8.19.2025 Fall River School Committee - Parent & Community Outreach

going to call this Tuesday, August 19th, 2025, parent and community outreach sub meeting subcommittee meeting to order.

Um, can we get a roll call?

Mr. Bailey here.

Mr. Das here.

Mr. C here. So to the flag.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Pursuant to the open meeting law, any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may may or may transmit the meeting through any medium. Attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or transmissions are being made whether perceived or unpreceived by those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible.

We have a citizens input. I'll read off the names. Um first we have David Olivea.

Good afternoon members of the subcommittee. Writing today to actually agree with Tom Corey. Nothing of allegation should be brought in open session. But you want to know something?

This is what I mean by sweeping things under the rug. Maybe if parents were not being ignored, but this superintendent, maybe we can have less of this at citizens input. If she actually does her job, she's already overpaid. And you are right, Mr. Corey. The only gaslighting I see is how this committee of four and superintendent runs this school district. And yes, it is an election

year, which means it's evaluation of our elected officials who know who gets voted in and out. Something I hope you're one that gets elected out by the people. So when we see elective officials doing a bad job, yeah, me as one citizen, I'm going to say my piece.

And if you don't like it, then don't run. And you're right, Mr. Corey. It must be hard for Miss Cabraw to read the citizens input because she is the one that has to read to tell the school committee and superintendent how bad of a job you guys are doing. Like you guys just passed to shut up the people on the Facebook page. So clearly you don't care what parents have to say about blocking

people. In closing, the only thing is funny, Miss Superintendent, your is your work ethic since you want to laugh at the end of my input last night shows how much character you really have.

Okay, next we have um Andrea Pimento. Um transportation.

This is absolutely insane. On the 14th of this month, I finally got word that my daughter was approved for a transfer to Green Elementary. Naturally, I reached out to the transportation department to find out where her bus stop would be because like most parents, I'm juggling multiple kids who need to get to school and daycare, and my son already gets a bus right from the front of our house. But instead of getting an

answer about her bus stop, I was told she doesn't even qualify for a bus.

According to them, my six-year-old child is expected to walk unless she lives more than a mile away from the school. A mile for a six-year-old. How is this acceptable? How can the district approve her transfer to another school, but then deny her safe transportation? Parents are expected to make impossible arrangements while our kids are left without basic support. This is just This is not just inconvenient, it's

dangerous. It's unfair and it makes zero sense. Our children deserve better than this bureaucrat nonsense.

Okay. Um the last individual I'd like to get some input from the committee. They um I don't believe they provided there's no address provided. Um they they're a parent. I believe it's um an issue about their their placement. Read it. All right. We we'll read it.

Her name is Alexa Taylor from Fall River, Mass. Every child's unique circumstances must be considered when sudden school reassignments occur, especially when these changes happen through no fault of the parent. I stand before you not just as a parent, but as the as the expert on my child. My son has a documented disability. Yet, because no IEP is currently in place, my request to keep him in the school he has

attended since kindergarten was denied.

This decision was caused unnecessarily has caused unnecessary disruption to his life and to our household as a whole.

Adding to the frustration, I have found the director of parent and community engagement completely inaccessible. I have made several trips to the office, sent numerous emails, and left voicemail after voicemail with no response.

Parents deserve better. We deserve to be heard and we deserve timely communication when our children's education and well-being are at stake.

This transition has not only disrupted my child's stability, but it has also undermined my trust in the system. I urge this committee to recognize the human impact behind these decisions, take accountability, and put real solutions in place so that no parent or child is left in this position. Again, thank you. If I can just quickly comment on the last two with the parental concerns. If we can, if we haven't

already, maybe just follow up with those two parents. I I think there was some um concerns about placement issues and transportation. Maybe um I I did look quickly at the one about the transportation. I don't know if there's um it looks like we're there like we're within policy at first glance, but I don't know if there's something we can do with um SERTA. We can take a look at that. Um I yield.

Any comments? No. Okay, we'll move on to um discussion and um if it's okay with the committee um because we do have some guests. I'm going to take some items out of order just for um the sake of some the members and their time and we'll go through this good pace. Um first we will discuss the surveys. We'll go to 3-4 um to convene with the administration to discuss current surveys either introduced or

sponsored by the district, the results of past surveys and plan super plan future surveys. Um we have an individual who is joining us um on Zoom today, a parent that reached out.

We have another guest who was 3.01. So it's just Okay.

Um, okay.

In in full transparency, um, the individual who who signed up has to take their son to, um, a soccer game. They asked me if I could take the item out of order. It's okay with the committee if we take take it out of order.

Um, so the parent signed up and um wanted to um share some of her ideas for a survey and obviously I think it's important that we hear them out. Thank you, Miss Cardosa, for joining us.

Thank you for having me. Um, so my daughter is in the special ed program at LNO and she is offered um a placement in the extended school year program. This year I had to opt out of not sending her because the schedule really just wasn't helpful for learning as well as parents who actually work and have to bring them there and pick them up. Um, I do opal out of the summer busing because

it just doesn't work out with my personal work schedule. So, I I make it work when I have to make it work to get her there and back. Um, last year I did request that a survey be sent to the parents as well as the teachers and aids who run the program. The email was sent to Carlin Danner, I believe his last name, and James Sullivan. Um, at the

time I was told that it was a great idea and they would upload um a survey to parent square to get some feedback um on what parents thought about that current schedule last year, hours, days, weeks, how long it went for, etc. But there was no follow through. Uh so this year the schedule in my opinion was even worse.

Um it was 5 days, 4 hours each day. The problem with that is that there's not a lot of learning time. Um, so ideally I would love to see the program go back to the way it used to be. Uh, when my daughter first started going to the program, it used to be 8:30 to 1:30 Monday through Thursday. Um, it was either 4 or 5 weeks. I can't remember exactly. Um, even better than that, I

would love to see a program that goes for 6 weeks, Monday through Wednesday, um, 8:30 to 2:30. That way it's more I have this all in email that I sent to Colin and he could probably forward this all to you with uh the ideas that I'd like presented in a survey to see what parents and the teachers in the age who run the program think. Um last summer I

did ask the teacher if she could kind of provide me with an outline of what the day looked like. So last year the program was at Sylvia. Um they started at 8:30. When I would drop off my daughter, it easily took 15 to 20 minutes just to get each child checked in. There was one person working in the back schoolyard with a laptop and you got in line and she checked in one

student at a time and a teacher or an aid was coming to get the child. So, right there, you're killing 15 to 20 minutes just trying to get your child into the program itself. Um, I would even get there earlier to even see if I could get to the the front of the line so she could get in sooner. But this is pretty much how the day breaks down.

They arrive at 8:30. It can take 15 to 20 minutes just to get them in. So realistically, let's say they get in the door 8:45 to 9. And this is the same thing for the kids who are bust there.

Then they're having breakfast around 9:00 a.m. to 9:15, let's say. Then you have circle time at about 9:15. Then 9:15 to 9:30, you're going over ELA.

9:30 to 9:45, recess. 9:45 to 10:30 who have spe specials but like their therapies SLP OT PT I'm not really sure what the other kids are doing while some kids are receiving services so maybe some school work there um 10:30 to 10:45 social skills 10:45 to 11 math 11 to 11:45 lunch is being served kids will take 20 to 30 minutes to eat 11:45 to 12:15 free play 12:15 they start cleaning up for dismissal 12:30

dismissal I would arrive to pick up my daughter at 12:15 as many parents would the ones that were picking them up and there were already many aids and teachers outside with the children.

So, as you can see, there's maybe 30 to 45 minutes of some learning time and the rest is in my opinion a waste of a day.

Um, I feel like if the day was longer, but maybe, you know, offering it three days a week versus four or five days a week, I think it's more conducive to learning, continuing their skills they're learning in school, focusing on their IEP goals because right now, like I don't know how much they're getting out of this to be honest. Um, I would love to see it set up more like 8:30 to

2:30, like a typical school day, focus heavy on learning in the morning and then after lunch, maybe more like a camp type setting where it's a little fun crafts, um, more low-key activities for the afternoon as they're winding down.

