July 23, 2020 at 11:30 AM - Board of Education Special Meeting

Discussion (Visible on Public Minutes):  Chairman, Dawn Robinson, opened the meeting and led us in a Pledge of Allegiance.

Discussion (Visible on Public Minutes):  Board Secretary, Julie Smith, took roll.

Discussion (Visible on Public Minutes):  -Dawn thanks the board for being here on short notice.
-Dr. Dyer is happy to see the board members all in one room and states we are all wearing our masks and social distancing, except for Steve Morgan who can not be here today.  We wanted to bring updates to you and the community.  Dr. Dyer shared a word problem that was sent to him from his sister.  It said, "There are 26 kids at the beach.  Then, 37 more kids come.  How many kids are at the beach now?"  The student answers "To many for Covid-19".  I thought this was a good segway into our serious topic today.
-As a reminder we are ready to be back at school.  This reaches farther than COVID-19.  The items that need to be done: Professional Development, Strategic Planning, Social and Emotional Awareness, Equity issues-racial, socioeconomic, and much more.  During Professional Development some of the items we will be discussing: Virtual Convocation, CKLA Training K-5, Capturing Kids Hearts, COVID-19 Updates and Procedures, Digital Learning Technology, Google Classroom, Equity in our schools and community, Parent Teacher individual orientation/virtual conferencing, Kindergarten Screening, Standards Review/Pacing Charts, and much more.  Dr. Dyer wants to say thank you to all of our teams that are getting us ready to be back at school.
-The board members let Dr. Dyer know they have received many emails from teachers with concerns about staff development and in-service.  Dr. Dyer states he knows there is some nervous energy about coming back.  He has met with all the principals except 2 to see what the climate is for each school.  Dr. Elliott discusses the Capturing Kids Hearts meeting.  They were monitoring the CDC guidelines and CKH said you should be meeting with 50 people or less off campus.  First Baptist Church has been very gracious to allow us to meet there.  But, last week we reevaluated and decided to have the meetings at 4 different school locations with mitigations in place.  All staff wear will wear masks, temperatures be taken, staff should sit with their staff that they will be working on a regular basis, and use social distancing.  
-The board members ask what about a teacher doing the training virtually from the classroom?  Dr. Dyer explains we have put in all the protocols to do this in person. 
-The board members ask if a teacher is quarantined and can not attend training how will they get that training?  Dr. Dyer explains you can not attend Capturing Kids Hearts virtually, but other trainings they might be able to attend virtually.  
-The Board asks if there will be a makeup day for the training?  Dr. Dyer states some might be able to be made up and some might not.  We would have to discuss this if it happens.
-The Board asks if the CKLA Training could be done virtually?  Dr. Elliott said it could be done, but there are some hurdles to get over.  On Tuesday of this week, the co-facilitators were trained to explain this material with the person from CKLA in Pittsburg on the screen.  The Board asks what if a group of 1st grade teachers are suppose to meet and 1 or 2 of the teachers don't feel comfortable could they participate virtually, and who can they contact to discuss this?  Dr. Elliott states this could be a possibility, they can contact him, and their principal.
-Dr. Dyer wants to emphasize we are going back to school on Monday, and our students are coming back in person.  He hopes today will ease the staffs concern.
-The Board asks if a teacher misses a training could they take it with another school district?  Dr. Dyer states other schools probably would not want us meeting with them because of Covid.
-The Board asks what mitigating factors, if any, we were putting into place for our employees for day to day school activities and PD days.  For example, asking questions about symptoms, and if they have traveled to a hot spot?  Dr. Dyer and Mr. Kiser states one of the mitigating factors is to scan the QR Code with questions, then they will have their temperature taken to make sure it is below 100.4.   We have ask people to identify themselves if they have traveled to a hot spot.
-The Board asks how do you know where hot spots are?  Mr. Kiser states he has an app he checks from the CDC.
-Dr. Dyer states he knows people are nervous, but he thinks we are putting in mitigations that will make them feel at ease.  Dr. Dyer and Dr Elliott state they have received emails from the staff stating they are ready to come back, and some emails that state our staff are concerned.  
-The Board states we should consider putting the CDC app in a letter to the families.
-Dr. Elliott shares a side-by-side explanation of the traditional/in-person: traditional/at-home:Virtual School of Cleveland.  Traditional/in-person is students going to school and being in person with their teacher in a regular school setting.  The traditional/at-home version is if the system as a whole or a particular school are shut down.  Lets say they are in school on Monday, but then on Tuesday the school has to be shut down they would then move to the at-home virtual learning school with a set schedule while they are out of school.  The Virtual School of Cleveland will be school virtually that is self paced with benchmarks monitored by teachers.  There will be a section where the families and students can pose questions about their schoolwork to their teacher and possibly have one on one time with their teachers.  Also, we have intervention programs available, IReady, for both traditional and virtual students. 
-Dr. Dyer asks if a student is enrolled in Virtual School of Cleveland will they be sitting in front of a computer 6.5 hours in a row a day?  Dr. Elliott states Florida Virtual School lets you set your own pace.  As you go along on the lessons you will see a bar that shows your progress from August 10, 2020 to May 23, 2021.  The family will have flexibility to finish this on their time schedule throughout the day.  It would not have to be 6.5 hours in a row.
-Dr. Dyer states there is accountability with this progress and this is not the spring virtual school.  
-The Board asks are we capped at 300 students for Virtual School?  Dr. Elliott states when they started they originally thought it would be capped at 300 students, but as we monitor the numbers we know there is more interest than 300 students.
-The Board asks if the Virtual School of Cleveland teachers will be teaching from home or from the classroom?  Dr. Elliott states they will be teaching from a classroom.  If a teacher is quarantined they will be able to teach from home during this time.
-The Board asks if we have enough teachers to teach virtual school?  Dr. Elliott states we are almost fully staffed at CCS and there will be some personnel decisions made in the next few weeks. Dr. Dyer states if a group of students move from the traditional classroom to a virtual classroom, then the traditional teacher would be moved to a virtual teacher.  We will use our staff to fund our virtual school.
