CABE Journal: November 2018

B C

www.cabe.org

Vol. 22, No. 10

November, 2018

Commissioner Wentzell to Receive 2018 CABE Friend of Public Education Award

Tips for First Time or 20th Time CABE/ CAPSS Convention Attendees

Robert Rader

If you will be attending your first CABE/CAPSS Convention later this month, WELCOME! CABE and CAPSS are your Associations, and we are confident you will leave the Convention with a wealth of information to help you face the challenges of being a school board member. Here are a few hints for getting the most from the Convention.

• Read Convention materials. Read the Convention registration book that can be found online at https://www. cabe.org/page.cfm?p=1145. When you arrive at the Convention be sure to read the Convention program and other handouts in your Convention bag, as well Late Breaking News which will be available at Convention registration. Additionally, if you have not already done so, make sure you download the Convention app to your mobile device. The app is full of information you need before, during and after the Convention. You may scan the below QR code to download the app:

Lisa Steimer

Sr. Staff Associate for Professional Development and Communicaitons

Executive Director, CABE

Patrice McCarthy

Deputy Director and General Counsel, CABE

At its September meeting, the CABE Board of Directors unanimously selected Education Commissioner Dianna R. Wentzell as its Friend of Public Education Awardee for 2018.

CABE has awarded the Friend of Public Education Award twelve times since its establishment in 1997. The award is given to those men and women who have worked to support public education in Connecticut and are not eligible for other CABE awards.

The Board expressed their appreciation of her as a facilitator of difficult conversations. She is a strong supporter of student voice, both on the State Board of Education and in local districts. Besides her time in various districts as teacher, chief academic officer, and assistant superintendent, she was named Interim Commissioner in January 2015 and was appointed Commissioner in April 2015.

She came into the commissionership at a time when the State Department of Education’s (SDE) relationships with many in the education community were frayed. She was, in the words of one CABE staff member, See WENTZELL page 4

Happy Thanksgiving!

State Board Members Meet with CABE Board Robert Rader

Executive Director, CABE

Patrice McCarthy

Deputy Director and General Counsel, CABE

At its “Back to School” September meeting, the CABE Board of Directors met with Commissioner Dianna Wentzell and State Board of Education members Chairman Allan Taylor, Terry Jones, Don Harris and Robert Trefry. The last two State Board members are also on the CABE Board.

Commissioner Wentzell began the presentation by thanking CABE and all board of education members for their hard work “as local boards of education play a very important role

in keeping the public in public education”. She also expressed her appreciation of the “partnership the State Board of Education has with CABE”.

She provided copies of the State Board’s Five-Year Comprehensive Plan 2016-21 and highlighted points of the plan and then opened up discussion with the Board.

Issues discussed included: • Th e 12 indicators of student achievement in our Next Generation Accountability System (see https://portal. ct.gov/SDE/Performance/ Performance-and-Accountability/ Next-Generation-AccountabilitySystem) • Th e SAT as the exit measure for

• Be on time. We value your time.

Unless something unavoidable happens, Convention General Sessions, workshops and meal functions start and end on time.

We do not assign seating at any of these sessions, so be sure to arrive a little early to reserve a spot that is comfortable for you.

• Don’t be shy! Introduce yourself to others in attendance. You will find them

See BOARD MEMBERS MEET page 2

See CONVENTION page 12

Take a Leadership Role in Engaging Your Community

Can Your Safety Protocols Be Used Against You?

New Group Focuses on Social Emotional Learning

Board Policies That Support Digital Learning

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81 Wolcott Hill Road Wethersfield, CT 06109-1242

Connecticut Association of Boards of Education Inc.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | November 2018 PRESIDENT COMMENTARY

We Need Counselors, Not Guns in School!

Robert Mitchell President, CABE

I have no intention of bringing a pro-gun/anti-gun debate into this column, but I do firmly believe that guns have no place in school!

School shootings are much too common, yet even as they seem to become more prevalent, they are no less horrific to observe. Those of us who witnessed such tragedy right here in Connecticut have been changed forever. It is frightening to think that we cannot always guarantee the safety of the most vulnerable among us, our children, in what should be the safest place around - our schools.

Since the Columbine High School shootings in April 1999, school shootings have become all too common.

With each new incident we talk about and around solutions to the problem.

It certainly is a multi-faceted problem.

Shooters are often found to have been victims of bullying or to suffer from some sort of mental illness. There are arguments that some “shoot’ em up” video games have minimized the value of human life. School districts struggle to find the funding to supply enough social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals to meet the demand. We need to do more to help children solve their problems rationally and without

STATE BOARD

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college • Student Voice in terms of curriculum • Development of new recognition programs (Red, White and Blue Schools), civic engagement, K-12 civic pathways • Alliance District Programs (ECS Funding) • Affordable housing for teachers and, • Personalized learning In other action the Board: • Reaffirmed and members signed CABE’s Code of Ethics • Received the report of the Resolutions Committee • Appointed the following people to the Nominating Committee

violence.

Some argue that we need to build schools that are more “hardened” – in other words – more like prisons.

Controlling entrances and exits so that no one can enter or leave a school unnoticed. Armed guards and “sally-port” entrances (where you have to go through two doors but only one can open at a time) are just a few examples of suggestions for school safety. Some schools block out windows and install bullet-proof glass. Metal detectors have been around for years, but are starting to come back into fashion.

Of course all of these solutions require funding – bullet-proofing a building is expensive and metal detectors are useless unless there is someone trained to supervise the operation.

Frankly, making schools more like a prison seems antithetical to our aims of teaching children. After all, we build prisons to house criminals and their comfort and well-being is not high on the list of things we look for in a prison. Schools need to be safe, of course, but also a place that promotes the joy of learning.

There are those who feel that the only solution to keeping children from getting shot is to bring more guns into the schools. Arming teachers, paid security guards, using police (off duty, retired, or line officers from the

Mission: To assist local and regional boards of education in providing high quality education for all Connecticut children through effective leadership.

Vision: CABE is passionate about strengthening public education through high-performing, transformative local school board/ superintendent leadership teams that inspire success for each child.

Board of Directors municipality), and retired military are some of the proposals. Police, and to some extent, military are trained to use firearms. However, a bullet fired from any weapon can and often does go through the intended target and creates “collateral damage”. In the case of schools, collateral damage might mean a student of teacher.

While there is some potential merit in trained school resource officers (SRO), they have to be carefully chosen. In my mind an SRO should not be present in a school just to provide an armed guard protecting children. They should be trained to talk to students, gain trust and help guide those with difficulties away from trouble. They should be an intervention to help keep students from becoming so desperate that they feel the need for violence.

It bothers me that in too many towns, community members argue against the hiring of psychologists, counselors or social workers, yet they have no problem hiring armed guards.

I would argue that spending money on social workers will pay more dividends than an armed guard. Like other horrible outbreaks, prevention will have a far greater and longer lasting effect on school violence.

which interviews candidates for officers who are to be elected at the Annual CABE/ CAPSS Convention. This year’s committee includes: Ann Gruenberg, Chairperson (East Hampton), Joan Trivella (Brooklyn), Bryan Hall (East Hartford), Ann Members of the State Board of Education and ComSweeney (Waterbury) and Loretta missioner Wentzell meet with the CABE Board of Chory (Trumbull). Directors. mittees that are meeting and heard One more person reports from Board members and is needed to fill out the seven senior staff on membership, profesmember committee. sional development and issues brought The Board also discussed the various legislative task forces and com- up by Area Directors concerning their regions.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Robert Mitchell | President, Montville Donald Harris | First Vice President, Bloomfield Elizabeth Brown | Vice President for Government Relations, Waterbury Christopher Wilson | V ice President for Professional Development, Bristol Michael Purcaro | Secretary/Treasurer, Ellington Ann Gruenberg | I mmediate Past President, Hampton Bryan Hall | Member at Large, East Hartford Lydia Tedone | NSBA Director, Simsbury AREA DIRECTORS Jonathan Moore | Area 1 Co-Director, Region 1 Michelle Lucian | Area 1 Co-Director, Plymouth Bryan Hall | Area 2 Co-Director, East Hartford Leonard Lockhart | Area 2 Co-Director, Windsor Michael Purcaro | Area 3 Co-Director, Ellington Michele Arn | Area 3 Co-Director, Vernon Joan Trivella | Area 4 Director, Brooklyn Mic helle Embree Ku | A rea 5 Co-Director, Newtown Frances Walton | Area 5 Co-Director, Ridgefield Jennifer Dayton | Area 6 Co-Director, Greenwich Karen Kleine | Area 6 Co-Director, Westport George Kurtyka | Area 7 Director, Derby Sean Nugent | Area 9 Director, Preston ASSOCIATES Eileen Baker | Associate, Old Saybrook Robert Guthrie | Associate, West Haven John Prins | Associate, Branford Robert Trefry | Associate, CT Technical High School System COMMITTEE CHAIRS Becky Tyrrell | Chair, Federal Relations, Plainville Bryan Hall | Chair, Resolutions, East Hartford Jennifer Dayton | Chair, State Relations, Greenwich CITY REPRESENTATIVES Betsy Allyn| City Representative, Stamford Charles Stango | City Representative, Waterbury STAFF