So, I hope this doesn't fall in deaf ears. This is the second year I'm kind of asking that this is considered and surveys be sent out. Um, we can adjust the schedule and keep within the hours that you're currently doing.

but nobody's really done that. So, I would hope that um you take what I have to say into consideration. And all of this is written in an email to Colin and I've given permission to share with whoever he needs to share it with on the committee so that you can kind of see um alternate schedules and suggestions that I've provided that you could put there.

I really don't want other parents who don't have their kids going to ESY answering surveys and providing feedback for something that does not impact their family or their children. So, if there's a way you can do this that it's strictly for families who participate in the SY that would be greatly appreciated.

It just doesn't make sense to get feedback from parents that this does not impact them.

Thank you, Miss Cardoozo. Um, thank you. administration want to respond or Sure. Hi, Miss Cardoza. This is Lori Obenchain. I'm the assistant superintendent of special education. So, first on behalf of my department, I want to let you know until you shared your email this year, I was not aware of the conversation that you had had with Jim Sullivan or Carl Danner. Let me and I am more than willing to have parents

participate in their special educa our special education program and give us input. Um, I just want to be very clear.

there's some things that I want to give surveys and solicit input when I can do something with the information, right?

So, while I totally understand um your uh feelings on ESY and this is something that we have tweaked over the past few years to try to make it more conducive to what extended school year is supposed to be as defined by DESIE. Um and we are looking into differentiated learning experiences based on to your point right your daughter has therapies where other kids may not have therapies. there are

kids that are able to go to ESY but their needs are very different, right?

So to get feedback, while I agree that we need some different differentiated um learning opportunities for students depending on to your point how many therapies they have, what IEP goals they're working on to survey parents about the schedule that works best for them. I'm not going to be able. We have over 400 families that come to ESY and kids have a variety of needs from some

mild to some significant needs. So to be able to accommodate a schedule that would that when families say when I solicit information and say please would you would you prefer four half days or two full days? I'm going to disappoint somebody because I can't take all of those students and accommodate every family's desire, right? or what they feel like is best. What we do is we look

at the this year we're going to look at the kids that come into our program that are eligible for ESY, what their level of need is and differentiate an option.

Now, if there's any opportunity to solicit input from families on some of what that option might be once I gather a little more information, um I'm happy to do that. However, I think there are other times where we can absolutely have parent um you know, input and engagement in building our special education program for kids. You know, one of the things I was thinking about is you know,

talking getting some input from parents about how IEEP meetings are run or, you know, what is your voice like in an IEP meeting itself? Do you feel like you're an active participant? Um or some, you know, other creative ways. I also encourage families to join CPAC. CPAC is a great opportunity to connect and kind of um work as a collaborative group to have dialogue with the district. Myself

or one of my administrators go to every CPAC meeting. We're always there to answer questions, get parent input, and share concerns. So, while I do want to let you know that I definitely hear you and I definitely think we do have to offer differentiated opportunities during ESY, I'm I'm just not sure that a survey is going to get the information in a way that's going to be usable and

parents are going to feel like they were heard. I certainly can. There will have to be some kind of caveat saying that this is just information gathering only and based on the students that are eligible and the needs of the students, the district has to determine what um how they will uh schedule the program.

I just feel like right now it's more like daycare than it is extended school year. Um I'm not looking for daycare.

I'm looking for my child to continue to strengthen her skills that she's learning and reading, writing, math. Um, that's what I'm looking for. So, you might have the bulk of your people thinking this is daycare. I do not. I don't come at it from this approach. Um, you can speak to my daughter's teachers and her aids and administration at Lerno. I am very involved in her school work. uh to the point that I didn't send

her this summer and I hired a babysitter who is basically tutoring her all summer because I didn't feel like ESY was just a good fit anymore. Not to say I won't send her next year, but this year I just didn't feel like it was a great fit. And um in the past there were longer days that were provided and you well not you but whoever just keeps changing the schedule. You're not really running

anything by the parents. You're just making a decision without involving the families that it's impacting. So maybe a survey is not the right way to go, but I definitely think that we should have a voice and an opinion when you guys keep changing the schedules.

And if I if I can add something and um and I think I think both sides might agree to this. Um like obviously there need like what you just said, Miss Cardardoza, there obviously needs to be parent input just so the administration has a full understanding of where parents are coming from to adjust. And to the administration's point, like you don't want to give false promises of things you don't want to do either. So,

I think maybe some sort of open-ended survey with um this inviting in open feedback, that's not promising anything.

And I think that's um again getting feedback from parents and if there are specific um one-off situations going on that we can address with those parents one-on-one and see if we can resolve something I think um would be the best way to go and we'll discuss that and see um if we can get something out there so we can get feedback from parents like you said. Miss Cargo,

what I can what I can commit to doing is I CPAC is getting ready to start their meetings in September. What I will do is I will have this conversation with our um CPAC presidents and families that come. I encourage you to come or at least if you can zoom in, we can certainly make that option available and we can start to have this dialogue because sometimes I think having dialogue is important too so you can

understand the district's perspective just in the amount of students that we service and how to meet the needs of everybody and we get to hear families and have that conversation about it. So, I can certainly commit to having those initial conversations early on with CPAC and if we decide to put out a survey that to solicit some information, they can help um guide what that survey will

look like and how to make sure that families understand it's information gathering. It doesn't mean we're going to be able to act upon everybody's response.

Mr. Cord.

Yes, Miss Cardoza. Thank you so much for your comments. I really appreciate a parent who's involved in their child's education. Uh I I would only wish that we'd have more and more and more parents that are so involved in their child's education like you. Thank you. Uh I know that there are many regulations in place especially when it comes to sped regulations and I know that Miss

Oenchain was was really straight up with you on her explanation. I want to reiterate uh how important CPAC is. I've been to some CPAC meetings. parents have a real voice there and it's collaborative as she stated and I think that a lot of a lot of you know discourse can happen as a result of being involved. Have you been to a CPAC meeting then?

I haven't yet but I plan on starting to attend them um this year because more things are starting to come up as my daughter is getting older. You know, she's going into third grade. So, I'm just finding more is coming up. Um, small issues are arising. Uh, I do have an upcoming meeting uh with the superintendent and James Sullivan and the principal regarding something else um on my daughter's IEP. So, yeah, I

would definitely want to uh join one of those meetings. Um the reality is that many parents feel how I feel. And the thing is, if the superintendent just went to a drop off or a pickup at ESY, you would overhear these families stating very similar complaints to what I'm bringing to the table today. Um, I just think a lot of people don't know how to voice their concerns, who to reach out to. Um,

for me, it's very easy. I can figure it out. But a lot of people, they can't figure it out. they don't know who to go to to file the complaint and whose ear is going to listen to the complaint. Um, so I don't know. I I just I wish sometimes some of you higherups who can make these decisions would go to these programs incognito and just listen to people's complaints and what they're

openly discussing. And the schedule was a huge one. And I know there's funding for these things and there's budgets and I'm not trying to get more hours at the end of the day. Maybe a better schedule with a longer day. Less I would be fine with less days but longer days. Um more weeks even less days but longer days and staying within the amount of hours you're currently providing families

with. Um I'm not asking for 40 hours a week. I'm fine with 20 to 22 hours. You guys currently did 20 hours this um year. You used to do 8:30 to 1:30 Monday through Thursday and you guys cut that back. Last year it was 8:30 to 12:30 and then this year you added another day and you did Fridays 8:30 to 12:30. So I don't feel like I'm asking for much. I'm not asking for something you haven't

done before. You've done this before. So I'm hoping that you can get back to that. I just want to I just want to comment that I did I have been Miss Cardardoza I have been to ESY all the sites um our office of instruction our um assistant superintendent um Brian Reposo for the academic piece has gone we've actually looped in our directors of ELA and math to have curriculum because the first two years I

was here there was no curriculum yes it was longer days but it was not a the services on IEPs except for the speeches, the therapies, right? It was the teachers were left teaching students they don't typically have during the school year. They didn't have curriculum to use. So, they were doing their best with whatever they could pull. So, we have really narrowed the focus to be on

the extended school year. Now, you are right. We did change. We went down from 8:30 to 1:30. We went down to 8:30 to 12:30. And we did five weeks the first year 4 days a week. Now 8:30 to 1:30 also with the afternoon it was more set up like a social like a camp. There was another recess. There's another so they didn't lose any additional learning time. The academic pieces were not

there. Unfortunately this year the way the 4th of July fell that's why sometimes it we have to change our schedule just because of the way the holiday falls. Typically we start the week of the 4th of July. were able to get in a few days, but this year it would have been like you get two days in and then you're off for the rest of the week. So instead, we added

It was It was a little wonky the schedule. I agree.

