2026-10-14 - School Committee

00:07everyone. Um, tonight I'd like to open

00:10the meeting, uh, policy subcommittee

00:12meeting. And, um, tonight, October 14th

00:16at 6:00 p.m. And tonight on the agenda

00:18we have establishing school committee

00:20policy section 110. Interacting with law

00:23enforcement officials engaged in civil

00:26law enforcement, the Protect Act, and

00:29we'll have a presentation by Dr.

00:30Perkins.

00:34>> The Protect Act, uh, is an act that was,

00:39uh, signed into law in Massachusetts in

00:42August by Governor Healey.

00:44Um, and just a little bit of information

00:46about what the law means. So, the law

00:48prohibits civil arrests, including

00:50federal immigration enforcement, in

00:53non-public areas such as school grounds

00:55during operating hours, unless mandated

00:58by state or federal law, program

01:01administration requirements, or with a

01:03judicial warrant or order.

01:06And, uh, so part of the Protect Act is

01:10that it does require school districts,

01:12um, and schools, and charter schools,

01:14and collaboratives to establish a

01:16policy, as well as to implement

01:18procedures for interaction with civil

01:21law enforcement on school grounds. So,

01:23tonight we do have for you, uh, a draft,

01:27um, policy and the draft procedures that

01:30we are proposing to implement in Quincy

01:32Public Schools,

01:33um, and, uh, for your consideration, I

01:36do just want to point out the policy and

01:39the procedures are both based on the

01:41model policy and procedures from the

01:44Department of Ed. So, they are literally

01:46taken right from the Department of

01:48Education's model policy, and we put

01:51Quincy Public Schools information and

01:52contact information on it. So, it It

01:55directly in line with what, um, the

01:57Department of Education and the Attorney

01:59General's office is recommending.

02:03So, just a little bit about the policy.

02:07So, the Protect Act policy requires the

02:09superintendent in the district to

02:11immediately implement procedures

02:13consistent with the requirements under

02:15the Protect Act. The policy outlines the

02:17nine required elements that must be

02:19included within the procedures.

02:22The policy also establishes that the

02:24policy and accompanying procedures shall

02:26constitute the written emergency

02:28response plan required by the Protect

02:30Act. So, the policy itself, you'll

02:33notice is a little general. It basically

02:36just lists all of the components that

02:38are required to be in the actual

02:41procedures. So, for this evening, the

02:44majority of our time going to spend just

02:47explaining what the procedures are

02:49because that is the real meat of the of

02:52the act and of the policy and

02:54procedures.

02:55So, the procedures

02:58for the Protect Act have several

03:00components and you'll see the little

03:02note on the side there that says as

03:04required by the act, these procedures

03:07outline a process for Quincy Public

03:09Schools employees to follow when

03:11interacting with law enforcement

03:13officers engaged in civil law

03:15enforcement.

03:16The topics listed in

03:18are included in the Quincy Public

03:20Schools procedures as required by the

03:23Protect Act.

03:24So, the first thing to note within the

03:26procedures is that it does require us to

03:30include general guidance for staff

03:33members who might have to interact with

03:35law law enforcement. And so, on the

03:38slides here, I've just kind of put the

03:40general idea of what is in each section

03:43in each section in the procedures. It's

03:45much more specific. Um but the in

03:47general, we are to remain calm.

03:51Never attempt to physically intervene

03:53with law enforcement and staff that feel

03:56unsafe can, of course, decline to

03:59interact with officers.

04:01The second big component of that is

04:03required under the act is that you need

04:04to establish contact uh people. And I

04:07will say we have procedures currently in

04:09place and the majority of this is

04:11already in our current procedures. So,

04:15we already had um the superintendent and

04:17myself listed as a district contact

04:19people in our current procedures.

04:22Um and so you need a district level

04:24contact person and a school level

04:25contact uh person. And so, in our

04:28procedures, the district level contacts

04:31would be Superintendent Mulvey and

04:33myself.

04:34And at the school level, the contacts

04:36would be the principal and if the

04:37principal was unavailable, it would be

04:39the assistant principal.

04:43The next component of the Protect Act

04:46requires that we have in place an

04:47escalation protocol.

04:50And so, this basically takes the staff

04:52members through the steps if a law

04:55enforcement officer was to arrive on

04:58school grounds and initiate uh some type

05:01of civil intervention, what should staff

05:05do? So, these are pretty much

05:06step-by-step directions.

05:08So, in the first one, if an officer

05:11arrives on site and it's not an

05:13emergency situation, you know, there is

05:15no emergency, the staff should inform

05:17the officers that the staff will contact

05:20the principal to assist them and that

05:22the officer should wait where they are.

05:24Ideally outside and away from students

05:26and families.

05:28When staff encounter or become aware of

05:31officers engaged in civil law

05:32enforcement on school grounds, they

05:34should immediately notify the principal.

05:37Once notified, the principal would

05:39immediately then contact the

05:40superintendent and respond to the

05:43location where the officers are waiting.

05:46Uh consistent with the district's

05:48process, the superintendent would then

05:50call our attorney

05:52um, and seek advice. And if possible,

05:56the superintendent would then put the

05:57principal on a three-way call with the

05:59attorney.

06:01The principal will ask the officers for

06:02their identification and record their

06:04names, agencies, and badge numbers.

06:09The principal will ask to view any

06:10warrant or other documentation

06:13and with assistance from the attorney,

06:15the principal and the superintendent

06:17would view the documents to determine

06:19whether the officers have a valid

06:21judicial warrant or judicial order

06:23because those are the only two documents

06:26that, uh, a law enforcement officer can

06:29have access to the school, uh, with

06:31those two documents. With an

06:33administrative order, they would not

06:34It's not allowed.

06:36Um, so if the officers have a valid

06:38judicial warrant or judicial order

06:40authorizing an arrest or entry or to

06:42search or both, the principal will

06:44inform the officers that they may enter

06:46the school grounds. However, they will

06:48request that where feasible, the

06:50officers avoid any areas where students

06:52are present.

06:54If the officers do not have a valid

06:56judicial warrant or judicial order and

06:58they only have an administrative

07:00warrant, the principal will inform the

07:02officers that they are not authorized to

07:04conduct an arrest on school grounds and

07:06then ask them to leave.

07:09If the officers proceed to conduct a

07:12civil arrest in these areas in violation

07:15of the Protect Act, no one should

07:17attempt to physically interfere with

07:18them. Rather, staff should follow the

07:20guidance for bystanders in the guidance

07:23for K-12 schools regarding interacting

07:25with civil law enforcement. If there's

07:28an imminent threat to the safety of a

07:29child, a staff member, a family member,

07:31or another person, the staff can of

07:33course always call 911 for a response.

07:37After the officers have left the school

07:38grounds, the superintendent should

07:40report the event to the Attorney

07:42General's Office Civil Rights Division.

07:46And so, another component that is

07:48required as part of the act is the

07:50review of the warrant, which I briefly

07:53talked about in the escalation protocol,

07:55but the principal with the assistance

07:56from the superintendent would review the

07:58warrant so orders to make sure that they

08:01were legitimate or not.

08:04Uh in addition, we need to have guidance

08:06on the language that staff should use

08:08when interacting with law enforcement.

08:11And so, the language that we have

08:12recommended is I am if someone

08:15approached the school and tried to get

08:16access to a student or information about

08:18a student or staff, um our staff would

08:21respond with I am not authorized to

08:23allow you to enter the school. Please

08:24wait here while I contact an

08:26administrator.

08:28I'm not authorized to discuss specific

08:30individuals or to speak with you about

08:32the student child employee. I'm go I'm

08:35going to contact an administrator who

08:37will discuss this further with you.

08:39I am not permitted to discuss disclose

08:41private information to you.

08:44Uh in addition, we would need to we are

08:46required to document uh the interactions

08:49with law enforcement. So, employees and

08:51staff and administrators and the

08:53designated contact person are to

08:55document interactions with law

08:57enforcement officers engaged in civil

08:59law enforcement and are encouraged to

09:01wait until they feel safe to write down

09:03what happened.

09:05Another component is if it were to occur

09:08near school grounds, uh what would

09:10happen? The principal along with the

09:13staff would determine the safety risk in

09:15terms of how close the um action was

09:18occurring to the school property. And uh

09:20if they felt that there was a safety

09:23risk, they would follow their emergency

09:25operation plan and um follow the current

09:28procedures that we have in place.

09:30In terms of school transportation, this

09:32also applies to places like bus stops um

09:36and things like that. And so, we are

09:38required to review the emergency

09:40operation plans with our own bus drivers

09:43as well as special education

09:45transportation vendors.

09:50In addition, it does require that the

09:52school resource officers that we have an

09:55MOU in place that complies with the

09:57statewide model, which we do. We

09:59currently have that.

10:01Um, and it also requires parental

10:03notification,

10:05which would be when a school confirms

10:07the presence of officers engaged in

10:09civil law enforcement on school grounds,

10:11the school will notify all of the

10:13students, parents, and guardians,

10:15teachers, and administrators, and school

10:17personnel. In addition, what's not

10:19listed there is that, of course, we

10:20would also be immediately informing the

10:23parents of the student that were

10:25involved.

10:27Um, protection of student information is

10:30also a requirement. So, we have talked

10:33about this before, um, at other, uh,

10:35public meetings, but that the district

10:37or school cannot disclose personally

10:39identifiable information about a student

10:42to third parties, including officers and

10:45the media, either orally or in writing,

10:47unless the school district has an

10:49informed consent from the parent,

10:51guardian, or student if they're over 18.

10:54Um, and it also does require that we

10:57have caregiver plans and contact

10:59information. So, we do this, again, we

11:01do this anyways. We update our contact

11:03information every year, but we we do

11:05need to make sure that all of our

11:07students have emergency, uh, contacts

11:10and alternative contacts should anything

11:13arise.

11:14And then, it requires us to include

11:16support for families, which would be,

11:19um, culturally responsive support for

11:21students, uh, things like counseling

11:24from potentially a counselor that speaks

11:26their language, which we're very

11:28fortunate that we have we're going to

11:29hear tonight, uh, Jill's all of Jill's

11:31partnerships with Walker and Quarry and

11:34places like that. So, we're very

11:36fortunate that we have those resources

11:39because of those those collaborations.

11:42And then for families, it would be

11:44connections to community resources

11:47which our family liaisons and

11:50Carolina, our behavioral health

11:52navigator, they are wonderful and they

11:54they do this now and obviously would

11:57continue to do that.

12:01Staff trainings, the district and school

12:03will conduct trainings on the procedures

12:04and best practices to support student

12:06safety. And then also included in the

12:11procedures is the note that nothing in

12:13these procedures alters the school's

12:15obligations to comply with state or

12:17federal law. So, if there is a state or

12:19federal law that we're required to

12:21follow, nothing in this prohibits us

12:23from doing that.

12:25And then once approved, the policy and

12:27the procedures will be posted on the

12:30district website.

12:32Um in in the back, also in the

12:35procedures, we have I mentioned the

12:38community resources. We have a slew of

12:40resources that the Attorney General as

12:43well as the Department of Ed have

12:44provided. Many of these are resources

12:47that can be given directly to families

12:49and then you know some of the other

12:52things are just really good information

12:54for our staff to have.

12:56And that in a nutshell is the the policy

13:02and the procedures that are required

13:04under the Protect Act. And I'm happy to

13:07answer any questions.

13:12>> Mrs. Hubley.

13:13>> Thank you. I was really glad that you

13:14started off saying that this

13:17plan was a policy was very similar to

13:20what we already had in place because I'm

13:23reading through this and I'm going

13:24sounds very similar to what we already

13:26have in place. Um, can you tell me what

13:28is the the major part of this that is

13:31going to be the change that our staff

13:33will have to make sure that they're

13:34aware of and parents will have to be

13:36make sure that they're more aware of

13:38that is going to be the change?

13:40>> Um, I I really believe that this is

13:42pretty similar to we use the Attorney

13:45General's information in our previous

13:48procedures to staff. So, we were already

13:51um, kind of very much aligned with what

13:54the Attorney General the advice that the

13:55Attorney General's office was giving to

13:57schools.

13:58So, I really I don't really see

14:00[clears throat] a huge difference. Maybe

14:02the biggest thing would be the

14:04documenting, you know, that there is in

14:07in the policy. It's much more detailed

14:09than what I um, read today out loud

14:12today, but it is required that they

14:14record the date and the time, the

14:17license plate if possible. Um, there's a

14:19whole list of things. So, we do have a

14:22sample form that the staff can use to

14:25fill out. And ideally, you know, the

14:27majority of that would be probably the

14:29principal. Maybe they would be

14:31collecting information from other staff

14:34um, that you know, had witnessed the

14:35encounter, but I think that that is

14:38probably the the amount that they need

14:40to try to take note of is probably the I

14:44would say the biggest difference, but

14:45the rest I really feel like we're

14:47already currently doing.

14:49>> Okay. And they will be receiving

14:50professional development as we as we

14:52always do anyway. They they would have

14:54received professional development

14:55anyway.

14:55>> Yes, we're going to we're we already

14:57shared this with the principals.

14:58>> Yeah.

14:59>> And um, we've trained them all the way

15:01along anyways. So, you know, we have we

15:04have had sat all sat in across the hall

15:07on uh, webinars with the Attorney

15:09General's office and so, we we have

15:11certainly worked with the you know, the

15:13principals who then in turn work with

15:14the the staff in the buildings, but we

15:16will be certainly once this is approved

15:18following up and make sure we go through

15:20everything with our staff.

15:21>> Okay. And the procedures will be on our

15:23on our website as well as staff will

15:26have them and they will be at the

15:27schools as well as they because I

15:28believe they were before and the

15:30principal had a had a letter that

15:32parents could go and and obtain if they

15:34want more information. That will still

15:36be in place same as we had before.

15:37>> Correct. And we will have one other

15:40difference is that we do have to have

15:42the person's name and the phone number

15:44for the the school contact. Um you know,

15:46we need a district contact and then the

15:48school contact which you see in the

15:50draft procedures that I gave you. You

15:51have Kevin's contact and my contact. Um

15:55but in the school we'll have the

15:56principal and the assistant principal.

15:57So the staff will not only they'll get a

15:59copy of that. They'll have, you know,

16:01Kevin's information, my information, the

16:04principal's, you know, phone number and

16:06information and the assistant

16:07principal's. So there should be no issue

16:09with getting one of us on the on the

16:11phone to assist immediately.

16:13>> Wonderful. Thank you.

16:17Um I have a couple of questions on

16:21Miracopa too. Now, um so when we say an

16:25emergency situation, that means if alarm

16:28enforcement was to come to the school,

16:30that's the situation we're talking

16:31about. And um

16:34so [clears throat] if they were coming

16:35to the school,

16:36>> Mhm.

16:36>> schools are locked, we're not letting

16:38anybody in, and then we have to identify

16:40what the situation is.

16:42Um do we so we'll have a principal and

16:45assistant principal. What if just um

16:48a random staff member happens to be um

16:52you know, near the door or something

16:54like that. Do are we training or having

16:57a a strong communication with all of the

17:00staff members, teachers in the buildings

17:03so that they know if they see a

17:05situation like that, don't open the

17:06door, call the principal or the

17:08assistant principal, whoever's

17:09available. Um so we do enforce that

17:13communication with our staff.

17:16>> Absolutely.

17:17>> And we've already done that.

17:18>> Yes. I I mean, I think I I

17:21I mean, you know, I I would say that

17:23everyone knows that, you know, that

17:25you're not supposed to let people in the

17:26buildings and that you go get the

17:28principal.

17:29>> But I mean, sometimes, you know, if a

17:30law enforcement agent comes to the door,

17:32you feel you might feel the pressure.

17:34>> They would they would immediately bring

17:36them to the office even if they, you

17:37know, if if they,

17:39you know, if they saw them and they

17:41needed they would not deal with it

17:42themselves.

17:43>> don't want to do that.

17:44>> Yeah, they would keep them outside.

17:45>> Yeah, they they would immediately get

17:47the principal.

17:48>> Okay.

17:48>> Yeah.

17:49>> Um so, the training piece was was

17:50something that I was curious about. Um

17:53So, when you say a warrant or judicial

17:56order,

17:58does that mean that they are allowed to

17:59come into the school to um approach a

18:02student or is it What's our

18:05>> They can't necessarily approach a

18:06student. So, the warrant or the judicial

18:08order usually is like a search and

18:10seizure or it's they're coming to arrest

18:13a certain individual. Um and so, that

18:16would we again, we would hold them uh

18:19you know, at the door uh first or

18:22preferably outside and they would then

18:25immediately send that information,

18:27ideally a picture of the warrant or the

18:30judicial order to the superintendent um

18:33who would then review it with himself

18:35and uh Murphy Hess and Toomey, our

18:37attorneys, to determine to make sure

18:38that it was legitimate.

18:40>> Mhm.

18:40>> Um and and they would if it was

18:43legitimate, then, you know, they would

18:46have to allow them to to get the They

18:48would bring the student down. We would

18:50never let them like go through the

18:51school and No, we would we would try to

18:54do it as respectfully and and, you know,

18:57>> have someone get the student and bring

19:00them down.

19:00>> Yeah, and we would immediately be

19:01notifying the parent um you know, that

19:04that this that this had occurred or that

19:06this was occurring. Ideally, before they

19:08even get the student, they're calling

19:09the parent.

19:10>> Um

19:12have we had

19:13any situations over the years that would

19:16warrant any of this uh protocol and

19:18procedures? Have Have we had any

19:20situations over the years?

19:22>> No. No.

19:23>> Um

19:25and then Oh, and so what do we do if

19:29if it was a bus driver and I mean and

19:33they approached a bus and that there was

19:36a student on a bus or something. Like

19:37what is that process look like?

19:40>> The bus driver would uh call Larry. The

19:44you know, he they would not let the

19:46person on the bus or let the person

19:48approach the student. Um but they would

19:50immediately call Larry and Larry would

19:53probably he'd call one of us, but he'd

19:55also probably call the Quincy police to

19:58respond.

19:59Um we wouldn't let, you know, someone

20:02approach the bus or get on the bus

20:04>> situation that's, you know, could be

20:05anywhere.

20:06>> Mhm. They would not let someone on the

20:08bus. They they would call Larry and then

20:11preferably probably Larry would be we'd

20:13be calling either the resource officers

20:15or 911. Yeah, you know, cuz we we don't

20:17know who this person is.

20:18>> Exactly. Yeah. And that that that was

20:20kind of was a little curious how we

20:21would deal with that. And I would

20:22suggest that we probably call the police

20:24right away.

20:24>> Yeah. Yeah.

20:25>> Um

20:26>> [clears throat]

20:26>> so I think that was

20:28most of it for me. Um

20:32unless anyone else Do you have any other

20:33questions?

20:34>> other follow-up.

20:35So um on on that note, so judicial

20:38warrants and and judicial orders over

20:41the past years, we haven't had any come

20:44to our schools? I I'm not that I

20:46>> No. No. And certainly not anything that

20:49had to do with immigration.

20:50>> No.

20:51>> But I I can't think of any.

20:53>> No, I can uh tell you that the courts

20:55are very sensitive um to these issues

20:57and

20:58uh at least in my opinion and

20:59experience, a sitting judge would never

21:02issue a warrant for um Mhm.

21:05a law enforcement officer to go to a

21:07school to disrupt a school, they would

21:09do it in other ways.

21:11In other words, go to the house or

21:13Um but just in case, we have to be

21:15ready.

21:16>> Absolutely.

21:16>> because you just never know

21:18what judge may be sitting at any

21:20particular time. But to answer your

21:21question, it hasn't happened yet.

21:23>> Okay.

21:23>> But we'll be ready if it does.

21:25>> Okay.

21:25Thank you.

21:27Um

21:28And the last question would be that

21:32we already had our policy in place and

21:34this is

21:35a new law that was already passed by the

21:37state in August, correct?

21:39>> Correct.

21:39>> So we basically have to make sure that

21:42we are including all of those

21:45to be approved at our next meeting when

21:46we have a discussion as a whole.

21:48>> Yeah, they

21:50they as you said, they voted Maura

21:52Healey passed it in August. There was

21:55not a lot of turnaround time for

21:56districts to, you know, get this kind of

21:58up and running.

22:00Um luckily, we did we do already have

22:02procedures in place. We didn't have an

22:05official policy, now we do. Um and you

22:08know, but we did those procedures for

22:10the most part pretty much already

22:11existed. So

22:13um you know, so that the staff are

22:14familiar fairly familiar, I would say

22:16pretty familiar with the procedures

22:18already.

22:18>> Good. Okay. Can I get a motion to

22:22um move this to the full committee?

22:23>> I will make a motion to move this to the

22:25full committee.

22:26>> Second.

22:28>> Roll call.

22:29>> All in favor?

22:30>> Aye.

22:30>> All in favor.

22:31>> No opposed.

22:32>> Okay.

22:32>> Thank you.

22:33>> No opposed.

22:34>> Um

22:35meeting adjourned. Motion to adjourn?

22:37Adjourned. Adjourned.

22:38>> Thank you.

22:38>> Thank you.

22:45Hello everyone, welcome. We'll open our

22:47meeting to the regular meeting of the

22:49Quincy School Committee for Wednesday,

22:50October 14th.

22:52Pursuant to the Open Meeting Law, any

22:54person may make a audio or video

22:57recording of this public meeting or may

22:59transmit this meeting through any

23:01medium.

23:02Attendees are therefore advised that

23:04such recordings or transmissions are

23:05being made whether perceived or

23:07unperceived by those present and are

23:09deemed acknowledged and permissible.

23:13Superintendent, could you please call

23:14the roll?

23:15>> Yes. Mr. Bergoli.

23:16>> Present.

23:17>> Mrs. Cahill.

23:17>> Present.

23:18>> Ms. Campbell.

23:19>> Present.

23:19>> Mrs. Hubley.

23:20>> Present.

23:20>> Mr. LeYoung.

23:21>> Present.

23:22>> Mrs. Perdios.

23:23>> Present.

23:23>> Mayor Koch.

23:24>> Present.

23:25>> Quincy High School student

23:26representative Mishti Malaviya.

23:28>> Present.

23:29>> Thank you and North Quincy High School

23:31student representative Raymond Zhang.

23:33>> Present.

