School Committee

LOWELL SCHOOL COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Date: November 1, 2023 Time: 6:30PM Location: City Council Chamber, 375 Merrimack Street, 2nd Floor, Lowell, MA 01852 Members of the public may view the meeting via LTC and those wishing to speak regarding a specific agenda item shall register to speak in advance of the meeting by sending an email to the Superintendent indicating the agenda item, a phone number and email address so we can provide a zoom link to access the meeting. Email address is lbedoya@lowell.k12.ma.us. If no access to email you may contact us at 978-674-4324. All requests must be submitted before 2:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. 1 SALUTE TO FLAG 2. ROLL CALL On a roll call at 6:43 p.m., members present were, namely: Ms. Martin, Ms. Thompson, Mayor Chau, Ms. Chhoun, Ms. Delrossi, Ms. Doherty and Mr. Lay. Ms. Jisella Sanquiche, LHS Class Senator was also present. 3. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS 3.1. Employee Highlight: Kristen Eschmann was recently selected for a $500 classroom grant by Arch Painting, Inc. There were over seven hundred teachers nominated for this award and she was one of twenty teachers selected. Kristen teaches in a “Grade 7/8 Newcomers” position at the Kathryn Philbin Stoklosa Middle School. She recently celebrated 20 years of service in such a role. Ms. Doherty made a motion to suspend the rules to take agenda item # 9.2 out of order; seconded by Ms. Thompson. 7 yeas APPROVED 4. MINUTES 4.1. Approval of the Minutes of the Regularly Scheduled Lowell School Committee Meeting of October 18, 2023 Ms. Doherty made a motion to accept and place on file the minutes of the Regularly Scheduled School Committee Meeting that was held on Wednesday, October 18, 2023; seconded by Ms. Thompson. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 2 of 7) 5. PERMISSION TO ENTER 5.1. Permission to Enter: November 1, 2023 Ms. Chhoun made a motion to approve the Permission to Enter; seconded by Mr. Lay. 6 yeas, 1 absent (Ms. Martin) APPROVED 6. MOTIONS 6.1. [By Jackie Doherty]: Request the School Committee meets in executive session prior to the November 15th School Committee meeting to discuss the BHPK report. Ms. Doherty asked why the Committee hadn’t received the report yet. Ms. Martin stated that she believes it is tied up in the Law Department, because the law firm is awaiting payment. Ms. Doherty asked when they will be paid. Ms. Martin stated that once the law firm is paid the Committee should meet. She stated that no one has received the report yet. Ms. Doherty amended her motion with no objection from the other members for the motion to read as follows: “Request the School Committee meet in executive session after Ms. Martin receives the report from BHKP, and for the Committee to meet to discuss the BHPK report at the earliest possible time after it is received.” Ms. Doherty made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 6.2. [By Susie Chhoun]: Request an update on the play structures at the Reilly Elementary School. Ms. Chhoun made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Delrossi. 7 yeas APPROVED 6.3. [By Susie Chhoun]: Request the superintendent to update on the leaking issue at the Freshman Academy. Ms. Delrossi also stated that the water in the elevator needs to be addressed. Ms. Chhoun made a motion to approve; seconded by Mr. Lay. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 3 of 7) 7. SUBCOMMITTEES 7.1. Approval of the Minutes of the HR & Labor Relations Subcommittee Meeting of October 10, 2023 Ms. Martin, Chairperson of the HR& Labor Relations Subcommittee spoke about the upcoming Superintendent of Schools search that was discussed at the meeting. She stated the Subcommittee will be meeting again in a few weeks and they’ll continue to discuss information on the last two (2) blue ribbon committees and how they were constituted. She stated that they also would like a job description in order to launch the search for the second week of January 2024. She stated that several other job descriptions were also presented at that subcommittee and several revisions to those job descriptions were requested. She stated that those job descriptions will be brought back to the next subcommittee meeting with said revisions. Ms. Doherty asked about the positions that were being discussed at the subcommittee meeting and if there was funding for them. Interim Superintendent Skinner stated that there is funding in the budget and these positions were placed in the suspense account. Ms. Thompson made a motion to accept the report as a report of progress; seconded by Mr. Lay. 7 yeas APPROVED 8. REPORTS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT 8.1. Response to Motion (By Eileen DelRossi, 02/01/23, 03/15/23, And 09/20/23) Regarding Bullying/Cyberbullying Mr. Crocker-Roberge, Chief