Yeah. So we added the Friday. That's why we did that. So the kids didn't There was a couple of factors in me not sending her this year. I didn't really like the way it went down last year as far as learning. I just didn't feel like she got much out of it. And then we couldn't really get ABA directly after school. So that was another factor, you know. Um, so and I work, my husband

works, so we we couldn't do it. So it was just easier to hire a babysitter this year. And I like to utilize the programs that are available for these kids because, you know, the end goal is to continue to learn um to work on the skills that they've learned. Maybe not learn something new, but to continue working on those skills. And um I know in the past what you're talking about

because she used to go to Henry Lord and they would get random teachers or aids that they've never met before and they didn't really do a heck of a lot of work, but I was new to this at that point. She was in preschool, kindergarten. Wasn't such a big concern.

As she's getting older, they're learning things that are harder for them. And now it's becoming more of an issue for me because she needs the time in the summer to keep working on what she's learned with reading and writing and math. And I've been doing all of that at home with her all summer. Um because I'm filling the gap essentially. I've I always do work with her throughout the year, but

we were very heavy with the school work this summer to fill that gap because I feel the guilt of not sending her. But again, I don't really know how much she was going to get out of it. So, I hear you.

Like I said, not to say I'm not going to send her next year. I probably will. I just hoping that the schedule's a little better. Um and there there's more learning time. I'm not opposed to camp and playtime, but I hope that there's more learning time, right? And that's what we're required to do by law, right, with Desi. So, I hear you. And again, I'm going to look into those differentiated learning

experiences. And I always say to families, too, even if you can't commit to 5 days a week, and they can come two days a week because that's what works for your family, 2 days is better than zero days, right? And I appreciate that you were able to supplement at home, but even families who aren't able to do that, 2 days is better than zero days.

um and we can try to work something out, but we can be in touch. Again, I just wanted to kind of be able to be here to hear you because we have not met personally um yet and to let you know kind of what I was thinking and how parents can give input into our special education program because I think that's important.

And if I can All right. Well, thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm going to pop out. I have to go to soccer now.

Thank you for joining us, Miss Cardos.

And we'll be in touch.

All right. Thank you so much. You can share the email if you want to.

I will be I will be sharing. Thank you.

All right. Thank you, Mr. Corey.

I was just I was just Oh, piece. Okay.

I was just piecing out. Absolutely.

Um yeah, and this kind of um and that was just a piece of this discussion item. Um and again, I think obviously we talked about this obviously we don't want to put out a survey that gives false hope to parents. Obviously, at the same time, the parents has bring up does bring up some good points. And like I said earlier, I think there's um room for again open-ended surveys just to get

disc just to hear feedback on a variety of items. I think that'll just be beneficial and that's not promising anything. So I think um something could happen there. Um just going into um surveys as well and um I've been vocal about this as one member. I think um the exit interviews from staff members, I think that's something we should um be provided as a committee or even at the very least we should ask um staff

members where they're leaving, check off a box if they wish for their exit interview to be shared with the committee. I think there's valuable information there just so we know. Um in general, I'm just trying to get understanding of um what we have planned. And I know we did an interview regards I believe transportation um survey around transportation um and I believe redistricting

and um I don't know if you want to talk about how successful that was but we got a lot of feedback and what's planned in the future.

Yes. So um there so we are right now so I want to just go back a little bit. So, we do have the most recent survey that we did was around um redistricting. And I think that was a good example um where we discussed ahead of time like this isn't a um we didn't want it to appear as a survey of like, hey, do you think we should do this? Do you think we should

do that? Because if we had, you know, 30% of people even who said like, nope, we don't think a K to8 school is a good idea. Um that's that's a pretty large portion of our of our families. Um and and some of those would be families that were not even impacted. So that was but what we tried to do was say, "Hey, we've got this, you know, we've got this idea around um expanding opportunities for K

to8 schools. Help us understand how we can kind of strengthen that. Um identify where you think um you know things go well in in schools. Where would your concerns be?" because we're thinking like, yeah, we we think we are going to move forward with another K to8 model.

And what are the things we'll come up against that parents will be, you know, you know, at the soccer field or um, you know, at drop off and pickup murmuring about, right, wondering about without, you know, kind of silently without our knowing. So, that was the kind of information um we were looking to gather. We have um a meeting tomorrow with our um a regularly scheduled um enrollment and transportation meeting

where we'll be taking a look at some of that and we'll share those you know we'll share those by weeks end um it's a committee that is the kind of um that's the kind of information that we're trying to collect in doing this um in making sure that we're asking the kind of questions that don't end up you know when we're trying to do a really positive thing we

don't want to be it to be a thing that kind of sinks us three months from now if people feel like well I said I wanted this and you didn't do it. So I think you know that's pretty much what um Miss Open Chain was sharing and that's pretty much been the discussion. So, um, in terms of parent surveys, what we've done in the past, which we didn't do this spring, um, conditions for learning

surveys, um, where we we used to do a survey that was, um, it was triangulate triangulation. We would have a a parent version, a staff version, and a student version all of the same survey. and then we could kind of take a look at different elements and see what student, parent, and staff perspectives were. Um, it it was good information, but the participation wasn't high when we when

we looked at it across the district. Um, and we attributed some of that to the length of the survey. And so moving forward um we're in a position where we just want to take a look at that survey and others and and think through what is you know what is the right length and what is the information that we want to collect regularly. I think the an impactful thing that we can do is

collect the same information repeatedly over time maybe beginning of year end of year or beginning of year middle of year kind of thing. Um and so that so we don't have something identified right now. I don't have something I can give you and say, "Hey, this is the thing that we're going to do." But um once we start the school year, we will generally our surveys come around um out to parents and staff um

around budget season. Um we do surveys um for the student opportunity act whenever we have to renew our plan. Um but that's been the flavor of the kinds of surveys um that we've done.

Mr. Cory, I just wanted to go back to uh the mother's comments and try to understand the commentary a little more. Lori, as far as the ESY programs are concerned, are those regulations or curriculums formed by you guys or DESIE?

So DESIE basically says we have to offer an ESY program for students who need it.

They're very clear. it does not have to mirror a school day. So districts have the ability or the um um their expectation to create their own program based on the needs of kids. So we have tried to work very hard to say what are we going to get the most impact for students right and how do we we know students learn better in the morning we know students right have the curriculum

they don't give us any kind of guidance for curriculum because it's based on the individual needs of the kids so we know we hire this the OTS the speech the school adjustment counselors right I've seen all of that in place I worked I worked with that I worked with that I understand clearly u some of her commentary was she was hoping that there would have been a little bit more time

for the academic piece in there for for child's we have made adjustments to our drop off and pick up because it has that in the beginning I mean we have over 400 kids that come to ESY right and when you're talking about our elementary program and this isn't something else we're talking about having it at one elementary school where the bulk of the kids go just they're little right and so a lot

especially the ones coming off the bus the teachers who work in ESY are not necessarily the teachers who know them.

If a student is nonverbal, yeah, different and then you try to get them off a bus.

Now, you have to figure out it takes a little bit of time, but I can tell you that like breakfast some the older if you're in third grade or fourth grade, you'll have a working breakfast or a working snack, right? Like circle time is built in for those language development, the social skills piece, the things that are on their IEP goals.

And then there is we followed again. I I know that she only mentioned like 30 minutes. Um I now last year and this year I can tell you there's at least an hour of math, an hour of ELA. That's really what we focus on.

Every kid's need is is different as well.

Yes, we're talking about 400 different kids.

I mean, granted, if you're if we're listening to the complaints, I I I get it, right?