23:33>> Thank you both for attending.

23:35>> Thank you.

23:36If we could please rise for the Pledge

23:37of Allegiance.

23:41>> Pledge allegiance to the flag of the

23:43United States of America and to the

23:46Republic for which it stands, one nation

23:49under God, indivisible, with liberty and

23:52justice for all.

23:54>> If we could please remain standing for a

23:56moment of silence and Superintendent has

23:59memorials.

24:00>> Thank you. We do have eight memoriums

24:03tonight. They are former staff members

24:06of the Quincy Public Schools who have

24:08recently passed away. First is Ronald

24:11Ashford. He was a business education

24:13teacher at North Quincy High School for

24:1537 years.

24:17Fred Crowther Jr., science teacher at

24:20Central Middle School for 35 years.

24:23Eileen Feeney, dean, assistant principal

24:25and principal at North Quincy High

24:26School, 28 years of service to the

24:29Quincy Public Schools.

24:31Judith Jensen, social studies teacher at

24:33North Quincy High School for 35 years.

24:36Deborah Kwan, special education

24:38department for 16 years.

24:40Charles McLaughlin Jr., biology teacher

24:43at Quincy High School for 36 years.

24:46John Walsh, history teacher at Broad

24:48Meadows and Quincy High School for 23

24:50years.

24:51And Robert Bob Tambari, who worked as a

24:54dedicated carpenter for the school

24:56maintenance department for many, many

24:58years. If you could keep these

25:00individuals and their families in your

25:02thoughts and prayers.

25:08Thank you.

25:09>> Thank you.

25:18>> Next on the agenda, we have open forum.

25:21This is an opportunity for community

25:22input regarding the Quincy Public

25:24Schools. Community in this context is

25:26defined as a resident of the city of

25:28Quincy, a non-resident parent of a

25:31student who attends the Quincy Public

25:32Schools,

25:33or a non-resident employee of the Quincy

25:36Public Schools.

25:37After giving his or her name and

25:39address, each speaker may make a

25:41presentation of no more than 3 minutes

25:44to the School Committee.

25:45An individual may not exchange their

25:47time or yield to others.

25:50Residents or non-community persons may

25:52submit written statements up to 300

25:54words to the School Committee at

25:56[email protected]

26:01by 4:00 p.m.

26:04the day prior to the posted School

26:06Committee regular meetings.

26:08Written statements will be posted to the

26:10School Committee section of the Quincy

26:12Public School website by noon the day

26:14post by noon of the day of the posted

26:17School Committee regular meetings, and I

26:19believe we have two letters there posted

26:21today.

26:22>> That's correct.

26:23>> Thank you.

26:24Do we have anyone for open forum at this

26:26time?

26:29Open forum?

26:32Open forum? Seeing no one, I will close

26:35this portion of the meeting.

26:38And at this time, I would like a motion

26:41to go out of order in new business um B

26:45to have the Bay State Community Service

26:48Impact Quincy Youth Action Team present

26:50first. Do I have a motion by Ms.

26:52Campbell, second by Ms. Cahill?

26:55Um all in favor?

26:56>> Aye.

26:56>> Aye.

26:57>> Thank you very much.

26:58You guys would like to come up forward.

27:00We're going to have you guys come right

27:01away.

27:02We are very excited to hear from you.

27:10And you can start as soon as you're

27:11ready.

27:13You guys all set?

27:14Okay.

27:15Good evening. Thank you for the

27:16opportunity to be here tonight. I'm

27:18excited for you to hear about some of

27:20the wonderful work our high school

27:21students have been doing in our

27:22community, which is made possible

27:24through the support of Baystate

27:25Community Services, one of our valued

27:27community partners.

27:29I'm joined tonight by Katherine Im,

27:31Prevention Program Coordinator, Baystate

27:33Community Services Impact Quincy.

27:36Vedita Nayak, grade 12 student at North

27:38Quincy High School and a Youth Action

27:40Team member.

27:41And Akisha Zane Cruz, grade 10 student

27:44at North Quincy High School, another

27:46Youth Action Team member.

27:49There's nothing better really than

27:50hearing directly from our students on

27:51the work that they've been doing. So,

27:53with that, I will turn it over to

27:54Katherine and our students.

27:57>> Yes, so I

28:04Yep, so I am

28:05>> Just pick it up. Move it right up.

28:08That works?

28:09>> Yep.

28:09>> Okay.

28:10>> So, I'm running the Impact Quincy

28:12Coalition. My name is Katherine Im,

28:14pronoun she/her, and I run this

28:16coalition that is for the community and

28:18we work on creating healthier futures

28:20for youth. And that would look in

28:22different initiatives with local and

28:24alcohol tobacco policies with um

28:27substance use prevention. We have

28:30positive community norms campaign, which

28:32is just changing the misperceptions of

28:35youth on substance use.

28:37Uh we work on mental health and suicide

28:39prevention. We do a lot of early

28:41childhood support as well to people with

28:44um

28:45parents of like 3 to 5-year-olds. So, we

28:47work on a big range of student uh age

28:50ranges as well. And we also do healthy

28:52eating and active living as well and

28:54accessibility. So, with all those

28:57collective actions, that's what the

28:58Impact Quincy Coalition is working

29:00towards. And we, alongside that, we have

29:03our Impact Quincy Youth Action Team. Um

29:06do you guys want to introduce yourself

29:07again?

29:08>> Um good evening, everybody. I'm Akisha

29:11Cruz, a 10th grader at North Quincy High

29:13School, and I am a leader and a member

29:15of the Impact Quincy Youth Action Team.

29:17>> Hi everyone. My name is Vedita Nayak,

29:20and I'm a senior at North Quincy High,

29:22and I've also been part of Impact Quincy

29:25and the Youth Action Team for 2 years

29:27now.

29:29>> Yeah, so

29:30what the Youth Action Team is is that

29:32it's a team of high schoolers from

29:33Quincy Public Schools, and it's just

29:35welcome to anyone in the high school age

29:37range in Quincy, so it doesn't have to

29:39be Quincy Public Schools, just anyone

29:41who wants to get involved in uh

29:43community actions. So, what they will be

29:46doing is identifying

29:48what are the what are the ongoing issues

29:50going on within their like their

29:53community, what's going on with the

29:54youth, identifying that, addressing it,

29:57and we are bringing also skills of

29:59leadership development with them so and

30:01advocacy. So, that's the purpose of the

30:03Youth Action Team, and some of the

30:05accomplishments that they have completed

30:07was um

30:08last year they went to the State House,

30:10and they also went to Capitol Hill to

30:13talk about some of the

30:15uh

30:15the environmental scan that we have

30:17today. They also talked about what they

30:20see within their school hallways of what

30:22impacts them and influences them. And we

30:25also worked with local businesses to um

30:27conduct a sticker shock campaign on

30:31uh reminding adults on not providing

30:34alcohol

30:35uh to minors, especially during like

30:37Thanksgiving and prom time. And we're

30:40also ongoing doing data collection for

30:43future public health strategies. So,

30:45there's a lot of things that they have

30:46accomplished so far and we're hoping to

30:48do a lot more for this year.

30:54>> So, like Catherine mentioned, one of our

30:56major projects this past year was the

30:59environmental scan. So, um what the

31:02environmental scan is, it's basically a

31:04research tool that helps us understand

31:07what is going on in our community. Um

31:10so, when we were doing this

31:12environmental scan, we walked around the

31:15school communities of Quincy High and

31:17North Quincy High, and we also went into

31:19some stores to see how the youth in

31:21Quincy are exposed to substances like

31:24alcohol, marijuana, and like nicotine

31:27substances.

31:28Um and why these scans are important

31:31because it helps us understand how this

31:33community influences the youth around us

31:36and just the youth living with us. And

31:40by knowing how these youth are exposed

31:42to these substances, it will also help

31:45us, you know, make uh like policy

31:48changes and also just like help in that.

31:53>> Um so, what we have found in these

31:56environmental scans is that promotion is

31:59a big part. You know, the industry

32:01targets the youths with their ads,

32:03color, the flavor, as well as the

32:05placements. We walk around our towns and

32:08we see these ads pop all around us, even

32:11in social media. And as well as pricing,

32:14you know, um it's been very cheap and

32:17affordable, especially since students

32:19can now um work at this age of high

32:22school and they're very affordable and

32:25accessible.

32:27>> So, these are some stores that we

32:30noticed around Quincy High School. So,

32:32the first picture you see is a 10-minute

32:35walk from Quincy High. And in this

32:38store, I think you also see like the

32:40advertisement of alcohol right in

32:42between.

32:44Uh and that's something on the sidewalk,

32:46so the youths can really see that

32:48poster. And the second picture, it's

32:50actually a 5-minute walk from Quincy

32:52High, and it's also right across the

32:54Thomas Crane Library, where a lot of

32:56teens and youths are present. And as you

32:58can see the boarding or like the poster

33:00above the store, like it has fire

33:03pictures, and it I think it's a way to

33:05attract the youth. Um and even though I

33:08think minors are not allowed, a lot of

33:10people just go in, especially because of

33:12the things that are listed above in the

33:14poster. And I'm pretty sure they also

33:17like get attracted to that. And the

33:19third picture you see is again like a

33:2110-minute walk from Quincy High. It's

33:23right in front of the Quincy train

33:25station. And it it's kind of a warning

33:28sign that says that these substances are

33:31inside the store, and it kind of says,

33:33"Okay, it's harmful." But it's also a

33:35way to reach the youth saying that these

33:37substances are present in the store. So,

33:40and a lot of people just ignore these

33:42warning signs.

33:45And these are a few other stores that we

33:47noticed.

33:49So, the first two pictures are just like

33:52a 4-minute walk from Quincy High. And as

33:55you can see the first picture, it's kind

33:57of a way to attract the youth through

33:59sports because I know the youths are

34:01really into sports. And I think by using

34:04like NFL and stuff, it's a way to

34:07attract the youth. And just also again,

34:09the posters

34:11the posters are so colorful. And of

34:14course, they're alcohol, and they're

34:15attracting the youth. And the second

34:18picture and the third picture, I think

34:20you will see like a warning sign. And

34:22especially in the second picture, it's

34:24also a 6-minute walk from Quincy High,

34:27and it I think that store is present in

34:29the Quincy College. And this is just a

34:31way of placement to see the to see how

34:34these alcohol substances are present in

34:37the inside the store and the way they're

34:38placed. So, when a student walks in,

34:41it's really easy to notice.

34:44Um and the last picture again is just a

34:46warning sign like the last slide that we

34:48looked at, but then again it's also kind

34:50of a way to tell the youth that these

34:52substances are just present inside the

34:54stores.

34:56>> Now for North Quincy, um in the first

34:59photo to the left, you can see um the

35:01bright photos of Celtics and NFL and I'm

35:04sure you guys are aware that those are

35:06very common around the youth. And these

35:09um are sports teams that inspired the

35:12youth. So, with um with [clears throat]

35:14the promotion of these sports team, you

35:16know, the youth are more curious and

35:18they're like, "Oh, if they're promoting

35:20this, we'd want to try this."

35:22And in the middle photo, you can see um

35:25there are a bunch of lights and colorful

35:28um text which will um

35:31bring a lot of

35:33>> [snorts]

35:33>> um

35:35curiosity in the youth and will lead

35:37them to try this. And a lot of the words

35:39are like big and bold, like real,

35:42simple, different. And in the last

35:44photo, pricing. $3, that's something you

35:47can found find in your couch, you know?

35:49So, $3 um

35:51the youth are working as well and I feel

35:54like this is very accessible and they're

35:56like, "Oh, let me just try it. $3, you

35:59know?"

36:02>> Okay. So, this is basically a part of

36:05the environmental scan that we did is we

36:07mapped out these stores based on like

36:09the colors. So, first we segregated

36:12these uh stores into different colors

36:14like liquor store and like, you know,

36:16other stores. And then we kind of mapped

36:19it out based on how close they are to

36:21the Quincy school area. Um so, the it's

36:25basically all the stores that we met

36:27like went inside and did an

36:29environmental scan, but it's in like a

36:31map form so that we know how close it

36:33is. So, yeah.

36:40Yeah.

36:41>> Um why does this matter to us? This

36:44matters to us because youth often adopt

36:47behaviors based on what they see around

36:48them.

36:49So, in our environmental scan liquor

36:52stores are all around us. For example,

36:54um near North Quincy, you cross the

36:57street and you see a liquor store or

36:59even a convenience store that sells vape

37:00products, liquor products, even near

37:03elementary schools. And this sends

37:05message to the youth that drinking and

37:08substances are more widely accessible

37:11and easier to access.

37:13>> Um and another reason why it matters to

37:16us because ultimately we're looking at

37:18the health of students, right? And when

37:21we look at the health of students, one

37:23important aspect is social health

37:25because students experience so much peer

37:27pressure. So, it's really hard hard for

37:30them to ask for help and that's one of

37:31the main reasons why they also get

37:34involved with substances. Um and also

37:37just like the mental and emotional

37:39health of students, right? A lot of

37:41people just then go through like a lot

37:43of stuff in school and exams. And I

37:46think also like family situations that

37:49might lead to poor mental health. Um

37:52which also ultimately might lead to

37:54making poor decisions like again getting

37:57getting involved in substances. And um

38:00you know, physical health like you know,

38:02you have poor nutrition or you know,

38:04struggle with focusing.

38:06Um so, these are one of the

38:08main reasons why it matters to us and

38:10why we want to help the students because

38:13um students need to be healthy.

38:19Um so, how to support us? I feel like we

38:22should consider the environment that the

38:24youths live in.

38:26I would say while making decisions about

38:28the students, please consider the social

38:30norms, the environment that shapes

38:33us and our behaviors.

38:36>> And in this case, please let us know how

38:38we can support you. What can our youth

38:41action team do to support the schools?

38:43And what else do you want to know with

38:44the data that we collect?

38:47>> And another thing is just you can get

38:50involved with the work that we do at the

38:53Impact Quincy Coalition meetings we host

38:55at every month on the second Tuesday of

38:57the month 3:30 to 5:00.

38:59Whether that's on Zoom or in person. So,

39:02if you just want to get involved in more

39:03what the youth are doing or additional

39:05work plans that we have in mind, feel

39:07free to come by to our Coalition

39:10meetings and we have our email put on.

39:13Thank you.

39:14>> Thank you so much.

39:15>> Thank you so much.

39:18>> Thank you very much for this

39:19presentation.

39:20Great job. I can't even say enough.

39:22Really, really great job. I'm going to

39:24open it up to questions and comments

39:26from my colleagues.

39:28Miss Kimble.

39:30>> I really appreciate this. I'm wondering

39:32if you've shared this with the students

39:34at your high school, the work that

39:36you've done.

39:39>> I can answer that.

39:41So, the work that we have done, of

39:44course, we do try to again

39:47let the youths join the youth action

39:49team. It's open for everyone. But also

39:52through the youth risk behavior survey,

39:54we kind of try we're trying to get the

39:56data.

39:57And after that, we would probably see

40:00how matching it is and like how these

40:03substances actually affect the youth.

40:05And then we would probably give it out

40:07to the school so that they can present

40:09it or we could also ask certain clubs

40:13like, you know, the SAD club or the

40:15other clubs to give out this information

40:17to the students.

40:18>> Thank you.

40:20>> Miss Miss Kayal.

40:23>> So, let me ask you when you talk about

40:25you you do a survey with

40:28high school students?

40:29>> Um yeah, so I think this past Thursday

40:33there was this youth [clears throat]

40:34risk behavior survey. Um it was uh

40:38like a big range. So, it also talked

40:41about how youths are included in

40:43substances as well as their mental

40:45health

40:46as well as how like welcoming their

40:48environment is. It was everything. So, I

40:50feel like what we're trying to reach

40:52here is how youths are not involved in

40:55substances and that was also like a part

40:57of the survey. So, we will get some data

41:00from the survey as well.

41:01>> Okay.

41:02Thank you.

41:03>> Okay. Mr. Brigoli.

41:05>> There used to be a

41:06line in the song way back when

41:08smoking in the boys' room.

41:10Now it's vaping in the boys' room.

41:12And I'd say that's a a problem.

41:14Uh and it was spoken to us a couple

41:17weeks ago in a presentation where

41:20toilets have been clogged up with

41:22>> [clears throat]

41:23>> discarded vapes. Um how are you trying

41:26to address that issue in the high school

41:27cuz that seems to be a prevalent one.

41:31>> Um so, in

41:33>> Maybe that's an unfair question for you

41:34guys, but

41:35>> Go ahead.

41:37>> You want me to answer?

41:38>> Sure.

41:42>> If you guys want to jump in you can.

41:44Well, I think it's the it's been

41:45supported this year with the

41:47opioid trust grant that we had. It

41:49provided us with two new clinicians to

41:52focus on substance use prevention. So,

41:54they've been running tier two and three

41:56groups with students who have been

41:58identified as vaping, maybe caught

42:00vaping, using it as an alternate to

42:02discipline.

42:03They're also joining the health

42:05interventionist to do specific lessons

42:07around vaping because it is prevalent

42:10although the youth risk behavior survey

42:12will suggest that it's

42:13maybe not as much as the public thinks,

42:16but it is something that we are actively

42:18addressing.

42:20>> You guys want to jump in and talk about

42:22what the sad does? Go ahead.

42:23>> Um, to add on to that, we are actually

42:26for youth action team we're working on a

42:28positive community norms campaign. This

42:30is where we put posters around and show

42:32that not

42:34all students vape and or drink alcohol,

42:37which is what most people think, which

42:40leads them to think like, "Oh, since

42:42everybody does it, I'll try it out."

42:44But, that's not really the case, and so

42:46the positive community norms campaign

42:48really ties into all this.

42:52>> I'm all set.

42:53>> Yeah, I'm just I'm just concerned about

42:54the

42:55um

42:57stores in the area around the high

42:59schools and elementary schools who are

43:02advertising um this stuff in their

43:04windows and

43:05uh trying to attract kids to come in and

43:08and purchase.

43:09I don't know

43:11if we can have a bigger effort on the

43:13city's part or

43:16the school's part to

43:17to uh try to address that issue.

43:20>> And certainly work on that with our

43:22partners for sure.

43:23And just some anecdotal information too,

43:26it's early of course,

43:27but the cell phone policy has really

43:30according to our high school principals

43:33has really really helped with regard to

43:35cracking down on bathroom activities

43:38including vaping.

43:39Um, and the prevalence is really

43:42decreasing, so hoping that continues, so

43:45uh thanks to all of you um

43:48that today has really helped with vaping

43:51in the bathrooms as well.

43:53>> Good news. Thank you.

43:54>> I'm all set.

43:55>> Yes.

43:55>> Okay.

43:56Superintendent, you're all set?

43:57>> Yes, I'm all set. Thank you.

43:58>> Miss Preuss.

43:59>> Thanks.

44:01Thank you, guys, for being here. Thank

44:02you for doing this work, and the data

44:03that you collected is great. Um

44:06and I I I think some my two kind of

44:08comments are very similar to Mr.

44:10Bergolis. Uh

44:12what do you So, more what do you think

44:14we should do about the information about

44:17um businesses having those type of um

44:21advertisements and enticing kids in in

44:23the placement of the products in their

44:25stores. Do you have any suggestions for

44:28us or for for anyone like what would

44:31your next steps be um after kind of

44:33bringing that data to us? Do you have

44:35any ideas for that? And

44:37>> Yeah, I mean we're

44:39as we're presenting to school committee,

44:40we know like there's not like uh what we

44:44request from you is just being able to

44:45consider the youth when making

44:47decisions, but if there are things that

44:49we can go beyond is that there are maybe

44:52limitations on advertisements within

44:55storefronts. There could and there's

44:58also what we're talking about is the

44:59retail density is pretty high in Quincy,

45:02so maybe there can be different There's

45:05different model policies that we can

45:06refer to in different communities such

45:08as like uh license capping or um making

45:12sure there's a restriction of like how

45:14close retails are with within schools.

45:16So, there are a lot of different model

45:18policies that we can look after for um

45:21looking at what works best for Quincy

45:23and what other communities have found

45:25most effective for them.

45:27>> I think that's great. I think um looking

45:29at other what other areas do um and sort

45:32of see what we can kind of what's in our

45:34control and what we can help with. Um

45:36I'm glad you're advocating for this. I

45:38like I urge you to keep going with that

45:40and we can be I think at as helpful as

45:43as we as we can with you. Um I'd

45:45encourage you to also you know

45:47reach out to city council as well um and

45:50the city who gives out liquor licenses

45:52and different things like that like that

45:54type of information might be really good

45:55for the city and also the city council

45:57to have as they're um making plans and

46:00different things as well.

46:02And then kind of secondarily is the

46:04vaping concern that Mr. Brigoli shared.

46:06I you know, and this is definitely not

46:08for the students. I'm so glad you're

46:10doing this work. I'm so

46:11you're living this. You're in the

46:13buildings with the you know, peers that

46:15do vape and to your point not at all of

46:17them do.

46:19But it's frustrating kind of from our

46:20end that it's still happening.

46:22So I think later on in this meeting

46:24we're actually going to get to our

46:27the program improvement plan

46:29with Miss Karanis later um and I'd like

46:31to ask that we have more tangible goals

46:34and targets on this and some data

46:36cuz I really think we need some

46:37measurable data that this starts to go

46:39down.

46:40It's impacting our sewer systems as Mr.

46:43Hines told us it's costing us money and

46:45our kiddos health is obviously the top

46:47priority and what can we do you know,

46:49back in the day kids didn't smoke in

46:51school. We stopped that from happening.

46:53Like it it was just it didn't happen. So

46:55we need to we need to I think be

46:56stronger on what we're doing to address

46:59vaping to help you um with that. So I

47:01appreciate your efforts. Thank you so

47:03much. It takes a lot of guts to be an

47:04advocate like this. So thank you for

47:06your work.

47:09>> Mayor.

47:10>> Uh thank you Madam Chair. Um

47:12following up on Mrs. Pertios,

47:15we can take a look through our building

47:16department inspection units, our health

47:18department inspection units uh and check

47:21these establishments around to make sure

47:23they're meeting the requirements of the

47:25ordinance

47:26uh both on the physical space that's

47:28allowed on the windows but also the

47:30other restrictions that may be there

47:32for enforcement. Um

47:34So we can definitely do that. We

47:36appreciate the work you've done on this.

