Violation of Board Policy GBEB - Staff Conduct

Did a violation of Board Policy GBEB - Staff Conduct occur during the March 14, 2023 board meeting?

Read this Board Policy. Start at the District's website, click on EXPLORE; click on School Board; click on BOARD POLICIES; CLICK ON "G - PERSONNEL"; click on "Policy GBEB - Staff Conduct.

The District's website doesn't permit copy-and-paste. So look for these words:

- setting a good example.

- set the kind of example (to students)

- conduct ... attitude ...professionalism

- mutual respect 

- treat each other with respect

Now go to the recording of the 3/14/2023 school board meeting at   https://livestream.com/richland2/events/10797768/videos/235427364 and fast-forward to 2:56:18. 

That's where you will see long-time (28+ years) Blythewood High School teacher, Pamela Davis, snub five board members during the ceremony to recognize Certified Teachers.

Should the District investigate these violations?

Did the same teacher violate Policy GBEB on January 25, 2022?

- will not use profanity

- lying or providing false information

- disrupting the educational environment

- using obscene language

A complaint about that teacher's conduct was made and, to my knowledge, it was never investigated or acted upon. 

The State Inspector General's Report on Richland 2 referred to problems with the process of handling complaints. I can certainly agree with that.

I made numerous other complaints, which were ignored by the District and the Board (the board that existed at that time). 

A New Record? 6 1/3 Hours!!!

The Richland 2 school board may have set a new record on Tuesday, March 14th. 

The board convened at 4:00PM, went to Executive Session, re-convened at 6:30PM, went to Executive Session 2 at about 10:00PM, re-convened in public session at 10:17PM, and then adjourned at about 10:20PM.

That's SIX HOURS 20 MINUTES.

The six trustees present had to exhausted, so perhaps the careless errors made right at the end of the meeting can be excused.

Who among readers and other members of the public is going to watch the Livestream recording of that meeting? Which board member, wanting to review who said what, will watch that recording?

Wouldn't it be nice if the District prepared a summary of the Livestream recording, indicating which agenda item started at what point in the video-recording?

Ex., if a viewer wanted to watch Pamela Davis snub five trustees on 3/14/2023, he could advance the counter to 2:56:18. (OK, so the District would probably not put that one on the Index.)

Ex., if the viewer wanted to watch 3/14/2023 Public Participation, he could advance the timer to 3:00:00.

Minutes of I.G. Committee - worthless

I've been monitoring the District's website for the Minutes of the January and February meetings of the I.G. Recommendations Committee. Finally, they have been posted.

If you read them, you will not have a clue as to what happened during those two meetings. If you weren't there, you won't know, because the meetings were not livestreamed.

Did anything happen?

Go to the Minutes, which are posted on the District's website. Click on EXPLORE, then on School Board, then on COMMITTEE MINUTES. Then click on each link.

There is no information about what was discussed!

Where is the written record of discussion about different sections of the IG's Report that were discussed. Where are the comments of Committee members about those sections?

So much for transparency!!!

Ditch the Dive

This image is still projected in the board room before school board meetings.

Richland 2 received some kind of award from an organization that seemed to me to have some political leanings or ideological positions.

I say it is time to Ditch the Dive and post something current in the board room, even it is just the Richland 2 "flame".

Pamela Davis snubs five Board members

 Pam Davis ignores Dr. Scott's extended hand

At last night's school board meeting the District's nationally-certified teachers were recognized. All were respectful toward the board members EXCEPT ONE.

Trustees were lined up to greet those being recognized and to shake hands with each teacher.

When Pamela Davis' name was called, she walked right past Trustees Trapp, McFadden, Washington, Scott, and Nash without any acknowledgement and did not shake hands with them.

Davis shook hands only with Interim Supt. Gregory and Trustee Porter.

Chair Agostini was absent from the meeting but attended by telephone. Would Davis have shaken hands with her? (Will the sun come up in the west tomorrow morning?)

It's too bad that Mrs. Agostini couldn't find her way through the telephone connection to trip Davis. I thought about boo-ing or hissing. Maybe I should have stood up and shouted, "YOU MISSED FOUR TRUSTEES!" After all, she had shouted at me a year ago.

You can see this clearly on the livestream recording. Move the timer to 2:56:18, so you can see this disgraceful act of disrespect.

Davis should be disciplined by the District for conduct unbecoming a teacher. I hope the superintendent or an employee will file a complaint against her.

I'll take the liberty of apologizing to the snubbed trustees on behalf of the public in Richland 2. 

It's Pi Day

π

Do Richland 2 students learn what pi is? Even the math students - do they?

How many digits of pi can you name? Do you know many digits of pi there are?

Here's a starter. To 39 places, pi is 

3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197

But many people just think of it as 3.14. Or today, March 14.

4:00PM Opening of 3/14/23 Board Meeting

The school board convened in Regular Session at 4:00PM. Vice Chair Monica Scott chaired the opening session, because Chair Lindsay Agostini was not attending in-person; she attended by telephone.

Niki Porter objected to the agenda item for the executive session that included discussion of the hiring of a superintendent in closed session. A hand vote was taken (4 (Scott, Agostini, Nash, Trapp) -2 (Porter, Washington) -0-1 (Not Present)), and the motion passed.

The board then voted 6-0-0-1 (Not Present) to enter executive session.

Normally, sound goes silent at that point. Today, however, a male voice could be heard, saying, "I am now ending the phone call of this meeting, so that you guys can go make executive session. Miss [sic] Agostini, please stay connected if you could."

Being picky, I wondered how he was going to end the phone call and not disconnect Trustee Agostini.

The public session reconvenes at 6:30PM.