But also, we're talking about 400 different kids with 400 different needs, right? and and regardless, we can run a survey and we can you can you can go down there and listen to complaints, right? But that's still not we're still looking to fit everyone in the same box and it can't run like that. Now, are there things we can do to be a little bit more efficient? I'm pretty sure we

all can in some facet of our lives. But the reality is is also, and I was going to bring it up, I didn't want to ruffle feathers, but when we start looking at who has she met with, who has she had these conversations with, and just putting out a survey, not necessarily might not necessarily solve what we're looking at just because of the needs. If you have a kid who's high needs and her

daughter doesn't have the same needs, then, you know, it looks different. So, um, you know, I I I think it's a work in progress, right, every year. Um, but I I I don't think this is going to be solved overnight as well. So, right, if I can follow up with my colleagues question, is there anything like any support you need from the committee like maybe for the next budget cycle to for us?

I think like I said, we are, you know, again, we're always looking to do better, right? We're always looking to make things more efficient and right now we've had all students come the whole time for and some students have different levels of need. So we might be able to offer a longer day for some students based on their IEP services and a shorter day for other students. We might be able to give families if we

offer a two-day program for this group of students because they have less needs. Maybe we can say is it a Monday Wednesday or a Tuesday Thursday for you?

like those options. Um, but I don't think there's anything that the committee, thank you though for asking, that we can do. We just need time to, again, we always collect the data. We're in the process of regrouping with the people who are in the trenches every day. We get their feedback. What went well? What do we need to tweak again?

Um, this year, just the um, drop off.

They revamped the whole thing. The way that we did it, it was much more efficient. Kids were in in and learning quicker than they had been. But again, it's I I agree with I agree with the whole commentary. I mean, it's a big ball of wax. It's it's it's the mechanics of it all. It's it's we're public school, you know. We're not a private tutorial service. There's a huge difference.

Also, the check-in. What about the check-in? What she was talking about taking 15 to 20 minutes away from the kids a day. Is that like having st having the right staff there, having more staff? Like what's that look like?

No, it was just having a structure and a system that made more sense. So there was a gatekeeper. One person had the master list. So then you know three buses come in at the same time and it's like hey where's the list? Someone give me the list. Who knows this student like where are they? You know now we have like we had multiple um cuz some families hadn't completed all the paperwork either. Right. So now families

are showing up. Not all the complete paperwork is complete. We had multiple computers for them to use. We had you know you were assigned to certain buses.

You had the list of kids. We tried to pair up if we knew who the students were, what schools they were from, we chose staff from those schools to get them off the bus. Like it we've just been restructuring it um with our coordinators and making it more efficient.

Um and then a question that I had she discussed like the amount of days like did we pivot from four to three days and if so so this year so it has always been four days a week. Okay.

Okay. But it's been five weeks. Got it.

Because of the way the Fourth of July fell, we did four weeks, but we did five days a week. So, the time overall was the exact same. It was just the way the holiday time on learning was is the same. You just divvy it up different.

We just had to because of the way the fourth felt. And next year, we're going to go back to Monday through Thursday because our staff like the Fridays off, families like the Fridays off. I totally get that with the way the school year ends and how we structure it. But again, I wanted to make sure kids weren't losing any time with ESY. We just had to add the Fridays and cut the weeks down.

Now, was that communicated to families?

It's so our I hate when people ask me that question.

I'm like, "Yes, I did it."

Our team chairs have those discussions as early on as possible in the year.

They start telling them families get we send out a docu sign like um a response piece or Google form response piece that basically said, "Here's the ESY program.

Are you your child's eligible? Will you be sending them?" They said yes. We also sent them here's the forms you need to fill out reminder. Here's your school assignment. Here's your bus assignment.

So okay.

Yes. Yeah. And parents asked those questions like why is that on Fridays this year? And we explained it. But Mr. Chair, sure.

So, I just wanted to reiterate again. I was I was proud of your uh your your commentary on CPAC because as far as I mean obviously the goal here is a little bit of transparency letting the parents you know have their points of view you know we want to listen to that uh we don't want to be like on on the side of we're just this big institutionalized think tank here with and shutting the

real world out. I appreciated her comments. Uh, I think it is good to hear some commentary, you know, incognito if you're around the school grounds here and there. That's always important. But I did appreciate your comments as far as CPAC is concerned cuz that's a real viable uh that's a relationship right there between parents and school and and that's a really strong relationship. So

that affords us the transparency and it's always posted on the district web page. Again, in the next week or so, we'll have that all up. I'm working with the CPAC presidents right now all the dates for the year all the topics for the year so it's readily accessessible accessible for families um in schools they have flyers for every you know for CPAC overall that are available so yeah I just have one quick follow just

for the sake of time we'll move on in the agenda but one quick followup um the exit interviews is there um any opposition to providing them um I don't I don't know that there's opposition I think that we need to just take a look um they were shared with me today and I think we just need to take a look at um you know making sure that they're you know redacted properly and

things like that. I didn't have um an opportunity when I got in this afternoon um to really take a look at at all of them. Um but I think we have to just make sure that there's no personal information that's shared. Um, I would be wary of any, you know, exit interview commentary that is like some accusation or, you know, of some sort. I think I just want to make sure that

there it doesn't become some kind of um you know information that it gets floated out, you know, in a community where there hasn't been an opportunity to, you know, investigate or it's something that was reported and investigated two years ago or, you know, whatever it is. So I think it just is um is about you know taking the time and making sure that what is shared is um you know makes sense for consumption.

Okay. You you can maybe follow up on like a Friday email what you can provide.

Yeah. No, absolutely. And and I'll do the same thing this Friday in terms of the um the redistricting survey.

Okay.

Yep.

Thank you. We'll move on into the agenda. Um, just say 3- We'll just go to 3-1.

Well, I think 31, right?

Right. We'll do that.

Um, so the beginning of the year thumbs up event. Um, I don't know if I believe Miss Picar, you're a part of that, setting that up.

Oh, yes.

Um, would you like to speak a little bit about it first?

Um, sure. But I'll first say things certainly have changed since I started teaching school in 1963.

I just want to get that on the record.

It's really, really different. Um yeah, August flashbacks maybe seven or eight years ago. Um Christian McCcluskey, Wendy Garflip and I went to the then new superintendent Matt Malone and ran this idea by him to start off the beginning of the school year. We called it a high five at that point because you could touch. We don't touch anymore. Um we ran the idea by him of foaming gauntlets at

the door of the doorways of each one of the elementary schools. He liked the idea but said, "Let's pick one school."

And I said, "Well, the only thing about that is you're brand new. if you pick one school, all the other schools are going to say, "How come you didn't pick us?" So I said, "We could do all the schools." And he was very, very ler. He didn't think that we could at all. And the very first year, we had over 300 people. So it's just an opportunity for the staff as well as students to know

that the community is in support of what they do. So um now Christian is most of you I think know Christian McCluskey is no longer at his position with the city.

However, he and I are both members of the Rotary Club of Fall River. And so the Rotary Club has taken on the initiative so we don't lose it because this is just too important to uh uh to lose. Um and the idea again is to have firefighters, um police officers, people in the medical profession dress in whatever they wear. So it's a visual as well as a physical standing there saying

thumbs up. Again, after COVID, we went to thumbs up so that we're not touching anymore. But again, the first year we had over 300. And I do recall um anecdotally that Joanne Springer used to be the cur curator of the children's museum in in Fall River was the point person at Tansey and she had a grandmother came over to her afterwards with tears in her eyes saying I can't believe that the school the community

would come out and support my granddaughter in this way. And so so the way we promote it is it's non- labor intensive. It doesn't take much time. It doesn't cost any money. And it's feel good because you go away feeling good.

So, we've got Christian and I have been getting emails out almost on a daily basis. We're kind of nagging people along to get those numbers back up there again as best as we can. And I know I've signed up for Doran and for Tansey because the way this the times are scheduled, you can do more than one. But it's just great to see the community come out in that way. And uh I have to

tell you, as an aside, there was uh when I was at Doran last year, there was one teacher that came through and she was pureetting all the way down. And we were we were you were so happy about starting the school year. Isn't this great? And she said, "Actually, this is my last year here. I'm retiring." So, but she was rather happy. And so, uh, they you get the various you get the various

reactions because you get the young ones, especially the first graders who were kind of like, "What is this? What's going on? What are these people doing here?" And then you get the ones that come through and say, "Yeah, yeah, you know, this is great." Especially when we were doing the high five, they were running like through the football gauntlet, you know, high-fiving everybody that low-fiving as it were.

So, yes, I don't know what else you wanted to know.