-The Board asks if a student is in an advanced class can they take that virtually?  Dr. Elliott states after speaking with the high school team this first semester we will be focusing on the core classes, but we will be looking at the Florida Virtual School's advanced classes for the second semester.  The dual enrollment students are still able to participate in this program.
-The Board wants to make sure they understand we are using the Florida Virtual School but our Cleveland City Schools teachers will be teaching?  Dr. Dyer states that is correct  and the Florida Virtual School curriculum meets the Tennessee State standards.
-Dr. Elliott states if an individual student is a traditional/in-person student, but has to be quarantined for a long period of time the student will be able to log on and provide videos for that student so they are still being provided the same instruction. 
-The Board asks what is the difference between Home Schooling and Virtual School or At-Home instruction?  Dr. Elliott states if they do home schooling they would need to set up an appointment with the AOB and fill out paperwork.    Home school would be handled all by the students family, our at-home learning would be taken care of by our teachers.  Dr. Dyer states if a family is considering homeschooling they should consider the Virtual School of Cleveland so they have a teacher for accountability.
-Dr. Elliott states he has met with the ESL and Special Ed teams and the IEP's will still be in place.  Attendance in person will be the same, at-home learning attendance will be taken by seeing their students on the Google meet or if they pick up paper packets our teachers will be in contact with them to take attendance.  Virtual School attendance will be analyzed at the end of each week by completion of the work and looking at the progress bar.  He wants families to understand if your student is a student at Arnold, their Virtual School of Cleveland teacher could be a teacher from Yates (or any other CCS elementary school) because of staffing issues.
-The Board asks if a student is quarantined will that effect their attendance/truancy?  No, Dr. Elliott states the state has given us a code to use for distance learning for this instance.
-Dr. Elliott presents the slide shows discussing what the At-Home Elementary, Middle and High school class schedule will be if they have to be home for a closure.  The students/families will get these schedules at the beginning of the school year so they will be aware of the times for the whole year if the at-home learning school needs to be used.  PE will be utilized throughout the day as well as your regular instructional classes.  The schedules are structured so all elementary grade levels have the same schedule across the whole district, no matter which school they attend.  The middle school will follow their bell schedule.  The high school will follow their block schedule.  The Board suggests they could receive a link to be able to attend these classes to see what it is like.  Dr. Elliott suggests they could log on and read a book to the class.  
-Dr. Dyer states the Back to School options and make some recommendations: -online registration to be extended until 4:30 pm on Tuesday, July 28.-If approved, he recommends we lift the 5% capacity for Virtual School of Cleveland to unlimited.  Right now 79% of new, Kindergarten, and returning students have registered online.  If the board approves this we will be sending out an email to all parents, and a press release so everyone knows the changes.  -If approved, families may switch from the Virtual School of Cleveland to the Traditional In-School model for the second semester and vice versa.  If a registration option is not selected by July 28, they will automatically be enrolled in traditional school.  We must make staffing decisions beginning on July 29.  Families who have already registered but would like to change their choice before the deadline may email uchelp@clevelandschool.org to do so.
-Dr. Dyer discusses pros and cons of changing plans at semester break.  Pros: family choice, COVID-19 cases could be down allowing for less mitigation factors, and we prefer students to be in a traditional in-school format.  Cons: Unknown staffing issues-possibly would involve moving teachers at semester, Possible disruption to class assignments- students may need to change teachers at semester to allow for students entering or exiting their originally selected plan, and curriculum pacing change from virtual to traditional school.  
-The Board wants to know if in the budget do we have access to hire additional teachers if needed?  Dr. Dyer calls Kelly Kiser and Cindy Geren into the room to discuss. Mrs. Geren states in a typical year we wait until day 10, but this year the BEP came in higher and we do have room there, but she is worried about the sales tax fund since we don't have that back yet.  But, we do have more funds available because of the Cares Act Funds, and by getting a refund from the Chromebooks from the state with a technology grant.  She believes working together we can shift some funds and make this work.  Dr. Dyer states we will have some wiggle room in other areas, for example our travel cost should go down.  Mr. Kiser says we will do everything we can to shift staff internally.
-The Board asks if you have to choose a teacher to go from a traditional teacher to a virtual teacher what does that process look like?  Mr. Kiser states this will look a lot like the Candy's Creek Cherokee placement.  We have ask for volunteers for virtual teachers, then we will need to assign teachers to virtual based on experience.
-The Board asks since the chromebooks won't be available to the students at the beginning of the school year can they use their phone?  Dr. Elliott states that is an option.
-The Board asks how many chromebooks have not been turned in?  Dr. Raper states there are between 80-90 chromebooks still out.  The board asks what is the process to get these chromebooks returned?  The blade facilitators are calling those families that have not returned them, and some parents have reached out stating they have not had a chance to return them.  Charges have already been made to the families accounts for these laptops, and he feels confident when the students are back in the building the laptops will show up.  Cody assured the board the laptops are disabled.  
-Dr. Dyer states there is a back to school page on our website.  There are information videos, this slide show, etc. on this page.  For those who have previously selected the Virtual School of Cleveland, an informational Google Hangout is scheduled for Thursday evening.  This will be recorded and available on our website for all to view by Friday afternoon.  Families that need additional assistance may contact us at cvquestions@clevelandschools.org.
-The Board asks how will the parent know if their child is in the Virtual School of Cleveland?  Dr. Elliott states there will be a welcome email on July 29.
-Dr. Dyer makes the recommendation to the board to make these changes to the plan.  
-Motion to approve Back to School option changes Passed with a motion by Ms. Carolyn Ingram and a second by Mr. Tom Cloud.  Ms. Krista McKay- YES, Ms. Dawn Robinson-YES, Ms. Peggy Pesterfield-YES, Mr. Charlie Cogdill-YES.

