Index 4/9/2019 Meeting

Before the meeting started, I spoke with the sound man and asked if microphones are set to amplify within the room or just for the YouTube video-recording. He said there is a problem with the microphone at the podium and that voice is not amplified for the room unless the speaker leans forward and positions his mouth about 1" from the microphone.

No one is told to do that, and so no one does.

The April 9, 2019 school board meeting has been posted on YouTube. Times in parentheses below are where you will find selected items, if you don't want to waste 2 hours, 6 minutes watching the entire meeting.

McKie's chair was empty at 5:30PM, when the Board meeting briefly before adjourning to Executive Session. At 6:30PM it was still empty. I was curious why the Board members didn't slide toward the center and leave any empty chair on one end.

As soon as the public session was convened by Vice Chair Dr. Elkins-Johnson at 6:30PM, Supt. Davis interrupted (2:28 on the video on YouTube) and asked for a moment of personal privilege to read a statement provided by the Chair (Amelia McKie), who was absent.

He read, "Greetings to my fellow Richland 2 family, parents and community members. I apologize for my absence at tonight's school board meeting. As a Board member and, in particular, Chair, I take out meetings very seriously, and I am thankful to have been healthy enough to have only missed one in my five years on the board, due to death in a family. I am missing tonight's meeting to support one of my children. I pray that fellow parents will understand and ask consideration and pardon from all others. I wish you a pleasant, productive meeting. I have no doubt that the focus will remain on the myriad accomplishments of our students and faculty and the initiatives, decisions and policies that provide for a conducive and productive learning environment for (unintelligible). I'm thankful to and appreciate Dr. Davis and the Board and the premier executive staff  and all the folks in the room tonight who work tirelessly together to provide information, presentation, data ahead of time to ensure that our meetings flow as productively as possible. May God bless you all lots and lots and lots. Most respectfully, Amelia McKie."

My opinion? The Vice Chair could have simply explained that McKie was absent for a personal reason. And then moved on.

As I wrote previously, I expected to hear "Hail to the Chief" blaring through the speakers in the room. She hasn't served five years on the board; she is in her fifth year. I noticed her statement referred to a death "in a family", not in her family. I don't need her prayers and don't want to hear her say so. This is a business meeting, not a church service.

0:04:07 After McKie's long-winded statement had been read, the Vice Chair thanked Teresa Holmes for loaning her glasses to her.

0:04:45 A person introduced the speaker for the Inspirational Moment and Pledge of Allegiance.

0:06:00 The Inspirational Moment was given by a man from Spain who moved to the U.S. Although I was sitting near him, his voice did not carry into the audience and the microphone on the podium did not amplify his voice.

0:08:20 A second speaker, a woman, continued the Inspiration Moment. She stressed the importance of bilingual education. Learning another language is important to a student's future.

0:10:16 Pledge of Allegiance.

0:10:42 Motion to approve Agenda.

0:11:50 Special recognitions. Mrs. Libby Roof knows how to use the microphone at the podium. She stands close enough to it, and she speaks up in a strong voice, so that she is heard in the room and one the recording. Thank you!

0:30:47 Consent Agenda. (Does anyone wonder what is actually in the Consent Agenda?)

0:31:57 School Focus. Langford Elementary. These students were great! A secondary, portable microphone was positioned, and students spoke into it, causing their voices to be heard in the room. Recording quality degraded slightly for the video, but it was good in the room so that parents could hear. Very important. The students also created an excellent video that was shown in the room.

0:41:11 Public Participation. The first speaker was (Miss) Sterling McLean-Hasinger *. 12th Grade student at Blythewood High School. She stated that she feels the Dress Code is discriminatory and asked, "Who is being distracted by leggings and crop tops?" She asked that the school board include students in formulating the dress code.

0:44:02 The second speaker was (Miss) Cameron Jenkins, also a 12th Grader at Blythewood High School.  She believes the Dress Code is outdated and no longer relevant. She mentioned cultural stigmas regarding doo-rags and hair picks. Feels that getting called out in class on the dress code wastes time and is more distracting than handling it discretely. 

0:46:10 Legislative update.

Skipping ahead. This meeting was two hours long, and I'm skipping ahead on the Index.

0:55:42 Second reading on Policies GBEB on Staff Conduct. Motion and Second. No discussion forthcoming. Vote: 6-0. Several policies were discussed under this catch-all.

Two weeks ago there was a lengthy discussion about what a teacher should do, if a student in crisis confided in him or her. Parents should know and understand whether a teacher might inadvertently expose himself to personal liability, if he did not immediately (quickly, instantly) direct the student to a counselor and extricate himself from any situation that look like, just by listening to the student, he could be "counseling" the student. The previous discussion included reference to a student who might trust a teacher but be skeptical about seeing a counselor. If the kid can't go to a teacher, then the kid might not seek any help at all.

Just getting this far through the meeting exhausted me. If you want more, watch the video.

* Correction of spelling of student's name. 4/20/19 gp