Schools Officer provided a report to the Committee that was in response to three (3) motions. The report stated that the data for this school year is not disaggregated by some of the criteria requested (special ed, ELL, homeless) as this information is not collected on the reporting form, and reports may be made anonymously as well. The report stated that following a recent commitment by the Lowell School Committee to fund a Health Teacher at every middle school, the Curriculum Office purchased the Michigan Model for Health for all middle schools and these modules include a unit of social emotional health and a subsection on healthy relationships, including bullying and cyberbullying. In addition, all the SEL curricular programs listed for schools in Section 1 include specific lessons/units of instruction on bullying, including cyberbullying and as a result, the district is offering all middle school students more comprehensive instruction on bullying/cyberbullying than in previous school years. Ms. Delrossi stated that the gray areas need to be tightened up. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 8.1 through 8.7 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 4 of 7) 8.2. Response to Motion (By Eileen DelRossi, 05/03/23) Regarding Reading, Writing and Mathematics Materials Ms. Desmond, Chief Academic Officer provided a report that gave the Committee a breakdown of the tiered instructional materials utilized by grades K-12. These resources provide staff with varied resources to support students with accessing grade level standards and accelerating the learning. The Office of Teaching and Learning Curriculum Coordinators are available to staff to provide suggestions and guidance on the use of tiered instructional materials to meet the needs of all students. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 8.1 through 8.7 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 8.3. Response to Motion (By Stacey Thompson, 05/17/23) Regarding Grants and Scholarships Ms. Desmond, Chief Academic Officer provided a report that outlines the process the LHS Office of Student Support followed this year to support students with scholarship opportunities and the timelines that have been provided to students and families. Ms. Thompson stated that all calendars need to be updated with this information. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 8.1 through 8.7 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 8.4. Response to Motion (By Eileen DelRossi, 10/18/23) Regarding McAuliffe Handicap Parking Dr. Hall, Chief Operating Officer provided a report that stated that he received notification from our Safety Coordinator on October 25, 2023 that parking lot lines have been highlighted and that the trees have been cut back. Ms. Delrossi stated that she was talking about the sign on the left hand side and that it hadn’t been highlighted. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 8.1 through 8.7 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 8.5. Response to Motion (By Eileen DelRossi, 10/18/23) Regarding School Transportation Mr. Descoteaux, Transportation Director provided a report to the Committee that informed them that the transportation department has established protocol based on NRT's drivers' daily attendance each morning and afternoon. The report stated that the decision will be made by the Transportation Director and the Dispatch team at NRT if an inordinate amount of drivers are absent. The Transportation Director will inform the Principal of the schoo(s) affected, and a ConnectEd will be prepared informing Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 5 of 7) parents that their child's bus will not be transporting their child due to a lack of drivers. It is the transportation department’s mindset that the other buses assigned to transport to the same school may, in fact, be in a position to pick up students from the route that was affected by the absence of the driver. Conversely, it is not a certainty that all of the students that are assigned to the absentee route will be picked up due to the difference in their normal scheduled pickup times. This makes it quite difficult to communicate to parents that their child may or may not be picked up at a different time. In some cases, the student could be picked up earlier or much later depending on the other routes that are doubling with their own assigned routes. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 8.1 through 8.7 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 8.6. Response to Motion (By Eileen DelRossi, 10/18/23) Regarding Transportation Department Head Dr. Hall, Chief Operating Officer informed the Committee that currently, we do not have any notices of retirement. If the district receives notice of a retirement, we will immediately post the position. The Transportation Director has informed him that if he decides to retire, he will provide the district with enough lead time to conduct a full search and interview process. