Monrovia School Link ~ Number 122 ~ May 27, 2005
Thanks to Ann Hodgdon for this report on the May 25 board meeting. Sounds like the "parental notification" issue is hotting up, as well it should. Also budget cuts and what to do with some empty classrooms. And at the bottom, some letters about parental notification and other stuff.
~ brad@sacklunch.net
The meeting got off to a late start (7:30), evidently the closed session went on longer than planned. It was unfortunate because it was a loooong meeting. The highlights were the public comments but there was also news about District budget cuts and plans to utilize the classrooms at CELC. All Board members were present except for Betty Sanford.
The meeting started with the student rep report. She was smart and after sharing some brief news, headed for the door. The only thing I caught was something about a dress code meeting coming up at the high school next week and graduation ceremony at MHS on June 16th at 7 p.m.
The Board then gave a report on the closed session and voted to expel three unknown students from the district.
Public comment for items on the agenda came next. Most spoke about the proposed change to the attendance policy that would allow children to leave school for "confidential medical appointments" without the notice or consent of their parents. The first woman who spoke was the only person to speak in favor of the possible change to the attendance policy. She seemed to think that not notifying parents of confidential medical appointments would somehow save confused teens from destroying their lives. Afterward, six people spoke in opposition to the change, including a teacher from Clifton (thank you!). Other speakers included three individuals speaking against the proposed budget cuts, and one who thanked the Monrovia families for helping the family whose house was burnt down.
Later on Dr. Taylor made some comments as to why the Board was even addressing the attendance policy. She stated it was because the District had received "numerous notices" from legal firms that said the Attorney General opinion was binding and must be taken as law. She also thanked those who spoke on the topic and said the Board is exploring all options and will take time to consider both sides of the argument. She stated that the first charge of school counselors is to encourage students to share concerns with parents. The Board did not share any thoughts or opinions tonight on the topic, but evidently the discussion will continue at least for the Board Meetings in June - SO PARENTS PLEASE ATTEND A MEETING AND SPEAK ON THIS ISSUE.
Also, a major point of discussion was the budget cuts. All parents received a letter home on Thursday from Louise Taylor outlining the proposed cuts. For 2005/06 the major areas of concern seem to be eliminating or charging for bus transportation and reducing health personnel hours and services for sites (evidently nurses would be shared between schools). I should also mention that two of the speakers during public comment, who spoke about the budget, said that if the teachers did not receive a proposed salary increase (not yet approved) that no cuts would have to be made in the District (I'm not sure how accurate this is but they seemed quite sure). Also of concern for the 2006/07 school year is the possibility of eliminating K-3 class size reduction, which allows only 20 students per class.
Another point of interest at the meeting was the discussion about the empty classrooms at CELC. The Board was presented with a variety of options as to how to use the rooms and possibly create revenue for the district. I have to say that about this time I was getting quite tired and was starting to zone out. One thing I did hear was that there was a possibility that some special ed kids who are bussed to other districts might be able to return to Monrovia and save the district money to boot. The other most popular option seemed to be adding preschool classes, either Universal Preschool or possibly fee-based preschool.
The Board Reports were actually pretty short and mostly commended Monrovia High drama students for their recent performance of The Sound of Music. Bruce Carter shared info from two conferences in Sacramento. He stated that California is 44th of the 50 states in spending per child and that CA has the fewest libraries and counselors of any state.
Other Interesting Tidbits of Information
* Shelly Mc Reynolds was introduced as the new Assistant Principal at MHS.
* Mr. Pagano V.P. at Clifton has a new job as principal at a school in Fontana.
* Clifton staff and students were honored and recognized for receiving the Distinguished School Award.
* Dr. Shawn shared that regarding the high school exit exam, 66% of our 10th graders have passed both sections and 90% of our 11th graders have passed both sections.
* Ann McIntosh thanked Clare Chesley for attending the last COMPASS meeting and informing parents about the new attendance policy. For more on COMPASS go to www.monroviacompass.org
* A new course entitled Contemporary Journalism will begin at MHS in the fall.
LETTER: ON CAMPUS ~ Seems to me there has to be a way to satisfy both personal rights and school curfew/truancy rules. If our school system is so eager to offer these services to our kids without our knowledge, they should provide assistance ON CAMPUS. While we'd all like to think that our kids would come to us for critical medical issues, in reality - some won't - so I can understand the premise behind the measure. This however does not negate the responsibility of the schools to ensure us that our kids are where they are supposed to be.
