student representatives will talk about it later is that this is the big power of what school is about and there is a lot of research on and some theoretical imperial studies that show that it reduces dropout rates it connects families and students to schools the grades are better for students that are participating in co curricular and afterschool in athletics that was the focus of the study itself but the other three components that i talked about it does have a significant difference and also attendance rates statistically  questions about the really highlights really how important it is and then some objective data on how we're doing schools and you can see it's a little bit different you need any significant improvement is the black grades improvement good an excellent blue light blue and this is been a focus when we were having our budget discussions when the principal rolled out their five year plan this finance committee this is clearly a focus that we want to expand opportunities for kids after two thirty three o'clock in the afternoon and we want to get kids involved in gauged in connected to schools because we know that that is probably the best way to reduce issues in school behavior problems problems with been doing some of the work that we have been at school level and with the finance committee as well so these are and i'm going to we're going to send this to you with pierce i'm going to use a couple of really interesting ones i think people  might really find intriguing here fascinating probably the one that has the most information and it is man's two thousand points you know they've done a lot of work around stead of burning time for students and not just kids that are catered for but pre k to twelve and they're really getting songs on impressive results around things like dropout rates kids doing well on the that's the standardized test and massachusetts and it's a rigorous assessment as well and families connections to school so there's some data to playing around that and it talks about some of the programming in there and right now they're in the middle of a six year study to see what are some of the results in that six year period since this initiative started and some other interesting ones as well that don't really support making sure that you have kids being productive and having a rich a experience in school not just within the regular where we had stowed two questions on how important is this we listed all the strategic priorities and we said how important is this to you as a student and powers the school doing and so this or the school actually so there are some objective information about how kids feel about after school activities poker killer activities not just talking about athletics but we also we talk about after school for school weekends we get to sports fifteen fall for us seventeen winter sports it half of the students were involved in some activity more i decided in one one of the other so that suggests with the statistics that you've got that this is you said that there are a number of students who do several things and then so they're so you don't really know or you haven't brought us how many students are not involved and any activity or sport which means you know thirty forty percent of students are choosing right now to not and we're always trying to add we're always trying them up with with new clubs in particular clubs where you add the  there's you know six or seven kids in a couple features who are meeting once a week i think there's actually a contest offer to one of the colleges that they're going to be working towards making a design so there's also the clothes in the air and they are the ones that were trying to stretch it and also students are always told every year you have a idea for a club and you have a lot of people that would like to see it happen it's a very open door policy you can go to the administration say here's him or people we have and we'd time i was just kind of interested in them because it seems to me that sometimes there are certain students that seem to be involved in many many things and i didn't know if if if like the one you said some that's going to be a little different on the way i set my numbers up i broke down the fall winter and spring activities and year long activities by you know i was designing this this power point and i realized you know the core and i happen to girls or boys a soccer boys b soccer cross country here on the school day this year also two hundred fifty five students participated i guess probably some crossover probably more of a walk to school day than anything else all the other ones are pretty much thing i was going to say is that with the board needs to know from all of you is what can we do to support increased participation in these types of activities one question we didn't ask all of the kids is what what is the barrier to those that group that is not participating from participating because that could be helpful to to know in terms of guiding us in the future but if we wanted to support an increase this could teach it priority what do you see as are just a little different from you that's really helpful i think as we just move forward i just kind of want to keep in mind you know we do we do fun things we with the fussing where with you know the idea of the educational programming but the pieces that we actually control we just need to know what we can do to support this important you know strategic priority and i know that you know john and i both heard that that student panel the one thing that kids are saying and that really makes a difference to them in education and in sort of surviving school is that there is an adult who has connected with them and provided them opportunities beyond the boundaries of school beyond the idea of school and has realize their potential and helped connect them to something else that they can use later on we just heard that at the at the b s a conference and so i just i just always very interested that we  to do that especially after hearing from students how much that makes a difference to them data we're looking at our mandated we're looking we're trying to change or structure based upon data however we for a lot of good reasons we've reached this point we need to examine ourselves so right now going on this all we have committees that are there they're looking at meeting and so the reason that's not met is we're looking at proving it we do it maybe we can do it better we just don't have that answer yet so we put not me earlier our teams get together we look at assessments from english nine to chemistry you know on every force in between in every subject area every two to three weeks core group of teachers sit down  meeting for five days each you know we'll probably bring in a contest specialist and the teachers of those subjects are me for five full day seven hours of time to look at their structural practices to create quarter grades to be done before we begin to intervene is there a way for us to get quicker and there's a committee now teachers administrators who i think students who are looking into this is it is their way to do this or that the intervention happens before the kid has put up a bad grade or identify who's going to make struggling but that struggle to see plus their struggle to be but they're still struggling can we get in there quicker so that's that's this hopefully will help us get there in terms of actively intervene to prepare students for success in the classroom after they graduate will you be asking for