November 18, 2021 at 7:00 PM - Bethel Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale: 

Board of Education, Level II Board of Distinction Award
Congratulations to the Board of Education.  Every year, for the past several years, the Bethel Board of Education has been the recipient of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, Level II Board of Distinction.  This award is given to Boards of Education who work effectively to better the outcomes for the children of Bethel.  We want to thank the Board of Education members Melanie O’Brien, Chair, Jen Ackerman, Vice-Chair, Nicholas Hoffman, Secretary, and members, Jen Larsen, Cathy Schaefer, Scott Clayton, Courtney Martin, Dan Nostin, and Bill Foster for their support over the last year and their work going forward!  

CABE/CAPPS Honor Roll
We also want to recognize and congratulate Board of Education Chair, Ms. Melanie O'Brien, as she was recognized and honored by CABE/CAPPS Honor Roll, as a board member who has served 10 years or more on local boards of education.

BPS Teachers Honored at State Level
We want to congratulate two outstanding educators within the Bethel Public Schools who were honored at the state level:

Rebecca Lacey, Art Coordinator at Bethel High School, was named as the Outstanding Art Supervisor/Administrator by CT Art Education Association and Mrs. Jennifer Trainor of Bethel High School as the 2021 recipient of the Excellence in Social Studies Education Award for the secondary (9-12) level.

 

Rationale:  Dr. Christine Sipala, Director of Special Education and Pupil Services and Mr. Tom Salvador, SEL Coach, will be providing the Board with an update on Focus Area II of our Bethel Public Schools Strategic Plan, Social Emotional Learning.    

Rationale:  (Please note:  The Board welcomes Public Participation and asks that speakers please limit their comments to 2 minutes.  Speakers may offer objective comments of school operations and programs that concern them.  The Board will not permit any expression of personal complaints or defamatory comments about Board of Education personnel and students, nor against any person connected with the Bethel Public School System.)

Rationale: 
Disc Golf Course - Park & Recreation, Eileen Earl is pursuing the installation of a nine-hole Disc Golf Course on the campus.  The course can be used by our students and the general public.   The game is a combination of frisbee and golf.  They will walk the campus with a BHS PE teacher to discuss the best locations for the course.  The cost to install the course is being assumed by Park and Recreation.   
 

Community Forum - On November 15, 2021, at 6:00 PM at Bethel High School, we will be hosting a Community Forum that is open to the general public.  We will discuss our enrollment patterns, the impact of the pandemic on our student’s academic and social-emotional well-being, and impacts on the budget, including the use of Federal grant monies.  We hope that you consider attending this informative session. 

Screen & Stay Program - We received the official guidance from the Department of Public Health and the Connecticut Department of Education regarding the Screen and Stay Program.  The Bethel Public Schools has opted into that program.  We sent a communication on Thursday, November 4, 2021, about the program.  The only detail I will add now is that the program only requires parents (of students who have been identified as direct contacts) to complete the attestation form (that they will monitor their child’s daily COVID symptoms daily for 14 days) once.  We know that this new program will greatly reduce the number of unvaccinated students who will have to quarantine.  Please remember, there are some exceptions to the program.   Those exceptions are outlined in the communication. 

Turf Field Update 


 

Rationale:  This policy, the Citizens Advisory Committee, is part of our general policy overview of the 1000 series.  There are no suggested changes to the policy, but the Board may want to review the parameters for the implementation of the policy.  

Policy 1220 Citizens Advisory Committee
Regulation 1220 Citizens Advisory Committee

Rationale:  This regulation provides guidelines on the criteria for committee appointments and procedures for the establishment of the Advisory Committees.  Again, there are no recommended changes, but the BOE should discuss the implementation of the policies.  

Regulation 1221R Citizens Advisory Committee for the BOE

Rationale:  This policy established purpose and procedures for educational foundations that support the Bethel Public Schools.  There were only minor suggested changes to the policy given how the Bethel Education Foundation has functioned within a grant structure. 

Policy 1260 Educational Foundations

Rationale:  This policy was reviewed as part of the 1000 series.  As tobacco devices change, the only suggestion was to eliminate all of the examples and make a general statement about electronic cigarettes.   

Policy 1331 Smoking in School Facilities

Rationale:  This policy was reviewed as part of the 1000 series.  There were no recommended changes.  

Policy 1411 Law Enforcement Agencies

Rationale:  This policy was reviewed as part of the 1000 series.  There were no recommended changes.  

Policy 1416 Fiscal Authorities 

Rationale:  This policy is recommended to be revised by our attorneys at Shipman and Goodwin with the changes in cannabis laws at the state level.   It is recommended elimination of the old policy and use of the model policy.   There was limited change to the regulation, which provides guidance regarding violations of policies by employees.  

Policy 4118.231 Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Free Workplace 
Regulation 4118.231 Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Free Workplace

Rationale:  This was tabled by the committee on 9/14/21 due to work expected to be done on the District Safe School Climate Plan in October by the District Safe School Climate & Wellness Committee.  

Policy 5131.911 - Bullying & Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Intervention

Rationale:  Linked is the latest Cash Flow Report, and Rockwell and Johnson Tracking budget.  I will provide the Board with an update on the closing of the project.  

Rationale:  By November 30th of each year, the Board of Education needs to submit to the Board of Selectman the Capital Plan.  The Board will need to vote on the plan at the November 18th Board meeting.  

We are sharing the file for your review of the Capital Plan sections. The 460 sections we will look at later in the year during the regular budget process.