Robert Rader | Executive Director Patrice McCarthy | Deputy Director and General Counsel Rebecca Adams | Senior Staff Attorney Nicholas Caruso | Senior Staff Associate for Field Service and Coordinator of Technology Sheila McKay | Senior Staff Associate for Government Relations Vincent Mustaro | Senior Staff Associate for Policy Service Lisa Steimer | Senior Staff Associate for Professional Development and Communications Teresa Costa | Coordinator of Finance and Administration Pamela Brooks | S enior Administrative Associate for Policy Service and Search Services Terry DeMars | Administrative Associate for Policy Service Gail Heath | Administrative Associate for Government Relations Wilmarie Newton | Administrative Associate for Labor Relations Nancy Propfe | Administrative Assistant for Membership Services Corliss Ucci | Receptionist and Assistant to Executive Director

The CABE Journal (ISSN 1092-1818) is published monthly except a combined issue for July/ August as a member service of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, 81 Wolcott Hill Road, Wethersfield, CT 06109, (860) 5717446. CABE membership dues include $30 per person for each individual who receives The CABE Journal. The subscription rate for nonmembers is $75. Association membership dues include a subscription for each board member, superintendent, assistant superintendent and business manager.

The companies and advertisements found in The CABE Journal are not necessarily endorsed by CABE. “Periodicals Postage Paid at Hartford, CT.” POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The CABE Journal, CABE, 81 Wolcott Hill Road, Wethersfield, CT 06109-1242. Email: bcarney@cabe.org. Members can find the CABE Journal online at: www.cabe.org/ page.cfm?p=1024

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | November 2018

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMENTARY

CABE Affiliate Members BUSINESS AFFILIATES DIAMOND MEMBER Finalsite PLATINUM MEMBER

Berchem Moses PC GOLD MEMBERS

Pullman & Comley Shipman & Goodwin Support for the Budgetary Process SILVER MEMBERS Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Arthur J. Gallagher & Company Corporate Cost Control Digital Back Office Milliman ESS Milone & MacBroom, Inc. BRONZE PLUS MEMBERS Coordinated Transportation Solutions COUNTABILITY, Inc. JCJ Architecture OneDigital Health and Benefits The S/L/A/M Collaborative BRONZE MEMBERS Albert Risk Management Consultants Chinni & Meuser LLC Goldstein & Peck, P.C. Kainen, Escalera & McHale, P.C. The Lexington Group Perkins Eastman Zangari Cohn Cuthbertson Duhl & Grello

EDUCATIONAL AFFILIATES

American School for the Deaf Area Cooperative Educational Services Capitol Region Education Council The College Board Connecticut Association for the Gifted Connecticut Association of School Business Officials Connecticut Center for School Change Connecticut School Buildings and Grounds Association Connecticut Technical High Schools Cooperative Educational Services EASTCONN EdAdvance Girls Scouts of Connecticut Interdistrict School for the Arts and Communications (ISAAC) LEARN Unified School District #1

Developing Cultural Competence in Hiring Robert Rader

Executive Director, CABE

The fourth State Department of Education (SDE) workshop on “Examining Unconscious Bias in the Hiring and Selection Process” took place at the end of September. This series of discussions were based on the following theory of action: “If we increase cultural competence of district staff in positions responsible for developing human capital and managing talent, then, districts will develop and implement policies and practices that ensure equity in the hiring and selection process, and all students will have equitable access to a diverse group of excellent educators.”

The attendees were teams from “opportunity” districts as well as representatives from the teachers’ unions, principals and CABE. We started this work a year ago and the opportunities for dialogue and understanding were, according to the attendees, beneficial, not only in their day-to-day work, but also in learning lifetime skills.

The final workshop was aimed at asking those in attendance to share their progress and challenges in examining hiring practices and initiating change. I was particularly interested in what districts are doing in these areas since CABE can disseminate best practices on recruiting a diverse workforce.

I generally heard from representatives of New Britain and Waterbury, who worked in their Talent Offices. It was important to me to hear from individuals on the “front lines” on these issues, as our State addresses them.

New Britain

New Britain’s Chief Talent Officer Shuana Tucker described the ways in which her district has been working on cultural competence and addressing Title IX concerns. The Title IX complaints have led to some changes in the way in which the district both recruits and retains teachers and administrators, specifically those of color.

After screening candidates, the Talent Office provides the various schools with the names of candidates and then a panel for each school interviews those candidates. The panels are composed of administrators, teachers, parents, support staff and students.

This process, with the principal serving as an equal member of the panel, has led to the hiring of more teachers and administrators of color with fewer who “just look like those who were hiring them.”

Once hired, new teachers give 30-day feedback to the district on how they are finding the new job, giving the district valuable information for supporting the new teachers.

New Britain also has a “Grow Your Own” model for teachers and administrators of color. This year they are using the Educators Rising Curriculum (the only district in state doing so). The pipeline begins in grades 8 – 12. They are still working on following their students upon graduation via the students’ work with Central Connecticut State University.

Waterbury

2016 National Teacher of the Year, now Talent and Professional Development Supervisor for Waterbury Public Schools Jahana Hayes spoke about the need to “look at the data” to help determine whether bias has affected hiring and retention. She spoke passionately about the need for “good processes, not just good people” making hiring and firing decisions.

One of the most important issues to both the New Britain and Waterbury Talent Officers was that the processes are seen as “fair and just” and that they be “memorialized”. For this to happen, the Board and Superintendent must buy in to the processes.

Tucker and Hayes were worried that the relatively new processes might be abandoned when they left the districts. Every department, they said, must understand the goals and expectations tied to the processes and their role in ensuring it is successful.

According to the Waterbury Schools’ website, because its student population consists of almost 80% students of color… “Waterbury is uniquely positioned to make significant gains toward increasing minority representation among teacher and administrator hires by thoughtfully creating and carrying out a fresh, comprehensive, multi-faceted approach. This includes a ‘Grow Your Own’ next generation of teachers program focusing on high school students who have interest in

becoming teachers.”

In addition, the district provides professional development to existing teachers of color and has courageous conversations on topics of interest to them as they progress along the career trajectory.

When asked about retention, all of the talent officers I spoke to believed that hires of color be strongly supported, including helping them navigate life both inside and outside of the school building. For example, they should be taught about the community and where to find the stores and other facilities most important to them.

If they are to stay, these new recruits must be able to see the opportunity to follow their own desired career paths in the district. Of course, this is probably an area in which small districts, with less turnover, probably are at a disadvantage.

Personal Reflection on These Workshops

I learned a lot more than I had expected I would in attending these workshops. I learned a great deal about privilege, the biases that we all have, and to be more sensitive to the cultures of others. These are excellent life skills that help me better understand and work with others.

The CABE Diversity Committee continues to focus on the issues of equity in recruiting teachers, administrators and board members of color in their communities. The Committee is hoping that the work done in these districts will help us strengthen the Toolkit we are developing to help districts work on these sensitive issues.