47:38Um I guess what I'd like to do at some

47:40point, I don't know if it's appropriate

47:42for Jill the superintendent, I would

47:44like to have a presentation

47:46what is actually going on by health

47:47interventionists on the vaping issue.

47:49Vaping is far more dangerous for kids uh

47:52than than I think they realize and I

47:55just want to make sure we're

47:56we're doing some work in the buildings.

47:58I used to hear a lot more about some of

48:00the programs that went on. I haven't

48:01heard a lot lately. That could

48:03be due to my lack of knowledge of it,

48:06but I'd like to find out in the near

48:07future. Presentation. Thank you, John.

48:12>> Mr. Leong.

48:13>> Thank you.

48:14Thank you all for being here. That was a

48:16great presentation. Very informative.

48:21Very impressed with

48:23the entire process. It takes a lot of

48:26maturity and motivation to do a project

48:30like this

48:32and then to come here and explain it to

48:35us

48:36as

48:38eloquently as you did. So, thank you for

48:40that.

48:42I would like to kind of emphasize the

48:46the data part, right? So, what you did

48:48with your data collection process and

48:50then

48:52the ways of presenting it

48:54including the the map visualization.

48:58I can just tell you from experience

49:01being able to work with data and explain

49:05it and

49:06tell a compelling story.

49:08It's useful in almost all

49:11industries. And for you to do it

49:15with this

49:17you know public health

49:20emphasis is is all the more impressive.

49:23So, no no question just

49:27commendation and

49:29if either of you are

49:32interested in going into to public

49:34health,

49:35that would be I think a great choice and

49:37you're off to a good start. So, thank

49:38you.

49:40>> Thank you.

49:41Okay, I have a question from our Quincy

49:44High School representative.

49:46I believe your mic should be on.

49:50>> Thank you for the presentation.

49:52So, I took the I actually took the the

49:54survey last week in school. So I was

49:57wondering, was it created by the Youth

49:58Action Team or

50:01>> No, I can answer that. So the Youth Risk

50:03Behavior Survey is actually put out by

50:05the CDC.

50:06And then we and it's a national survey

50:09given to some high schools around the

50:10country. And then we get every 2 years

50:13here in Quincy. So we take that data.

50:15Catherine from

50:18Impact Quincy looks at that as well and

50:19that's kind of what sparks groups like

50:21this and different initiatives. So that

50:23isn't that's a CDC

50:26survey.

50:27>> Thank you.

50:27>> You're welcome.

50:31>> Thank you so much for being here. We

50:33greatly appreciate you being here and

50:34presenting this to us. We love hearing

50:37directly from the students. So this is

50:39so impactful for us and thank you so

50:42much for your time. We greatly

50:43appreciate being here.

50:44>> Thank you everyone.

50:45>> Thank you.

50:46Thanks guys. Great job.

50:55>> Turn myself off. Going back on the

50:57agenda now. Back to where we were. We're

51:00back at the superintendent's report and

51:02we will open it up to the

51:03superintendent. I'll be

51:05>> Thank you.

51:06Good evening again everyone. Hope

51:07everyone is doing well. First item on

51:09our agenda is the QPS October 1st

51:11enrollment and class size data.

51:13Before I begin I do want to thank of

51:15course Laura Owens who

51:17crunches all of these numbers year in

51:18and year out. She's really our

51:20enrollment expert in house among all the

51:23other things that Laura does. So we

51:24really appreciate Laura all the work

51:26that you've done in compiling this

51:27information for us and

51:29of course for the committee as well.

51:31The data was shared with the school

51:33committee at their places and of course

51:35I have some highlights

51:37of that data as well but all of the

51:40information is there for you to review

51:43in greater detail.

51:44The official October 1st enrollment

51:46number for QPS is 9,648,

51:50a decrease of 206 students from October

51:531st, 2025.

51:55This year's kindergarten has

51:56approximately 200 fewer students than

51:59the class of 2026 who graduated last

52:02June.

52:03And of course, that may have a direct

52:04correlation to uh the COVID uh timeline,

52:08uh where uh families

52:10uh

52:11had less and less children during that

52:13period. Since October 1st, 40 students

52:16have completed registration and another

52:1830 students have registrations pending,

52:20so QPS enrollment will continue to grow

52:23very likely throughout the year.

52:26The last page of the document has a

52:28breakdown of new registrations and

52:30transferring students by level for the

52:322025-2026

52:34school year to provide insight into the

52:37administrative workload related to the

52:39over 1,900 transactions into and out of

52:43the school system. So, that is an

52:45amazing amount of transactions uh during

52:48the year. Again, 1,900.

52:51And of course, I want to thank all of

52:52the staff, our secretarial staff, and

52:54our staff at the Welcome Center for

52:56making all of these transactions as

52:59friendly and efficient as possible.

53:02Uh the elementary class size average for

53:04kindergarten through grade five is very

53:06favorable at 18 students.

53:0993% of elementary school classes have 20

53:13or fewer students, an increase of 5%

53:16over last year.

53:17For grades 6 through 8 core curriculum

53:19classes, 86.1%

53:22of classes have 24 or fewer students,

53:25the low end of uh School Committee's

53:27class size range, and a decrease of 3.8%

53:31over last year.

53:33For grades 9 through 12 core curriculum

53:35classes, 87% of classes have 25 or fewer

53:38students,

53:39an increase of 1.1% over last year.

53:43There are corresponding decreases in the

53:45number of classes with students at the

53:46higher end of the class size guidelines.

53:50Uh

53:50sections with 29 or 30 students. Um 11

53:55this year versus 15 last year, so we

53:58have um

53:59four

54:00class decrease from last year.

54:02Uh detailed class size information at

54:04the school level will be shared during

54:06the school improvement plan

54:07presentations in November and December,

54:09of course, school by school.

54:11Uh in March, of course, we will present,

54:13as we always do, updated enrollment and

54:14class size information based on February

54:171st data, so you'll have a comparison

54:19from this data to that. That

54:21presentation will also include

54:22projections for school building

54:24capacities for the next school year. And

54:26of course, the impact on open

54:28enrollment.

54:29Um and I'll stop here because you may

54:32have some questions about enrollment

54:34that either I or

54:36uh Mrs. Owens will be able to help you

54:38with.

54:39>> Mrs. Priddis.

54:41>> Thank you. Um

54:43thank you, Kevin, for going over this.

54:44And Laura, [clears throat] thank you so

54:45much for all you do. I mean, not only

54:47getting this together, but handling all

54:48the open enrollment requests and

54:50um

54:51so much that you do. So, um I never want

54:53to

54:54miss an opportunity to thank you for all

54:56the hours you put in on that. Um

54:59I just had a couple of questions um on

55:01the What are we

55:03uh

55:03doing to address So, I know you said

55:05that there we have a good number a good

55:07percentage of our classes are actually

55:08at good class sizes. Uh but the ones

55:12that are over, are we doing any specific

55:14things to address those?

55:16>> we can do multiple things and we work

55:18with the QEA, particularly at the high

55:20school level, to potentially add a

55:23where we try not to do it, but in cases

55:25where we definitely need to do it to

55:27lower those numbers, we will work with

55:28the QEA to sign an MOA allowing for

55:31teaching staff to take on an additional

55:33class,

55:34which would help create a new class and

55:36and lower those individual numbers. So,

55:38that's something we'll continue to work

55:39with the QEA on throughout the year. We

55:41try to limit that as much as possible.

55:44Um by of course just creating the number

55:46of classes we need in the beginning of

55:47the year, but as enrollment increases

55:49sometimes we do run to an issue where we

55:51do have to do an MOA, but the MOA has

55:53been very effective and of course I want

55:55to thank the staff who are dedicated and

55:58agreed to take on that sixth class uh to

56:00help lower those numbers. So, that's

56:01certainly something that we've been

56:03implementing for the last uh several

56:05years.

56:06>> Okay, and that's at the high school

56:07level.

56:07>> That's at the high school level, yes.

56:09>> similar things that we're doing for the

56:11other

56:11>> Um well, we're constantly reviewing

56:14myself and Dr. Perkins class sizes

56:16obviously at the middle school and

56:18elementary school and of course if we do

56:20need to split a class because of incre-

56:22increased uh

56:24enrollment, we'll certainly come to the

56:26committee and let you know that that's

56:27something we would have to do and in

56:29some cases we may have to seek

56:31additional funding

56:32um or we could use breakage that we've

56:35identified to help make that happen.

56:37Um so, that's and also another option

56:39that we look at throughout the year.

56:41>> Okay. Um

56:42and just a couple quick questions. Uh

56:44are we telling parents I'm just looking

56:46at the Excuse [clears throat] me, the uh

56:48requests from North Quincy uh to the

56:52number of that were granted.

56:54Excuse [clears throat] me, I'm just like

56:5594 requests to go into North Quincy from

56:58Quincy High districts and then um 24

57:01granted. Are we um I know we talked

57:03about this last year. Are we telling

57:04parents early enough that they need to

57:06request uh those

57:08open enrollments early enough because I

57:10know sometimes parents don't realize

57:13that they're um if if they I think that

57:16there's still an assumption that there's

57:17a choice of a high school that they can

57:19go to and I think parents don't really

57:21think about it until those open houses

57:23which are in I think March um and then

57:25they they go to the both open houses to

57:27think, "Oh, which which school should my

57:29kiddo go to?" And at that point it's way

57:31too late to have requested those

57:32schools. So

57:33>> So, traditionally, about 3/4 of the high

57:36school requests come in in September.

57:38>> Okay.

57:38>> So, I mean, I think people are pretty

57:40pretty aware, and most of them come in

57:42on the first, you know, within the first

57:44few days. So, for example, to date, I

57:47probably already have 70 requests for

57:50the two high schools. Um So, the same

57:53thing for sixth grade. A little bit less

57:55for kindergarten. That kind of is more

57:57spread out over the course of the year,

57:59but I think people are pretty aware of

58:01those of that deadline. I talked to

58:02people all summer. It's the first day of

58:05school, you know, so

58:06>> Okay, that's great that that message is

58:08getting out there now.

58:09>> it is, yes.

58:10>> Um okay, and then um the last thing I

58:12wanted to mention, I just um

58:14I'm just noticing the note on some of

58:16the the class the classes that are a

58:18little on the higher end of the class

58:20size, that we're noting that they're,

58:21you know, advanced math, advanced

58:23science, um honors, this, and I just

58:26again kind of want to just make sure

58:27that we're challenging that assumption

58:29that advanced kiddos are just fine in

58:31those bigger classes because they are

58:32learning at a faster pace, they're

58:34learning more in-depth um concepts, and

58:37I I just I think that those,

58:39>> [clears throat and cough]

58:39>> you know, I think that sometimes there

58:40is an assumption that well, they can

58:42handle it. Um and I do want to challenge

58:44that assumption because those kiddos are

58:47are learning their curve is just as

58:49steep as, you know, any other class

58:51level. So,

58:52um so, I do you know, I'm just I don't

58:53think it was there

58:55as an excuse, but I just kind of want to

58:56make that point that we should, you

58:58know, still be striving for the lesser

59:00class sizes for those higher classes,

59:02too.

59:02>> Yeah, and I

59:03completely Yeah, I totally understand

59:05that. The There's There's an argument,

59:07too, that those classes are getting

59:08students ready for college, where they

59:09will have larger class sizes.

59:12Um so, I I know, and we try to balance

59:14that uh to give them the real-world

59:16experience that they're going to have

59:18within a year from, you know,

59:19graduating, particularly those seniors.

59:21Which is a lot of those higher classes,

59:23so

59:25um we do, but I understand your

59:27perspective and

59:28>> Thank you.

59:29>> and we'll work on it.

59:29>> Okay, thank you. Appreciate that.

59:31And on that note, I do recall hearing

59:33from teachers though at the high school

59:35level that liked having the larger

59:38classrooms that were students that were

59:41um, invigorated to really learn and

59:43wanted more of them in one class

59:44together and that was actually

59:46empowering that the teacher was

59:48requesting more of that. I remember

59:50having those conversations, so that's

59:52just another another side to it cuz it

59:54made better conversation in the

59:55classrooms.

59:56Um,

59:58the open enrollment at the high school

1:00:00level, um, we still saying that it's

1:00:02just siblings that are being

1:00:05you in in those open enrollment in the

1:00:06high schools?

1:00:07>> So, that was

1:00:09um, no. So, siblings have priority.

1:00:11Okay, and so for example, at Central

1:00:15this year only siblings.

1:00:18Um, that that's what what there was room

1:00:20for. At North Quincy High School, it was

1:00:22siblings and there were a large number

1:00:23of siblings. I believe there were close

1:00:25to 20 siblings this year. Um, and so

1:00:27then there were additional 10 seats

1:00:30available to take the first 10 people

1:00:32off the list.

1:00:33>> Okay, so we we're doing some kind of a

1:00:35waiting a wait list on that. I thought

1:00:36we were only strictly going to be able

1:00:37to go over it.

1:00:38>> I I have a list and I I email with

1:00:41people right around course selection. I

1:00:43let people know these are the available

1:00:46seats and the rest of the list gets an

1:00:48email and says that they are um, that

1:00:50they're on a waiting list and they'll be

1:00:51notified in July.

1:00:53Um, and then for Quincy High School

1:00:55because Quincy High School is a larger

1:00:56capacity building, everyone who

1:00:58requested a seat at Quincy High School

1:01:00was granted a seat. So,

1:01:02>> Thank you.

1:01:03Mayor.

1:01:04>> Thank you Madam Chair. Uh, couple of

1:01:05questions, Kevin. Could you repeat for

1:01:07me

1:01:08what we were down in numbers?

1:01:09>> About 200 students and that was all at

1:01:12the kindergarten

1:01:13>> Kindergarten level, yeah.

1:01:14>> Okay, so what happened staffing there?

1:01:17>> Um, so we did not need to um,

1:01:21lay off any staffing. we would shift as

1:01:24we explained at the budget during the

1:01:26budget process we would shift to you

1:01:29know, potentially shifting a

1:01:30kindergarten teacher who has licensure

1:01:32in higher grade to another grade to

1:01:34to accommodate the class size needs for

1:01:36those grades. So,

1:01:38Dr. Parkinson and I in the SLT review

1:01:41the needs within the district and you

1:01:44know, although we may lose some students

1:01:48at the kindergarten level there's

1:01:49certainly a need at the higher levels

1:01:51particularly with move-ins and as well

1:01:55as just the higher level grades that

1:01:57were on the cusp of basically needing to

1:01:59split. So, basically we

1:02:02re-purpose potentially those those

1:02:04teachers that we did not need at the

1:02:06kindergarten level at the higher levels.

1:02:08>> Okay. That That makes sense. And I know

1:02:10it's a moving target and

1:02:12it evolves and changes. Just looking at

1:02:14some of the other stats. The GOALS

1:02:16program seems

1:02:18low to me. Now, that I guess that's a

1:02:20good thing. I'm not complaining.

1:02:22>> It is a good thing. It is low. We did

1:02:24have to shift some staff out of there

1:02:26this year

1:02:28because the staff that we had in there

1:02:30wasn't justified and we shifted those

1:02:32staff to the high school.

1:02:33>> Okay.

1:02:34>> Particularly North Quincy High School.

1:02:35>> Okay.

1:02:36>> In order to lower some

1:02:39some of the classes there or strengthen

1:02:42like the

1:02:44PASS program that we have at North

1:02:45Quincy High School. And so certainly

1:02:48those moves were made with regard to the

1:02:50low numbers at GOALS. Yes, it

1:02:53it's a good thing. But the students that

1:02:56are there absolutely need that program

1:02:58and but for that program we would be

1:03:00looking at say we have

1:03:03you know, eight to 10 students there. We

1:03:05would potentially be looking at out

1:03:07placing those students to particular

1:03:10academies that could range anywhere from

1:03:1280 to 100,000 dollars per student. But

1:03:15we can keep those students

1:03:17within our own district with our own

1:03:19teachers and watch their progress. And

1:03:23as many of them do after s-

1:03:26staying at Goals, they successfully

1:03:28transition into the high school

1:03:30and continue their high school

1:03:32career and graduate from either North or

1:03:34Quincy High School successfully. So, it

1:03:36is a successful program. We definitely

1:03:38want to keep it, but the numbers are low

1:03:40and right now that's a good thing.

1:03:42>> Could you at some point I know no

1:03:44origins here is I'd love to get a

1:03:4510-year look back

1:03:47on the numbers in the Goals program and

1:03:49and uh some kind of assessment if it's

1:03:52gone steadily gone down, why is that

1:03:54happened?

1:03:55>> Mhm.

1:03:55>> Uh and again it's a good thing, but I'd

1:03:56love to know what's contributing to

1:03:58that.

1:03:58>> Uh yeah, just anecdotally we'll get you

1:04:01all of that data, but I think the

1:04:03student support initiatives that we've

1:04:04been doing over the years with regard to

1:04:06our tiered intervention systems as well

1:04:09as all the other interventions that

1:04:10you're going to hear from Jill on and in

1:04:12her student support pep have really

1:04:15helped with regard to getting

1:04:16interventions early for our students in

1:04:19order to prevent that escalating

1:04:20behavior. Um we're extremely successful

1:04:23with students that join us from

1:04:25kindergarten all the way through. Um the

1:04:28more challenging students are those

1:04:30students that move in later in high

1:04:31school uh even later in middle school,

1:04:34but um the student support initiatives

1:04:36that Jill and the SLT have implemented

1:04:39have really helped in keeping our school

1:04:41our kids in school in their district

1:04:43schools and and not necessarily needing

1:04:46um a more restrictive environment like

1:04:48Goals. Uh we've been able to manage them

1:04:51at the um school level and manage them

1:04:53successfully.

1:04:54>> My one last question would be the uh

1:04:57to Christopher or Sonny, maybe you've

1:04:59already addressed it at some point, but

1:05:00uh

1:05:02we take an outside enrollment at this

1:05:03point or

1:05:04>> yeah, yes. I think we have uh three at

1:05:07the moment and those are tuitioned in.

1:05:09>> Yeah.

1:05:10>> Um and so um we were able to basically

1:05:13fund an entire classroom based on the

1:05:15tuitions that we're receiving without

1:05:16additional cost. How do you determine

1:05:18the

1:05:19Um the tuition basically is um based on

1:05:23um

1:05:26Basically the um

1:05:28>> Going rate?

1:05:29>> The going rate, for lack of a better

1:05:30term.

1:05:31>> Okay. Okay.

1:05:32>> Yeah. Yeah.

1:05:33>> Okay.

1:05:34>> Um so you have the North River

1:05:35Collaborative, South Collaborative, and

1:05:37we would make comparisons based on that,

1:05:39and we main

1:05:40Uh we try to be competitive, um but also

1:05:44um making sure that um the tuition we

1:05:47have helps pay the expenses.

1:05:49>> We still have more room for seats in

1:05:51that building?

1:05:52>> Um we do. Yes, yep. So the the building

1:05:57has 35 classrooms, 10 average per

1:06:00classroom, so there's enough hopeful

1:06:02room I for 350. What's our current

1:06:05population? Any

1:06:06idea off the top of your head?

1:06:08>> Just under 300, isn't

1:06:09>> 275.

1:06:10>> 5.

1:06:11>> 275, so we have room.

1:06:14>> So anyone that's requested outside

1:06:15tuition has been accommodated. There's

1:06:17no waiting list, or is there?

1:06:18>> Um there is no waiting list. I know that

1:06:21um though Randolph

1:06:23because I speak to the Randolph

1:06:24superintendent quite regularly, Randolph

1:06:27is very inter- inter- interested in

1:06:29sending students um to us. Weymouth

1:06:31already does.

1:06:33Um

1:06:34and um and some of the other

1:06:36superintendents on the collaborative are

1:06:38interested in Quincy as well.

1:06:40Particularly, we've given them tours of

1:06:42the facility. It is a state-of-the-art

1:06:44facility. They're extremely impressed by

1:06:46the facility and the staff, and so um if

1:06:49the collaborative can't help them,

1:06:51certainly we're we'd be open to provide

1:06:53a space for them.

1:06:54>> So then what is the criteria? You're

1:06:56open to it, but I know every situation

1:06:59is different, needs a different um

1:07:01>> Yep, we'll we um a lot of the time what

1:07:04the current students that we have right

1:07:05now out of district um start with us and

1:07:08then moved out of district and we ended

1:07:09up keeping them. So we knew those

1:07:11students.

1:07:12But certainly and Julie and her team and

1:07:15our team administrators can certainly

1:07:18And of course Dr. Perkins can certainly

1:07:21weigh the needs of a requesting student,

1:07:23look at their portfolio and see if it's

1:07:25a good fit. Similar to how we would

1:07:28determine our own students for

1:07:30for fit at the club level.

1:07:33>> Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.

1:07:37>> Anyone else? Mr. Rigoli.

1:07:39>> Just a question [clears throat] on

1:07:41students we lose

1:07:43uh

1:07:45transitioning from ninth grade or eighth

1:07:47grade to high school

1:07:48and then

1:07:49kids that are in the high school who

1:07:50decide to

1:07:52go private.

1:07:53Do you have any data on that?

1:07:55>> Yes, it's on the last page.

1:07:57>> Okay, I've been just looking at it.

1:08:00>> [clears throat]

1:08:01>> 9th through 12th, 25 students went to

1:08:04private school this year.

1:08:06Which is about the same as last year.

1:08:09So

1:08:09and then in addition to grade 6 through

1:08:118, 27 students cuz as you know some of

1:08:13the private schools begin at seventh

1:08:15grade now.

1:08:16>> Right.

1:08:16>> So that's a that's a lot lower than when

1:08:19I first came to work here. It used to be

1:08:21over 100 students a year.

1:08:23>> Mhm.

1:08:23>> So it's it's declining quite a bit. And

1:08:26we do have new student enrollment at the

1:08:28high school level. We've probably

1:08:30enrolled close to 100 students between

1:08:32the two schools who are new.

1:08:35>> To our city.

1:08:36>> To they

1:08:37because they went to private school.

1:08:38People coming from Quincy Catholic

1:08:40Academy and Saint Agatha's.

1:08:42There's definitely that.