seeking out student input into what that means because i noticed that the committee is these teachers students and administrators and i just want to make sure that that force is definitely heard on their concept about  so it is an important voice i know one of the things that they're talking about already give not just those four students but coming up with a mechanism to get information from a wider array of the student body late to hear that i would i would like looking at the players and looking at what we're doing to make some sense in the late spring to ok i'm out on the work we've done the work we have going into the summer one of the things i'm hoping to do is to get a fair amount has a presentation on what is the name of the organization late in life and it's a nonprofit that helps people or leave north korea and we will be listening to a presentation i believe there's a video and it's all clear it's the last period on mine and i think a lot of the juniors that junior history works that half of the semester you take us history and the other half you take world history so that i mean world history currently and we've talked about north korea and i think you'll be really cool with it on your presentation that's more in depth and specific about it and i think going to be a cool way to start because like give the our world history a base my concept understanding because their work is my class i didn't really know about all the struggles that north korea has been going through in their place in the world so i'm actually pretty excited  executive just so that you're aware of it because it is a little different than what we've been doing but we've been saying in our policy for home study or home schooling students so it's a policy of the member just tricks of the chip in the supervisory union to number twelve to comply with the requirements of act one thousand nine hundred one thousand nine hundred eighty by allowing home study students to participate in courses programs activities and services and use school educational materials and equipment put an emphasis on that that's a little different the superintendent will develop administrative procedures that comply with the rules promulgated by the vermont state board of education as is necessary to implement this policy but have any questions about ok because our we did notice that the use of school educational materials and equipment was a little different so the other thing is and i i have kind wanted to call everybody in on this discussion we are looking at the firearms policy and firearms policy has also come out of committee we did not currently have a firearms policy we are required to by a number of different laws and most recently i think it was in no child left behind rider it said we had to have one on the books too we had all of our we've had a weapons policy that tried to cover firearms as well as any other weapon but now we have a distinct separate firearms policy and the question that we're going to be discussing is whether or not to rescind the existing m m u weapons policy and that would be because it's a policy only n m u has to it's going to be this body that will either keep it or rescind it and we when we all met to discuss the firearms policy we realize that firearms is very very specific and really only talks about firearms no other weapons and has pacific  parameters under which the expulsion hearing by the or under our existing student behavior policy we discuss how the guidelines for student behavior will include prohibitions against possession by students of knives weapons and other dangerous instruments under student behavior and then we have this weapons policy that also talks about bringing a weapon to school and the weapon in that particular policy talks about not only the ones that are talked about in the firearms but it's expanded to include antiques hunting sporting guns look alike non operational guns knives and a combination of parts designed or redesigned from which a destructive device may be readily assembled so within these three policies what we were looking for was some input from people as to what they might want to do to evaluate these policies and potentially either rescind the battens policy or keep it as three different policies what i want to make sure  that the ramifications for violating the policies don't contradict each other you know are clear and so that we don't by having a weapons policy do something that's against the firearms policy or against the student behavior policy because we mentioned weapons in all three policies so i did discuss subsequent going to discuss with jen she doesn't come to these meetings she's our policy liaison person and i did discuss with john we are considering whether or not we would like to have chris lee pull the lawyer kind of review and decide where we're going to stand on that if i looked at these are  likely some of the steps that we had in the previous policy to do that we do people in their handbooks do have the details on what the group discipline procedure looks loyd up into think what we want to make sure of one thing that had jumped out at me was that in the student behavior policy of a policy section then you have the administrative responsibilities and we don't really meant in the knives possession of knives weapons and dangerous instruments until it gets to the part where it says the guidelines for student behavior so that means instead of prohibiting knives in what's known as a policy it's into the guidelines that's the only thing that i had some question about in terms of how you know i just want to make sure it's got enough teeth that it's considered you know got enough strength to the policy the way we as this this group would want it so that's that was what i was looking for a little bit of guidance from others before we decide to put it up ye i think the definition section of the student behavior needs to be some clarification because the night definition there is extremely big you could you could is capable of doing a mechanical pencil escaped look do they used to break off the files on for you know clippers when you got into the airplanes because they considered that a potential weapon they don't do that anymore but i mean i don't believe the intent is that you're going to take away a few you know appears from students or mechanical pencils with either of those would fit into that definition and to me that's got to be tightened up because you know it's just way too broad and as it isn't the object or is it going to be the way that it's used because you know a knife is available right in schools once you take it away from eating and use it like this that it becomes a violation of the policy of behavioral guidelines at least so guidelines versus the actual object itself but it doesn't say there you know it's there that's not in the definition it's only it's only going to be more fleshed out in the guidelines having a broad description if it is only used when there is some intent so i'm perfectly fine with someone bringing a screwdriver to walk but if someone that's where the guidelines come in and if you do have a little bit broader terror they can help us when somebody does you something that late not necessarily be considered dangerous but the it is threaten to use it in a when you are found in possession of something you know there is a consequence for that and you bring him back to school because you're hunting over the weekend you've got to be smart enough not to bring him back to school i tell my own son in your backpack and