School Committee

Salem Public Schools Salem School Committee POLICY SUBCOMMITTEE Meeting Minutes April 8, 2021 On April 8, 2021 the Policy Subcommittee held its regular meeting using the Zoom on-line meeting platform. In Attendance: Ms. Ana Nuncio and Mr. Manny Cruz Ex Officio Members Present: Mary Manning Members Absent: Mr. James Fleming Others in Attendance: Dr. Stephen Zrike and Dr. Jill Conrad Call of Meeting to Order Ms. Nuncio called the meeting to order at 8:39 am Approval of Minutes Mr. Cruz made a motion to approve the minutes of March 23, 2021. Ms. Nuncio seconded. A roll call vote was made. Mr. Cruz Yes Ms. Nuncio Yes Motion carries 2-0 5213 Field Trips and Excursions Ms. Nuncio explained that Dr. Pangallo had requested for a change in the wording to the Amusement Park section of Policy 5213 Field Trips and Excursions at the second reading of the policy at the School Committee meeting. Dr. Pangallo requested to broaden the language and relax the restrictions for the amusement parks section. Ms. Manning asked if there could be a provision added that teachers would need to provide curriculum or a packet of work for the students to complete before requesting the trip. Mr. Cruz commented that he would like the trip to have an educational component and be recommended from the Superintendent or Central Office before presenting to the School Committee for a vote. Ms. Nuncio is concerned with the language and wants to make sure that the trip does not take away from the instructional day. Dr. Zrike trusts that the principals will only approve trips that have an educational value and will follow the advisory when doing so. Ms. Manning voiced her concerns with sending younger students to an amusement park, such as Canobie Lake Park. Mr. Cruz had suggested opening the trip to the 5th grade since this is currently offered to seniors and 8th graders. Dr. Conrad raised the question if 5th grade is added to the policy language, then will this become an annual trip? After additional discussion, new language was proposed. 4.8.2021 Policy Subcommittee Meeting Minutes Page 1 Mr. Cruz made a motion for the Policy Subcommittee to approve the rewording of the Amusement Park section of Policy 5213 Field Trips and Excursions and refer to the full committee for third reading. Ms. Nuncio seconded the motion. A roll call vote was made. Mr. Cruz Yes Ms. Nuncio Yes Motion carries 2-0 5102.01 Enrollment of Non-Resident Students/School Choice Dr. Conrad shared with the Committee new language for school choice. There was a discussion regarding if a student is moving out of the district, would they need to apply for school choice to remain or are there provisions to allow them to stay. The high school currently allows a student to remain for their senior year if they have been in the district for 2 continuous years. Dr. Zrike would like to further discuss this policy with legal council and has asked Dr. Conrad to forward it to them for review. Dr. Zrike explained he is looking into transportation for school choice students and exploring what can be done. He has asked Ms. DeLai to investigate if any other district offers this and report back. 5101 School Age Attendance Dr. Conrad explained that Cathy Connelly, Attendance Officer, will be retiring this year. Dr. Conrad suggested looking into this policy now so that any changes can be incorporated into the handbooks over the summer. She explained that there are some grey areas as to what counts as an excused absence and what counts as an unexcused absence. Dr. Zrike stated that he would like to review this policy and discuss at a later date. Ms. Nuncio requested if they could begin reviewing some of the policies in the 4000’s, since many of these policies were reviewed in 2019, but were never referred to the full committee for approvals. 4110 Harassment and Violence Dr. Conrad explained that review for this policy was started in 2018. It was reviewed by legal council in November 2018 and changes were made, but it was waiting for review from the administration before being referred to the full committee. Dr. Zrike noted that laws have changed and would like to confirm with legal that this is not already outdated. Mr. Cruz asked if there was a clear definition of microaggression, which students have voiced their concerns over. There was discussion on how harassment claims are reported. The Superintendent explained that any harassment incidents need to go to the title officer for investigation. The student services coordinator will take any initial student complaints and staff complaints would be reported to the Human Resources department. Ms. Manning clarified that if a student has a complaint about a staff member, then they can go directly to the Guidance department which would then accompany the student to the Human Resources department. Dr. Conrad has forwarded Policy 4110 Harassment and Violence to legal council for review. 4120 Staff Acceptable Use Policy Dr. Conrad explained that although the policy has not been updated, the handbooks are up-to-date. There was concern voiced over staff posting on social media accounts. Mr. Cruz added that viewpoint discrimination needs to be carefully considered, but staff should remain responsible if they work with children. Dr. Conrad suggested that the language should be updated to align with the student acceptable use policy and will be sent to legal for review. 4.8.2021 Policy Subcommittee Meeting Minutes Page 2 The Subcommittee made a decision to meet again on Thursday, April 15th at 8:30 am. Mr. Cruz made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:03 am. Ms. Nuncio seconded. A roll call vote was made. Mr. Cruz Yes Ms. Nuncio Yes Motion carries 2-0 Respectfully submitted by, Nancy A. Weiss Executive Assistant to the School Committee Approved April 15, 2021 4.8.2021 Policy Subcommittee Meeting Minutes Page 3