The repercussions of allowing our teens to exit school without parents permission is a set up for disaster within the community, it's dangerous for our kids, and it's a HUGE safety liability for the schools. Even our non-straight A students are way too smart for this claus and could easily skip school for an infinite number of non-personal/medical reasons. This is a measure that cannot ensure the safety of our kids and cannot be properly monitored - it needs to go down for the count.
The real issue should be how to offer these "personal/confidential" services to those that truly need them in the safety of the school environment. While still controversial - because obviously every parent wants to think that they are in control and "in the know" regarding their kids - Providing support for those kids who don't have an open relationship with thieir parents would be a real service. Offering up this kind of effort under the supervision of certified/district employed counselors might be a way to find middle ground?? Bottom line is that some identifiable and qualified adult - must take on the responsibility for services - especially where a procedure or prescription is indicated. This could, in fact, be included in disclaimers and school policy documents that we are all required to sign each year and still maintain students' privacy.
Maya Smith
LETTER: WHERE WERE THEY? ~ How is it that the very people that complained that the "angry mob" from Mayflower should not question the authority of the school board that represents us, but instead trust them and their judgment when it comes to decisions that affect my children, are now up in arms about the "parental consent" issue! Where were they when we were questioning the decision of firing Jill Selak? Where were they when we were asking the school board to be accountable for their actions, and to give us answers to our questions? I know exactly where they were... they were out there accusing us, Mayflower parents, of being irresponsible, and of trying to tear apart our school, and even our district! They were out there telling anyone that would listen that we had no business questioning the authority of Ms.Taylor and her board, because surely they would only make the right decisions when it came to MY children! Well, my how the tables have turned! Maybe now these people that have been so judgmental towards those of us who believe that it is not only o.k., but our duty as a parent to question those who have been put in charge of something as important as our children's future and well being, will work together with us instead of against us!
Meg Walker
LETTER: PRINCIPAL AND PARENTAL CONSENT ~ Several dozen parents at Mayflower formed a group, COMPASS, following the forced resignation of the principal at Mayflower. We joined together to get information. Information on the process of how a Principal's contract is renewed, how boards get their information, how Superintendents' pass along information to their Board and the parents their District serves. The Board and District knew the uproar that would come of their action and with some sort of risk analysis deemed the action was still worth pursuing. Mayflower parents' showing up in droves at meetings, to protest this decision, was not a surprise to anyone. What was a surprise was how other parents reacted to Mayflower parents questioning the Board's decision. These parents commented at meetings and in letters to the Star News that these were our elected officials and we should trust what they were doing. That we were taking up their time while more important issues regarding the budget were waiting to be discussed. Looks like something more important did come up...
Board Member Clare Chesley took time from her schedule to come to our last COMPASS meeting. She did a superb job giving us an objective rundown on the upcoming "Parental Consent" issue. (To be honest - I had my doubts, not everyone can be objective about something they are truly passionate about - and she did a good job). She gave us all the information she thought parents would be interested in: how we will the district/school verify children are with a medical professional, who assumes liability when that child is in transit, are there other provisions in the Ed Code to deal with emergencies and abuse, what have other local districts done, what are the risks for implementing the new language into our Policy, what are the risks if we chose to leave our current Policy "as-is", and a host of other questions (she stayed over an hour and we all really appreciated her taking the time to come)...unfortunately, most of these questions haven't been answered by the Board or District, but Clare was candid with the uncertainty that surrounds this issue and encouraged us (parents/COMPASS) to ask the Board and District as well.
Two things struck me during that meeting and after reading your newsletter today. First, Mayflower parents went to the Board and District a few months ago and commented repeatedly about our situation and nobody ever met with us, none of our suggestions were used, and ultimately it didn't do us a lot of good. At the COMPASS meeting, I asked Clare this question and was told in other districts (West Covina specifically) - parent's comments regarding parental consent did make a difference on this issue and they shelved the new language. And then just last month, parents in South Pasadena protested several Principals reassignments and demotions and that decision was reversed. Maybe other Districts listen to their parents on topics of Principals and issues like Parental Consent - but I am losing faith this District does. And second, the letters in today's newsletter from parents that are upset at the proposed changes being introduced by the District and which is supported by several Board Members are from some of the same parents that told us not to question our Board Members and trust what they are doing... which strikes me as hypocritical.
I am grateful to Clare for coming to educate us, inform us - on what is currently going on with this issue. But I am also grateful that the "angry mob" of parents of Mayflower united together and formed COMPASS so something like this (and whatever else is coming down the pipes with these budget cuts) couldn't slip through the cracks.
Alex Zucco
www.monroviacompass.org