I guess um and and the reason I asked for this to be on the agenda, I think it's a great event and I think it's um something we should continue for a long time. I guess um the only um I guess um idea I have that I've received from some community members to maybe improve it would be if um maybe we have like a separate entrance for some students that may feel a little

bit uncomfortable going through the gauntlet. Um we were doing that at Henry Lloyd. So one of the doors that you would So we had done that. Yes. Yes. Because it's kind of tough when there are some schools that have multiple entrances that the kids are going through. Uh, and there's only so many people and rather than to have two people at one entrance, that does not really a gauntlet make.

So, um, so, um, yeah, I mean, if we could get 500 people, Sure.

it would be easy to do that. It's all about the personnel. It's all about getting the people out there, right? And I guess what I was just trying to say, if maybe if you get like um, if we put it out there, if there's like a family or two be like, "Oh, my my son or daughter doesn't do well in those high crowds. possible.

We can have like a separate entrance just for this one time they can go through. I think um that's the only um idea.

There are family adults that do choose to go through with their students as they're walking in which is which is fine. But I I your point is well taken, right? And maybe we can maybe advertise that to parents saying all right if you don't want to. But other than that, I think it's a great event and I'm happy um for the effort that you put in each and every year for the fall public

schools and with that.

It's our pleasure and um hope it continues. That's the only thing I really wanted to bring up about it.

So, I wanted to uh personally love Miss Miss Pequard because she's been at this she's been helping to raise the bar, especially the uh the good feeling bar amongst our our school kids citywide for many years now. We've uh collaborated on many ideas and projects through the years together. uh all positively minded and and healthy minded and uh of course we're going to be very sensitive to all

students needs throughout the entire school department. Every kid will be sensitively approached, you know, in the right way. Um you also do the the walk the school the walk to school that's going to be October the 8th.

October the 8th. And so when I was at Green, what we did is we left our classrooms and we walked around the block all together, all the kids in the school with all the teachers and we were singing songs and below that 15 minutes.

It was like let's frolic, you know what I mean?

Oh yeah. Watson had a gentleman who was playing a guitar as he was doing that and we had the only school system in the Commonwealth that's had 100% participation. This will be our 13th year, I think.

Yeah. So, I want to personally thank you for all of those efforts that you do, you know, especially for people ask me why I don't retire so I could have some fun. Why would I retire?

This is fun.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

Um, just very quickly on the um I know it's not on here, but the walk to school event, I'd love to see that even expanded. I think that's something. Um I think maybe I I know my parents used to tell me they used to walk every day and have like the lines with the rope and walk like that's the walking school buses and we have a number of them. Dan Fitzgerald

had gotten a grant last year to do them at seven different schools that walked every single Okay, good. No, I'd love to hear more about that.

That's part of the initiative that we had started years ago at Doran actually.

Mr. Cor. So, Miss Picott, I just wanted to uh uh remind you in a really cool way that we have a young man here to my right, you know, that uh his very last college basketball game at Rhode Island College, Christian McCcluskey, rented a bus, and we we loaded it with all of the kids from Dery High School, okay, to go watch his very last college basketball game. All right? Cuz he was

one of us in Peaceful Coalition all those years ago. Here he is right now serving on the school committee, you know. So that's just an amazing thing.

See, feel good things.

Very good. I love it.

Oh, um, that's that's all I had for the I appreciate you for coming, Miss Bard.

Thank you. If I can excuse myself because I've been needing a new Bedford at 6.

Oh, thank you. Thanks for coming.

Thank you so much. Good to see you all.

Thank you.

Have a great day.

Thank you.

We'll move on to um 3-2 in the agenda and um be to convene with the administration to um discuss so district social media use. I'll just open up with a question. How's um parent obviously parent square is going well.

Yeah, parent square is going well. We've you know we obviously send out information uh via parent square. We're sending out surveys now via parent square. Um I think it's just very easily it's accessible because of the all the translations um that we're able to do whenever we're you know typing right into the platform um in you know in ways that we don't have to you know pause anything so that we have to take time to

do the translations or anything like that where sometimes that would cause a delay in some communications coming out of school or the district. So you know people say it's one of the best investments we've made um in the last few years. So, um, yeah, I would say that it's going really well. I know that, um, so as a parent, I use parent square in my district and, um, I hit that appreciate button all of the time.

I will respond, um, you know, just to send a message to ask a clarifying question. And so, I would encourage people to do that whenever we do send information um, that they hit that reply button because somebody's receiving an email in real time. um that will be able to respond.

Sure.

Um and do we know when um and thank you for that. I appreciate it. Going to um I know the committee voted I believe unanimously just um about a month or two ago and we um discussed this about live streaming the subcommittee meetings. Do we have an update on when that will start?

I believe um the last time we spoke about it um Mr. Aguar said he thought that it was December.

That's what I thought it was. I thought it was December.

Yep. I thought that was the last that was the last date I heard and I didn't remember on that day where we had landed but that was what he reminded us of that day.

Yeah, that's as soon as you said that that's what I was thinking.

Right. I remember he said that but I but I also thought we also said September when we first opened. So I don't I don't I we originally had se September.

However, um I'm having a hard time procuring some of the equipment um with the tariffs and with some of the shipping. Um, I'm having a hard time getting things uh very simple things like uh the switcher that we're going to use for the brains of the operation and then also the w uh the wiring for the third camera. Um I'm actually also seeing delays right now in the Apple products that we buy. Um I've had to

order uh 60 iPads for Miss Oenchain. Um and I'm on two and a half months wait right now where they come overseas China.

Maybe just fly you over and grab them.

So, as soon as the equipment arrives, we will lighten stuff up.

We will as soon as the equipment arrives, um Miss uh Alex and I will uh get everything wired and tested for this room. Um it's a it's a floating date, but it it looks like more towards the end of November, beginning of December to get everything wired and ready to go.

Okay. Yeah. If you can um period, if I can ask maybe the committee can just be updated. Absolutely. Mr. Cory.

Yeah. So, in in regard to Parent Squared, uh Dr. Curley, would would you say in your estimation that Parent Square is is opening up lines of uh discussions and and you know, I transparency with our with our school kids parents?

Absolutely. I mean, and I would say, you know, at the district level, at the school level, we were at a point where um even though we had something that was somewhat centralized, we didn't have like a centralized app um that all schools could use. So, we would see, you know, we'd be using, you know, one thing to get things out. Sometimes they use um also use Aspen. Then, if if it if people

thought it was too clunky, then we'd have teachers using some other app where just their family. So you could be a parent who had, you know, two or three different students and teachers were using different apps, but this became really a kind of a one-stop shop so that messages from the district, from the school, and then from individual teachers are all coming from the same place, one place that parents can um use

and one um you know, one system that we're all using. So we just keep getting better at it because we're learning more about what the system can do. we have centralized support um in Miss Sardina in terms of people kind of first getting up and running and then also doing um you know improving because you know some schools are accelerating at you know I'm trying to draw I'm trying for myself

as one one sitting member on the committee to draw a conclusion um for where the chairman is coming from as far as surveys are concerned and where ideas like parent square are concerned uh as far is our efforts to be transparent with the public. I think we're making very good efforts to be transparent with the public when it comes to open surveys or even maybe exit surveys. Uh according

to the way that Dr. Curley framed her response, um it it reminded me of some of the negative responses that you might see on some of the social media. You know what I mean? there's all so it's easy in social media to sound sound off and be negative uh because it's virtual it's not face to face which is part of my concern uh with some of the idea of exit surveys because

having been having I'm a retired educator so I remember what the teacher rooms were like I remember what the discussions were like you know all throughout my own career and And sometimes people get miffed about certain things and sometimes that might come out in a survey, but it's not always accurate. It doesn't always accurately portray the systems approach to what's going on.

And those are my concerns about opening it up too too much. It's like too many cooks in the kitchen mess up, you know, they just mess it all up. They mess up the recipe. Um I think with parent square we have a really good recipe in place there as far as transparency is concerned because people are getting their points of view out. CPAC I think is another example of a really good

transparent option that pe that parents have in regard to their school child in our school district. So it's it's not like I don't believe we're closing off any any view. I just get worried about so many open responses that it's like it's just too too much and it can be overall with negativity. That's what concerns me. I yield.