1:08:44>> And how about kids who are in the high

1:08:46school decide to leave?

1:08:48>> For those for the for the private

1:08:50school, the 25 is grades 9 through 12.

1:08:52>> Okay, so it includes those kids who were

1:08:54in high school and then

1:08:56decide to

1:08:57go private.

1:08:57>> It's mostly ninth grade. A couple of

1:08:59maybe a a of kids that the upper grades.

1:09:02>> Okay. It's less usual.

1:09:04>> I'm concerned that we lose a a good kid

1:09:06and we lose a family as well.

1:09:08>> Sure.

1:09:09>> Um that's that's my concern about that.

1:09:11>> Mhm.

1:09:12>> Thank you.

1:09:14>> This is Fredius. I just had one question

1:09:16that just occurred to me. Um how many

1:09:18home-schooled kiddos do we have?

1:09:21>> I believe we have about 70.

1:09:23>> 70?

1:09:24>> Is that right, Mike?

1:09:25>> Approximately about 50.

1:09:27>> Is it 50 now? Okay.

1:09:30Thanks, Dean.

1:09:30>> Mike handles our home-school. Thank you,

1:09:32Mike.

1:09:32>> But many many of the home-school

1:09:34students never attended Quincy Public

1:09:36Schools.

1:09:40Any other questions?

1:09:42Oh.

1:09:44Quincy High School

1:09:45>> Yes.

1:09:45>> representative?

1:09:47>> I just had some feedback from my

1:09:49teachers at Quincy High School and many

1:09:51of them feel like regarding like the

1:09:52class sizes, a lot of you of them feel

1:09:55like really overwhelmed with the class

1:09:56sizes. I think it's like 25 students,

1:09:5927.

1:10:00So many of them feel overwhelmed and

1:10:02they're like asking cuz they know I'm on

1:10:04the list as a student rep, they're

1:10:06asking to like speak about like if the

1:10:08class sizes could be reduced.

1:10:10>> Okay. We'll take a look at that. Thank

1:10:11you very much for that feedback.

1:10:13Thank you.

1:10:14>> Go right ahead, North Quincy High School

1:10:15representative.

1:10:16>> Um just to add on to that, I had two

1:10:19teachers last year and

1:10:21it was my

1:10:22advanced chemistry and I believe it was

1:10:24my advanced algebra teachers

1:10:26and they really do prefer the smaller

1:10:29class sizes because it makes them feel

1:10:30like they can work more personally and

1:10:32closely with the students rather than

1:10:35with like bigger class sizes, they feel

1:10:36like they have to rush things and some

1:10:38students might not really understand the

1:10:41curriculum or whatever and they have to

1:10:42do more studying outside of class. So I

1:10:44think that

1:10:45the smaller class sizes would really be

1:10:47more preferable in that in those

1:10:48situations.

1:10:49>> Thank you.

1:10:50>> Thank you.

1:10:52>> Okay. Anyone else?

1:10:54>> One more point.

1:10:54>> Go right ahead, sir.

1:10:56>> Just one more point. Um if you could

1:10:58Superintendent and your team, I'd love

1:11:00to get comparison

1:11:02of class sizes those communities around

1:11:04us and how we stack up.

1:11:06>> Sure.

1:11:06>> Maybe

1:11:08to some of the districts that compare to

1:11:09us in size and then some of the

1:11:10communities that are about us.

1:11:12Thank you.

1:11:12>> Yes, thank you.

1:11:17>> All set?

1:11:18>> All set.

1:11:18>> Okay, please carry on with your

1:11:20presentation.

1:11:21>> Uh for the upcoming November 3rd

1:11:23professional development day for QPS

1:11:25educators, over 80 different small group

1:11:27sessions are available [clears throat]

1:11:28for 950 professional staff members to

1:11:30choose

1:11:32um from with topics ranging from

1:11:34literacy, STEM, English learner, and

1:11:36special education supports to

1:11:39integrating music and movement, educator

1:11:41wellness, and restorative practices. We

1:11:44are looking forward to the special day

1:11:46for the Quincy Public Schools

1:11:47professional staff members and thanks to

1:11:50of course Dr. Perkins, the SLT, the QEA

1:11:52for helping organize this

1:11:55great event.

1:11:56Um so, the last couple of years has been

1:11:58a great success and we expect that to be

1:12:01the case this year as well. Thank you

1:12:03everyone. And of course, later that same

1:12:05day, 77 educators will be recognized in

1:12:07a ceremony at Quincy High School for

1:12:09having achieved professional teacher

1:12:11status. So, congratulations to those 77.

1:12:16Uh upcoming Quincy Public Schools and

1:12:18City of Quincy events, the first Parent

1:12:20Academy event of the new school year

1:12:21will be a grades K through 5 parent math

1:12:26popular presenter Greg Tang tomorrow

1:12:28night, Thursday, October 15th at 7:00

1:12:30p.m. at the Clifford Marshall Elementary

1:12:33School.

1:12:34The rescheduled Quincy Open Heritage Day

1:12:36will be held this Saturday, October 17th

1:12:38from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

1:12:40at 10 historic sites in the city.

1:12:42There'll be 20 free historic tours,

1:12:45activities, and programs throughout the

1:12:47day. Check the city's website,

1:12:49quincyma.gov,

1:12:51for more information. The Quincy Special

1:12:53Education Parent Advisory Council is

1:12:55hosting the annual trunk-or-treat event

1:12:57on Sunday, October 18th from 1:00 p.m.

1:13:00to 3:00 p.m. in the parking lot of the

1:13:02DeCristofaro Learning Center. Additional

1:13:04information can be found at their

1:13:06website quincysepac.com.

1:13:09That's quincy s e p a c dot com. On

1:13:13October 22nd, QPS will be hosting a

1:13:15parent academy for middle school

1:13:17families on the new science curriculum

1:13:19OpenSciEd. The event will be held at

1:13:22Central Middle School in the media

1:13:24center starting at 6:00 p.m.

1:13:26The middle school fall athletic season

1:13:27will be coming to an end in the next few

1:13:30weeks, which is um amazing.

1:13:32Uh with the citywide cross country meet

1:13:34on October 22nd at 3:00 3:15 p.m. at

1:13:38Pageant Field and the city tennis

1:13:40championships on October 24th at 9:00

1:13:43a.m. at the Quincy High School courts.

1:13:46Students from all five middle schools

1:13:48will be competing in friendly cross town

1:13:50competitions, and we of course wish them

1:13:53all the best of luck. The Massachusetts

1:13:55Instrumental and Choral Conductors

1:13:57Association,

1:13:58other uh otherwise known as MICA, will

1:14:01once again be hosting the statewide

1:14:04marching band championship finals at

1:14:05Veterans Memorial Stadium on Sunday,

1:14:08October 25th from noon to 6:00 p.m. Best

1:14:11of luck to the Q and Q band and color

1:14:14guard as they compete in this

1:14:15competition.

1:14:17In closing, congratulations to the

1:14:19Quincy North Quincy High School girls

1:14:21cross country team for their three-peat

1:14:24as 2026 Patriot League regular season

1:14:27champions. Amazing work. Uh our student

1:14:30athletes had another outstanding season

1:14:32and were undefeated in the Fisher

1:14:34division as well. So, congratulations to

1:14:36all of our student athletes. With that,

1:14:38that ends the superintendent's report.

1:14:43>> Thank you, superintendent. Do you have

1:14:44any other further questions?

1:14:46Comments?

1:14:47Seeing none, okay, we'll move on.

1:14:51Okay, next on the agenda we have um

1:14:55old business and we have Mrs. Cahill. We

1:14:58have two items um

1:15:00that are up for discussion under policy.

1:15:03Um these policy revisions are eligible

1:15:05for a vote on October 28th and Miss

1:15:08Cahill,

1:15:09give you the floor.

1:15:11>> Yes, um so the first one is the proposed

1:15:13revision to the wellness policy and um

1:15:16we had a preliminary discussion and now

1:15:19it's here in front of us to um discuss

1:15:21and and vote to implement. So,

1:15:24open the discussion.

1:15:25>> Any discussion on this?

1:15:27Miss Perdue,

1:15:29thank you.

1:15:30Thank you team and thank you for uh the

1:15:32presentation at the last policy

1:15:33subcommittee meeting. Thank you for

1:15:35coming back to answer some of the

1:15:36questions from the rest of us um that

1:15:38didn't get that chance to ask those

1:15:39questions there. Um

1:15:41couple questions on this. Uh

1:15:44so, the Quincy High School cultural fair

1:15:47happens during the school day and is um

1:15:50an extraordinary event at that school

1:15:52that, you know, the student body gets

1:15:54super excited about, everyone

1:15:55participates, and it's very food-based.

1:15:58Um how does this impact that?

1:16:12Um

1:16:13I would ask the superintendent maybe to

1:16:15weigh in on this.

1:16:16>> Yeah, so with regard to the regulations,

1:16:19so there is a question as to whether or

1:16:20not those regulations would have an

1:16:22impact on a one-off school event like

1:16:24the cultural event. Um so, certainly

1:16:27uh we can check with the um state to see

1:16:30if that does have an impact. I hope the

1:16:32answer is no because that event is so

1:16:35important to our students and brings all

1:16:37these cultures together.

1:16:39>> Probably one of the best event uh one of

1:16:42the best events that uh Quincy High puts

1:16:44on. Um, and um I'm hoping that these

1:16:48regulations would not have a negative

1:16:49impact on that. Certainly, the

1:16:51regulations, the day-in and day-out

1:16:53regulations associated with the food

1:16:55service program, we will absolutely

1:16:57follow those regulations.

1:16:58Um, but we need clarity on whether or

1:17:00not something like this would end up

1:17:02basically requiring us to make sure that

1:17:05the student dishes coming in from home

1:17:07are meeting the nutrition regulations of

1:17:10the state. That would be a very

1:17:12extremely difficult thing to do. Um, and

1:17:15so I'm hoping that that is not the case.

1:17:18>> Same. Same. It's uh moving that event to

1:17:21an after-school type uh situation would

1:17:23definitely cut the attendance and it

1:17:25would just decimate that event. So, I

1:17:26hope that I hope we

1:17:27>> I agree.

1:17:28>> allow for that. I just don't want us to

1:17:29be in violation of it. Um, but I hope

1:17:31so, too. Um, are we including students

1:17:34on the uh health, nutrition, and

1:17:36wellness advisory committee at in any

1:17:39way?

1:17:41>> Um, at the school level, each school

1:17:43will, based on this policy, have an

1:17:46opportunity to invite children in the

1:17:48school to those um

1:17:50internal school wellness planning. As of

1:17:54now, we don't have a student body within

1:17:56the wellness um committee, but it's

1:17:58something we can definitely consider.

1:18:00>> Yeah, at the school level is great. And

1:18:02maybe just, you know,

1:18:03one or two kind of uh

1:18:05delegates or something could maybe be

1:18:07part of that, just to give you feedback

1:18:09on you know, I know [clears throat] you

1:18:10you put a lot of effort into the

1:18:12initiatives, but it's really good. I

1:18:14mean, they're super honest. I have three

1:18:15that have always been honest about the

1:18:17food and um health uh initiatives in the

1:18:20school. So, they they tend to share very

1:18:22openly about it. So, that would be great

1:18:24to get their input on that. Um

1:18:27and then I was also curious about um

1:18:30so

1:18:31the uh how does it work for like PTOs or

1:18:34different things like that? Um

1:18:37do PTOs have to abide by these type of

1:18:39regulations or is it um, because that

1:18:41most of that stuff's after school?

1:18:44>> It's 30 minutes after school. Yeah, they

1:18:46>> All right, so we're okay on that.

1:18:47>> Yep.

1:18:48>> Um,

1:18:50cuz again, I think that would be pretty

1:18:51detrimental to some of that. Um,

1:18:54and I had a question on um, it's on page

1:18:57two. It's uh, suggestions

1:19:00recommendations from students, parents,

1:19:01teachers, school nurses, school

1:19:03administrators, nutrition and phys ed

1:19:05staff. Um, how is that how would those

1:19:07sele- suggestions and recommendations

1:19:10elicited? How how do you ask for that

1:19:11feedback from parents and um, students

1:19:15and teachers?

1:19:16>> Sure, on our website where the menus are

1:19:19are posted, there is a message where

1:19:21they can talk to us and my email is

1:19:22there.

1:19:23Um, we do host taste testings and we do

1:19:28uh, like survey monkeys for students to

1:19:30fill out forms and and let us know what

1:19:31they think of the food and we do that

1:19:33all year at all different schools.

1:19:34>> Okay.

1:19:35Yeah, it might be good to advertise that

1:19:37a little bit more that, you know, or

1:19:38just even do it like a

1:19:40you know, a a hard copy or a Google form

1:19:42or something for students every now and

1:19:43then so it's not that they have to like

1:19:45find the chat feature on the website,

1:19:48which I know my kids would run run

1:19:51screaming from.

1:19:51>> Yeah.

1:19:53>> Um,

1:19:54and then we already have a wellness

1:19:56committee in every school, right? Is

1:19:58that's not new to this policy?

1:19:59>> It's not new to this policy, but it is

1:20:01something that we're checking on. Once

1:20:03this policy is fully active, um, we'll I

1:20:06will be sending emails out to principals

1:20:09see what what's going on in each school

1:20:10to help so I can facilitate and help in

1:20:12those areas.

1:20:14>> That's great. Um, and then um, the last

1:20:16question I think I had

1:20:18um,

1:20:20was uh, on the MySchoolBucks. I know

1:20:23when uh, the lunches and the breakfasts

1:20:25became free, um, I know that kiddos can

1:20:28still buy snacks and different things

1:20:30and so that it's still a valuable

1:20:32program to have to have that extra money

1:20:33in there if they want a second lunch or

1:20:35anything like that. But um

1:20:37is there a way that have all those

1:20:38student accounts been like cleared out?

1:20:41The ones that have like balances in

1:20:42there, are we communicating somehow with

1:20:44families to let them know that they

1:20:46still might have had an old balance in

1:20:48there from before those were free?

1:20:50>> We have on our menus a message. So

1:20:52anytime you see a menu, you can ask for

1:20:54your money back. There's a form on our

1:20:56website as well.

1:20:57>> Okay.

1:20:57>> Um so we get those monthly. We're

1:20:59usually closing out a few accounts every

1:21:01month. So it is happening. We are

1:21:02getting them.

1:21:03>> Okay. Do we have any idea how many

1:21:05aren't closed or people aren't don't

1:21:07know to ask?

1:21:07>> I can look. I don't know off off the top

1:21:09of my head, but

1:21:09>> That would be great just to see, you

1:21:11know, I mean any family that can get any

1:21:12amount of money back [clears throat]

1:21:13that they thought that maybe they'd

1:21:14forgotten about or different things like

1:21:16that would be a very, you know, big help

1:21:18I would think in

1:21:20knowing the price of groceries these

1:21:21days.

1:21:22Um

1:21:23and then I think uh at the last thing I

1:21:25had was on the physical exemption I'm

1:21:28sorry, the physical education

1:21:29guidelines. Uh it says that all students

1:21:31in grades K to 12 will participate in

1:21:33physical education classes. Uh but I

1:21:35know we do have some exemptions for band

1:21:38and for sports. Should we be putting

1:21:39that in here

1:21:42so that the policy says that there are

1:21:44some exemptions or like where noted or

1:21:47unless otherwise noted?

1:21:48>> Or maybe you Yeah, maybe you refer to

1:21:52the physical education policy

1:21:54>> [clears throat]

1:21:54>> unless otherwise noted in the um

1:21:57whatever. I can't remember what the

1:21:58number is and I know we're going to be

1:21:59talking about that soon. But um I Yeah,

1:22:03I think you could just reference the

1:22:05actual policy that has the exemptions in

1:22:07it.

1:22:07>> Yeah, maybe we could put that in there.

1:22:08>> Yeah.

1:22:09>> Um and then I'm just under that outdoor

1:22:11recess. It says outdoor recess will be

1:22:13offered when weather is feasible for

1:22:15outdoor play. Would this be an

1:22:16opportunity to sort of list what those

1:22:19qualifications are for kids to go

1:22:21outside? Like under certain temperature

1:22:22we don't go out. If it's raining with

1:22:24you know, it would it be a good

1:22:25opportunity here to kind of flesh that

1:22:27out a little bit, so families would sort

1:22:28of understand what the

1:22:30um cuz you always get families that sort

1:22:31of say

1:22:33>> That's actually a separate policy.

1:22:34>> Okay.

1:22:35I I thought I was going to say I think

1:22:37we have that already. Okay, maybe we

1:22:38could reference that. Mhm. Yeah, maybe

1:22:40we could put a reference to it there.

1:22:41That's great. Thank you. Sorry for all

1:22:42the minutia kind of details. And thank

1:22:44you again for coming back to answer

1:22:46questions.

1:22:47Thank you.

1:22:48>> Anyone else?

1:22:50Mr. Leung.

1:22:52>> Um similar to the the sentiments

1:22:55expressed earlier about kind of the

1:22:59reach of um

1:23:02I guess changing nutritional standards.

1:23:05Um I'm curious about uh vending machines

1:23:08in the high schools. Um have any changes

1:23:12been needed um

1:23:15you know, with regards to

1:23:17uh the providers of those

1:23:19or um

1:23:21you know, the choices that are made to

1:23:24of what is is um stocked in them.

1:23:28>> So, yes, they meet the smart snack

1:23:30standard for the state of Massachusetts.

1:23:32Um and they're those guidelines have a

1:23:34specific calorie amounts, a specific

1:23:37total fat amount, saturated fat, zero

1:23:38trans fat, certain amount of sodium that

1:23:41meet the standards. So, they're

1:23:42formulated for schools. Um

1:23:45those vending machines both in Quincy

1:23:46High and North Quincy High.

1:23:47>> Okay, thank you.

1:23:48>> Yes.

1:23:50All set?

1:23:52Anyone else?

1:23:55Okay.

1:23:56>> Thank you, Sarah.

1:23:56>> Thank you very much.

1:23:57>> Thank you.

1:23:59>> So, do we need a motion to um approve

1:24:01this?

1:24:01>> No, you have to wait This is just for

1:24:03discussion.

1:24:03>> Oh, next week. Okay.

1:24:04>> The vote on this is on October 28th.

1:24:06>> Okay, I knew that.

1:24:08Um Where is the next one?

1:24:09Okay, next one. Um proposed revision to

1:24:12the School Committee Policy 10.9.3,

1:24:15Restraint, Seclusion, and Time Out

1:24:17Policy, um open for discussion.

1:24:20And um Dr. Perkins.

1:24:22Anyone Anyone have a question?

1:24:24>> this one? Mr. Liang.

1:24:26>> Yeah, I think this was covered in the

1:24:32subcommittee meeting, but Dr. Perkins, I

1:24:34was wondering if you could just clarify

1:24:35for everyone here tonight

1:24:39the section about the rooms for

1:24:43seclusion. I think each school had to

1:24:46have

1:24:48such a room, though not

1:24:51strictly dedicated. So So could you just

1:24:54>> Yeah, so we don't have seclusion rooms

1:24:56in our building. Some places do in

1:24:59Massachusetts. We do not.

1:25:01But I'm not sure which part you're

1:25:03you're referencing, but if a school

1:25:07as I think I said in the the policy

1:25:10meeting, we do not use seclusion as a

1:25:12practice in Quincy Public Schools. We

1:25:14have not really ever used seclusion as a

1:25:17practice in Quincy Public Schools.

1:25:19But if you were a school that was going

1:25:22to use that, then it would need to be

1:25:24well ventilated, well lit. It needs to

1:25:27be, you know, heating and air just like

1:25:30the rest of the building. It needs to be

1:25:31clean. It needs to be inspected by the

1:25:34principal like once per week.

1:25:36And that's all in the policy. So I'm not

1:25:40sure if you're referring to that or what

1:25:42we do do sometimes is time outs. You

1:25:45know, we would or in we would take a

1:25:47student, you know, maybe that might be

1:25:49escalated and we may go into the

1:25:52guidance office. That's not seclusion.

1:25:55The because the students are the door is

1:25:58not locked. They're never alone without

1:26:00a staff person. We may be in there we

1:26:02may not like we may be containing them

1:26:04in that room to keep them safe, but it

1:26:07they're always with the staff member and

1:26:10the door is we never lock students in

1:26:12and then walk out of the room. So I'm

1:26:14not sure which one that we do do

1:26:17sometimes, but that actually does not

1:26:18meet the definition of seclusion. That

1:26:20That would be considered a timeout,

1:26:21which is a behavioral intervention

1:26:23strategy.

1:26:24>> Great. Thank you.

1:26:25Thanks for that clarification.

1:26:26>> Yeah.

1:26:27All set?

1:26:27>> Yes.

1:26:28>> Okay. Anyone else with questions? Miss

1:26:30Campbell. Campbell.

1:26:32>> I just um I really appreciated

1:26:35both listening to you and reading this

1:26:37about the rarity, um how thoughtful the

1:26:40process is, one, and um

1:26:44sort of how it leans more progressive

1:26:46and regressive, right? You the issue

1:26:49with using restraints is it's got to be

1:26:51pretty significant

1:26:53um situation, and it's not restraints

1:26:56like you would generally, like the word

1:26:58indicates, right?

1:26:59>> Right.

1:26:59>> Um

1:27:00and also the understanding that

1:27:03um there are situations where kids just

1:27:06need a break from the environment in

1:27:07order to reset.

1:27:09>> That's right.

1:27:09>> And I appreciate that component and how

1:27:11that was spelled out here. So, thank

1:27:13you.

1:27:13>> Yeah, my pleasure. Thank you.

1:27:15All set?

1:27:16>> Okay.

1:27:17>> Miss Porteous.

1:27:19>> Thank you. Similar Thank you for going

1:27:21through this at the policy meeting. Um

1:27:23I was glad to hear the details on it.

1:27:25And again, the infre- infrequency with

1:27:27which things happen here. Um

1:27:29I was reading um though I just had a

1:27:30concern on the um I think this is in the

1:27:33policy, the medication restraint, the

1:27:36administration of medication for the

1:27:37purpose of temporarily controlling

1:27:39behavior. Do we do that?

1:27:40>> Never.

1:27:41>> Okay. I never ever remember ever hearing

1:27:43that. That That seems a little weird.