-Dr. Dyer discusses Masks/Face Coverings and demonstrates how teachers can use their masks properly.  He stood at the front of the room and shows a blue circle on the floor and if he, the teacher, is behind the blue line then they do not have to wear the masks, but if they come out of the blue line section and meets with kids closely they need to put their mask back on.  He discusses many links and articles discussing why Americans should be wearing masks.  Dr. Dyer would like to require students in grade 3 and above to wear a mask/face covering when 6' social distancing is not possible.  Students in pre-kindergarten through grade 2 are encouraged to wear a mask/face covering.  Face shields may be an option for those students with medical, behavioral, or other challenges who are unable to wear masks/face coverings.  Adults, including visitors, educators and staff, are required to wear masks/face coverings when 6' social distancing is not possible.  This must be modeled and enforced by the building administrators as well as by central office administration.  Exceptions to mask/face covering requirements must be made for those for whom it is not possible due to a documented medical condition, disability impact, or other health or safety factors.  There will be masks breaks throughout the day, when students can be 6' apart and ideally outside, and while eating and drinking.  Masks/Face coverings should be provided by the student/family, but extra disposable face masks will be made available by the school for students who need them, as supplies remain available.  Reusable masks/face coverings provided by families should be washed by families daily.  Masks/face coverings are required to be worn by everyone on the bus during school bus transportation.  Masks/face coverings are considered part of the dress code policy and will be enforced as part of the dress code policy.  Masks/face coverings will be required whenever the county active cases remain above .25%.  When the active cases fall below this level, masks will be strongly encouraged when social distancing is not possible for employees and students.  Individual teachers may require the use of a mask in their classroom if they have documented underlying health reasons.
-The Board asks if there will also be masks available on the buses?  Dr. Dyer states they will have masks available on the bus as well as the school, as supplies are available.
-The Board asks if masks are required during Physical Education?  Dr. Dyer states we will be relying on the teachers to use common sense and implement PE in a COVID type world.  He believes we will be having a lot of classes outside so the students can social distance and take the masks off.
-The Board wants to make sure the teachers administer teaching and not focus on mandating the masks be worn.
-Dr. Dyer makes the motion to approve the change to wearing masks as laid out in this slide show.  (See motion and voting below)
-Dr. Dyer states we will have plexiglass going up at the schools, and at the AOB where people will be needing to come in to speak with our employees face to face.  For example at front receptionist areas, counselor offices, special education, and other spaces where there is little space for social distancing or where the public may interact with employees.  There are also desk top models for the system.  
-Mr. Hal Taylor states its recommended we don't run air conditioning on the buses.  So, Bus windows will be down to allow circulation as much as possible.  CCS utilizes high density pleated filters which catch 99% of particles in the air, including COVID-19 droplets.  These have been used for years at CCS.  All fresh air circulation systems were repaired or some have been added during the ESG work.  Our energy management system allows us to exchange the fresh air at a higher rate this year to help remove stagnant air.  We do not install any items onto our HVAC systems that are not UL listed.  Good quality air filtering along with exchanging fresh air at a higher rate than normal along with disinfecting classrooms are reasonable ways we can combat COVID-19, the flu, etc. and provide a safe environment.  We already exchange the air in our classrooms 4 times an hour.  Mr. Taylor has been asked about installing UV lights into the schools.  He states by the time we get a grant to install UV lights this situation should be over.  We would have to exchange these bulbs often and the cost of the bulbs would be a huge cost to the system that might not yield a big return.  The Board suggests it might be good to use these bulbs in the clinics.  