Yeah. One thing I would add, I mean, you just mentioned the the exit surveys. I mean, so I'm I'm more personally in favor of being able to do, you know, what we do with our um I would never like I I don't think it makes sense to give people raw data and say, "Here, go make sense of this."

Right? So I think even with our redistricting survey, we'll offer summary data and say 80% of people thought that you know the the most impactful and positive thing about K to8 schools is fewer transitions, more continuity for kids, right? Be able to say that otherwise you could be looking at 800 different responses and trying to make sense and where am I see seeing the patterns. We can offer summary data. I

think the same thing about exit interview. I think that periodically what we would want to be able to share out is more of a trend data that we have a survey um the survey is pretty long the exit survey. So we've gotten feedback from people um around the fact that like yeah I'm not going to like by the time people are ready to go they're going to kind of peace out. Um but some

people do take the time um but you know that I'm sorry you're also not obligated to do it.

You're not obligated at all. So people get a message and in and the request to do it and then it's pretty Yeah. So it's like it it's difficult when someone's leaving I think um in terms of the investment. I really do think we can get more mileage out of serving people who are here in the district who are literally trying to make it better for themselves and the people with whom

they're working and you know the the children they're serving. Not someone who on the way out may or may not like really care. They just want to vent or whatever it is. And that's not to say that we don't get some positive data from exit interviews, but it's like the when you look at the the relatively small number of people who participate, there's an element of like what is the motivation, right, to to

participate at that point. Is it angerfueled? Is it exit interviews are Yeah, it's difficult. So, I just want like I I think we need to take a look at our exit interview. Um the kinds of questions we're asking. Maybe it's shorter. Maybe, you know, we, you know, try to have a conversation with people, you know, if they've given two weeks notice or three months notice, like, hey, could you do this for us now

while you're still here, while you're still in the middle of the experience and you're still invested in the community, can you can you participate in this? And maybe if we personalize that approach, maybe we get some more accurate data. And then the plan for me really would be to share trend data.

Most people, this percentage of people are reporting, you know, in this three month thing or at the end of this school year that it had to do with money or they didn't like the way their school was running, they didn't like their schedule, you know, whatever it was. So I I I think when we talk about exit interviews, Yes. And to to your point of some of the things you were saying, yes,

it could be beneficial, but I think milestone milestone surveys are a lot too when you because you do want to you don't want everything to be positive. Yes, you do want the positive, but you also want the negatives, but it looks a lot different when someone in their first year has come from another district and it's okay, I was successful at this district because A, B, and C. But it's also

looking at trends. What years are people leaving in? Are they leaving in their third year? Are they leaving in their fifth year? Are they leaving in their eighth year? and looking at those trends and really looking at those pockets and figuring out what that looks like. Um, and I know we we've had discussions about exit exit interviews, but also we talk about it when we do the other

survey. If they're too lengthy, you're not going to get truth, right? There's not going to be any truth in them. And if they're short, how are you really going to record that data? Um, but when someone's actually living and working in a district, I think it's a lot more beneficial. And third, like I said, you're not obligated to be honest. I just want my check and I want to go. I

don't want to sit here and fill out this long interview uh survey, you know, I just want my check and I want to leave.

So, I think you tend to get a lot of those people, especially in education, and I'll say it to him, blue in the face, no one jumps in that education to get rich, right? A lot of it's a lot of people that work in education is mission driven. It's purpose driven. So, when you're looking at it, if they're leaving, they either leaving to go somewhere else or they just want their

money and they never go. Sorry. And I think just to add to your point, Mr.

Bailey, I think um even if you would like to provide us a blank exit interview to see some of the questions um Yeah.

And I think um like I've seen like in general like exit interview like like my family would show me like oh I left this job like something like that like so I've seen like how some of these look like. So um I think that would be beneficial. Um and this also and obviously my also why I also wanted this on the agenda and my concern is um and just how we reach out

to the public and and I think it's important to note obviously we can't satisfy every single parent that brings a complaint. But it's just also important to note that parents are also voters. You know they basically control the government. they elect the school committee um through representative form of government. So we have to be answerable to them first. That's that's the way I approach um when I um ask

questions to someone like this and um and obviously everyone knows my feelings about the Facebook situation. I just think it's just important to note if you go to New Bever's Facebook page, you go to Westport's Facebook page, you're able to comment and and this is legal aside. I just think it's just practicality is I'm just obviously I'm I just think we should turn it on. I think um and I know you

brought up and you brought up a valid point just thinking about like my question I was going to ask superintendent about responding to certain comments and if it's a need like how we gave the pay center a clerk if there is a need to um bring someone on to respond to parents I'm for that as one member if there's a clerk position just to like filter in some of these uh

complaints. Um, I just think um, and not to get into deep detail, but I think that this I I don't know. Usually 99% of the comments that I see on the Facebook page are positive.

And I just think we jumped the gun a little bit, if I can say that. I think we jumped the gun. Um, I'm just trying to understand and you brought a little bit, but if I can ask publicly, I'm just trying to understand the concerns with keeping the comments off if if I can ask.

Oh, yeah, sure. Um, so I I'll be honest with you. I had a um you know, I was at the admin institute last week. We welcomed um you know our current administrators, new administrators, new building leaders um for um you know a 4-day institute and um during the institute I was checking email around lunchtime got an email asking you know that I whether or not um one of our new leaders was a personal friend of mine

whether the person was a college buddy.

I thought it was interesting, like out of the blue crazy question because the answer was no. I never met her until a final interview that we did. So I said to somebody, did like this is like I don't understand why this question would be asked. Oh, it's because someone on Facebook is saying that she got the job because of who she knows. And I immediately had this moment where I thought, what are we doing? We posted

this like really positive piece. We we partner with a PR firm. We pay money so that we can um get some assistance making sure that we are positively promoting our schools. We take this press release, we put it on our own website, which we use multiple times a day to showcase really positive things.

and all we did is invite negative comments. And I thought that is not the purpose. It's not why we do these press releases. It's not why we have this Facebook page. And I thought there's something wrong with the system.

So I contacted um our um CIO and said, "Please shut down comments." And so I wanted an immediate for me you you can call it knee-jerk. I thought it required an immediate response so that we could regroup and rethink what is the purpose of our social media because we and I and I said this to you in a communication.

We do not employ somebody to like correct misinformation. We we are not really in a position to respond like as an individual then am I to get on Facebook and say this woman knew nobody?

I I I don't know. But the law but if we let if we have we have a a Facebook page where we're posting and we don't correct misinformation, we're spreading misinformation. I don't want to be a part of it. And I like I not for me personally, but I don't want like fall over public schools to take to have a a role in spreading misinformation.

If Mr. B. So if I can um so a few things and and I'm going to say it and I probably said this like 85 times from a PR standpoint. We need to hire an internal PR person. And I don't know if the committee is going to be with it, but when you look at the narrative that's been created about the schools on social media, Mhm.

not not right up on social media, typically it's it's it's negative. And here's why. It's because we've allowed people to create their own narratives of what the school department does. It doesn't matter how big it is. We got have a huge block party and everyone attends and we give out backpacks. They say, "How come they didn't get a Snickers bar with it, too?" That's that's the reality, right? But the issue

is is no, that's not up for you to respond. We should have someone in a district who strictly handles social media. If you look at social media, it is a full-time job. When we look at PR, it is a full-time job. I still don't know why we don't have someone designated in the district that does that work. And that's not on you. That's on us as a body cuz we need to figure that out because

your job should not be honestly I'm going to be I'll be completely honest. I don't even feel comfortable talking about this because I think it's dumb to talk about and it's not I'm not saying that cuz you put it on here. I think it's dumb that we're talking about social media with a superintendent. Like that's wild when you have 19 other jobs that you have to do. But unfortunately

we are because we haven't put the pieces in place to make sure you can do those things. Right.

Secondly, when it comes down to us as a district, we allow people to create the narrative for us because we don't get ahead of it. So even something like that and as fast as information spreads, the fact that you're down in the Cape or wherever you was for a conference and here fall River BMC even still, but the fact that someone can ask that question without even factchecking is because

we're not putting the information out ourselves. Right. I'm going to be honest, when I saw it, that's the first thing I thought. I said, "Oh, hell, she hired a buddy." But whether she did or she didn't, I read she's was principal of the year somewhere and she did all these other things. So for me, I get it, but I'm not 90% of the people out there that's going to read into a Facebook post.