I also realized that boards in collaboration with their Superintendents can have a powerful influence on the district’s vision for advancing equity and diversifying the workforce. They See COMPETENCE page 4

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | November 2018

Take a Leadership Role in Engaging Your Community Nick Caruso

Sr. Staff Associate for Field Service and Coordinator of Technology, CABE

I spend a lot of time working with boards of education and periodically, certain topics seem to jump out with some frequency. Lately, the board/ superintendent’s role in communicating with the public has been a very common topic of discussion.

According to research from the Lighthouse Project, a study on the effectiveness of boards of education in promoting improved student learning, a strong community connection is one of the board’s greatest opportunities to build support for the district from its citizens. This goes way beyond just passage of school budgets, but into support for district initiatives and plans. Highly effective boards are good communicators and work with staff to ensure that they too are good communicators.

Often, much of the responsibility of district communication is delegated to the superintendent and other district administrators. The superin-

tendent is expected to be a successful spokesperson for the board and district. Likewise, the building principal is expected to get the word out about what is happening in his or her building. Some do this very effectively; but not always. That isn’t necessarily their fault as they rarely receive any professional development in communicating with the public.

This is a place where the board of education can help.

First, the board should encourage the development of a communications plan. The task of engaging the public is too important to leave it to chance. A good communications plan is deliberate and strategic. It should identify critical friends in the district, strategies for involving them in decision-making and encourage them to support the public schools. Target audiences should be identified, as well as key communicators. Plan on providing professional development for those communicators as appropriate. This may include the board of education.

As part of the Lighthouse project,

CABE created a module on Community Engagement that is offered to boards regardless of whether or not they participate in Lighthouse training. It involves two, 2-hour workshops and helps the board recognize strengths and weaknesses and provides the framework for a possible communications plan. Whether or not the board wants to develop a plan, this module can be very helpful to a board looking to improve their effectiveness.

Second, the board should encourage the superintendent and his or her staff to receive professional development of their own. Community engagement is much more effective if it is part of an overall strategy, so all players need to be on the same page.

Training and planning time are critical for this to be successful.

Finally, the board must engage the community. This does not mean disseminating information, it means involving the public in decision-making.

Community forums, involving outsiders in committee work or setting up a task force are a few ways to get people

involved. Often boards end up reacting to community outcry after making a tough decision, instead of getting input prior to the decision. Pose the problem to community members without offering a solution until they have explored the issue together with the board. That can sometimes give people a better understanding of why the board is considering a solution that is not popular. When doing this, it needs to be pointed out that while feedback and community reactions are important to the process, that in the end the board will have to consider everything and make a decision based on their understanding of the problem.

Community engagement is critical to school success – too critical to be a victim of chance and circumstance.

With a bit of planning, it can be a useful tool for bringing forward the district’s vision.

For information on the Community Leadership Lighthouse module, contact Nick Caruso at ncaruso@cabe.org or

860-571-7446.

State Board of Education Meeting Patrice McCarthy

Deputy Director and General Counsel, CABE

At the October meeting, members of the State Board of Education took action on several issues of interest to local and regional boards of education.

The Board heard testimony from educators who have participated in the Connecticut Relay Graduate School of Education, which is an alternate route to certification program. These individuals had been working as

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should see it as a priority, just as the State Board of Education does in its Five-Year Plan.

More than that, however, the opportunity to hear the real-life experiences of others and to relate to the

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a “healer”, who worked to build consensus on difficult issues.

Commissioner Wentzell has always been available when we have

paraprofessionals in their schools and wanted to contribute more to their students. They testified that the Relay program provided them that opportunity.

The program specifically attempts to recruit candidates of color and provides job-embedded training and ongoing support. Relay is currently implementing content remediation and test preparation supports for the Praxis II test. Waterbury Public Schools has enrolled 14 school staff

over three years in Relay. Three of these students are bilingual educators.

The one-year program is designed so participants can still maintain their current jobs. The Board voted to grant provisional approval to the program for a three-year period.

The Board adopted a position statement on comprehensive STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education for all students K-12. The position statement includes guidelines for policymakers

to support collaboration between the Department of Education, school districts, family and community members, higher education institutions, and business and industries.

The Board also voted to approve the Danbury Prospect Charter School and the Norwalk Charter School of Excellence. The State Board of Education approval of the programs allows these schools to move forward to the Legislature to seek funding.

practical issues they face, not only in the hiring process, but in working with their Boards, administrators and their communities has also opened up new thinking. I would hope that all school board members and staff should be involved in similar professional activities, especially as the percentage of students of color continues to increase.

Resources

SDE’s Talent Office, in collaboration with the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders and the Northeast Comprehensive Center, has acquired good tools to help districts track the impact of their efforts in establishing and practicing culturally competent hiring and selection practices. I encourage all districts

take a look at them and see if they would benefit your work in this area.

Thanks to Shuana Tucker, Jahana Hayes and Kim Wachtelhausen for their assistance with this article. While the workshops were run on an “anything said here stays here rule”, they were all willing to share their insights with the readers of the CABE Journal.

asked her to attend conferences, address our members or work with us on issues of importance to boards.

She has partnered with us on fighting legislative issues that would erode the jurisdiction of boards of education or make our boards less effective and is

immediately responsive when we need quick guidance or input on an issue.

Past recipients of the award: former Commissioner Theodore Sergi, Pat Luke, John Allison, Tom Mooney, Lori Aronson, Bob Frahm, James Comer, Betty Sternberg, George Cole-

man, David Nee, Ginny Seccombe, Anne Bryant, Karissa Niehoff, and Joe Cirasuolo.

The Award will be presented on Friday, November 16 at the 2018 CABE/CAPSS Convention.

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | November 2018

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See You in Court – The Nutmeg Board of Education Thomas B. Mooney, Esq.

FOI, Robert’s Rules and Civility

Shipman & Goodwin

The Nutmeg Board of Education makes many mistakes. The latest imbroglio created by the board will be reported here each issue, followed by an explanation of what the board should have done. Though not intended as legal advice, these situations may help board members avoid common problems.

As the Nutmeg Board of Education prepares for new budget season, Board member Mal Content is worried about the budget discussions becoming antagonistic and personal. The last budget season had been brutal, but people were generally civil and respectful in their comments on the budget. However, the last year has been hard on civility in public discourse at the local, state and federal levels of government, and Mal was worried that during budget deliberations the Board will experience the rude behavior seen too often these days on the television news.

Mal would not have to wait long. Seymour Dollars, the venerable Chairperson of the Nutmeg Board of Finance, invited the Board of Education to a preliminary meeting to provide “guidance” to the Board during the budget process. Ms. Chairperson of the Board of Education saw little choice but to play ball and ask her colleagues on Board of Education to suck it up and attend the meeting.

When Seymour called the meeting to order a few days later, he grandly announced, “This is my meeting,” he intoned, “and the members of the Board of Education are here as my guests.” Though it was early in the meeting, veteran Board of Education member Bob Bombast lost his composure. “It is our meeting too, you old windbag,” Bob blurted out. Seymour glared and ruled Bob out of order, cautioning Bob that he would be ejected from the meeting if he kept it up.

“We have invited the Board of Education here to remind our spendthrift colleagues that money is still tight. We suggest that you follow the zero-based budget approach and ask for more money only if there is a compelling need for it. Got it?” The Board members didn’t want to dignify Seymour’s condescending suggestion with a response. However, as they walked out quietly, Seymour called after them, “Remember, we are waiting for your suggestions for efficiencies and collaboration!”

In the weeks that followed, the Board of Education struggled to come up with a low-increase budget, and at the public hearing on the Board budget, it was the public’s turn to get testy.

Bruno, President of the Nutmeg Union of Teachers, was first up, and he was

anything but deferential. “This budget is a sham, and you are all cowards,” he shouted. To the applause of his union coterie, he sat down. But the criticism continued unabated. The PTO President was in high dudgeon as well, accusing the Board members of being “traitors” to the cause of high quality education. With that, a group of parents stood up and started waiving signs and chanting, “Traitors, Traitors.”

Ms. Chairperson had never seen anything like it, and she banged and banged on her gavel to restore order.

Eventually, the group quieted down, but whenever Ms. Chairperson tried to move on with the Board meeting, the claque from the PTO stood back up and started chanting again. Eventually, Ms. Chairperson gave up trying, and over the din she asked whether there was a motion to adjourn. Bob Bombast made the motion, which was quickly seconded and passed unanimously.