1:27:45>> There's lots in this policy that we have

1:27:47in there that we never do, but we are

1:27:50required to have it.

1:27:52>> Okay. So, but we but we don't do that in

1:27:54the policy.

1:27:54>> not ever We never put a student We never

1:27:56use a prone position to restrain. We

1:27:58never do medication uh restraints.

1:28:02We never Really, we never do like

1:28:04physical restraints, which, you know,

1:28:05some students, you know, some places may

1:28:09use, say, like a Rifton chair, which is

1:28:11a chair that assists students to with

1:28:14their posture, right? It's a it's kind

1:28:16of like a wooden chair, and there are

1:28:18like lap belts on those chairs, and um

1:28:21sometimes there's like things for your

1:28:23feet so that in some schools, not our

1:28:26schools, will use like we cut the belts

1:28:29off. We we do not use any kind of

1:28:32physical restraint, nothing like that.

1:28:35Um so, we're we're pretty particular

1:28:37about what we do, but we have to have it

1:28:39in there because

1:28:40>> That's right. I just wanted to make sure

1:28:41we weren't.

1:28:42>> Um and then uh

1:28:44do parents are are parents notified or

1:28:46and should they be if their students are

1:28:48removed from class for de-escalation and

1:28:50then returned to class? Are they

1:28:52notified? Should they be notified? Okay.

1:28:54>> Yep. They our principals are excellent.

1:28:57Our guidance counselors, if the student

1:29:00is having a tough day, they absolutely

1:29:02call the parents and let them know, you

1:29:04know, um

1:29:05>> a lot of times, you know, it sometimes

1:29:08it's our substantially separate

1:29:09classrooms. Sometimes it could be a

1:29:11general education student that's just

1:29:12having a bad day. And uh so, they'll

1:29:15call and they'll let the and then they

1:29:16will call back and they'll say, "Okay,

1:29:18they regrouped, they got it back

1:29:20together, and they were able to, you

1:29:22know, return back to class."

1:29:23>> Okay. And are these um rules or is this

1:29:26policy or or procedure does that carry

1:29:29over into out of district placements as

1:29:31well or do they have their own?

1:29:33>> They have to have their own, but it

1:29:35should match. Yeah.

1:29:36>> Mhm.

1:29:37>> Sounds great. Thank you.

1:29:38>> They still have to follow it just like

1:29:39we do.

1:29:40>> Okay, but they wouldn't have like the

1:29:41medication restraint either. Like that

1:29:43type Like they could do it, but they

1:29:45aren't.

1:29:46>> Uh so, I can't speak necessarily for an

1:29:48out of district placement in, you know,

1:29:50what what they may or may not use. What

1:29:53I can tell you because there are like

1:29:55there are some pretty, you know,

1:29:57places that deal with a lot, you know?

1:30:00And so, I can't say that it would never

1:30:02happen at an out of district placement,

1:30:03but what I can say is that if it is

1:30:06something that an out-of-district

1:30:07placement uses or considers using, the

1:30:11parents are well aware of that. Parents

1:30:13sign off on that. Um everybody knows

1:30:17that that is in place, and it's usually

1:30:21if a student, like I can think of one

1:30:22place in particular, if a student is is

1:30:25it's very rare that we have students

1:30:27that go there, and if they are going

1:30:28there, it's literally probably the last

1:30:31resort at that at that point to find a

1:30:33placement.

1:30:34>> Okay. And it's the safety issue.

1:30:36>> and the parents are well aware. They

1:30:37would they they won't even take them if

1:30:39the parents don't sign off on it.

1:30:41>> Okay. Thank you for that.

1:30:43All set?

1:30:45Anyone else?

1:30:46Okay. Thank you very much. All right, so

1:30:48this will be on for discussion for I'm

1:30:50beyond for a vote on October 28th.

1:30:55All right, next on the agenda, we have

1:30:58out-of-country travel, North Quincy High

1:31:00School to the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

1:31:02from April 14th

1:31:04to April 22nd, 2028. This was moved from

1:31:09being tabled to this meeting, so it is

1:31:11up for discussion and a vote. And at

1:31:13that time, I will need a motion and a

1:31:15second, and then we'll do a vote. Um so,

1:31:17I'm opening up to discussion, but first

1:31:19I'd like to hear from Superintendent

1:31:21because we had a question on um

1:31:23liability that um we were hoping to get

1:31:26answered.

1:31:27>> Yes. Um so, we we're looking at I I was

1:31:30looking at some recent cases, and so

1:31:32there's recent case law certainly with

1:31:34regard to um within the last few years.

1:31:38Um and also guidance with regard to

1:31:41potential title title nine liability

1:31:43liability for the district, of course.

1:31:45It would be the same type of liability

1:31:47that would occur to a district if

1:31:48something happened within the classroom

1:31:50on the trip. So, if you're talking about

1:31:52an injury to a student or a sexual

1:31:54assault of a student, or an injury from

1:31:56a student to a staff member, um

1:31:58certainly if it's a staff member

1:31:59responsible for the intentional um

1:32:02injury or an injury occurring due to

1:32:06negligence, certainly the district would

1:32:09be liable. With regard to a Title 9

1:32:11investigation, obviously the distance

1:32:14would make things difficult with regard

1:32:17to

1:32:18potentially interviewing witnesses who

1:32:19may or may not be a part of the group.

1:32:22So that is also another consideration. I

1:32:25know that many members of

1:32:28our SLT, including Dr. Perkins, attended

1:32:31a training relative to Title 9 and the

1:32:34attorney handling that training

1:32:36certainly said that, you know, his

1:32:37children went away on trips, but as an

1:32:40attorney representing a district, he

1:32:42would be hesitant to recommend district

1:32:44approve trips that, you know, have an

1:32:48extended um

1:32:50distance just because of potential Title

1:32:539 issues relative to the investigation

1:32:55of those

1:32:56complaints

1:32:58as well as

1:33:00negligence theory and potential and

1:33:02intentional action as well.

1:33:06So the other issues, too, is that EF in

1:33:10particular has recently been sued

1:33:14for negligence

1:33:17relative to

1:33:19negligence

1:33:22theory and that's ongoing in the courts

1:33:25right now. So there's been summary

1:33:28judgment motions filed, which means that

1:33:30the judge can determine whether or not

1:33:32they are liable moving forward under the

1:33:35law. So that will have to work out, but

1:33:37that's certainly something that does

1:33:39exist with regard to claims by either

1:33:42students or staff against travel

1:33:46companies and in particular EF. Also

1:33:49with regard to state ethics,

1:33:51there is active litigation ongoing with

1:33:55regard to state ethics. So EF, this very

1:33:58company that we're dealing with here,

1:33:59was fined $500,000 by the Attorney

1:34:01General's office

1:34:03for engaging in

1:34:05I think what they would classify as um

1:34:09consistent approaching of teachers to

1:34:13try and entice teachers to gain students

1:34:15to go on trips. In exchange for that,

1:34:17they're getting, you know, free trips,

1:34:19but it's but stipends and money, which

1:34:21is a violation of state ethics. So, EF

1:34:24itself was fined $500,000. The teacher

1:34:26most recently was fined $7,000

1:34:29by the State Ethics Commission, not

1:34:31necessarily because she organized a trip

1:34:35and received a free trip, but EF paid

1:34:38um

1:34:39um

1:34:41her [clears throat]

1:34:42additional travel vouchers and travel

1:34:44credits and that sort of thing, which

1:34:46according to state ethics violated state

1:34:47ethics law, and that teacher was fined

1:34:49$7,000. So, there's certainly litigation

1:34:53liability not only in Title IX,

1:34:55but just straight negligence, straight

1:34:58intentional activity, as well as state

1:35:00ethics. So, you asked me to review with

1:35:03you the potential liability for trips

1:35:05like this. That is certainly

1:35:07kind of the broad scope. In these cases,

1:35:09some of them are active and some of them

1:35:11were recently settled, particularly the

1:35:13$500,000 fine against EF and the $7,000

1:35:15fine against the teacher. That was, I

1:35:17believe, 20 2000

1:35:20um 25.

1:35:22Um so, it's in the last year or two.

1:35:25Um so, there is liability at multiple

1:35:27levels for trips like this moving

1:35:28forward.

1:35:31>> Okay. Thank you very much.

1:35:32>> You're welcome.

1:35:32>> Open it up to comments.

1:35:34Ms. Cahill?

1:35:36Well, I guess I'm I'm going to do a like

1:35:38a 360 from the last time I was here.

1:35:41Um

1:35:42I did [clears throat] a little research

1:35:43and I know a lot of people who um

1:35:46have worked for EF and had have had um

1:35:49experience with them.

1:35:51And I had questions about if they are in

1:35:54a if kids are far away, who takes care

1:35:57of them if there's issues and the people

1:35:59from EF go with the go with them or help

1:36:02them to mitigate any issues they might

1:36:05have in different countries. But I also

1:36:07feel like if we're going to say no to

1:36:09this

1:36:10group going with EF on a trip, then we

1:36:12shouldn't be allowed in in liability,

1:36:14then we shouldn't be allowing any of the

1:36:16trips to be happening.

1:36:18Um so because of that

1:36:21it's either all or nothing in my eyes

1:36:23and to say no to and it's up to

1:36:27families and students and um you know,

1:36:30in terms of the cost and wanting to take

1:36:32the trip. Um I think it's up to them if

1:36:35we are offering trips around the world

1:36:38from with EF

1:36:40then um we either say no to all of them

1:36:44or we leave this up to families to

1:36:47decide if they want to take the

1:36:48opportunity. So that's going to be my um

1:36:52point of view.

1:36:54>> Ms. Campbell

1:36:55>> Uh similar to Ms. Cahill, I did some

1:36:58research on and

1:37:00um a lot of the schools around us are

1:37:02all using this

1:37:04um organization for their their trips.

1:37:07And um so and the folks I had talked to

1:37:11in in different places seem to have

1:37:13positive

1:37:14um experiences and talked about the

1:37:16thoroughness in which the group is

1:37:19responsible. I also think that if our

1:37:22educators are proposing this, I have to

1:37:25trust them.

1:37:26Right? They're the ones that are going

1:37:28and are going to have to manage these

1:37:29students. It is a major task to be

1:37:32responsible as an educator for students

1:37:35outside of the country. So I I believe

1:37:38that they must have done their due

1:37:39diligence in thinking about

1:37:42what um is going to happen. So for me, I

1:37:45think it's a family decision. Um I I

1:37:48think it is all or nothing as well,

1:37:51right? If you say no to this, then you

1:37:52have to think about it across the board.

1:37:57>> Thank you, Ms. Perdue.

1:37:59>> I had a quick question I actually two

1:38:00quick questions first, but one for the

1:38:01superintendent. What What is Title IX?

1:38:04>> Oh, so Title IX is essentially the

1:38:08the federal law that

1:38:10um prohibits discrimination um as well

1:38:14that too includes harassment or sexual

1:38:16harassment against any

1:38:19student or staff member within a agency

1:38:22in particular, in this case the Quincy

1:38:24Public Schools.

1:38:25>> Okay. And then my second question is

1:38:27more for student reps. Um we heard at

1:38:29the last meeting from the last student

1:38:31reps about how they felt about the trips

1:38:33and

1:38:34um

1:38:34it was I sort of shared that I felt kind

1:38:37of as a parent um going to different

1:38:40open houses and and just through my

1:38:41kiddos um it was these trips are kind of

1:38:44pushed pretty hard in your history

1:38:46classes and whatnot and you get

1:38:48information about it and it's exciting

1:38:50and it's talked up quite a bit and then,

1:38:52you know, there's a lot of difficult

1:38:53conversations that when you go home and

1:38:55you realize it's, you know, $6,000 and

1:38:58it's it's just unreasonable for a lot of

1:39:00families that, you know, that

1:39:02that's that's making people not feel

1:39:04great about it and I wish that it wasn't

1:39:06pushed quite so much in the classrooms.

1:39:08Um I wish that this was like that EF had

1:39:10a table after school and that's how they

1:39:13got kiddos to do it instead of just

1:39:14advertising it through the classrooms.

1:39:16That would make me feel more

1:39:17comfortable, but I'd be curious to get

1:39:19your thoughts on how you felt about

1:39:20these trips as well

1:39:22because I feel like I have conflicting,

1:39:24you know,

1:39:25thoughts on it, so I'd love to get your

1:39:27thoughts.

1:39:28>> Um I can speak as a student who comes

1:39:32from like a lower income background.

1:39:34I personally did not mind it when I

1:39:37believe it was 2025 when the math

1:39:39department at North was kind of I don't

1:39:42know if it was just my teacher cuz she

1:39:43was a chaperone for that trip, but they

1:39:45did push the trip really hard. I know I

1:39:49didn't want to go on that trip, but I

1:39:50didn't really feel any particular way

1:39:52about the teachers really pushing for

1:39:54it.

1:39:54Um

1:39:56one piece of feedback I did get about

1:39:58the potential like Ecuador trip

1:40:01to the Galapagos Islands. Um

1:40:04the primary

1:40:06response or yeah, the response I got

1:40:10most often from my friends and teammates

1:40:12was concerns over the water safety in

1:40:15Ecuador because they have a history of

1:40:18I guess like

1:40:20not unsafe um drinking water just from

1:40:23the tap and it has a history of high

1:40:26salinity and high bacterial count. I

1:40:28don't know if that's an issue in like

1:40:31more touristy areas like the Galapagos

1:40:32Islands would be, but that is the

1:40:35primary like feedback that I've gotten

1:40:37from students about this trip.

1:40:41>> Did you want to add anything?

1:40:42>> Yeah, um oh, this is on.

1:40:44Um for Quincy High, it was majorly um

1:40:47majorly pushed by like the history

1:40:49department, I believe, cuz they're the

1:40:50ones organizing it. Um I personally did

1:40:53not feel like upset or anything over it,

1:40:55but I think they need to push it

1:40:57especially since um I think the last

1:41:00trip only like maybe like eight to 10

1:41:03people went. So, it's not like a lot of

1:41:05people are even going.

1:41:07And it was Yeah, so I think

1:41:09it didn't really affect me anyway, and I

1:41:10don't think my friends felt any way

1:41:12about it either. So, I think it should

1:41:13be fine.

1:41:14>> Okay. It always It's always a concern of

1:41:17mine to not have to not present our

1:41:19students with opportunities that are

1:41:21unreasonable for them to achieve in

1:41:23their in their um you know, usually we

1:41:25have PTOs to help support different

1:41:27activities so we don't have to say no to

1:41:29kiddos. We have free summer programs,

1:41:31and then kind of actively pushing this

1:41:33in the classroom is is difficult for for

1:41:35I I I'm glad to hear that it's not I'm

1:41:37sorry. Go to it.

1:41:38>> All right, I just had a

1:41:40question. My um is there like a

1:41:41particular department in North Mass

1:41:44campaigning or sponsoring this trip to

1:41:47Ecuador?

1:41:49>> I believe it's a science department.

1:41:51>> Yeah.

1:41:52>> So I I guess I have mixed feelings on

1:41:54it. I I agree

1:41:56that you know, with Ms. Campbell that if

1:41:58our educators are asking for this, I

1:42:00don't I don't really like not supporting

1:42:02our educators on this, but I am

1:42:03uncomfortable with the location. I'm

1:42:05uncomfortable with some of the legality

1:42:07that we just heard tonight. Um I'm

1:42:09uncomfortable with the cost. I'm

1:42:10uncomfortable with asking kiddos in the

1:42:12classroom, presenting them with this

1:42:13opportunity where it being so much

1:42:15money.

1:42:16Um

1:42:17I I'm I really do I'm conflicted on it.

1:42:19Um

1:42:20So that's kind of where I'm at at this

1:42:22point, I guess.

1:42:25>> Mr. LeYoung?

1:42:26>> Yes, thank you. Um

1:42:28just to echo what uh my colleague Mrs.

1:42:31Perreault just said. Um I also have a

1:42:35lot of concerns and I did express some

1:42:38in our last meeting.

1:42:40Um I raised uh concerns about cost's

1:42:44prohibitiveness,

1:42:46uh equity issues.

1:42:48Um did consider the point made about uh

1:42:51safety and I guess um State Department

1:42:54classification of of Ecuador at the

1:42:58moment. Um I I hear what my colleagues

1:43:01are saying about

1:43:03uh well, if we don't approve this, um we

1:43:06can't approve

1:43:09uh other other trips um

1:43:11you know, out of the country. I I hear

1:43:13that. I I don't completely agree. This

1:43:16one does feel different than a trip to

1:43:20Europe um

1:43:22you know, to to France or or Spain.

1:43:24Those are the big ones because of um

1:43:27foreign language.

1:43:30Uh

1:43:31the the comments the superintendent made

1:43:33about EF also uh that's that's new

1:43:37information.

1:43:38I mean all that to say

1:43:41I will um just continue to emphasize my

1:43:45concerns about this, but I I think

1:43:48for me um those concerns are more at the

1:43:53personal and parental level. I don't

1:43:56think they

1:43:57rise enough to affect

1:44:01policy. I don't think that I should

1:44:05um

1:44:06you know, have those

1:44:07those opinions

1:44:10um

1:44:12prohibit um

1:44:13you know, a student or a family from

1:44:15from going on such a trip and and having

1:44:19um

1:44:20such a learning experience.

1:44:26>> My thoughts on this are strictly what I

1:44:28Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Pagli. Go ahead.

1:44:30No, that's right. You're first.

1:44:32>> Um with the information the

1:44:34superintendent gave us tonight

1:44:35uh I question in the integrity of the uh

1:44:39the uh EF

1:44:41in whole.

1:44:42Um

1:44:43and that gives me great pause to uh

1:44:46some of the other issues that I have

1:44:48with um

1:44:50traveling that far into a

1:44:52country that's a

1:44:53What What did they call last time,

1:44:55Cathy?

1:44:57>> Level two. Bordering level three.

1:44:59>> Yeah.

1:45:00Um

1:45:02Our first and foremost should be the

1:45:03safety of our

1:45:05uh our kids. Yeah.

1:45:07No matter if they're playing a sport, in

1:45:08the classroom, or if they're going away.

1:45:10And I'm not comfortable with

1:45:12them going in this uh

1:45:14on this trip to uh

1:45:17a country that's um

1:45:20not safe

1:45:21and

1:45:23with a company that's um

1:45:25compromised

1:45:27uh

1:45:28and with teachers who are getting

1:45:30stipends

1:45:31for

1:45:32uh

1:45:35getting kids to go.

1:45:37So, I mean, it all of those things just

1:45:40they just rub me the wrong way and I I

1:45:41just I just don't feel like I can

1:45:43support.

1:45:44And I said it the last time and I won't

1:45:46change my mind on that.

1:45:48I will not support this trip.

1:45:52>> Thank you.

1:45:53Um yes, as Mr. Pergola brought up, the

1:45:56US Department of State Travel Advisories

1:45:57has Ecuador listed as level two,

1:46:00exercise increased caution

1:46:03containing areas of higher security risk

1:46:05and which it borders, Colombia, which is

1:46:07a level three, containing areas of

1:46:10higher security risk. And for those

1:46:12reasons, I I I can't support it. So, um

1:46:16with that, I would need any more

1:46:18discussion or I would need a motion.

1:46:21>> Motion.

1:46:23It's to approve.

1:46:24>> Ms. Cahill has a motion to approve. Do

1:46:26you have a second? Seconded by Ms.

1:46:29Campbell.

1:46:30Superintendent, you want to do a roll

1:46:31call?

1:46:32>> Yes. Mr. Pergola.

1:46:33>> No.

1:46:34>> Mrs. Cahill.

1:46:35>> Yes.

1:46:36>> Ms. Campbell.

1:46:37>> Yes.

1:46:38>> Mrs. Hubley.

1:46:38>> No.

1:46:39>> Mr. Leon.

1:46:41>> Yes.

1:46:43>> Mrs. Perdeos.

1:46:44>> No.

1:46:46>> And Mayor Cook.

1:46:47So, it's a 3-3, doesn't pass.

1:46:53>> Thank you very much.

1:47:01All right, [clears throat] moving on.

1:47:06Next item on the agenda, we have new

1:47:08business and we have student support

1:47:10service program improvement plan by Ms.

1:47:14Karanassos to come forward and present

1:47:16to us.

1:47:36>> Good evening again.

1:47:38Um thank you for this opportunity to

1:47:39share with you this year's student

1:47:40support program improvement plan.

1:47:43Before I begin, I would just like to

1:47:44take a moment to acknowledge

1:47:46Superintendent Malvey, Assistant

1:47:47Superintendent Dr. Perkins, and the

1:47:50entire superintendent's leadership team.

1:47:53As I completed my first year in the role

1:47:54of Director of Student Support, I found

1:47:56myself reflecting on the tremendous

1:47:58amount of collaborative work that takes

1:47:59place every day across a district of our

1:48:02size and complexity.

1:48:04The SLT's partnership, expertise, and

1:48:07collegiality were instrumental in making

1:48:09my first year both productive and

1:48:10meaningful.

1:48:12I'm incredibly grateful for the way this

1:48:14team works together in an attempt to

1:48:16make decisions that are in the best

1:48:17interest of all our students.

1:48:19The student support team department

1:48:22remains deeply committed to supporting

1:48:23the academic and mental health

1:48:25well-being of every student.

1:48:27Our work is grounded in the belief that

1:48:29students are best positioned to achieve

1:48:31when they feel connected and supported.

1:48:34We continue to hold high academic and

1:48:36social expectations for all students

1:48:38while working to ensure that they have

1:48:40the resources and supports necessary to

1:48:42meet these expectations.

1:48:44We believe that strong social emotional

1:48:46well-being is not separate from academic

1:48:49success, instead it is foundational to

1:48:51it.

1:48:52Much of the work we do is not always

1:48:55tangible or necessarily captured in

1:48:57data.

1:48:58We see its impact in the connections our

1:49:00students build with their schools, their

1:49:03willingness to take healthy academic and

1:49:05social risks, and perhaps most

1:49:07importantly in the trust that allows

1:49:09them to share some of their most

1:49:11personal personal and vulnerable

1:49:13experiences with us.

1:49:15Before discussing this year's new goals,

1:49:17I'd like to offer a reflection of last

1:49:20year's progress, and that begins on page

1:49:22six.