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 8.1 through 8.7 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 8.7. Response to Motion (By Stacey Thompson, 10/04/23) Regarding LHS Bathroom Access Mr. Fiato, LHS Head of School, provided a report to the Committee that informed them that the safety and well-being of our students remains a top priority at Lowell High School. In an effort to achieve this goal, we have undertaken a concerted effort to collaborate closely with both students and staff to arrive at an equitable and reasonable outcome with regards to bathroom accessibility. This cooperative approach has produced two results:  The closing of some bathrooms that are routinely problematic due to overcrowding and poor behavior.  The establishment of accessible and designated bathroom facilities, each subject to regular monitoring by designated school personnel. The report stated that students have the opportunity of accessing these facilities throughout the entirety of the class periods, contingent upon receiving a pass from a teacher. It is important to note that while certain restrooms remain accessible during periods of transition, others are temporarily closed during these times to prevent overcrowding and to maintain supervision. Although there are select bathrooms that have been permanently closed, we are pleased to report that open facilities can be found on the majority of floors. To uphold secure and supervised bathroom access, the high school Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 6 of 7) has prioritized and redirected our resources and staff to reopen two previously closed bathrooms, and implemented a combination of teacher duty assignments in high-traffic areas and intermittent oversight by our security personnel. Ms. Thompson stated that the bathrooms need to be open and doesn’t believe this report has enough information and is not complete. Ms. Doherty stated that she has a problem with the specificity of the report. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to accept the following Reports of the Superintendent 8.1 through 8.7 as reports of progress; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 8.8. Home Education Interim Superintendent Skinner recommended that the following parents/guardians be allowed to home educate their child: Danielle Valencia Heather Swenson Kanika Pheng Ms. Doherty made a motion to approve; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 9. NEW BUSINESS 9.1. Approval of Changes of LHS Graduation Policy IKF Ms. Doherty made a motion to approve the revised LHS Graduation Policy IKF; seconded by Ms. Chhoun. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.2. Vote to Accept a Donation of $3,030 from VIP Tires & Services VIP Tires & Service, 338 Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA 01852, wishes to donate $3,030.00. This money was raised through its "Oil Changes for Education" program. Ms. Delrossi made a motion to the donation of $3,030 from VIP Tires & Services; seconded by Mr. Lay. 7 yeas APPROVED 9.3. Budget Transfer Ms. Doherty made a motion to approve the budget transfer of $ 278,775.18; seconded by Mr. Lay. 7 yeas APPROVED Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us  (Page 7 of 7) Ms. Martin made a motion to start receiving a monthly ESSER spend down report to track positions that are under ESSER; seconded by Ms. Thompson. 7 yeas APPROVED 10. CONVENTION/CONFERENCE REQUESTS 10.1. Overnight Request: National Council of Teachers of English in Ohio Ms. Doherty made a motion to bundle and approve the Convention/Conference requests; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 10.2. Overnight Request: Nature Everywhere Conference in Georgia Ms. Doherty made a motion to bundle and approve the Convention/Conference requests; seconded by Ms. Martin. 7 yeas APPROVED 11. PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL 11.1. The Members of the United Teachers of Lowell Hereby Donate Thirty [34] Sick Leave Days to Belinda Paul, Daley School Teacher. Ms. Thompson made a motion to bundle and approve the Professional Personnel; seconded by Ms. Delrossi. 7 yeas APPROVED 11.2. The Members of the United Teachers of Lowell Hereby Donate Thirty [9] Sick Leave Days to Kristen Coburn, Lowell High School Teacher. Ms. Thompson made a motion to bundle and approve the Professional Personnel; seconded by Ms. Delrossi. 7 yeas APPROVED 12. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Chhoun made a motion to adjourn at 7:51 p.m.; seconded by Ms. Delrossi. 7 yeas APPROVED Respectfully submitted, Liam Skinner, Interim Superintendent and Secretary to the Lowell School Committee LS/mes Lowell Public Schools • 155 Merrimack Street • Lowell, MA 01852 • http://www.lowell.k12.ma.us