:32 and we’re going to have a little bit more questions and we’re

23:34 going to have a little bit more

23:34 of a little bit more questions and we’re going to have a little

23:35 bit more questions

23:35 and we’re going to have a little bit more questions and we’re

23:37 going to have a little bit more questions

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23:42 going to have a little bit more questions

23:42 and we’re going to have a little bit more questions

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23:46 going to have a little bit more questions

23:46 we’re going to have a little bit more questions and we’ll have a

23:48 little bit more questions

23:48 and we’ll have a little bit more questions and we’ll have a

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23:50 and we’ll have a little bit more questions and we’ll have a

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23:52 and we’ll have a little bit more questions and we’ll have a

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23:54 and we’ll have a little bit more questions and we’ll have a

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23:56 and we’ll have a little bit more questions and we’ll have a

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23:58 and we’ll have a little bit more questions and we’ll have a

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24:00 and we’ll have a little bit more questions and we’ll have a

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