Did Ms. Chairperson have any alternative here?

• • • • • • • • • • • • Indeed she did. The Freedom of Information Act addresses the situation when persons attending a public meeting cause a disruption. Conn.

Gen. Stat. § 1-232 permits a public agency to remove persons causing the disruption, and, if that does not work, to clear the room and proceed with the meeting, provided that duly accredited members of the press must be readmitted unless they were participating in the disturbance. Given this statutory provision, the Nutmeg Board did not have to adjourn the meeting.

More generally, boards of education can enforce standards of civility in their meetings. In this regard, we must distinguish between what people say, which is protected by the First Amendment, and how they say it, which sometimes is not. Here, the President of NUTS called the members of the Nutmeg Board of Education “cowards,” and the PTO President called them “traitors.” Under Robert’s Rules of Order, both comments were ad hominem attacks, i.e., name-calling, and persons engaging in such conduct can be and should be ruled out of order.

His condescension notwithstanding, Seymour Dollars raised an important point. Recent legislation requires that boards of education confer with the municipality on budgetary matters in a number of new ways.

Since 2013, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-222 has provided that, after the board of education submits its itemized budget estimate, the town body that receives the estimate “shall . . . make spending recommendations and suggestions to such board of education as to how such board of education may consol-

idate noneducational services and realize financial efficiencies.” The board of education may accept or reject such recommendations, but it must respond in writing if it rejects the recommendations.

In 2017, the General Assembly imposed three new requirements related to board of education expenditures as follows: • Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-241c requires that boards of education consult with the legislative body “when possible” regarding the joint purchase of property insurance, casualty insurance and workers’ compensation insurance.

• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-241d requires local boards of education, after receiving responses to requests for bids for a good or service, to (i) consult with the legislative body of the municipality if the municipality provides or uses such good or service at a lower cost than the lowest qualified bid submission provided to the local board of education and (ii) consider a cooperative agreement with the municipality for such good or service if the equivalent level of such good or

service is provided by the municipality or through a municipal contract with a lower cost than the bid submission.

• Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-241e requires that boards of education consult with the legislative body of the municipality prior to purchasing payroll software (payroll processing or accounts payable) to determine whether the payroll software systems may be purchased or shared on a regional basis.

Consultation does not require agreement, and boards of education retain discretion in how they expend the appropriation made to them by the municipality to operate the schools.

However, boards of education must be aware of these new statutory provisions during the budget process and thereafter to avoid a town complaint later that the board of education violated these requirements in expending its funds.

Attorney Thomas B. Mooney is a partner in the Hartford law firm of Shipman & Goodwin who works frequently with boards of education.

Mooney is a regular contributor to the CABE Journal.

The Ninth Edition – Now Available!

A Practical Guide to Connecticut School Law

by Thomas B. Mooney, Esq. Shipman & Goodwin

CABE is delighted to announce that the Ninth Edition of Tom Mooney’s Practical Guide to Connecticut School Law is now available.

PRICING: CABE Members: $54.99; CABE Non-Members: $79.99; Students: $44.99 There have been many changes in school law in the last few years, and the Ninth Edition has been extensively revised to provide updated guidance on the legal issues that govern our schools. Changes include descriptions and commentary on:

• Changes in teacher evaluation and teacher tenure.

• New rules regarding employee background checks.

• New requirements concerning student data privacy.

• New rules for suspension, expulsion and alternative educational opportunities.

• Revised requirements governing seclusion and restraint.

• The new “Every Student Succeeds Act” and how it has changed “No Child Left Behind Act” requirements.

• The CCJEF case and ongoing litigation over equal educational opportunities.

• The Minimum Budget Requirement and new duties to collaborate with town officials.

• A host of other changes in the rules that boards of education and school administrators must follow.

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | November 2018

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | November 2018

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BUSINESS AFFILIATE COMMENTARY

Can Your Safety Protocols Be Used Against You? Jon Bishop

Founder, Countability, Inc.

Nikolas Cruz was able to leverage a significant inconsistency in his school’s emergency procedures when he gunned down 17 students and teachers and injured 14 more at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Cruz well understood his high school’s active shooter procedures and knew with absolute certainty that the school would initiate a lockdown the moment gunshots were heard. In order to draw students out of their classrooms, he pulled the fire alarm before unleashing the deadliest barrage of gunfire a United States high school has seen since the Columbine massacre in 1999.

Since then, some 200,000 American students have been exposed to gun violence at school.

Students and teachers are trained to respond to either a fire alarm or a lockdown – not to both at the same time. The events of Parkland exposed the potential to exploit existing safety drills as a means of inflicting greater harm. Schools must now reevaluate and assess vulnerabilities in their emergency response plans.

Moreover, the Parkland shooting received greater, more sustained media coverage than the events of San Bernadino, Orlando and Las Vegas, increasing the likelihood that the next school shooter weaponize similar discrepancies.

There is no single set of accepted practices that dictate how to counter active shooter scenarios, and emergency preparedness plans vary amongst school districts nationwide. According to a 2017 report by the National Center for Education Statistics, 92 percent of all public schools in the United

al-time direction from administrators or emergency personnel.

Schools should be a safe place for students to learn and grow, and parents need not be concerned with their children’s safety when sending them off to school. But with 57 times as many school shootings as the six other G7 countries combined, the United States faces immense challenges in protecting its youth.

After each shooting, the country watches a familiar pattern unfold. Students express mourning and outrage.

Schools offer counseling to students and families, and elected officials call for stricter gun laws and pledge to make our schools safer and more secure. Little can be done to prevent the next attack, but where prevention is not possible; smart preparedness is.

States conduct emergency drills. However, they rarely prepare for evacuation measures concurrent with a lockeddown, secured building.

A key challenge facing our schools during an active shooter scenario is maintenance of institutional control.

Amidst chaos and uncertainty, knowledge is power; but many schools lack comprehensive, real-time student tracking and communications systems, and rely on outdated methods that are inefficient and potentially dangerous.

Emergency command tools, like Countability, allow teachers to account for students and provide two-way silent communication features that link teachers, administrators and first responders in real-time. In the event a fire alarm goes off during a lockdown, teachers need not decide whether to remain in the classroom or to evacuate. Emergency command tools mitigate uncertainty by providing re-

Countability is a CABE Business Affiliate.

You Still Have Time!

CABE/CAPSS Convention | November 16 - 17, 2018 | Mystic Marriott Hotel, Groton, CT v Be Inspired by our convention speakers Friday morning Keynote Speaker | Friday, November 16 | 8:30 – 10:45 am

Marc Brackett

Friday Evening Dinner Speaker | Friday, November 16 | 5:45 – 8:15 pm

Cristal Glangchai

Saturday Morning Speaker | Friday, November 17 | 8:30 – 9:30 am

Freeman Hrabowski

v Student Panel Discussion | Saturday, November 17 | 12:05 - 1:35 pm

What do students think about transforming K-12 education?

This keynote panel features the leaders of tomorrow – students from diverse backgrounds, immersed in next generation learning models, who will share their perspectives on shifting toward student-centered approaches to learning. They will present research they have gathered and will take questions from the audience.

Follow along with

#CABECAPSS2018

for the latest Convention updates.

2018 CABE Events Mobile App

Get instant access to all sorts of valuable, information, including the CABE/CAPSS Convention.

Be sure to download this app as the prevous one is no longer supported!

vD iscover what will help you be an effective board member with 35 workshops sessions, like • Revisiting School Safety • Real Case Studies in Crisis Communication • Implicit Bias: How It Impacts Your Work • Grading Practices

vE xplore the Exhibit Hall Floor… Visit more than 50 exhibitors who are excited to share ways they can help

@ConnecticutAssociation ofBoardsofEducation

@CTAssocBdsofEd

your district’s work.

Register NOW and SAVE!