 

Discussion (Visible on Public Minutes):  -Dr. Dyer states there is a Resolution/Emergency Solution of Policies that was attached on the Agenda.
-Ms. Robinson makes sure there are no questions, and makes the recommendation to approve this resolution.

Discussion (Visible on Public Minutes):  -Ms. Robinson states our chair of our site committee, Mr. Morgan, could not be here today so she has ask Ms. McKay to speak about the site committee information.
-Ms. McKay calls Hal Taylor, Karen Hall, and KJ Harris into the room to discuss the softball teams vision to build a $150,000 hitting facility on the corner of Peerless and Raider Drive.  Karen Hall is from the high school, and KJ Harris is the softball coach.  Ms. Hall states they have met with Hal Taylor, and Brian Templeton. They are coming to the board today to be approved to raise the money and move forward with this project.  They have $16,000 in the bank already.  This will be broken down into 4 phases.  Attached to the agenda is the breakdown of each phase and the cost.  Ms. Harris states there are 4 phases, and this will be broken out by 4 years.  This program is growing and we have a lot of girls who have a lot of potential not only in the classroom and on the field.  We are asking for your permission to raise the funds and build this facility.  Dr. Dyer recommends this facility.  
-The Board asks what fundraising options do you have?  They will have sign sales which can make up to $25,000.  They will be hitting the streets and asking for donations from the community.
-The Board asks that the building color matches the rest of the school buildings.  Mr. Taylor states Brian Templeton will be overseeing the project to help with this.


Dawn adjourned the meeting by general consent.