Minutes of the Monson School Committee Regular Business Meeting October 21, 2020 “Pursuant to Governor Baker’s March 12, 2020 Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, §18, and the Governor’s March 15, 2020 Order imposing strict limitation on the number of people that may gather in one place, this meeting of the Town of Monson School Committee will be conducted via remote participation to the greatest extent possible. Specific information and the general guidelines for remote participation by members of the public and/or parties with a right and/or requirement to attend this meeting can be found on the Town of Monson website, at www.monson-ma.gov. For this meeting, members of the public who wish to listen to the meeting may do so in the following manner: https://zoom.us/99165761528 Meeting ID:991 6576 1528, no in-person attendance of members of the public will be permitted, but every effort will be made to ensure that the public can adequately access the proceedings in real time, via technological means. In the event that we are unable to do so, despite best efforts, we will post on the Town of Monson’s website an audio or video recording, transcript, or other comprehensive record of proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting. Present: Chair Jeffrey Lord; Vice Chair Emily-Graves-Harrison; Secretary Andy Dubois-White; Committee Members; Colleen Flynn and Kathryn Peterson Also Present: Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Clarke; Business and Finance Officer Michelle Loglisci; Director of Food Services Melody Gustafson; Granite Valley School Principal Katherine Watts; Granite Valley School Assistant Principal Joe Trivisonno; Director of Guidance Robert Bardwell; Monson High School Principal William Metzger; Monson High School Assistant Principal Jill Foulis; Early Childhood Center Dean of Students/Special Education Coordinator Colette Bidus; and Recording Secretary Karen Methe Note: This meeting was recorded using Zoom technology. Mr. Lord called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Ms. Graves-Harrison read the Mission & Vision Statements. Announcements: Dr. Clarke stated that the COVID-19 Zone Designation map and information will no longer be available on Wednesdays. The information will now be released on Thursdays. Subcommittee and Liaison Reports: A reminder was given that if anyone has feedback on the Affirmative Action Policy language, currently under review by the Policy Subcommittee, please email Kate Peterson. Superintendent’s Report: Dr. Clarke welcomed Cohorts A, B and Kindergarten students back into the buildings; adding that it was a great opening at every level. Effective fire drills were held at each building, requiring only a few tweaks to improve the process. The Parent-Teacher Zoom Conferences held on October 20, 2020 were very successful. Energy Service Company (ESCO) work continues in the buildings. During a call with the Commissioner of Education, Dr. Clarke was informed that there will be remote snow days this year and they will count toward the school calendar. Only in the event of a power
School Committee Minutes: Page 1 of 3
Regular Business Meeting-October 21, 2020
DRAFT COPY for distribution/approval at the Regular Business Meeting-November 12, 2020
outage, or any other reason staff and students would not be able to access the Internet, would a day off be counted. Old Business: Dr. Clarke spoke briefly about the plan created for keeping schools open and when to close. Due to the unavailability of COVID-19 Zone Designation information on Wednesdays each week, discussion began about scheduling the Regular Business Meetings for Thursdays until further notice. Mr. Lord asked Dr. Clarke to forward the plan to the rest of the Committee so they could read it thoroughly and email any questions to her before an in-depth discussion at the next meeting, which will be scheduled on October 29, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. Dr. Clarke thanked Mrs. Zippin for her help in figuring out the plan. She stated that Mrs. Fedora, Ms. McCool and the Administrative Leadership Team were all on board with the plan. Should the district be designated as a Red Zone for this week, it will be the Superintendent’s call on how to proceed. Ms. Graves-Harrison asked Dr. Clarke if she reached out to staff members to find out how they feel about the plan. Mr. Lord reinstructed Dr. Clarke not to answer any questions until the Committee has had time to review her plan. Ms. Flynn asked for an answer on the procedure if the district is designated as a Red Zone tomorrow. Consensus of the Committee is that Dr. Clarke would make the decision, based on the information received, and send communication to families, if need be. Mr. Lord thanked Dr. Clarke for all her hard work in creating the plan to be received. New Business: Mrs. Gustafson, Director of Food Services informed the Committee that the Unites States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that all meals for students in the district are free of charge until June 2021. Due to the overwhelming response, the Grab & Go Program has been changed to Monday evenings. Mrs. Gustafson noted that she and her staff were working on improvements for next week and asked that everyone be patient as the process is fine-tuned. Mr. Lord offered his genuine thanks to Mrs. Gustafson and her staff for their great work in feeding the school community. Ms. Gustafson added that the USDA reimbursement process will be handled the same way as the Summer Feeding Program. Public session: Mr. Lord opened Public Session at 7:30 p.m. No one from the Public came forward to address the Committee. Mr. Lord closed Public Session at 7:31 p.m. Review of Action Items: Move meetings to Thursdays until further notice. Committee members will get any questions regarding Dr. Clarke’s plan to her before the next meeting. Dr. Clarke stated that there is no need for an Executive Session Meeting this evening. Motion by Ms. Graves-Harrison to adjourn Open Session (Second by Mr. Dubois-White) No discussion Motion carries 5-0
School Committee Minutes: Page 2 of 3
Regular Business Meeting-October 21, 2020
DRAFT COPY for distribution/approval at the Regular Business Meeting-November 12, 2020
Open Session closed at 7:34 p.m. Documentation for this meeting: October 21, 2020-Regular Business Meeting Agenda Distributed at meeting: N/A Approved by Committee: ________________________________________ Mr. Dubois-White, Secretary