Register today at: http://www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=1145

8

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | November 2018

The Policy Corner Vincent A. Mustaro

Senior Staff Associate for Policy Service, CABE

Implementing Restorative Justice in Student Discipline School districts have different policies and procedures pertaining to student discipline. Some districts employ strict, punitive disciplinary procedures. Others apply a more flexible standard aimed at restoring the wronged party and reforming the wrongdoer. Though different, both approaches strive to ensure a safe and friendly academic environment for all students. Some student discipline policies have exhibited a disproportionately negative effect on minority students yielding significantly higher percentages of suspensions, expulsions, and school arrests.

A promising approach to student discipline is called restorative justice.

This approach opens up alternatives to suspensions and other traditional forms of punishment for misbehavior in schools. It represents a major undertaking for any school. The goals of the approach include the encouragement of personal responsibility and the reduction in rates of suspension and incarceration among students, particularly racial minorities. Tom Cavanagh, an adjunct professor at Colorado State University and a trainer in this model stated that successful implementation of restorative justice techniques involves creating a “culture of care” that relies on relationships among students and school staff.

Restorative justice is a philosophy based on a set of principles that guide the response to conflict and harm. The main goals of this approach encompass accountability, community safety and competency development.

This philosophy, as applied to schools, views misconduct as a violation against people and damaging to relationships in the school and throughout the community.

Background and Rationale Behind the Restorative Justice Model Restorative justice focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through

reconciliation with victims and the community at large. Rather than punishing someone for a wrongful act, restorative justice uses mediation and agreement to correct the behavior of the wrongdoer and restore the wronged party.

Many school districts have utilized a form of zero tolerance for student discipline. Zero tolerance policies contain an explicit, predetermined punishment for offenses. Zero tolerance, in comparison to alternative forms of student discipline, is more easily implemented and varied by the educational needs and concerns of the school or district. Many schools and districts believe that zero tolerance policies provide for fair and equal treatment of students because they remove background factors in assigning punishment.

An indirect result of zero tolerance policies in public schools may be the reason for an increase in the reported incidents of student discipline among students of color as reported in data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection.

These statistics and nationwide disparities have prompted school districts to seek new models of student discipline, such as restorative justice.

The Role of Restorative Justice in Public Schools

Restorative justice strives to facilitate a nondiscriminatory and fair student discipline system. A primary mission for some school districts is the implementation of alternative student discipline policies that allow schools to accomplish necessary educational goals.

Restorative justice can play a significant role in addressing and improving the academic performance of students. Studies reveal that high suspension rates negatively impact students’ academic progress leading to lower test scores and higher dropout

rates. Other studies show a correlation between student suspensions or dropouts and criminal activity, referred to as the school-to-prison pipeline.

Proponents of the restorative approach indicate student discipline is handled constructively rather than punitively, which is more likely to keep students in school.

Supporters indicate restorative justice enhances students’ experiences in public schools. Such practices allow student wrongdoers an opportunity not only to discuss what motivated their behavior, but also how their behavior negatively impacted themselves and others, increasing the wrongdoer’s awareness and decreasing recidivism.

This has prompted some school districts to embrace a restorative justice model of student discipline.

What Restorative Justice in Public Schools Means

A universal method of defining administering restorative justice pertaining to school discipline does not exist. School districts vary in their implementation methods. Some districts utilize a three-tiered model for restorative justice practices that focuses on prevention, intervention, and reentry. Other districts focus more of their resources on training counselors to adequately address conflicts after they have occurred. Some schools have students and faculty jointly involved in restorative justice committee hearings, whereas other schools have mostly teacher-led and faculty-led justice hearings.

A common aspect of restorative justice is the facilitation of discussion

between the student-wrongdoer and the person harmed. A principle of restorative justice practices is to provide an opportunity for the offender and the offended to talk through problems, address the underlying issues or behavior, and to make amends.

The implementation of restorative justice practices in student discipline requires a commitment of time and resources. Districts without the necessary resources for training will face difficulty in implementation.

Successful implementation requires teachers and administrators alike to buy into the idea of taking more time with individual violations as a means of preventing future violations.

Restorative justice emphasizes values of empathy, respect, honesty, acceptance, responsibility and accountability. Restorative justice can involve all types of students. Restorative discipline can provide opportunities to socialize youth and teach them how to be productive members of society. The discipline process includes learning how to control impulses and honing social skills. Restorative justice also: • Provides ways to effectively address behavior and other complex school issues.

• Offers a supportive environment that can improve learning.

• Improves safety by preventing future harm.

• Offers alternatives to suspension and expulsion.

The next issue of the CABE Journal will review what restorative justice does not mean, challenges in implementing this approach and related policy implications.

MEETINGS OF INTEREST Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations November 2 • 10:30 a.m.

Legislative Office Buildng, Room 1C

State Board of Education November 7 • 9:30 a.m, State Department of Education 450 Columbus Boulevard

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | November 2018

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10

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | November 2018 November 16-17, 2018

TOP TEN reasons to join us at the

2018 CABE/CAPSS Convention Connecticut’s Future: Transforming Schools, 10 Transforming Lives

Renew old friendships and develop new ones

Board members are never at a loss for conversation because they have the universal bond of children’s education to discuss.

9 Reenergize yourself

Each of us needs to be nudged out of the rut occasionally to help us regain the fervor we possessed as a newly elected board member ready to revolutionize education.

8

Become familiar with the uniqueness of other districts

The annual Convention provides you with the opportunity to learn more about each other by sharing concerns and successes with other districts.

7 Find common interests and concerns

6

If you thought your district was the only one dealing with a particular issue – think again!

The annual Convention is the perfect place to meet individuals who share your passion for education. Talk one-on-one with people who are as energetic, committed and caring as you are.

5

Develop your boardsmanship skills

Board members come from all walks of life and are required to set the vision and direction of the district, hire and evaluate the superintendent, and establish the budget, along with many other responsibilities.

To do all this without training would be irresponsible.

To divide and conquer

Examine the agenda, select topics of interest and send each board member to a different workshop session.

2

Exercise leadership

Every one of you is a “mover and shaker” in your home community. You come from every possible political agenda and yet you put that aside to pull together for children.

Attend the annual Convention because you want to make things happen for Connecticut’s children.

by Ann Baldwin, President and CEO, Baldwin Media Marketing, LLC

Social Media – Making “Our Schools” More Public

It wasn’t that long ago, that the big question coming from school districts was, “What are your thoughts on social media and should we have a Facebook page?” Fast forward to today and it seems that everyone is engaged in social media, making what is happening in your world much more public.

Managing social media and giving advice on how to “handle it” is one of the toughest components of public relations, especially as it deals with how to handle negative comments on social media. Hopefully when your social media account was created, there was a process established for managing comments. It is important to create a safe and respectful space, free of rude and unfair comments. Making it clear that comments will be monitored will help, but it won’t stop them.

Sometimes comments are valid. A negative comment doesn’t have to turn out negative in the end. If valid, it can help you recognize, respond and rectify a problem. That being said, not all negative comments are valid. It amazes me how much time some people have

on their hands to take to social media and make disparaging remarks and then others just seem to join in.

When a negative comment does make its way onto one of your social media outlets, it’s important to understand what kind of comment you are dealing with before you respond to it.

How your district responds to negative social media comments also reflects on the public’s perception of your responsiveness, transparency and professionalism.

You should keep a record of all of your comments as detailed in the Rules of Civil Procedure enacted in 2006. It can help you respond with consistency in your communications outreach.

Having policies and a plan will go a long way to help assure board members, superintendent and anyone who might be concerned that the school district could be “blindsided” by negative comments on social media.

Relevant Policy: 3543.31 Electronic Communications Use and Retention

People in the News

Connect with other board members

4

The Media Message

Robert Rader, Executive Director, has been appointed to a two-year term on NSBA’s Executive Directors’ Liaison Committee, which represents the executive directors of state school boards associations from across the country. Bob previously served as Chair of the Executive Directors’ Liaison Committee for the 2006-2007 year.

Patrice McCarthy, Deputy Director and General Counsel and Lisa Steimer, Sr. Staff Associate for Professional Development and Communications were recently renewed as a Certified Association Executives (CAE) with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

The CAE is the highest professional credential in the association industry.

Less than five percent of all association professionals have earned the CAE.

3 Become a part of the solution

When board members speak from the heart and everyone gives a little to go forward, we are a strong, unified voice for education.