you end up at school with something you're going to be held responsible a and then you get into the whole area of intent and we're going to have a school full of them dollies to be able to determine what the intent was i mean that's that's that's within you know some could be overzealous about this apparent in the street or whomever and it could be perverted in to charging a student when there was no intent this was not normally perceived as a weapon you know or a night for example you know because of the definition of the night that you know i'm looking for clarity and looking so that when it comes down to it it's an equivocal clear what it is that we're talking and it's not  something i think we can get more specific but we were never going to be an equivocal although we were in these situations we've gone through enough of them to know that none of them were the same they're never clear what you do is you collect the evidence in your investigation and you take a look at what the policy says and then you take a look at the guidelines and say and you make a judgment unless it's all but they were never the point the student behavior policy which talks about a number of different things in terms of discipline student responsibilities than the administrators sponsibility is like i said includes a prohibition against against the possession of by students of knives weapons and dangerous instruments at school and talks about the continuum of the disciplinary action etc and then goes on to the definitions and that at this point is a is a policy that exists but this is the guidelines are yet to come so that one exists at this point and so that's sort of just there and it has the definitions of weapon and school and expulsion and  the firearms policy is only about firearms and talks about the disciplinary action the potential for being expelled and having a disciplinary hearing for the definition of does not go into anything that has to do with the knives so that one though as a policy seems very clear and and in general people were very happy with it so it's  question of whether or not we have a third policy or weapons i think what let me take that we do have procedures that are in the game books to address this so we do have procedures for th so i guess i'm not i'm at a point where you know the policy committee wanted to hear input as to what people wanted to do in terms of pulling back the weapons policy is there were three weapons policies in jericho had one a couple of other schools elementary schools had one and and we had one on one time it was mandatory right those after call right and it wasn't a firearms policy per se it was the weapons policy the kind of like hold all of it together but the firearms policy in student behavior policies are required mandatory right now the weapons is right do people feel this is funny think they need more information do you mean before we can put this on as a potential rescinding for another meeting what do you think that you need at this point to read it over to the legal consultation on it i'm asking the question everyone her question is about the weapons policy right and if it's covered by student behavior and firearms now mansfield is the only one that has that particular policy and should it be rescinded and have the parts of it that exist that are necessary to be in student behavior and firearms right if she's not questioning your clarity of student behavior she's asking do we want to keep the third policy that we're the only ones that no way because i'm already redundant but the thought is is it redundant i want to make sure that everyone feels comfortable before we call it out that it is redundant and if you haven't had a chance to really read through it and double check then that's fine we can put it on the agenda for the next meeting we can try to have a legal opinion in that intervening time people could have a chance to read over it and administrator is especially i just want to make sure they feel that they're covered for great so i think that was it thank you for your input it went to one meeting a month with the alternate week being committee meetings we had also decided that administrators reports could either be done by email the river or the newspapers could also be emailed for efficiency and then if there were questions specific questions to administrators at the meetings we you know then that could be addressed so that is numbers of participation as an outsider coming to and then you and walking these halls and being on campus and listen to the question about how can we get better at incorporating more things for students to do these calls are bouncing with energy  the students the staff the involvement if there is a student on campus the wants to be involved in something there is an opportunity and they know what it is not be in here and when you look at the staggering numbers  that was at the school i was that students are involved they're doing things the opportunities are down doesn't mean that we can't continue to look and see but looking at the test programs and that's i know that's in school stuff but that's taking kids and putting them places where they're going to be successful all of the extracurriculars that go on co curricular in the drama and music and they're just great programs and high energy and if you walk these calls for for any amount of time you're going to see it and feel it so if students are walking around and as mike said if they want to be involved it's there for them and the ones that are choosing to do other things whether go home take care of younger brothers and sisters after school because those are their commitments or work or things like that there are things here for them to do and they are involved in is terrific and i just it's a privilege to be with thank you all request for the central office since tonight was one of those nights where our master schedule for meetings was a draft but apparently tonight's meeting got moved here by email or there was an email about it i never saw it i did check email this afternoon so i would ask that i would get one that is not a graph of where meetings are going to be and second of all at one good and i'm not giving it up until i get a new one this would be the second time i wasn't your other business and other other business where you're in a bit ok i just wanted to just get back i tried to look up the safe safe schools act and tried to get everything i still don't have a definition of knife for you i've only got the dangerous or deadly weapons part which is that whole whether animate or inanimate which in the manner it is used are intended to be used as no debate keep be capable of producing death or bodily serious bodily injury so i still haven't found a whole knife definition but i will keep looking and i wanted to say since we do have a little bit of time i know people are tired i just was so thrilled to be able to go to the v s b a conference vs a conference  a you know annual meeting their resolutions committee just seeing the trends that are going on in education and being part of it and there's a lot that's happening and i was just very very pleased to be able to be part of that would everyone to know about or something critical decision you could read or something that's right and certainly the opportunity to stay here and you know anybody on the on the board or actually even in community anyway so i think that that part i think i think we're moving in that direction and taking positive steps if there are no other announcements or other business we