And it goes back to what I was saying.

And I wasn't trying to scold you when I asked about the information. Are we delivering the information right to the right people? Because I can read through it and I can be like, "Okay, cool. She's principal of the year." That's once I read that, I was like, "Okay, that's great." because I know what it takes to be a principal of the year. 90% of other people don't get it. And I'm not trying

to degrade anyone by saying that, but if we don't collectively get together and start creating our own narrative, and this is not just a school department, this is from a city standpoint across the board. And we don't really start putting information out there, then you allow people to create their own own narrative, and that's when the misinformation comes into place.

If I can respond quickly, I'll give the floor to Mr. Corey. I agree with um everything my colleague just said. Um the the only thing and I agree with a lot of what you said, superintendent.

The only thing I would respectfully disagree with is um I don't believe if we I don't believe the fall of a public schools as a public entity has um a role in spreading misinformation um due to one Facebook comment. And um I I again I think most of the comments on the good things that we do and we post as a district um and I think turning off the comments

it when we have those good things it it I don't think I think it sends the wrong message if I could say that. And um and I think um what Mr. Corey was saying what I was trying to say as well. I mean Mr. Bailey was saying and I'm trying to say as well if um if it seems like we're somewhat on board of getting someone to help with that full time and and even if

it's a form of a motion to um refer to create some sort of position I I actually before that I'd like to hear some feedback on that. Um but Mr. Cory has something to say and so I I I just wanted to reiterate Mr. Bailey's point as well. I think um there's a real problem with social media and narratives, a real problem on on every social media platform. And I'm so old

school. I don't paid I don't pay any attention to social media at all. Uh just very little. So it's always like the narrative is always ahead of the truth. And so I don't know may I think maybe a PR person may be a a great idea.

I think you raised a brilliant point. Um I I don't know if it might help us with with narrative with with our relationship with the public, but um when I read um so many comments on different platforms, it's more negative than it is positive. And yet I think what we're doing in the school department is way more positive than negative. So there's a disparity because it seems like the narrative gets ahead

of the real work that's going on.

I don't know how to fix it.

You have to you have to drown it out. I mean, I'll give an example, right? And I'm saying this because I work there. If you look at Diamond's Facebook page, how much information do they pump out?

Right? You're not going to go home and do that. That's not your job to do that.

We don't have anyone that's pumping out information, no matter how positive it is, right? We put one good thing out and something happens and then people flood it. And it doesn't even matter that you just served 2,200 kids backpacks. It doesn't matter that you just had this great event. None of that matters because everyone's focused on everything else that happened and then 2 weeks

later we put something out and then it gets drowned out. Well, two weeks ago this also happened. So it it doesn't matter. And then also when we talk about narratives, if I went on Facebook right now and I just walked outside with with a backpack and said I gave a guy $1,000, everyone would be like, "You're such a great guy." And not even fact check it, right? But the issue is is we're

allowing the narrative to control. We need to hire someone full-time.

Yeah. If I can add to that, uh, M I think I'm gonna make the motion. Um, I think you I mean, Mr. really I think you both um bring up good points and also and I think it's better to have an inperson PR person that you that reports to you or reports someone then and this isn't disparage on the PR that we align with but I also want to just say that we do

have like our our media specialist who is here here um and so she is the person who does all of the Facebook posts takes all the pictures write all writes all the narratives pushes out all the positive stuff creates a lot of the stuff that we put out on parent square and so on and so on. I'm sorry.

Hold on. We voted and so we just voted on her contract last night. We um there was a we voted on a new job description and and such because I mean the job that she was hired to do was was what we needed at that time. She has a much different skill set um a higherend skill set than the original hire and so we've expanded job responsibilities and things like

that. So um I say all of that to say that um we are we are doing that but we do not if what you're picturing is someone who is going to respond on social media that is not something I would ask her to do. Um, like I'm trying to think of how to say this without like like we just get into like a like I don't know I could go if if I was home

right and and not working like I could go back and forth with people on Facebook all the time when I check fall over Facebook or I because I know myself and I would want to actually put facts on paper and so I could sit at home or all day and just say no that's wrong.

This is actually a thing. No, that's wrong.

I don't but I don't know how productive that would be because then the next comment could just be anything and take a conversation sideways. So, I mean, I see it happen with Facebook ads, right?

Someone says this product is terrible and then I think like some AI response is we're so sorry that you didn't have a, you know, a positive thing. Let us know what we can do to make it better.

It's the sideways commentaries that some degree that has to happen.

For some degree that has to happen. Go on any go on any corporate social media right now. Go on McDonald's, Burger King, whatever you want. And I'm not saying respond to negative things, but there's certain things that they respond to. You You have to. Unfortunately, you have to because that's just the nature.

That's the full-time piece where I'm not saying if someone's swearing and going crazy, you you But there's certain things you have to give a response to.

if if you don't even out there as fact.

I think Mr. Cabraw wanted to have some.

Sorry.

So So with all due respect, when we're talking about a PR person full-time and watching posts, um in the fiscal times that we're in, I would rather have be having a cyber security person full-time watching and helping strengthen our security. I think that with what Miss Sardina is doing and what Super Dr.

Curly is doing. You know, I agree with the the comment piece because it does go sideways. However, we're also against all of these other groups that are being created using our likeness and image and people also don't know what's what because same logo, they're commenting on there. We have no we have no control over it because it's not our group. We haven't, you know, we haven't made the

group. So, we do, we do try very hard here. Uh, Miss Ardina, whenever a school asks for a social media account, she is the gatekeeper of the username and the password. So, that way if someone leaves in a building, we have the information.

having a position like that because I feel as if it's almost counterproductive because I'm going to have to climb the ladder and always bother the superintendent to get from me. So, it's it's it's a very and I'm not it's something that we can look at and research. However, it brings many more questions and many more inefficiencies in the progress in the process as well that need to be looked at because it

could also go sideways internally very quickly with having someone always monitoring Facebook. So, it's something that we probably need to, you know, research, do some homework on, but I personally as a CIO would ex, you know, I'd fight for. I'd rather have if they were going to spend money on a position in the times that we're in cyber security is much more important than a social media post just you know

as far as I'm concerned.

I I I agree with you on the cyber security but respectfully I disagree with you on the PR piece and here's why.

We are already paying someone to do the PR work outside right and yes you have to approve it but that's what a specialist is for. That's what someone who is a professional at their job is for. Um, and yes, would they fall under you? But yes, we're looking at someone who's a specialist and someone who's good at what they do. Um, so I don't think that one should necessarily ruffle

any feathers. I think if you look and I think you you we should do some research and I I'll help you because when every organization that I've ever worked for from the professional level down as a PR person, I'm not just responding to posts, there's a lot of research that goes into what I do as well. So therefore, I'm not it's just not a response. But it's also it shouldn't be the superintendent's job to worry about

social media. That's why I keep bringing that up. It shouldn't be her job to respond about things to respond to things. It should be the social media person's job to inform her about things that are going on. So every decision that she makes is an informed decision.

So it's not just a responding to social media. It's down to, and I'll give you an example. For me, I would wake up 6:00 a.m., comb through every single newspaper article, comb through every interview, comb through everything, and make snippets of every single thing that went on, and would have it in her inbox by 6 a.m. So when she walks in here, she knows everything that went on in social

media, everything that went on in the news, everything that went on in the newspaper, everything that's going on in the community. She can read that in 20 minutes and make an informed decision.

Hey, Bobby, I need you to go put this out on social media, talk to the social media person, and inform everyone with everything that's going on. So when she walks into any meeting, she's already briefed. So that shouldn't ruffle any feathers. That's what a professional should do. We're not getting that right now for what we're paying for. And I know for a fact because I'm going to

tell you right now, I pay attention to that because that's what I do. That's my specialty. So the fact that we have to sit in here and talk about this and waste time, that's wasting her time and that's wasting everyone's time at the table. And I'm not coming at you when I say that, but you you as a specialist, that's that's what your job is to do is to inform and help. And I don't know

your job yet, so I'm not saying that, but I'm It hasn't been her job description at all. It's really been about getting information out and not necessarily taking information. It's not something that we've But you do need you do need a cyber security specialist because it's an issue. I like I'd like to make a motion that we refer this item to the that we request the administration research this

issue more and report back to the full committee at the next meeting.