Attend the Convention to better understand the issues so we can move quickly towards developing solutions together.

1 Advocate for Connecticut’s children

Board member education and advocacy go hand-in-hand if the children are to benefit.

You can be part of advocating for all of Connecticut’s children.

CABE Executive Director, Robert Rader, participated in the first meeting of the Legislative Task Force to Study Issues Relating to Best Practices for Social-Emotional Learning in Schools meeting on September 20.

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | November 2018

11

New Group Focuses on Social Emotional Learning Chris Seymour Reporter, CABE

SEL4CT — the Social-Emotional Learning Alliance for Connecticut — is a new statewide group that is focused on setting kids up with important life skills they’ll need to succeed.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is “kind of a catchall phrase and a lot of people use it in different ways,” according to Michelle Doucette Cunningham, Executive Director of the Connecticut After School Network and Chair of the Willington Board of Education.

“The reason it is a catchall phrase is that there are all these skills that we know are important to success that aren’t academic skills,” added Cunningham.

These include “teamwork, how to control your own emotions, how to read other people’s emotions and be able to interact appropriately with them,” she stated. “Some of it is self-awareness, some of it is about awareness of others — kind of the skills of working with other people.”

Cunningham has been front and center on the effort “to put more attention on these other aspects of skills that kids need to be successful.”

“I went out and wrote a grant that’s specific for innovation for after school networks like mine,” Cunningham explained.

“So, as part of that innovation I wanted to help expand social-emotional learning across all sectors — not just schools, not just after school, not just community programs for kids, not

just childcare—but really have a broad investment,” she continued.

“And that type of coalition has been successful in Massachusetts and a couple of other places they have been doing this kind of work and I wanted to make sure that both schools and communities are equal partners at the table with this,” explained Cunningham.

“So because of that I wrote this grant to kick-start SEL4CT. Even though I wrote the grant and I will kind of chair the committee to get us started, this is not specifically for after school.”

Cunningham expects the group to feature various stakeholders from around the state and to have several subcommittees for issues like policy and professional development.

“I suspect it will have a policy committee that might look at expanding policy on this, and I suspect it will probably have a professional development committee that will look at ways we can help people who work with kids better understand how to foster these skills,” said Cunningham.

“There might be some aspects in that professional development about how as adults we can develop our own social-emotional skills because we have been traumatized in the past or had areas that we are not fully developed [in, so] it’s hard to then develop them in kids; so there is certainly a healing ourselves part of this,” added Cunningham.

She also expects there to be a broader public relations and communications effort since social-emotional learning is so broadly defined and

many people aren’t quite sure what it means.

Social-emotional learning has been top of mind for many in education of late. “The Aspen Institute has formed a commission on social-emotional and academic learning and is in the process of putting together a nationwide, huge report on SEL skills so this is very timely,” observed Cunningham.

“I think the reason [the grant] was funded is it really is on the tips of everyone’s tongues, and there are a lot of people who have some good ideas about how to do it but I think we really need to come together around the best methods and have some clarity around what’s working,” she continued.

“So, for example, the larger SEL4CT might decide to have a research group because there are so many universities in Connecticut that are doing research on this, so they may look at how to identify best practices,” said Cunningham.

Cunningham noted kids are already learning SEL skills while they’re interacting with others at school and in after school programs — but she stressed that “a lot more can be done.”

“When we are looking at some of the really difficult outcomes that are out there in terms of depression and anxiety and the turn toward more substance abuse, increased rates of suicide — some of those bad outcomes, I think there are protective factors that we can invest time and energy in, as well as improve kids’ understanding of other people and of differences

amongst other people,” stated Cunningham. “So I see it very broadly as also an investment for society and civil society.”

A SEL4CT kickoff meeting took place in October. “It’s really the start of what I am expecting to be a social-emotional push in terms of social media, in terms of conferences, in terms of work we are doing together,” she observed.

Cunningham encouraged her fellow board of education colleagues from around the state to get involved.

“It’s going to be very open to anyone who wants to support the effort; honestly, it would be great if there was a person in every school district—there is probably a person on every school board who cares about these kinds of issues, so to have a point person involved would be wonderful,” she said.

CABE Executive Director Robert Rader and Deputy Director and General Counsel Patrice McCarthy are excited about being involved in the effort.

“Patrice and I are proud to serve on the steering committee of SEL4CT - the Social-Emotional Learning Alliance for Connecticut,” said Rader. “We understand the importance of ensuring that every student in Connecticut is provided with the tools needed to navigate the complex world they will inherit.”

For more information on SEL4CT, please visit sel4ct.org.

Engagement is a Process, Not an Action Step Most forms of engagement have at least one thing in common: They are ongoing. The most basic form of engagement is when school leaders are active in their own communities.

Through chambers, civic and religious groups, they work side-by-side with others to make their shared community a better place.

The next level of engagement comes when school leaders invite those same community members to be involved in their schools. Effective school systems tap into the synergy and energy of their stakeholders.

When engagement is at its highest form, school leaders involve these individuals in setting goals, solving problems, voicing ideas and taking action. Engagement is a process, not an action step, and it takes time and commitment from all involved.

Consider these four questions before engaging your stakeholders:

• Are the ultimate decisionmakers willing to accept stakeholder input?

If you already know what you’re going to do, don’t pretend public input matters. Do your research instead, and figure out how to build support for it.

One thing to keep in mind is to define the level of influence the public will have. Often times, public engagement groups are identified as advisory. They are told from the start that they will present a recommendation to administration or the board, but that there are no guarantees.

• Do your stakeholders care?

Engagement takes time as well as intellectual and emotional capital from all parties. If your publics aren’t interested, motivated, concerned or curious,

your engagement attempt will likely flop early in the process.

• What is your intended outcome?

Engagement can be the right tool or the wrong tool, and defining your intended outcome can help you decide. If you are seeking to develop deep understanding and a mutual commitment — engage. If you are seeking to rebuild trust — engage. If you are seeking new allies and new ideas — engage. But if you are seeking to gain support for a decision that has already been made, engagement is the wrong strategy.

• Is there time for the process?

Most public enagement strategies require time. This is not speed dating. It’s a long and

thoughtful courtship. Engage your stakeholders when you have time to lay the foundation and let it dry and cure.

Otherwise, you will sink into the wet concrete and it will crumble when it dries. Relationships of trust don’t happen overnight.

They take time and nurturing, and so does the engagement process.

From Making Communication Work for You and Your Schools, available for purchase on the NSPRA Online Store at www.nspra.org/products.

This article first appeared in the October 2018 Principal Communicator and is reprinted with permission of the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA).

12

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | November 2018

Connecticut RISE Network:

Lifting Student Success through Collaboration Robert Rader

Executive Director, CABE

An exciting and promising new partnership to raise student achievement is sponsored by the Dalio Foundation and connects teachers, counselors, and leaders advancing similar goals in different communities across the state. Known as the Connecticut RISE Network, the partnership’s mission is to empower educators to achieve breakthrough results, helping all students realize and achieve their full potential.

The Dalio Foundation is wellknown to many educators in Connecticut. The family foundation has many interests in philanthropy.

Barbara Dalio is the leader of the Dalio Foundation’s work to strengthen public education through collaboration. She believes in “the intrinsic abilities of young people who are often overlooked and underserved and recognizes that solutions will come from young people themselves, as well as educators, leaders, and communities.”

RISE convenes educators working in Meriden, East Hartford, Hartford, and New Haven Public Schools to advance shared goals for high school students. RISE partners include teachers, school counselors, school leaders, and district administrators. RISE currently serves almost 5,700 students.

18% percent of the students are in special education, about 14% are English Learners, and 82% are of color.

The Dalio Foundation recently introduced me to Emily Pallin, the Director of CT RISE. She explained how educators across the RISE Network are working together to improve student success. Their collective efforts advance the “RISE by 5 Strategies” that underpin RISE efforts: 1. On-track data teams support educators with information, tools, and resources to leverage their expertise for the benefit of all students. Collaborative team structures help schools meet the holistic needs of every student.

2. On-track coaching opportunities engage all students in one-on-one conferences. On-Track and College and Career Coordinators support students through personalized and data-driven coaching for student success.