1:49:24The student support department continued

1:49:26to refine systems for identifying and

1:49:28responding to students with significant

1:49:30mental health needs.

1:49:32During the 25-26 school year, our

1:49:34department recorded 178 high-risk

1:49:37referrals, which was a decrease of six

1:49:39referrals from the previous school year.

1:49:42Clinical partnerships with Quarry and

1:49:43Walker Therapeutics continue to provide

1:49:46school-based access to mental health

1:49:48services, while our behavioral health

1:49:50navigator helps students and families

1:49:52connect with appropriate care following

1:49:54a high-risk evaluation.

1:49:57School counselors were also successful

1:49:58in jointly creating a new district-wide

1:50:01online high-risk referral form to

1:50:03improve the efficiency and accuracy of

1:50:05high-risk reporting.

1:50:07The new system was designed to support a

1:50:09broad range of clinical needs, while

1:50:11improving communication and our data

1:50:13collection, and that was successfully

1:50:15implemented just this past September

1:50:172026.

1:50:18Next, on page seven,

1:50:20the district continued to strengthen a

1:50:22consistent trauma-informed approach to

1:50:24supporting

1:50:25students across all grade levels. At the

1:50:28elementary level, the district completed

1:50:30the first year of its three-year

1:50:31partnership with the Alliance for

1:50:33Inclusion and Prevention.

1:50:34School counselors and principals

1:50:36participated in three training sessions

1:50:39on the Cardinal's SEL curriculum.

1:50:41We held a parent academy to further

1:50:43educate our families on the Cardinal's

1:50:45curriculum and the benefits they offer.

1:50:48Schools also strengthened, or in some

1:50:50cases established, trauma-sensitive

1:50:52school teams to examine their current

1:50:54practices and work to move these

1:50:56principles further. With that, staff,

1:50:59student, and caregiver surveys were

1:51:01administered to establish baseline

1:51:03information regarding school climate and

1:51:05trauma-sensitive practices.

1:51:07At the middle school level, the district

1:51:09completed the third and final year of

1:51:11its partnership with Walker Solutions.

1:51:14All five middle schools participated in

1:51:16coaching and consultation focused on

1:51:18improving trauma-informed practices, but

1:51:20also really refining their student

1:51:23support team um structures.

1:51:25This training supported schools in

1:51:27developing a more consistent

1:51:28data-informed system for identifying and

1:51:31responding to students' social emotional

1:51:33needs.

1:51:34The five middle schools are actively

1:51:35engaged and committed to improving their

1:51:38core structure.

1:51:40I'd like to actually specifically

1:51:41recognize Southwest Middle School who

1:51:43last year, under the leadership of

1:51:45Courtney Mitchell and Susan Foley, were

1:51:47identified by Walker Solutions as being

1:51:49a model not only for our um middle

1:51:53school our district middle schools, but

1:51:55for other districts that they work with

1:51:57with their effective team structure and

1:51:59the comprehensive systems they

1:52:00implemented as a result of their

1:52:02training.

1:52:03Middle and high schools also completed

1:52:05the second and final phase of the Sandy

1:52:07Hook Promise Say Something initiative.

1:52:10Students received training focused on

1:52:11recognizing warning signs, reporting

1:52:14concerns, and taking an active role in

1:52:16collectively promoting school safety.

1:52:19Additional prevention programming

1:52:20included suicide prevention

1:52:22presentations through The NAN Project,

1:52:24which further supported student

1:52:26awareness and safety.

1:52:28Uh moving on to page nine, the district

1:52:30continued to recognize that student

1:52:32achievement is closely connected to

1:52:33relationships, engagement, and access to

1:52:36meaningful supports.

1:52:37The Big Brother Big Sister school-based

1:52:39mentoring program at Quincy High School

1:52:41expanded significantly with 142 students

1:52:45participating last year, which was an

1:52:47increase in 60 students from the

1:52:49previous year.

1:52:51Student feedback reflected strong

1:52:53relationships and satisfaction with the

1:52:54program, with 100% of matched students

1:52:57reporting that they were happy with

1:52:59their mentor support, 98% reported that

1:53:02they trusted their mentor, and 94%

1:53:05reported that they could turn to their

1:53:06mentor when they needed support.

1:53:09These results demonstrate the value of

1:53:10sustained mentoring relationships in

1:53:12promoting connection, belonging, and

1:53:15student engagement.

1:53:16The Hope and Comfort program also

1:53:18continued to address practical barriers

1:53:20that can affect student attendance and

1:53:22well-being by ensuring access to

1:53:24essential hygiene supplies to several of

1:53:26our schools.

1:53:28Uh next on page 13, the district also

1:53:31successfully implemented the first year

1:53:33of the opioid trust grant, which

1:53:35provided two full-time counselors

1:53:37dedicated to substance use prevention

1:53:39and mostly tier three support.

1:53:43These counselors are based at both high

1:53:45schools while supporting students across

1:53:47the entire district. They facilitated

1:53:50small group work around substance abuse

1:53:52education while also teaming with high

1:53:55school health interventionists to

1:53:56deliver tier one lessons or to bolster

1:53:59the existing teachings that we have.

1:54:02A streamlined referral process was

1:54:04established through student support

1:54:05teams to connect students to the

1:54:07support.

1:54:09Family engagement was also strengthened

1:54:11through direct communication, resource

1:54:13sharing, and a parent academy done in

1:54:15partnership with Baystate Community

1:54:16Services focusing on substance use

1:54:19awareness and prevention.

1:54:21On page 14, supervisors of attendance

1:54:24continued their work to address chronic

1:54:26absenteeism. Students identified through

1:54:29attendance data and student support team

1:54:30collaboration were connected to a

1:54:32variety of supports.

1:54:34Last year the supervisors of attendance

1:54:36did have some situations that required

1:54:37more significant um attention resulting

1:54:40in the filing of 851As,

1:54:43seven CRAs, and 14 family assist

1:54:46conferences, which are those pre-court

1:54:48meetings.

1:54:49Supervisors of attendance also completed

1:54:51582 residency checks, which resulted in

1:54:5430 currently enrolled students being

1:54:56discharged after residency requirements

1:54:59were not met,

1:55:00while an additional five students were

1:55:02screened out during the registration

1:55:03process.

1:55:04Additionally, the supervisors of

1:55:06attendance completed a total of 37 court

1:55:09appearances after a result of a CRA

1:55:11petition being filed.

1:55:13On page 15, the homeless liaison

1:55:15continued to provide enrollment

1:55:16assistance, transportation coordination,

1:55:19and school supplies for students and

1:55:21families experiencing housing

1:55:23instability.

1:55:25During last year, 156 students were

1:55:27identified as experiencing homelessness

1:55:30and 51 students were identified as being

1:55:32in foster care for a combined total of

1:55:35207 students.

1:55:37This actually represented a pretty

1:55:38significant decrease of 50 decrease of

1:55:4257 students from the previous school

1:55:43year.

1:55:45Uh that concludes the reflection on last

1:55:47year and our new goals um for this year

1:55:49can be found starting on page 17.

1:55:53The first four goals that you see apply

1:55:55to all student support staff regardless

1:55:57of grade level. So, the goals outlined

1:55:59on page 17 and 18 focus on crisis

1:56:03protocol and risk management. As I

1:56:05briefly mentioned earlier, this year we

1:56:07implemented our new electronic high-risk

1:56:09referral form. This system will promote

1:56:12compliance with our established

1:56:13procedures, while allowing us to

1:56:15systematically track these referrals,

1:56:17identify trends among our students, and

1:56:21use data to strengthen our

1:56:22recommendations and interventions. As

1:56:24part of this refined system, we are also

1:56:27collaborating with Aspire Health and

1:56:29Community Services to provide refresher

1:56:31training on risk assessment and

1:56:33responses for all student support staff.

1:56:36While our counselors are all um very

1:56:39well trained in risk assessment and

1:56:40management, we do recognize the

1:56:42importance of ongoing professional

1:56:43development to ensure that the training

1:56:45remains current and that our responses

1:56:48are consistent across the district.

1:56:50Next, on page 19, our mental health

1:56:53wellness coalition has been in place for

1:56:54several years and these meetings have

1:56:56provided significant value by

1:56:58strengthening communication and

1:57:00collaboration between our schools and

1:57:02our community partners.

1:57:04This year, we are looking to further

1:57:05enhance this coalition by making some

1:57:07adjustments to the meeting format.

1:57:09We will have consistent rotation of

1:57:11student support staff, as well as

1:57:13dedicated case consultation with our

1:57:15community partners during the latter

1:57:17portion of each meeting.

1:57:19This structure will ensure that at least

1:57:21one counselor from every school level is

1:57:23represented at every meeting and has the

1:57:26opportunity for case consultation with

1:57:28our partners.

1:57:29I think it's

1:57:30incredibly important to recognize just

1:57:32how fortunate we are to have such a

1:57:34wealth of community resources available

1:57:36to us in Quincy.

1:57:38So, our goal is to ensure that our

1:57:40families are aware of these resources,

1:57:42and just as importantly, that our

1:57:44support staff connect them to these

1:57:46resources and services that best match

1:57:48the needs of our families.

1:57:50The final team goal is outlined on page

1:57:5220, and that focuses on continuing to

1:57:54increase attendance and school

1:57:56connection by identifying and

1:57:57eliminating any barriers that may

1:57:59prevent students from being fully

1:58:00engaged in school.

1:58:02We will continue to support the

1:58:03partnership with Big Brother Big Sister

1:58:05with the goal of matching an additional

1:58:0790 Quincy High School students with a

1:58:09mentor. This will bring the total number

1:58:12of students participating in the program

1:58:13to 232 if we reach that goal.

1:58:16We will also continue to benefit from

1:58:18the generous donation of essential

1:58:20toiletries through the Hope and Comfort

1:58:21program.

1:58:23While these resources may seem simple,

1:58:25they can have a meaningful and lasting

1:58:26impact on students who may otherwise

1:58:28experience anxiety or embarrassment

1:58:31about not having access to basic

1:58:33personal care necessities, and in some

1:58:35cases may avoid school as a result of

1:58:37it.

1:58:39On page 21,

1:58:40begins our goals broken down by each

1:58:42level, elementary, middle, and high. So,

1:58:45goal one is specifically an elementary

1:58:47counselor goal.

1:58:48This year, we will again partner with

1:58:50the Alliance for Inclusion and

1:58:51Prevention to continue to strengthen our

1:58:53knowledge and implementation of of the

1:58:55SEL curriculum kernels. We had a very

1:58:57successful first year with this

1:58:59curriculum, and we aim to expand our

1:59:01knowledge and implementation of lessons

1:59:02across all tiers.

1:59:04From September to June, counselors will

1:59:06build upon the kernels introduced last

1:59:08year by supporting classroom teachers at

1:59:11the tier one level. And then they're

1:59:13going to extend and deepen

1:59:14implementation at the tier two and three

1:59:16level. In fact, we had a training today

1:59:19for counselors to um begin that. This

1:59:22year we have four trainings scheduled to

1:59:23support this model, and counselors will

1:59:25also be tracking their weekly kernels

1:59:27use uh with their implementation logs.

1:59:31On page 22 is It's actually a combined

1:59:34goal for middle and high school.

1:59:36This year um Quincy Public Schools is

1:59:38introducing MyCAP, which stands for My

1:59:40Career and Academic Plan, at the middle

1:59:43and high school levels. MyCAP is a

1:59:44student-driven college and career

1:59:46readiness framework that helps students

1:59:48across all levels explore their

1:59:50interest, plan their academic pathway,

1:59:53and develop skills across three specific

1:59:56domains: career development,

1:59:58academics, and personal social growth.

2:00:01Our goal by June of '27 is that

2:00:03counselors will ensure that 100% of

2:00:05students in grades eight and nine have

2:00:08an active MyCAP account, receive

2:00:11developmentally appropriate instruction,

2:00:13and engage in college and career

2:00:14planning activities.

2:00:16Counselors will partici- participate in

2:00:18MEFA profession- professional

2:00:19development to build proficiency and

2:00:23implement their school's grade level

2:00:24MyCAP lessons and plans. I'm not sure if

2:00:26you're familiar with MEFA, but that's

2:00:28essentially the um the online student

2:00:31portal where each student will have an

2:00:34account, and they will upload their

2:00:36artifacts, so to speak, or evidence that

2:00:38pertain to each of the domains, similar

2:00:41to Naviance, which is what we use now.

2:00:44Our Our goals are for the supervisors of

2:00:46attendance, which begin on page 23,

2:00:49and our McKinney-Vento coordinator,

2:00:50which begins on page 26. The goals for

2:00:53the supervisors of attendance will

2:00:54continue to be focused on residency

2:00:56verification and proactive responsive

2:00:58supports for consistent school

2:01:00attendance.

2:01:01Supervisors of of attendance will run

2:01:03each school's attendance at least two

2:01:05times a month to identify students in

2:01:07need of intervention and develop an

2:01:09action plan with principals and the

2:01:11guidance staff.

2:01:13They will document these actions in

2:01:15Aspen so that all team members can be

2:01:17apprised of the interventions.

2:01:19Our last goal is on page 26, and that is

2:01:21a goal for our McKinney-Vento

2:01:23coordinator.

2:01:24This year, our focus will be on further

2:01:26integrating the coordinator into our

2:01:28schools

2:01:29by attending school-based SST meetings,

2:01:32as well as ensuring regular

2:01:34participation in the monthly mental

2:01:36wellness coalition.

2:01:38Regular participation in both of these

2:01:40groups will help the coordinator

2:01:42identify student needs early,

2:01:44connect families to community resources,

2:01:47and maintain an updated resource list

2:01:49for students experiencing or at risk of

2:01:51experiencing homelessness.

2:01:53This will ensure ongoing support for

2:01:55some of our most vulnerable students and

2:01:56families.

2:01:58To conclude, the student support

2:02:00department is very proud of the work

2:02:02that we do each day to promote the

2:02:03social, emotional, and academic growth

2:02:05of our students.

2:02:06The unwavering support we receive from

2:02:08Mayor Koch and all of you on School

2:02:10Committee have been vital in providing

2:02:12our students with the comprehensive

2:02:14resources they need to thrive

2:02:15academically and personally.

2:02:18I hope all this information gave you um

2:02:20some insight into the work that our

2:02:22department does, and I'm happy to answer

2:02:23any questions you might have.

2:02:27>> Thank you very much. Do you have any

2:02:28questions from Ms. Cahill?

2:02:31>> I don't have so much question, uh but I

2:02:33do have a

2:02:34wow, the amount of work that you do.

2:02:37Um I mean,

2:02:39students who are unhoused, attendance

2:02:41issues, behavioral health, mentors,

2:02:44college counseling, substance use,

2:02:47um community service support, and

2:02:49resources. I mean, that is an incredible

2:02:53amount of work, and I think your data um

2:02:57shows us that

2:02:59you know, it's not just one day, it's

2:03:01over the years, and you know, coming

2:03:03together over the years and figuring out

2:03:05what the student needs are, that we've

2:03:07been coming to a place where we're

2:03:09seeing you know, numbers change and

2:03:11shift, and we've been able to we're able

2:03:13to help um our students be successful.

2:03:16And um you know, from the work I do

2:03:18during my day job, I see that um

2:03:21you know, a lot of issues that people

2:03:25carry with them later

2:03:26um happens when they're younger, and

2:03:28they don't have the support that um they

2:03:31need to be able to get through some of

2:03:34their traumas or whatever. And um

2:03:36you know, and I think that's why we see

2:03:38and

2:03:40our high schools and our school system

2:03:42our kids do pretty well, and it's

2:03:44because we spend a lot of time and

2:03:45energy helping them with these kinds of

2:03:47issues. So, thank you. I don't have any

2:03:49questions cuz there's so much here that,

2:03:52you know, you know better than I do. I

2:03:54have trust that you're doing the things

2:03:55the way they should be done, but um

2:03:57thank you for the work that you do.

2:03:58>> Thank you so much for recognizing that.

2:04:00I think it it's a good point. I think

2:04:02student support encompasses so many

2:04:04student needs, and it's it's hard,

2:04:06right, to identify what you want to

2:04:07focus on each year. I know I anticipate

2:04:09that you uh want to address vaping,

2:04:11which I think certainly we can talk

2:04:13about. It is hard to decide what you're

2:04:15going to focus on because our department

2:04:17does um

2:04:19support mental health, physical health,

2:04:22uh making sure our kids feel comfortable

2:04:23in school, getting to school. So, I

2:04:25appreciate the recognition.

2:04:27>> Yeah, thank you.

2:04:29>> Ms. Campbell.

2:04:30>> Um it's so comprehensive again. I mean,

2:04:33it's just really impressive all the

2:04:35work. I have a couple of questions, and

2:04:37my first one is, do you feel that you

2:04:39have um

2:04:41what you what your staff need to be

2:04:43successful and and keep this going or do

2:04:45you feel there's any gaps like in in

2:04:49these staffing that you have in order to

2:04:51keep this going?

2:04:52>> I mean, truthfully, I think we're pretty

2:04:54well staffed. I mean, it's been um you

2:04:56know, from Mayor Coke and this body here

2:04:59and when we did need um like for

2:05:01example, we opened uh another Stars

2:05:04program over at Clifford Marshall

2:05:06School, which is a high needs um sub

2:05:09separate population and in turn, we were

2:05:11able to have another counselor devoted

2:05:13to that program um which was

2:05:16incredible cuz to support that program

2:05:18the way that it needs to be supported,

2:05:19we would need additional staffing. We

2:05:21were able to do that um whether it be

2:05:23with shuffling um staff or increased

2:05:25budget. So, I do think currently um

2:05:29I think we're pretty well staffed.

2:05:30>> Great. Um my other question is

2:05:33you know, the elementary schools um

2:05:35I'm just wondering how those teachers

2:05:37the elementary school teachers are

2:05:38supported in in their training and

2:05:40carrying out the programming.

2:05:42>> Yeah, um that's a great question. So, in

2:05:44terms of the actual programming, they

2:05:47the the with the Cardinals and the

2:05:49Alliance for Inclusion and Prevention,

2:05:51classroom teachers are still

2:05:52participating in um two trainings geared

2:05:54to the actual curriculum this year. We

2:05:57started last year, they'll continue it

2:05:58this year and next year. In terms of

2:06:00supporting, I think

2:06:02their work and just how um difficult it

2:06:05can be as a classroom teacher to manage

2:06:07the curriculum and the social emotional

2:06:09needs, you know, I think they similar to

2:06:11how I started this presentation with

2:06:13truthfully being just so grateful for

2:06:15the support that I think the SLT

2:06:17provides for us here. Uh consulting,

2:06:20schools also have pretty

2:06:22comprehensive supportive teams and they

2:06:24support each other. Uh principals do

2:06:27that. They call here for support. So, I

2:06:29think they get the curriculum support,

2:06:30but they also get the day-to-day support

2:06:33that you need to know that you're doing

2:06:35a hard job and you're doing a really

2:06:36good job with it, whether it's support

2:06:38they have right in their building or

2:06:40from department heads here.

2:06:42>> Great, thank you. My last question is,

2:06:44I'm just curious where bullying falls.

2:06:46It wasn't in this report. Where do we

2:06:48see information on bullying?

2:06:51>> Sure. So, in um the Carnes curriculum,

2:06:53that does address just sort of

2:06:55general pro-social behavior. So, they

2:06:57address bullying. We also our health

2:07:00teachers, primarily in the middle school

2:07:03level, um use Open Parachute, which is

2:07:05our SEL platform that spans K-12. They

2:07:08specifically address bullying. So, it is

2:07:11not reflected as a specific goal here,

2:07:13but it is in our daily teachings. Um we

2:07:16also follow, you know, the bullying law.

2:07:18We do when there's a bullying

2:07:19accusation, all schools do initiate an

2:07:23investigation, a pretty thorough

2:07:24investigation, and those reports all get

2:07:26um sent up to me.

2:07:28>> Okay, thank you.

2:07:28>> You're welcome.

2:07:30>> Thank you. Ms. Perreault,

2:07:32thank you. Um so, people always ask me

2:07:35what like sets QPS apart, and it's

2:07:37always um you know, historically I've

2:07:39always said our votech programs and what

2:07:41we offer the students in that level is

2:07:43is just so impressive and it obviously

2:07:45still impressive, but I think that just

2:07:47the range of support services that we

2:07:50offer kiddos now, especially since

2:07:52COVID, just the increase kind of really

2:07:54since that. I mean, we supported kids

2:07:56before that, but just the ramping up and

2:07:58the partnerships you guys have been able

2:07:59to forge. Um it I mean, you listed them

2:08:02in here. It's impressive and they're not

2:08:04just, you know,

2:08:06kind of rickety part. I mean, these are

2:08:07solid like community partners

2:08:09established, and they are excellent in

2:08:11their career in their fields, and we're

2:08:13partnering with that and bringing that

2:08:14excellence here. So, thank you for

2:08:16reaching out and making those

2:08:17partnerships, which I think um it's just

2:08:19it makes all the world of difference for

2:08:20our kiddos, and it's hard to measure

2:08:22those.

2:08:23>> Right.

2:08:23>> I think um having a

2:08:25a PIP for you guys and having goals and

2:08:28measuring it's really hard to do that

2:08:29that measuring. So, um

2:08:32but I appreciate I think you can see the

2:08:34the impact when you see all those

2:08:36partnerships and all the things you can

2:08:37offer. Um

2:08:39so hopefully we're doing a really good

2:08:40job supporting students socially at you

2:08:42know in every way other than academic

2:08:45also.

2:08:46Um

2:08:47couple things in here. Um the Big

2:08:49Brother Big Sister program I so I'm

2:08:51excited that it is it's expanding but it

2:08:53does concern me that there are a good

2:08:55number of kids that don't have mentors.