I'll second it.

Mr. Bailey.

Yes.

Mr. D.

Yes.

Mr. Corn.

Yeah. Okay. Last item on the agenda for today is um 3-3 is um presentation discussion of initiatives to um rebrand RPA and Stone School and discussion on a potential task force of um Brian and we both like to join the conversation. So I I'm not sure if this came out of our last meeting which was the instructional sub was it instructional uh where we talked about the program of study and some of the

rebranding work that we are trying to do that was the instructional right the instructional done at RPA. Um and I actually just had this conversation today with some of my teammates as it relates to um I really do believe that the biggest brand shift that we can make is in providing something different and a more productive service. um at every intersection that we do with our students across our schools. And so last

night was a perfect example of that for us at least around RPA um and really thinking very very differently around de developing personalized pathways for kids. um just today being able to sit in a meeting with a parent and a student and being able to talk about the career and teched electives, the personalized pathways, um getting kids out to work and supporting kids with internships,

talking about the possibility for high set prep if kids get to a place that a high school diploma I just don't see in my future because I'm overagged and underredited. talking about taking advantage of the programs at Dery High School as they are appropriate and there's a level of readiness for students to be successful and really creating that two-way back and forth momentum between the schools with our

kids, right? um talking today around um bringing in community partners in really beefing up the therapeutic resources that are provided to kids at RPA to ensure that kids are participating in social emotional groups and personalized work around their own goals for transition whether that's back to Dery or to life um after high school. And so I am a firm believer that the brand gets

changed by word of mouth and by kids and families having a different experience.

Um, and so for RPA, I can only speak because I have been so intimately connected to the work over the last five months. Um, and planning forward with Dr. Monae, who just couldn't be here backto-back nights with the school committee meeting last night. Um, you know, and that her vision is very similar. Um, very much and open the door to our community and how do we bring the community resources in um, so that our

kids have access to these resources when they're not under our care in school. um and being able to educate kids so that they understand how the community can serve them whether they're in school or out of school and for life in the future. And so as it stands right now, you know, we were talking about some of these pieces, but I firmly believe that this work will come through student um

focus groups, getting kids involved um as it relates to really some of the hopeful institutional changes that will come for the way that we've been doing business at RPA. um but really putting kids at the center and ensuring that all adults are there to ensure that kids are at the center every single day um in the building. And so I'm very confident and excited around where the work is headed

um and some of the pieces that we've talked about maybe not in the form of a task force per se um but really to be able to get community involvement, student and family involvement um and the staff at RPA because they will be central to any changes that do um emerge and come about as we plan forward. Yeah, if I can just add quickly, I know I put the word task force on the agenda, but I

just would I guess as one member would like to see like some frequent updates on the progress of what we're doing from it was from the discussion from the instructional subcommittee was what motivated me to put this on here. Um, so if that can be even if even if it's in a through the superintendent a Friday memo or if um we bring it back up in subcommittee just getting updates on the

progress we're making it. That's all I'm looking for as one member.

And I just want to be clear though to the public, we are not looking to rebrand Stone. Stone is an approved therapeutic day school from Desi. So we have to stay the course. We just can't.

And honestly, it's had great success for many, many Fall River students in other districts wanting to send their students to our therapeutic um day school. So, not that we can never strengthen programs, we can always There's not about the programs. That was more of a from I guess from our last discussion PR aspect of just um highlight as we discussed highlighting the good that happens and highlighting

the like again on social media and just public awareness. So, Mr. Cory.

So, I just wanted just as a comment uh as far as Stone and I I had the pleasure of touring there uh last spring and um I was very impressed uh Principal Shaw at uh not only the programming that's going on inside your school, but the morale that's inside the building. Uh everybody was when uh Dr. Brownhot talks about uh putting the children in the center of it all in your school, the children are

truly the center. they're the centerpiece of that entire program and I was duly impressed uh in my tour of that program. So, keep up the good work and I hope that you have another healthy year, you know, as you approach it and um you know and and and Dr. Bron, the only concern I have with what's going on um at the resiliency school is the idea of the high set program because I've had

experience working in high set myself and the only way that high set can truly be effective is with um good attendance unless you're doing the virtual model. I don't know if you're going to do the virtual piece with high set. I'm not sure if the kids have to attend in order to to get those credits.

It's the it's in the attendance. That's the big big piece right there. They got to be there.

Well, I I I think we can all agree as the champion of attendance in this district. I would argue that any kid who shows up is going to be successful. That is one thing we know we can we can make a commitment to because Fall River will not let their kids who show up fail. Um, and I want to be really clear, you know, high set for us is and for me personally

is at that last resort point before a student is choosing to drop out of school because the one thing we do know about our community is that the high set resources are extremely limited. We send our most vulnerable kids back into the community to try and find their way in a very very narrow pond as it relates to the supports. They are now having to be their most vulnerable self with family

with with with people in these programs that quite frankly they don't have relationships with. Our kids are at that young adult age where they you know they're not quite the adult who has lived life without the high school diploma per se. Um maybe they've lived their young adult life without those pieces. And so we just feel as though looking at models of other communities, New Bedford has leveraged this model and

rather than dropping kids out to send them off to the community for the resource, they support the kids in house and we navigate that program in that way. Um we have not embarked on this with any student yet, but we want to be certain that to the best of our ability, we don't lose one student. Um and that we have the resources across the continuum. The high school diploma will

always be our go-to. Could I raise one idea?

Yeah.

In uh in in all of the developmental work that you're doing and I want to praise you because you I know that you're working really really hard to bring that program around. Um has there been any collaborative work with the workforce development board?

They they are on our horizon. Yes.

Because I I know that they're going to raise uh I've I've had past experience uh working in the futures program. Yeah.

Uh and it was a collaborative between the workforce development board and the fall of the public schools and their whole approach is very pragmatic. Their surveys really tried to hone in on where a child's aptitudes and skills may lie.

And I was pretty impressed with some of the surveys that we were doing back then. Um and that's why I'm such a proponent of CTE programming. And I know that we're limited as far as what we can provide for CTE programming compared to Diamond Vote. We can't approach those levels, but but I'm glad that we're our CTE programs are improving greatly and affecting more and more affecting a lot

more students than they ever have. So that's the kind of growth that makes me happy to see going on in the schools and I'm glad to hear that they're on the horizon. That's good news. They'll be a critical partner um particularly in our work, you know, with our older high school-aged kids to keep them connected but to also have them um connected to connected to school but also connected

to viable work opportunities here in the community for them. Good. Right.

Good.

Very quickly, Mr. Thank you. Um if I can um just give an idea for data collection based off of attendance. I'm not sure if um I'm going to assume that no kids from Stone take public transportation. which I'm assuming is all special education if they the majority are some parents choose to drive. We have a handful I want to say maybe five. Um and we have a few kids who live right on South Main who will

walk and other than that they're transported.

And for RPA I guess um I'd like to know um if they're taking the Serta bus if there's a drop in attendance for students who take the Serta bus versus the yellow bus. That's something I'd love to see as one member if um we don't have any yellow buses going to our currently. So, you know, cuz we generally don't use them for general red high school.

So, Dar Derfy has start buses. They don't have yellow school buses for general education. We don't have them at um RPA either.

There's no um All right. I'm pretty I I'll follow up. I have a specific follow.

School buses. You're saying you think they do?

I think there could be students who have transportation IEP and that would be we would provide that I guess general education is an RP there is an RPA school bus provided by transportation. So I don't know what it entails but I I have some questions on that but I'll follow up with them just to keep on the um topic. kind of some members have to go.

Maybe middle could be. We do have seventh and eighth grade. Could be, right? That's what I was thinking of.

Okay. Could be middle school. You were saying RPA and I'm thinking high school kids now.

Um for old business um for sake of time.

I know some members have some obligations. Can we have a and just hand a motion to table old business?

So move second. We'll take um a voice vote. All those in favor say I. I. All those. Motion passes. New business. Any new business to come before us today?

Okay, seeing none, I'll entertain a motion to adjurnn. Second. Yep.

All those in favor? I I. All those opposed. Meeting a jour.