3. Summer transition programs offer meaningful opportunities to help students navigate transitions to high school and beyond, form strong relationships, and gain confidence and skills to achieve their goals.

4. College and career supports provide sophomores with college visits to build future aspirations, juniors with SAT prep programs to increase post-secondary readiness, and seniors with post-secondary planning support.

5. Educator-inspired innovations receive support from the RISE Adviso-

ry Council and Innovation Fund, empowering educators to pinpoint needs, pilot ideas, and promote promising practices through collaboration.

I asked East Hartford Superintendent Nathan Quesnel about his district’s work with RISE. He said that: “As a founding member of the CT RISE Network, East Hartford educators, administration and students have truly benefited from a collaborative approach to improving student achievement. Rather than perpetually re-inventing the wheel, the RISE Network is a dynamic collection of talented individuals who work on meaningful tasks, are grounded by a focus on data and who deeply believe in their power as educators to change outcomes for kids.

Our faculty leaves these Network collaboration opportunities inspired, encouraged and driven to take the learning back to the classroom and back to our kids. As our achievement results continue to show dramatic achievement trends, we are encouraged to keep working hard and keep working together!”

Mark Benigni, Superintendent of Meriden Public Schools added the following: “The CT RISE Network has been a terrific partner in our district’s transformation. Our students, staff and community have benefitted from creative support programs, specialized professional learning opportunities, and collaboration with other RISE districts. Together we are using data to increase student achievement and college and career readiness for all of our students.

Our improved results on state accountability measures and college and career readiness indicators are validating the work we are doing as a RISE district. We are excited to continue this partnership and ensure we are providing an equitable learning environment for all our eight thousand Meriden Public School students.”

The graph below shows five years of Network-wide data, illustrating the percentage of students meeting school-specific freshman promotion requirements. Grade 9 on-track rates are up nearly 10 percentage points!

The early results – which are even more pronounced for high-needs subgroups – speak to the power and impact of educators collaborating and using data to personalize student supports.

The information above was supplied by Connecticut RISE. Working in collaboration with its current partners, RISE has begun planning for expansion to a second cohort of high schools and districts in time for the 2019-20 school year. Please contact Emily Pallin, RISE Director, at epallin@ctrise.org if you are interested in learning more about RISE.

CONVENTION

(continued from page 1)

to be valuable resources for you both at the Convention and in the future.

Chances are, whatever challenges you are facing on your school board, one or more of your fellow CABE members have been there before. To meet as many people as possible, be sure to attend the receptions before and after dinner on Friday.

• Introduce yourself to CABE staff and the board of directors. If the staff or members of CABE’s board of directors don’t find you first, please introduce yourself to them. You will see them throughout the Convention space and they will be identified by ribbons reading “Board of Directors” or “Staff ”. Stop by the CABE booth on Friday or Saturday to meet members of CABE’s Executive Committee and learn how CABE can help your district. Please don’t hesitate to ask for assistance!

• Check out the exhibit hall. More than 50 exhibitors will be in the Convention exhibit hall. Their support of the Convention and of public education is greatly appreciated. Take some time to visit the exhibitors to see what they have to offer.

• Ask questions. Don’t worry about asking “rookie” questions. Many of the most important issues facing public education today are raised by new members who are taking a fresh

look at situations confronting our schools.

• Complete your Convention workshop evaluations and the overall Convention evaluation.

The CABE/CAPSS Convention Committee values your comments and reviews all the feedback received. Please complete the Convention workshop evaluations via the Convention app. (See above to download app.) The overall Convention evaluation will be sent to you on the Monday following the Convention. Please take several moments to complete this.

• Take home what you learn. CABE encourages school board members attending the Convention to report at your next board meeting what you have learned at the Convention, to any of your fellow board members and key staff who couldn’t attend.

Sharing what you learned will help your team grow. Enclosed in your Convention materials are sample press releases for your district to use.

• CABE and CAPSS are YOUR Associations. Above all, know that CABE and CAPSS are your Associations. Both associations are passionate about strengthening public education to inspire success for each child through highperforming, transformative local leadership teams comprised of school boards and superintendents.

Enjoy the 2018 CABE/CAPSS Convention!

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | November 2018

13

Board Policies That Support Today’s Digital Classrooms Doug Casey

Executive Director, Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology

Nearly 20 years into this century and we still refer to “21st Century Skills” as something novel. While school leaders have spoken about the importance of technology-enabled, higher-level learning for years, the promise of equipping schools, teachers, and students for digital learning really came about just a few years ago when Connecticut mandated online assessments.

District leaders quickly figured out that student success with digital assessments in March would require those kids — and their teachers — to access and use technology effectively throughout the year. Online testing, combined with the emergence of truly affordable broadband and devices — namely in the form of ~$300 Google Chromebooks — has since led to an explosion of technology in Connecticut schools.

A recent survey of school leaders conducted by the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology revealed that about 70 percent of high

schools and more than half of middle schools in our state now have 1:1 computer programs, where students have their own, dedicated devices.

Local board members have certainly witnessed this phenomenon first hand, having reviewed and approved technology and digital materials budgets.

High-speed school networks and 1:1 programs provide the essential conditions to support digital learning, but they are not ends in themselves.

The question board members should ask is, “What is our return on investment of all this technology?”

Board Guidance

To help answer this question, the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology has endorsed and promoted the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Students, Standards for Educators, and Standards for Education Leaders (www.ISTE.org/Standards). These frameworks describe competencies that define the student as an Empowered Learner, Digital Citizen, Knowledge Constructor, Innovative Designer, Computational Thinker,

What will

C.O.P.S

Creative Communicator, and Global Collaborator. There are not “boxes and wires” terms but a portrait of the graduate that every district should consider adopting.

Commission and CABE

For that reason, members of the Commission’s Digital Learning Advisory Council recently collaborated with CABE’s Policy Services team to develop the brief, “Guidance on District Policy Revisions to Support Digital Learning” (see www.bit.ly/ CT_DL_Policies). One simple idea led to this work: Changes in policy — a district’s highest level of guidance — would likely lead to systemic changes in teaching, learning, professional development, and even operations that scale and deepen digital learning.

Policy language can powerfully influence attitudes and mindsets, and so the guide begins by highlighting terminology that will encourage the use of technology to develop higher-level skills and competencies. Terms such as student voice and empowerment, flexibility, engagement, and mastery encourage positive risk-taking and

• Access to your policy manual 24/7 anywhere with Internet capability.

• Timesaving links to legal and cross references.

• A happier staff that will have less paper to deal with.

If you would like additional information on CABE’s Connecticut Online Policy Service (C.O.P.S.), call Vincent Mustaro at 860-571-7446 or email

vmusta­ro@cabe.org for full details

The prospect of updating dozens or even hundreds of policies to encourage student-centered, digital learning would seem daunting to any board. Policy subcommittees should not think that they have to revise their manuals overnight. Instead, the recommendations suggest starting with a dozen or so key policies that, when updated and embraced across the educational community, have the most potential to bring about improvements in student learning.

Consider revisions to the highSee BOARD POLICIES page 15 Ideal for school districts, municipalities, state agencies and other public agencies!

Understanding Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act Fifth Edition

• A policy manual updated within days of a board meeting.

• The ability to search other online districts for sim­ilar policies or language.

Where to Start?

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provide YOUR district?

• A search engine specifically designed for board policy manuals.

deeper learning among students and their teachers. This language stands in sharp contrast to that of many policies still in use today. These often focus on penalties for technology misuse; describe the “delivery” of education, as though students were passive recipients; and define the “learning environment” as the school’s four walls, not taking into account the world of high-quality, affordable digital learning materials.

By Mark Sommaruga, Esq., Pullman & Comley, LLC

The Connecticut Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), often called the “Sunshine Law, is a series of laws that guarantee the public access to meetings and records of governmental entities in Connecticut.

The FOIA also sets forth numerous exceptions to its open meetings and records requirements. Over the years, however, both the FOIA and its exceptions have often been misconstrued.