2:08:57My kid also one of is one of those and

2:08:59it's it's hard to kind of get really I

2:09:01want to be excited about the program and

2:09:03I see it and those kids can still

2:09:04participate in the programs but um also

2:09:06if if they're in band they can't cuz it

2:09:08always happens on band nights. So, um

2:09:11it's it's a difficult thing. I'd love to

2:09:12see that either expand somehow to kind

2:09:15of envelop all the kids that want to be

2:09:17part of it in in the truest way um or

2:09:19just maybe move around the mentors. I

2:09:21don't know how to do that but um I like

2:09:23seeing on their goals they had and the

2:09:25addendum they set for their goals to

2:09:27match those students. So, I like that

2:09:28they're they have it on their radar. So,

2:09:31I hope that we can give them support in

2:09:32some way if they need it or

2:09:34>> I can speak a little bit to that. Um I

2:09:36raised the same concern with them that

2:09:38when you look at the total number uh

2:09:40there is still a decent amount of

2:09:41students who are in the program but

2:09:43they're not matched. And I guess it's a

2:09:46double-edged sword. It's great that

2:09:47they're in the program and we want them.

2:09:48The negative is it's a positive too.

2:09:51They do very very intentional matching.

2:09:53So, it's not like I want to be in the

2:09:55program and I have a volunteer over

2:09:58here. They um go through a pretty

2:10:00rigorous and extensive interview

2:10:02process. I believe it's actually three

2:10:03interviews. Um they try to match

2:10:07students very intentionally with the

2:10:09student needs, what the student is

2:10:11looking for in a mentor, and if the

2:10:13mentor can support that. So, it's not

2:10:15always about available number of people

2:10:18volunteering. It's making that really

2:10:21appropriate match.

2:10:23Um and there are some unique situations

2:10:25in which students have requested their

2:10:27mentor to um

2:10:30have a background in something or

2:10:31identify a certain way and they're

2:10:34having difficulty matching that. So, I

2:10:36like I said, it's a good and bad problem

2:10:38I guess to have kids are interested but

2:10:40and we want to make sure

2:10:41the mentors are intentional. Otherwise,

2:10:43I think you lose its impact a little bit

2:10:44if it's not something that the student

2:10:46can relate

2:10:46>> 100% 100%. No, I I definitely appreciate

2:10:49all that. It's um I just wonder if

2:10:50there's a way to like limit the number

2:10:52of spots until we have that or just

2:10:53something some way to not have so many

2:10:55kiddos sort of on a waiting list or just

2:10:57hanging out waiting for. But, I do like

2:10:58that they can go to those other

2:10:59programs.

2:11:00>> They can. They can do the field trips

2:11:01and the

2:11:02yeah, and the group activities.

2:11:04>> so that was just one comment on that.

2:11:05And then um

2:11:07I had a quick question on

2:11:09um

2:11:10the on page eight,

2:11:13you have under the Mental Health

2:11:15Wellness Coalition that the work that

2:11:18you've done has resulted in an updated

2:11:20resource guide containing referral

2:11:21information, agency contacts, and

2:11:23descriptions of available services. Is

2:11:25that something that is on the website

2:11:27that like parents can access to or is

2:11:29that more of an internal document?

2:11:31>> internal. I'd be happy to share it with

2:11:32you if you want. It's sent to all

2:11:34principals and support staff so that

2:11:36it's intended when a parent is working

2:11:39with the counselor for particular need

2:11:40for their student, we have the resources

2:11:43at our fingertips and we can provide

2:11:44them with a link right to a referral

2:11:47form. We can facilitate the referral for

2:11:49them. So, it's an internal resource

2:11:51guide, but I can certainly share that.

2:11:53>> Yeah, I'd love to see it but also I just

2:11:55didn't know if that was something that

2:11:56would be good to put out to parents but

2:11:57it sounds like maybe it's more of an

2:11:58individual need.

2:12:00>> It sort of is. I think we could pair it

2:12:02down as something on the website to kind

2:12:04of have general offerings and then when

2:12:06it comes to the actual

2:12:08um making the referral

2:12:11that's kind of intricate and it could be

2:12:12a little overwhelming for people so that

2:12:14we like to help facilitate the process.

2:12:15>> choosing what they want to

2:12:17know that's that's totally makes sense

2:12:19Um and obviously my last one was just

2:12:21what you mentioned on on vaping that you

2:12:23know I

2:12:24I appreciate the prevention efforts the

2:12:27surveys

2:12:30all of that's needed I just I feel like

2:12:32that's one goal that I would like to see

2:12:34added as an actual goal with measurable

2:12:36data you know maybe we're working with

2:12:39public buildings to make sure like we're

2:12:41seeing how many vapes are in the you

2:12:43know the waste system and just if

2:12:45there's a way in the trash or just some

2:12:47some way of like figuring out if it's

2:12:49getting better or getting worse I mean

2:12:51it's just it continues on and it's year

2:12:53after year after year and I don't you

2:12:55know my kids don't go to the bathroom

2:12:57and it's just it's just it's it's

2:12:59something that we we should be able to

2:13:01solve this and we I think we just need

2:13:02to be a little harder and more

2:13:03intentional with our with our goals and

2:13:05our tracking and our data and just kind

2:13:07of making that a priority and I know

2:13:08what you're saying everything's a

2:13:09priority but I feel like this is just

2:13:11one we just can't kick and it's just

2:13:13getting worse and these kids are getting

2:13:14addicted to this stuff.

2:13:15>> Yeah I do I I agree with you and I think

2:13:17the vaping issue is pretty multi-layered

2:13:19and I think we we have to address it

2:13:21from multiple levels.

2:13:24I lost my train of thought

2:13:26one thing that oh I would say is that

2:13:29the the work we're doing with the opioid

2:13:31trust counselor so they are they work at

2:13:34the TR3 level with students who are

2:13:36referred whether it be that by the dean

2:13:38or a counselor because they are known

2:13:40users they have the counselors have been

2:13:43trained by Baystate actually in two

2:13:45substance abuse prevention curriculums

2:13:47one is preventative but one is actually

2:13:49for students who are actively using and

2:13:51want to quit so we're working it on that

2:13:54end which I understand what you're

2:13:55saying is maybe a day late and a dollar

2:13:57short we want to get ahead of it

2:14:00we also have I have spoken to Dr Haley

2:14:03Watson who created the open parachute

2:14:05curriculum she is willing to do a

2:14:08customized scope and sequence for us

2:14:11addressing

2:14:13uh substance use. So, I can go back and

2:14:16see if we can actually refine that more

2:14:17to be vaping um to come up with a goal.

2:14:21I think the data that we have that we

2:14:23use on vaping is through the YRBS. So,

2:14:25we gave that in 20 2024. We just gave it

2:14:28again this past um October 8th. So, when

2:14:31we get those results, we can compare it

2:14:33to 2024 and look at are we looking at an

2:14:35increase, are we looking at a decrease,

2:14:38uh and then maybe make some goals from

2:14:39there. I don't know of other data points

2:14:41and metrics that we have that um look at

2:14:44vaping use other than we could look at

2:14:47discipline data, which a lot of our we

2:14:48don't always suspend for vaping.

2:14:51>> Yeah, or even like getting vaping

2:14:52monitors back in. I know we tried that

2:14:54and it wasn't great, but maybe the

2:14:55technology has come a little way and we

2:14:57can sort of you know.

2:14:58>> actually speak to that a little bit. So,

2:15:00obviously, you know the Under Pouch,

2:15:02that's been a big one that you know, we

2:15:04think is definitely going to help, but

2:15:06we can present on that. We can actually

2:15:09ask Mr. Hines, you know, when he is like

2:15:12cleaning those pipes or has that need

2:15:14gone down. So, we could we can

2:15:16definitely get that information for you.

2:15:18But the other thing um we're about to

2:15:20implement uh and we've been implementing

2:15:22at the middle schools is securely pass.

2:15:26So, that is a program where students

2:15:29actually have to sign out um you know,

2:15:32using like either their own Chromebook

2:15:34or the teacher can have like a a

2:15:36computer or Chromebook station in the

2:15:38classroom. All five of the middle

2:15:40schools have been using it for over a

2:15:42year now

2:15:43um and it's great. And so, what will

2:15:45will happen is so the student logs out

2:15:47and says like, "All right, I'm going to

2:15:48the bathroom." And if it's a student

2:15:51that abuses the pass, then the teacher

2:15:53can set parameters or the the student

2:15:56could be on a no pass, you know,

2:15:58situation um but it also tracks who's in

2:16:02the bathroom when.

2:16:05So, when a student is in there and we

2:16:07know that a student is in there vaping,

2:16:09we can narrow it down. We can actually

2:16:12use that data to try to figure out like

2:16:15who are these kids that are congregating

2:16:18in the bathroom, because they're not

2:16:19going to tell us. They're not going to

2:16:21say, "Oh, it was me. I was vaping." You

2:16:23know, so um so we are we are

2:16:26implementing this. It has definitely

2:16:28helped. It has helped at the middle

2:16:30school levels with the bathroom issues.

2:16:33Um and so, you know, we're we're trying

2:16:35this now because we had success with it

2:16:37at the at the five middle schools. So,

2:16:39the kids are coming up. They know how to

2:16:41use it. Um and so, we're going to try it

2:16:43at the high schools. And you know, we

2:16:46can really see. We can make sure. We can

2:16:48pinpoint it down to these two children

2:16:50cannot be in the bathroom at the same

2:16:52time. So, even though I might be in

2:16:54teacher A and you might be in teacher B,

2:16:56if we're not supposed to be in the

2:16:58bathroom at the same time, you're not

2:17:00going to get a pass. It's going to be

2:17:01blocked out. And that student won't will

2:17:03not be able to be in the bathroom at the

2:17:05same time as the other student if we

2:17:07suspect that they're, you know, doing

2:17:09something they shouldn't be doing in the

2:17:10bathroom. So, those are just some of the

2:17:12other things that we're trying, you

2:17:15know, kind of behind the scenes to

2:17:19you know, either decrease or eliminate

2:17:21that problem, but um I do agree with you

2:17:25know, and I I I personally think that

2:17:26that is more effective than the um

2:17:29monitors because the monitors don't

2:17:30work. They go off all the time. It was

2:17:33it was a big waste of money. Um and so,

2:17:36I do think that, you know, the the other

2:17:38things that we're doing have the

2:17:40potential to have a real impact. Um you

2:17:43know, I I think that it is challenging

2:17:45to track data on vaping because children

2:17:48do not typically share that they're

2:17:50doing something like that with us. We're

2:17:52usually the last people they want to

2:17:53tell that they're doing something like

2:17:55that um with. And so, um so I do think

2:17:58that's hard, but you know, certainly

2:18:00open to suggestions. We agree, it is a

2:18:03major concern. You know, we're not

2:18:05minimizing the concern in any way. Um

2:18:08and certainly open to suggestions or if

2:18:10there's there's things that you'd like

2:18:12to see, you know, but um those are some

2:18:14of the things we are doing, you know, in

2:18:16addition to the curriculum and all of

2:18:18those other things, but tightening up

2:18:20the pass system and you know, really

2:18:22monitoring who's using the bathrooms

2:18:23when, who's out of class when, you know,

2:18:26uh to try to to try to lip control and

2:18:28limit some of that. Yeah.

2:18:30>> It's a tough one because you don't It's

2:18:31hard you want to get them help. You

2:18:33don't want to, you know, I

2:18:35back in the day if you had a cigarette

2:18:37or something you you would get

2:18:38suspended, you know, but like they

2:18:39didn't take into account that kids are

2:18:41addicted to this stuff and you sort of

2:18:43need help, too. So, it's hard to ask for

2:18:45that punitiveness which, you know,

2:18:47usually helps give a policy or something

2:18:49teeth, but um so I I get that this is a

2:18:52difficult one. I just want us to stay

2:18:54focused on it. I know the health

2:18:55presentation's next, so I'm sure that

2:18:56kind of goes hand in hand with that. So,

2:18:58thank you.

2:18:59>> Absolutely.

2:19:00>> Appreciate it.

2:19:01>> Mr. Leong.

2:19:03>> Thank you, Ms. Carenas, for taking us

2:19:06through um the progress you made um in

2:19:08the past year and

2:19:10um

2:19:10your ambitious goals for this year. Um

2:19:14it is truly impressive the

2:19:17um breadth and depth of the support

2:19:20programs that we are able to offer our

2:19:22students. Um as discussed before, such

2:19:25an important part of um their

2:19:29development and and learning. So, so

2:19:31thank you for uh the important work um

2:19:33that you and your team do. Um

2:19:36They're they're all great programs. Um I

2:19:39don't want to seem like I'm singling it

2:19:41out, but um my colleague uh did mention

2:19:44Big Brothers Big Sisters. Um I was going

2:19:46to I do want to ask about that because I

2:19:48am most familiar with that.

2:19:51I just uh passed my 1 year as a mentor.

2:19:54In fact, I think my picture is in the

2:19:57appendix with my

2:19:59mentee from the Red Sox game this past

2:20:01summer. So, I can attest it's it's a

2:20:03wonderful program. Um

2:20:06mentors and mentees

2:20:08uh get get so much out of it and and

2:20:10there is a

2:20:12um a need for for more mentors. So, I

2:20:15would like to just make a call out to

2:20:18um you know, any any adult um that has

2:20:22the

2:20:23curiosity, the capacity

2:20:26you know, to please consider

2:20:28being a mentor. Um and I was just

2:20:30wondering if you could um share with

2:20:31this group uh just some of the things

2:20:34that have been done um to support the

2:20:38the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. I

2:20:39believe like

2:20:41they've got um

2:20:42additional space in in in the high

2:20:44school

2:20:45>> Yeah, they actually [clears throat]

2:20:45moved upstairs. Um Mr. Ford and Mr.

2:20:47Smith were gracious enough to find them

2:20:49an additional more space because they

2:20:52now have a third um member on their

2:20:54team. Now that we're serving freshmen,

2:20:56sophomores, juniors, the program has

2:20:57expanded. There's a dedicated um staff

2:21:00member to each grade level. Um to

2:21:02support them, I think more holistically,

2:21:05they do attend our month [snorts] our

2:21:07wellness coalition monthly. And that's a

2:21:09really great way for um Aaron and Gia

2:21:12who are who are present um to push out

2:21:15their need for particular bigs. So,

2:21:18while we're there, we have all our

2:21:19partners there, Baystate, Quarry, um

2:21:22Walker Quincy Family Resource Center.

2:21:24And it's a good way to network about how

2:21:27we can get some more volunteers. They do

2:21:29have to go through the pretty rigorous

2:21:30process

2:21:32um of being matched, but that's another

2:21:35layer of support that they feel has been

2:21:37helpful just in helping them kind of

2:21:39like verbally network.

2:21:41>> Great, thank you.

2:21:42>> You're welcome. Thank you.

2:21:45>> Ms. Campbell?

2:21:47>> I was just going to speak a little bit

2:21:48to how everything is so connected. I

2:21:50think Deondre Pouch is just anecdotally

2:21:52what I hear

2:21:54has taken away the social aspect of

2:21:55vaping in the bathroom. So, I think some

2:21:58of that has been cut down, which I think

2:22:00is it has become pretty helpful for

2:22:03other students utilizing the bathroom

2:22:05and for those students who aren't now

2:22:07vaping throughout the day.

2:22:10>> They've also helped in our bullying

2:22:12report, the ones that I've received so

2:22:14far.

2:22:15Not many of them are social media

2:22:16related, which is

2:22:19a really great thing to see. That's

2:22:21pretty significant cuz a lot of issues

2:22:23did stem from there. So, I know it's

2:22:24early in the year, but that's a positive

2:22:26thing to add on to as well.

2:22:31>> Thank you. Thank you so much for the

2:22:32presentation.

2:22:33As

2:22:34along with

2:22:36being very happy that we still have the

2:22:37Big Brother

2:22:39Big Sister program and that that's

2:22:40great. Hope and Comfort program is

2:22:42phenomenal. I'm so glad we're still

2:22:44doing that. That's a great program.

2:22:47Two questions I had. So, I absolutely

2:22:51love that the

2:22:54numbers in McKinney McKinney-Vento

2:22:57students is lower and our foster care

2:23:01students is lower and overall

2:23:05I don't understand why. I was expecting

2:23:07it to going to be higher, but it seems

2:23:09like it's going down every year, but

2:23:11what I'm seeing in

2:23:12social media and the world and like I

2:23:14don't understand why that number is and

2:23:16if you have any kind of

2:23:17>> I agree.

2:23:18>> any insight.

2:23:20The only thing that we I can really

2:23:21track it is that

2:23:23families are getting connected to

2:23:25appropriate resources and I think that's

2:23:27first and foremost. When they know where

2:23:28to turn and who to turn to, one thing

2:23:31leads to the next in terms of level of

2:23:33support.

2:23:34I can tell you you know, our behavioral

2:23:36health navigator, Carolina, who's

2:23:37phenomenal, she

2:23:39has even accompanied families to DTA.

2:23:42She'll go with them and help them cuz I

2:23:44think a huge roadblock is not knowing

2:23:46not knowing what to do first of all, but

2:23:48then when you find it what to do

2:23:50being able to do it on your own when

2:23:52you're already contending with so many

2:23:53issues is is um difficult. So, I think

2:23:56just networking and providing families

2:23:58with supports, I'd like to say it's

2:24:00that. I'm sure there's other factors,

2:24:01but that was a pretty significant

2:24:03decrease of 57 students. So, it'll be

2:24:06interesting to see what happens, you

2:24:08know, next year. Um it could be

2:24:10reporting as well, like the homeless

2:24:12definition is pretty broad, you know, if

2:24:14you're actually doubled up living with

2:24:16someone you're considered homeless. So,

2:24:18most families do know that. I guess if

2:24:20they don't, we're not going to get that

2:24:22reported accurately, but uh we have seen

2:24:25a trajectory go you know, a downward

2:24:26trajectory.

2:24:27>> Yeah, all three last years I've noticed

2:24:29it's it's gone down and that just

2:24:31>> Yeah, it's great. It's a good thing.

2:24:33>> Wow.

2:24:33Um the other thing I was going to ask

2:24:35about is the opioid trust grant that we

2:24:37have. Is that a one-year grant or is

2:24:40that for multiple years? Cuz I know it's

2:24:42it's um paying the salary for two

2:24:44positions.

2:24:45>> a three-year grant. So, we're in year

2:24:46two of that.

2:24:48>> Okay.

2:24:48>> Mhm. And it's in connection with

2:24:50Baystate. So, they train the counselors

2:24:52that we have on the substance use

2:24:54prevention curriculum so that they can

2:24:56um

2:24:57use the curriculums in our with our

2:24:58students.

2:24:59>> Okay. Now, with Baystate being

2:25:03combined now with Riverside, um

2:25:06do we know if we're going to be able to

2:25:07apply for that grant again in

2:25:10>> So, I I don't know if we've heard any

2:25:11rumblings of how that's going to go.

2:25:13>> grant was a private grant um that former

2:25:15director Mara Piel secured, which was

2:25:17amazing. It was like $500,000. So, it

2:25:19wasn't actually connected to Baystate at

2:25:22all. We just partnered with them so that

2:25:24they could provide the training for

2:25:25these counselors cuz they're incredible

2:25:28at their substance use programs and

2:25:30prevention. So, I actually just met with

2:25:32them when we talked about their

2:25:34combining with Riverside, it's not going

2:25:35to affect the positions of of this grant

2:25:37at all um for the remaining 2 years. And

2:25:40then hopefully there'll be an

2:25:42opportunity to

2:25:43um sustain that, whether it be through

2:25:46another grant or you know, I will be

2:25:47working with them to try to do that.

2:25:49>> Yeah, I just want to make sure that we

2:25:51we're aware of what their salaries are

2:25:52in case it becomes a budget thing and we

2:25:55have to pull it out on the school side

2:25:57as opposed to being able to get grant

2:25:58money for it. So I want to make sure

2:25:59that we're aware of those two positions

2:26:01that might need to be funded.

2:26:02>> Absolutely.

2:26:03>> Cuz I I did meet Alicia yesterday and

2:26:06she's wonderful. She's really

2:26:08>> really really good. So

2:26:09>> She's been They the high school state

2:26:10that credit have done a great job

2:26:12integrating them into the support staff,

2:26:13not just kind of siloed with substance

2:26:15use. They've they're doing that, but

2:26:17they're in with health interventionists.

2:26:19They're working with student support

2:26:20staff on a variety of needs. So they've

2:26:22done a really good job integrating

2:26:23themselves into the

2:26:25into the school.

2:26:26>> Absolutely. I mean her she's got her

2:26:27finger on the pulse of what's going on

2:26:29there. She's absolutely great.

2:26:30>> Yeah.

2:26:31>> Um that was all [snorts] I had. Um and

2:26:33oh and thank you very much for the the

2:26:35breakdown. I love getting this every

2:26:37year just so we see where the where the

2:26:39need is.

2:26:40>> Sure.

2:26:40>> That's just

2:26:42essential. That's really really good

2:26:43piece. Uh any further discussion?

2:26:46No. Do we need to have a motion Can we

2:26:48motion to approve by Ms. Campbell,

2:26:50second by Ms. Cahill, all in favor?

2:26:53>> Aye.

2:26:53>> Aye.

2:26:54>> Thank you very much.

2:26:55>> Thank you.

2:26:56>> Thank you.

2:26:59>> Thanks.

2:27:02>> We did B already, so we're jumping to C.

2:27:05Next on the agenda is the health service

2:27:07program improvement plan with Ms. Wua to

2:27:09present to us.

2:27:19>> Good evening, um Superintendent,

2:27:21[clears throat]

2:27:21Assistant Superintendent, members of the

2:27:23School Committee. Thank you for having

2:27:25me and for supporting our nursing

2:27:27services in QPS.

2:27:29I'd like to take this time to review the

2:27:31health services team goals from the

2:27:3325-26 school year and to share our

2:27:362016-2017

2:27:38team goals.

2:27:39During the 2015-2016 school year, our

2:27:41nurses maintained a strong and

2:27:43consistent focus on improving

2:27:45immunization compliance as a key

2:27:47strategy to prevent the spread of

2:27:49vaccine-preventable illnesses and

2:27:52support student attendance. Through a

2:27:55combination of staff education, family

2:27:57outreach, and proactive monitoring, we

2:28:00were able to strengthen awareness and

2:28:02adherence to state immunization

2:28:04requirements. Newsletters were sent

2:28:06home, bulletin boards were utilized to

2:28:08provide information.

2:28:10The collaboration with Walgreens to host

2:28:13on-site immunization clinics and

2:28:15Convenient MD offering free physical

2:28:18vouchers significantly improved access

2:28:21for our students and families.

2:28:23This was reducing um our barriers to

2:28:25care and increasing vaccination

2:28:28opportunities within the school setting.

2:28:31Ongoing communication with families,

2:28:33including distribution of our guidelines

2:28:35to a healthy school year newsletter, and

2:28:37targeted non-compliance notifications

2:28:40helped increase transparency and

2:28:43encourage timely follow-up on required

2:28:45immunizations.

2:28:47Overall, these coordinated efforts

2:28:49contributed to improved immunization

2:28:51awareness and compliance, helping to

2:28:54reduce illness-related absences and to

2:28:56promote a healthier school environment.

2:28:59Nurses taught students some health

2:29:01information on an individual basis when

2:29:04the students were visiting the health

2:29:06office. There were 133,782

2:29:10health office visits during last school

2:29:12year.

2:29:14So, that was a lot of teaching.

2:29:16Um we recognize that one of the most

2:29:18important things a school nurse can do

2:29:20is to increase school attendance rates

2:29:22by using your skilled nursing

2:29:24assessments to help us keep the students

2:29:26in school when they're deemed healthy

2:29:29enough to stay in school. So, the

2:29:30percentage of students returned to class

2:29:33last year was 96.1%.

2:29:36This reflects the most most visits to

2:29:39the health office per the nurse's

2:29:41assessment do not require a student to

2:29:43be sent home.

2:29:45Our professional development meetings

2:29:47equip nurses with the knowledge to

2:29:49better recognize symptoms of PANS or

2:29:52PANDAS, enabling them to be of more

2:29:54support to those who may receive this

2:29:56diagnosis from their health care

2:29:58provider.

2:29:59We attended a clinical update on

2:30:01life-threatening allergies,

2:30:03strengthening our consistent rapid

2:30:05response to allergy-related emergencies.

2:30:08In addition, nurses participated in an

2:30:11online training regarding the updated

2:30:14Massachusetts Regulation 105 CMR 210,

2:30:18um which provided critical guidance on

2:30:20the best practices for medication

2:30:22administration in school settings.

2:30:25As we enter the 2026-2027 school year,

2:30:29one of our goals, which is listed on

2:30:30page nine, is to promote and support

2:30:33safe food practices throughout all

2:30:36schools by providing education,

2:30:38collaborating with school staff and

2:30:40families, and reinforcing district

2:30:42procedures to reduce the risk of

2:30:45accidental allergen exposure.

2:30:48Through consistent implementation of

2:30:49food allergy management practices,

2:30:52annual staff trainings, and ongoing

2:30:54monitoring, the team will help ensure a

2:30:57safe learning environment for all

2:30:59students with life-threatening food

2:31:01allergies.

2:31:02Some of the initiatives include staff

2:31:04training the first week of school, which

2:31:06includes food allergy awareness,

2:31:09the guidelines and information for the

2:31:10healthy school year newsletter, um it

2:31:13was sent to parents and guardians the

2:31:15first week of school. Nurses sent home

2:31:17educational materials uh throughout the

2:31:20year in their school newsletters

2:31:22regarding allergy awareness practices

2:31:25and district expectations. And

2:31:27individualized health teaching, of

2:31:29course, is provided to students,

2:31:31families, and staff and students.

2:31:34Bulletin boards in the schools are

2:31:36designed with colorful messages

2:31:37reinforcing the importance of food

2:31:39allergy awareness.

2:31:41This year during our

2:31:43professional development, as is listed

2:31:45on page 10, we will be continuing our

2:31:47learning about food allergies and

2:31:49anaphylaxis recognition with Boston

2:31:52Children's Hospital, as well as

2:31:54expanding our knowledge regarding

2:31:56dermatology assessments. Nurses will

2:31:59also complete the mandatory basic life

2:32:01support CPR for health care providers

2:32:04recertification class.

2:32:06We will continue our day of vision

2:32:08initiative, listed on page 11, in

2:32:10partnership with Manet Community Health

2:32:12Center, King Optical, and the Lions Club

2:32:14of Quincy.

2:32:16Last school year, we ran this program on

2:32:18two different dates to address the low

2:32:20response to the completion of vision

2:32:22referrals, which is measured by students

2:32:25bringing in the results of their eye

2:32:26specialist visit to the nurses. So,

2:32:29nurses send home a vision referral for

2:32:31students who have failed their vision

2:32:33screenings. In school, they're asked to

2:32:36see an eye doctor to determine if

2:32:37treatment or monitoring is required. We

2:32:40measure that by getting that letter

2:32:43back. That's our completion.

2:32:45After a student had their vision exam

2:32:47with the eye doctor, and if it was

2:32:48determined that prescription glasses

2:32:50would be needed, the student could pick

2:32:52up the glasses right there. They could

2:32:54order them. Uh the Lions Club provided

2:32:57financial help if needed, and when the

2:32:59prescription was ready, the parents had

2:33:01a choice to either go pick them up at

2:33:03Manet, or it could be delivered to their

2:33:05child's school.

2:33:08Manet had translators available. Um we

2:33:11had 28 families make use of this

2:33:13program. In the previous year, there

2:33:15were only 10 families that took

2:33:17advantage of this. So, I'm happy to see

2:33:19that increase. 19 of those students were

2:33:22determined to need glasses, and all of

2:33:24them received what they needed.

2:33:27Uh we hope to see more families using

2:33:29this program. We are continuing it this

2:33:32year. Our first date will be November

2:33:3418th. So, parents, um we've been

2:33:37screening people already this school

2:33:40year. We've done We use a lot of um

2:33:43kiddos who were referred last year for

2:33:45the November date, as well as any

2:33:48screenings that have been done this year

2:33:50and students need referral. So, we refer

2:33:53probably close to about 450 kids at a

2:33:56time.

2:33:57Um

2:33:58So, the link to sign up for those

2:34:00appointments will be sent home along

2:34:02with their vision referral letter.

2:34:05Mass Healthy Smiles, our dental program

2:34:07initiative, is coming to our schools

2:34:09again this year to provide cleanings,

2:34:11sealants, and fluoride treatments to our

2:34:13students. If students require treatment

2:34:16beyond this, the hygienist will refer

2:34:18the student out and connect them with

2:34:20local dentists for ongoing care.

2:34:23There were 1,161

2:34:26students treated by the hygienist, and

2:34:28the year before it was 817.

2:34:30So, again, another increase. All of the

2:34:33students received at least one cleaning,

2:34:36one fluoride treatment. 454 students

2:34:40received a second cleaning, and 451

2:34:43had a second fluoride treatment. There

2:34:46were 845

2:34:47dental sealants applied.

2:34:50According to Mass Healthy Smiles, we'll

2:34:52continue We continue to have a far

2:34:54higher participation rate than any other

2:34:57school district they're working with. Um

2:35:00so, they they are really impressed with

2:35:03how many people are using this program.

2:35:06You should have a copy of the program

2:35:08outcomes that they provided to me. Um

2:35:11Jackie Ventura is the dental hygienist

2:35:13there, and the it's in the appendix, and

2:35:16that definitely goes into more detail.

2:35:19Um so the appendix starting on page 16

2:35:22includes a link and a couple examples of

2:35:24the PowerPoint presentation that's

2:35:26offered to staff, the healthy guidelines

2:35:29more newsletter link for parents um that

2:35:31the nurses sent out the beginning of the

2:35:33school year.

2:35:34And the data from our 25 26 end of the

2:35:37year report on page 17 in the appendix

2:35:40reflects how much work it takes our

2:35:42nurses to keep our community safe and

2:35:44healthy.

2:35:46There were 133,782

2:35:49student encounters, which is up from

2:35:52123,744

2:35:55last year.

2:35:57So this is a 76.3%

2:35:59increase in the utilization of nursing

2:36:02services over the past 5 years. I know

2:36:04you have all of those numbers in there.

2:36:07Um of these encounters, 128,623

2:36:12students were returned to class after

2:36:15receiving a nursing assessment saying

2:36:17that it was safe for them to go back to

2:36:19class. So again, 96.1%

2:36:22return to class rate and that's a little

2:36:24bit of an increase up from 95.8%

2:36:28last year, 95.1 the year before. Really

2:36:31this just demonstrates that the impact

2:36:34school nurses have on keeping healthy

2:36:36students in school.

2:36:37They really help keep their attendance

2:36:39up and keep them engaged in school.

2:36:43There were 24 diagnosed head injuries

2:36:45which occurred during school sports or

2:36:47in school activities and 14 that

2:36:49occurred during other activities outside

2:36:51of school.

2:36:53School nurses will work closely with

2:36:55students who've been diagnosed with a

2:36:56concussion. They collaborate with the

2:36:58student, the parents, their primary care

2:37:00providers, and school staff to monitor

2:37:03the medical management of the student um

2:37:06and work with school staff to adjust

2:37:07their academic schedules whenever

2:37:09necessary. There were 16,602

2:37:13scheduled doses of prescription

2:37:15medications administered, which is an

2:37:17increase of 3,526

2:37:20doses from the previous year.

2:37:228,048 additional medication doses were

2:37:26administered per the as needed

2:37:28prescriptions. This shows a decrease of

2:37:31748 doses in a year um and

2:37:36the as needed medicines include things

2:37:38like Tylenol, ibuprofen, Tums,

2:37:41um and they're not just the standing

2:37:42orders that we have at school. These are

2:37:44also private prescriptions written by

2:37:46individual students' doctors.

2:37:49These numbers demonstrate that we do

2:37:50not, as a first-line treatment, give a

2:37:53student medications to solve a problem.

2:37:56We're also committed to teaching

2:37:57students how to manage their discomfort

2:38:00with other measures before giving the

2:38:02medication such as ice, heat, rest, and

2:38:06some relaxation techniques.

2:38:08There were 17,928

2:38:11documented nursing communications to a

2:38:13parent or guardian regarding various

2:38:15student health issues.

2:38:177,400

2:38:18documented nursing communication with

2:38:20school staff and 800 documented

2:38:23communications with communi- community

2:38:25agencies.

2:38:27We have five QPS staff members, our

2:38:30nurses, who are certified as CPR

2:38:33instructors, and we continue to offer

2:38:35CPR AED classes to our staff throughout

2:38:38the school year. We offer four classes

2:38:41throughout the year, spread out at

2:38:43different times. We have 88 staff

2:38:45members who were CPR AED AED certified

2:38:49last year by our nursing team. Others

2:38:52may have gotten certification elsewhere,

2:38:54but they're not required to report that

2:38:56to us.

2:38:57Um with the help of Brewster Ambulance,

2:39:00we continued the Matter of Heart

2:39:01initiative, which resulted in all of our

2:39:04eighth grade students learning

2:39:05hands-only CPR. So, this was

2:39:08approximately 748 students.

2:39:11This initiative will continue in the

2:39:132026-2027 school year as an in-program

2:39:17teaching hands-only CPR. So, all of our

2:39:19students can enter high school knowing

2:39:22how to help someone with CPR.

2:39:24As you can see, our nurses work

2:39:26diligently to provide quality nursing

2:39:28care to our community, and we're

2:39:30committed to keeping children healthy

2:39:32and in school. Thank you for your time

2:39:35and support. I'll take any questions.

2:39:38>> Thank you so much for that wonderful

2:39:39presentation. Your nurses do a fabulous

2:39:41job. We greatly appreciate them.

2:39:44Um, I'll open up to any questions from

2:39:46my colleagues. Ms. Brudios.

2:39:49>> Um, again, just same with the student

2:39:51support services, just the partnerships

2:39:53you guys have, that, you know, the

2:39:55dental care, the the vision services,

2:39:57the eyeglasses, the immunizations, the

2:39:59CPR training for the students, like, it

2:40:01it's just it's so over and above, you

2:40:03know, any health efforts that that used

2:40:06to happen in the schools, and um,

2:40:08it's just fantastic, and it's so much to

2:40:10manage. So, thank you for all the work

2:40:12that you do. Um,

2:40:14I was, you know, looking at the stats on

2:40:16the vision, uh, specifically, most of

2:40:18and I think I'm very, uh, sensitive to

2:40:20that one because my second kiddo, we

2:40:22learned that, uh, he needed glasses

2:40:24because of, uh, the school nurse,

2:40:27Georgie Sullivan. It's like, I, you

2:40:29know, think this kiddo needs glasses,

2:40:30and we didn't even know it. So, um, you

2:40:33know, you you guys are excellent at

2:40:35figuring that out and and helping

2:40:36students. But, at Lincoln Hancock, 40%

2:40:38of the students took advantage of the

2:40:41dental services, and that in, you know,

2:40:43so both services are just so phenomenal,

2:40:45and um,

2:40:46just so much needed. So, thank you for

2:40:49for, you know, making those partnerships

2:40:51happen. Um,

2:40:52I'm curious as to the cell phone policy,

2:40:56and just if you're seeing any impacts,

2:40:59um,

2:40:59you You I know sometimes kiddos would

2:41:01would text, "I I don't feel good to

2:41:03parents or whatnot. Are you seeing an

2:41:05increase in visits to the nurse and

2:41:07maybe those kiddos asking to call home?

2:41:11How is that? Is there any kind of

2:41:12impacts or influence that the cell phone

2:41:14policy is having on the nursing

2:41:16department?

2:41:17>> have not said that it has, you know,

2:41:19influenced or gotten better or worse in

2:41:23any way. Like we have always when a

2:41:24student you know, comes to the nurse's

2:41:26office they need to come call home

2:41:29and we determine that we should be

2:41:31calling home for them. We're typically

2:41:33calling home. The kids aren't Nobody is

2:41:36calling me saying, "Hey, I got a kid

2:41:38that wants to call all the time." So, I

2:41:41really haven't seen a problem.

2:41:42>> Okay, and they're being allowed to call

2:41:43home if they're not feeling good.

2:41:45Sometimes I know

2:41:46you know, kiddos are a little

2:41:47uncomfortable saying what might be the

2:41:49real problem and they might just want to

2:41:50talk to a parent and if that as long as

2:41:52that communication is open and allowed

2:41:54to them, I think you know, that that's

2:41:56great. That's that was one of my

2:41:57concerns with the cell phone policy was

2:41:59just that in a health situation if they

2:42:01didn't feel comfortable sharing with the

2:42:02nurse exactly what was happening, they'd

2:42:04be allowed to call home. So.

2:42:06>> Yeah, we I mean we determine you know,

2:42:08based on the child. If it's a child that

2:42:10comes every single day, then we try to

2:42:12work out why that's happening. But for

2:42:14the most part, yeah, they're allowed.

2:42:16>> Yeah, okay. Thank you. Appreciate all

2:42:18the all the hard work.

2:42:19>> You're welcome. Thank you.

2:42:21>> Mr. Pergoli.

2:42:23>> Thank you Andrew for your presentation.

2:42:26Are [clears throat] we still doing

2:42:27impact testing at the 8th grade?

2:42:30>> Yes, yes, we are.

2:42:31>> To establish a baseline.

2:42:32>> Yep, that's being done through the

2:42:34athletic department. They're all

2:42:35organizing that.

2:42:36>> Okay, thank you.

2:42:38>> Thank you.

2:42:39Mr. Leong.

2:42:42>> Thank you for keeping our kids

2:42:44healthy.

2:42:46Um

2:42:48I love the data and the numbers. That

2:42:51snapshot page

2:42:53very impressed by that. The counts, the

2:42:56numbers, the hours, um just a great um

2:43:00concise um

2:43:01snapshot of of what you and your team

2:43:04do. Um the CPR training is is

2:43:08impressive. Um I'm curious, uh do we

2:43:12still do um Heimlich maneuver? Is that

2:43:16>> So, the Heimlich, they've changed the

2:43:17name to abdominal thrust. There was

2:43:20something

2:43:21uh the Heimlich family didn't like the

2:43:23use of the name anymore. I don't truly

2:43:25know, um but American Heart has switched

2:43:28over to calling them abdominal thrusts.

2:43:30And that is still your first-line

2:43:32defense for choking. And they have added

2:43:35back the back blows.

2:43:37>> Okay.

2:43:37>> Which, you know, they had taken out for

2:43:39years. Um I guess evidence has shown, so

2:43:42it's now five back blows followed by a

2:43:45Heimlich and then alternating until

2:43:47either you help someone stop choking or

2:43:50they become unconscious.

2:43:51>> And are you training eighth-graders on

2:43:54that? Okay, great. Um the

2:43:58increase in participation for I guess

2:44:01vision and dental screening, that's

2:44:03impressive. Um just curious, what do you

2:44:07attribute that increase to? Are you just

2:44:09better reaching out to

2:44:11>> I think maybe, you know, we do we do use

2:44:14the Smore newsletter a lot, which helps

2:44:17with all the translations to get that

2:44:19out there and, you know, Manet provides

2:44:21me with um a flyer and a QR code. And

2:44:25then I put that onto a Smore newsletter

2:44:27to try to get that out and then we send

2:44:29that out through the schools. I think

2:44:31it's just talking amongst families maybe

2:44:34that, you know, I've tried this, have

2:44:35you tried this? So, word of mouth.

2:44:38>> Great. Okay. And then one more question,

2:44:41uh when

2:44:43students are referred for glasses or

2:44:46additional dental services, um

2:44:50and you don't hear back from them. Is

2:44:54that the end of it until

2:44:57next year's screening, or is there any

2:44:58attempt to

2:45:01>> Yeah, so due diligence when we have

2:45:03someone who's referred is at least two

2:45:05letters and a phone call. That's That's

2:45:07your minimum. Two letters and a phone

2:45:09call. So, if you say you've got 452

2:45:12referrals that you've done, two letters

2:45:14and a phone call for each one of those,

2:45:17it's almost you run out of time.

2:45:19>> Yep.

2:45:19>> So, that's why we use last year's

2:45:22children who were referred and we

2:45:24haven't heard back from to refer again.

2:45:27So, we are following them from year to

2:45:29year. And we have track of that in our

2:45:31SNAP health record.

2:45:32>> Okay, great. Thank you.

2:45:33>> Thank you.

2:45:34Okay, everyone all set?

2:45:36>> Thank you, Andrea.

2:45:37>> Okay, can I get a motion to approve by

2:45:40Ms. Cardillo, second by Mr. Pergoli. All

2:45:43those in favor?

2:45:44>> Aye.

2:45:45>> Thank you.

2:45:46>> Thank you. Thank you.

2:45:48>> Nice job, Andrea.

2:45:49>> Next on the agenda, uh, Massachusetts

2:45:51Association of School Committee

2:45:53conference delegate. Um, I will be and

2:45:55be attending this year, and I need a

2:45:57motion and a second to be the delegate,

2:46:00um, for the Massachusetts Association

2:46:02School Committee conference to

2:46:04vote in the

2:46:06um,

2:46:07way that the body would like me to vote

2:46:08when I go. So, we'll be discussing the

2:46:10resolutions, I believe, next next

2:46:13meeting. So, if I could have a motion.

2:46:15>> I motion.

2:46:16>> Motion by Ms. Cahill, second by Mr.

2:46:18Pergoli. Do roll call vote, or just all

2:46:21those in favor?

2:46:22Okay, roll call vote, please.

2:46:23>> Mr. Pergoli.

2:46:24>> Yes.

2:46:25>> Ms. Cahill.

2:46:26>> Yes.

2:46:26>> Ms. Campbell.

2:46:27>> Yes.

2:46:27>> Ms. Greeley.

2:46:28>> Yes.

2:46:29>> Mr. Leong.

2:46:30>> Yes.

2:46:30>> Ms. Cardillo.

2:46:31>> Yes.

2:46:32>> All set.

2:46:33>> Thank you.

2:46:35And there's only five resolutions this

2:46:37year, so it won't be shouldn't go Yeah,

2:46:39should be pretty fast.

2:46:41Um, let's see. Next on the agenda, we

2:46:44have Chromebooks. Mayor Cooke is

2:46:46referring that to budget, finance, and

2:46:48audit subcommittee.

2:46:50So moved.

2:46:52Uh next on the agenda we have the

2:46:53consent agenda, which it will be a roll

2:46:56call vote uh and I just had a question

2:46:58on this. Do we know what um schools um

2:47:01for the bike racks?

2:47:03>> All of the elementary middle schools.

2:47:05>> All of them. Okay. Okay, didn't say all,

2:47:07so I wasn't sure.

2:47:08>> Some Some don't have any at all, others

2:47:11want a second.

2:47:13>> Okay, great. Great, thank you very much

2:47:15for that clarification. Okay, we have a

2:47:17motion to approve the consent agenda.

2:47:20>> Motion. Motion.

2:47:21>> Motion by Ms. Cahill, second by Mr.

2:47:23Bergolli.

2:47:25>> Mr. Bergolli?

2:47:26>> Yes.

2:47:26>> Mrs. Cahill?

2:47:27>> Yes.

2:47:28>> Ms. Campbell?

2:47:28>> Yes.

2:47:29>> Ms. Hughley?

2:47:29>> Yes.

2:47:30>> Mr. LeYoung?

2:47:30>> Yes.

2:47:31>> Ms. Bradly-Shannon?

2:47:32>> Yes.

2:47:33>> Thank you.

2:47:33>> Thank you. Next on the agenda we have

2:47:35additional business. Seeing none, move

2:47:37on to communications. We have upcoming

2:47:39school committee meetings on October

2:47:4128th, November 18th, December 9th,

2:47:44January 13th, January 27th, and February

2:47:4810th going into 2027.

2:47:51Next on the agenda we have reports of

2:47:53subcommittees. We have Mrs. Cahill to

2:47:55report on the September 30th pub policy

2:47:58subcommittee meeting, Ms. Cahill.

2:48:01>> Um

2:48:02we [clears throat] reviewed two policy

2:48:05um updates that were referred to um this

2:48:09meeting for us to discuss, which we did

2:48:11tonight, and those two policies will be

2:48:13moved to the next meeting for a vote.

2:48:15>> Thank you very much.

2:48:17Okay, um next on the we have executive

2:48:20session, but there is no executive

2:48:21session, so we'll move to a motion to

2:48:23adjourn.

2:48:25Do we have a motion to adjourn by Mr.

2:48:26Bergolli, second by Ms. Campbell? Thank

2:48:28you very much. All those in favor?

2:48:30>> Aye.

2:48:31>> Thank you. Have a great night.

2:48:32>> Thanks everybody.