The new Fifth Edition has been updated to now include:  The latest statutory changes and important decisions concerning the FOIA  The latest developments concerning: ✓ law enforcement records ✓ school videos ✓ personnel records  Additional details regarding FOIA compliance

To order please visit the CABE online publication store at CABE.org

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | November 2018

CABE: Working for YOU

Individualized Workshops | Professional Development Opportunities Legal Services | Policy Services | Representing You Statewide and Nationally Below are the highlights of activities that the CABE staff has undertaken on your behalf over the last month. We did this:

B y providing opportunities for members to learn how to better govern their districts: z Facilitated retreats for the Cheshire, Ellington, Waterbury, Windsor Boards of Education. z Provided roles and responsibilities workshop for the Bolton Board of Education. z Responded to 55 requests for policy information to 29 districts, two newspapers and one out-of-state school board associations on 4o topics. Further, districts continue to access CABE’s online Core Policy Reference Manual and/or online manuals posted by CABE for policy samples. The topics of greatest interest included student conduct issues, reporting of child abuse and neglect, naming of facilities, reference background checks, nondiscrimination and the use of exclusionary time outs. z Provided written and oral responses to 67 requests for legal, human resources and collective bargaining information to 31 districts, three law firms and one state agency. Hot topics included: • Adopting/rejecting stipulated agreements in expulsion matters.

• Legal concerns with students using Uber or Lyft ridesharing services.

• School Board members’ legal duty to represent all students in the district equally whether elected atlarge, by district or ward, or from different towns in a regional school district.

• The ability of non-subcommittee board members to speak in public sessions at subcommittee meeting but not to participate in discussion or deliberations.

B y helping school boards to increase student achievement: z Attended Department of Education Performance Matters conference. z Sent two issues of “Policy Highlights” via e-mail listserve covering topics that affect student achievement.

This included student records, absenteeism, children in foster care, and protection of pupil rights. zF acilitated retreat for the Branford Board of Education to design and implement a plan to meet the Board Goal of developing an effective Board of Education communication plan to foster collaboration. zP rovided goal setting session for the Canaan Board of Education.

B y promoting public education: zA ttended and participated in CAPSS Board of Directors meeting. zM et with the administrative staff of the Colchester Public Schools to discuss policy issues and trends. zA ttended the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology quarterly meeting. zP articipated in CAPSS Technology Committee meeting.

B y ensuring members receive the most up-to-date communications: zM et with Region 13 Board Chair Robert Moore and Superintendent Katherine Veronisi about CABE programs, services and activities. zP repared materials as part of the Custom Policy Service East Windsor, Killingly, New Canaan, New Haven, Norwalk, and Stratford Public Schools.

• Title IV funding for School Resource Officers.

zD rafted and distributed an up-todate memorandum regarding best practices for district compliance with the Janus decision and an overview of the responses of different unions to the ruling.

• Legal issues when parents discuss special education issues in public session.

zM et with two Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) candidates regarding the accreditation process.

• Budget committees of the whole.

B y providing services to meet member needs: z Staffed CABE’s Resolutions and Government Relations Committee meetings. z Prepared resolutions for CABE Delegate Assembly. z Staffed CABE Nominating Committee meeting. z Prepared materials as part of the Custom Update Service for New Fairfield, New Hartford and Sterling Public Schools. z Completed the audit of the policy manual of the Region #18 Public Schools. z Currently auditing the policy manual of the Woodbridge Public Schools. z Entered into an agreement to do an audit of the policy manual of the Montville Public Schools. z Provided a thorough analysis of the significant legal differences between Hamden Board of Education subcommittee meetings, where Board procedure and process are dictated by statute (Title 10 and FOIA) and the Hamden City Council, which is a creature of Charter. z Developed and distributed a memorandum covering requirements for meeting notices under the Freedom of Information Act, addressing the fact that there are no website posting requirements for REGULAR meetings and that special meetings need only be posted on the Board of Education website. z Facilitated board self-evaluation for EASTCONN Board of Directors.

B y helping districts operate efficiently and conserve resources: z Provided information to the Orange Board of Education regarding trends in wages and benefits for collective bargaining agreements with food service unions, for comparable districts considering DRG, student population, location, reductions in ECS funding, and general ability to pay.

B y representing Connecticut school boards on the state or national level: z Participated in Northeast Region

Regional Lab Governing Board teleconference. z Participated in retreat of Connecticut Voices for Children’s Steering Committee on Career and College Readiness. z Attended meetings of CT Region Anti-Defamation League (CT ADL). z Facilitated discussion of Pennsylvania School Boards Association’s Board of Directors on the Future of Boards of Education. z Participated in first meeting of Commission on Women, Children and Seniors’ Social Emotional Learning Task Force. z Attended final meeting of State Department of Education’s Workshops on Examining Unconscious Bias. (see editorial on page 3). z Attended 2018 Convening of the New England Alliances for College and Career Readiness (NEACCR.) z Met with new Executive Director Shannon Marimon of the Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER). z Participated in Special Education Cost Task Force meetings. z Attended State Board of Education meeting. z Attended CAS Board of Directors meeting. z Participated in Classroom Safety Task Force meeting. z Attended CREC Council meeting. z Participated in Fingerprinting Task Force meeting.

B y attending Professional Development to strengthen staff knowledge and skills: z Attended a Shipman and Goodwin seminar pertaining to exclusionary time-outs. z Attended Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA) Janus v. AFSCME program which included union and management presentations about the impact of the decision. z Attended Georgetown University School-Justice Partnership Certificate program.

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | November 2018 BOARD POLICIES

(continued from page 13)

est-level policies concerning District Purposes, Goals, and Objectives. What better place to address 21st Century skills, for example, than policy 0210, “Goal for Student Performance in the Twenty-First Century”? Boards should review and consider revisions to policies that fall under Personnel (4000 series) such as Acceptable Use of Technology and Professional Development and, of course, in Instruction (6000 series), such as Curriculum Design and Development (6141), Technology and Instruction (6141.32), and Graduation Requirements (6146).

Again, these are suggested departure points rather than prescriptive requirements. And board members should acknowledge and assess the impact of changes they have already made to policies to support digital learning.

Resources and Examples

The policy recommendations also provide boards with a solid list of resources to help them define the skills students need for college and career, so that revised policies can support the development of these competencies.

In addition to the ISTE standards, the document includes background

LANGUAGE TO CONSIDER Empowerment and Possibility Flexibility to Account for New Forms, Applications Engagement of Students in Appropriate Choice of Technology Student Agency, Voice, and Choice Mastery of Standards, Evidence of Learning Inquiry-Based Learning Flexible, Digital Resources Educator and Student Curation of Learning Resources Collaboration and Exploration Global Campus

15

LANGUAGE TO AVOID Restriction and Risk Specific Uses, Definitive Lists of Applications Pre-Defined Lists “Delivery” of Education Seat Time, Credits Teacher-Centered Instruction Text-Only Resources Procurement of Learning Resources Consumption Limitations of School or District

Table 1: Language to consider — and avoid — in drafting board policies. materials on federal law concerning technology and data protections.

District leaders can also learn more about — and consider adopting — broader digital learning plans, such as the national Future Ready Framework (wwwFutureReady.org).

Boards across the state have already begun revisiting and revising their policy manuals to reflect the promise of digital learning. The guidance document includes sample policies from districts such as New Fairfield (Use of Electronic Devices), New Milford (Social Media), and Newington (Technology and Instruction).

Spurring Conversations

By sharing these policy recommendations, resources, and examples, the Commission and CABE have one goal: encourage changes that deepen and scale learning in ways that best prepare students to flourish in our digital world. Your board may have already made significant progress in these areas. The Commission and CABE welcome feedback, suggestions, and sample policies that may help others on the same journey. To share your work, contact Doug Casey, doug. casey@ct.gov.

Acknowledgement: We warmly

thank those who contributed to “Guidance on District Policy Revisions to Support Digital Learning”: Nick Caruso, Senior Staff Associate for Field Service, Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and Member, Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology; Vin Mustaro, Senior Staff Associate for Policy Services, CABE; Jonathan Costa, Assistant Executive Director, EdAdvance; Andy DePalma, Director of Technology, EASTCONN; and Shelley Stedman, past President, Connecticut Association of School Librarians (CASL).

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | November 2018

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