CABE Journal - December 2018

B C

www.cabe.org

Vol. 22, No. 11

December, 2018

Mitchell Re-elected President At the Friday evening banquet at the CABE/CAPSS Convention, CABE Immediate Past President Ann Gruenberg, Hampton, announced the Robert Mitchell 2018-2019 CABE Board of Directors members.

Elected as President was Robert Mitchell, Montville; First Vice President; Donald Harris, Bloomfield; Vice President for Government Relations; Elizabeth Brown, Waterbury; Vice President for Professional Development; Chris Wilson, Bristol; and, Secretary/Treasurer; Michael Purcaro, Ellington. Continuing to serve are Immediate Past President Ann Gruenberg, Hampton; and Lydia Tedone, Simsbury, NSBA Director.

Elected as Area Directors to the CABE Board of Directors were: Area 2 Co-Directors Bryan Hall, East Hartford and Leonard Lockhart, Windsor; Area 3 Co-Directors Michael Purcaro, Ellington and Michele Arn, Vernon; Area 4 Director Joan Trivella, Brooklyn; Area 5 Co-Directors Michelle Embree Ku, Newtown and Frances Walton, Ridgefield; Area 6 Director Karen Kleine, Westport; Area 7 Director George Kurtyka, Derby; Area 8 Director Lon Seidman, Essex; and Area 9 Director Sean Nugent, Preston.

Congratulations to all!

Gruenberg Receives Philip S. Fenster Distinguished Service Award

Happy Holidays!

News from CABE’s Diversity Committee Mary Broderick Consultant, CABE

Close readers of the Journal know that CABE’s Diversity Committee, under the leadership of First Vice President Don Harris and with the assistance of CABE and NSBA Past President and Consultant Mary Broderick and former Superintendent John Ramos, has wrestled with the issue of how best to meet its charge: A. Work to ensure that there is diversity (in particular, people of color) and sensitivity to diversity in all of CABE’s work.

B. Encourage boards of education, school and district leaders, as well as State Government to continue to consider the importance of diversity and

multiculturalism in public education.

A critical part of this mission is to ensure that boards (and staff) are representative of their communities, especially as more of our students are of color. Research has shown that having board members of color leads to more sensitivity in helping these students be successful.

We have learned that helping boards do this work requires the boards to realize that: • This is difficult work. It starts with internal examination of one’s own perspectives and then working with others to understand issues more broadly.

• Those involved in this work must develop a shared commitment to do this work, with the overall goal to improve the odds of ALL of our children being successful.

• There is no closure on many of See DIVERSITY COMMITTEE page 4

President Robert Mitchell (Montville) and Donald Harris, First Vice President and Chair of the Distinguished Service Award Committee (Bloomfield), presented the Philip S. Fenster Distinguished Service Award to CABE Immediate Past President Ann Gruenberg (Hampton).

Dr. Fenster was a member of the Danbury of Board of Education.

Active in CABE, he also served as CABE’s President. Phil was a quiet, thoughtful and committed model of effective leadership.

Ann exemplifies the spirit of service so characteristic of Phil. Ann has been a member of the Hampton Board of Education since 2001, serving as Vice Chair, Policy Committee Chair, and EASTCONN Alternate Representative.

She has been very active with CABE for a number of years, serving as Chair of the Federal Relations Committee, Vice President of Government Relations, First Vice President and President. She now serves as CABE’s Immediate Past President. Ann is also a graduate of the CABE Leadership Institute.

Additionally, Ann has been very active at the national level, attending the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Advocacy, Annual Convention and Leadership Conferences.

Ann was a college professor at Eastern Connecticut State University for a number of years. She has served in leadership positions on numerous local and regional bodies addressing school readiness.

It was an honor for the Distinguished Service Award Committee to recognize Ann Gruenberg with the 2018 Philip S. Fenster Distinguished Service Award!

CT School Discipline Collaborative

Convention Award Winners

Free Speech Rights of BOE Employees

Teacher Recruitment Initiative

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

The 2018 CABE/CAPSS Convention – Another Way CABE Helps Boards of Education Lead!

Robert Mitchell President, CABE

Like any organization with an important role, boards of education prosper when they make quality professional development part of their board routine. Most professions doctors, lawyers, and accountants, for example, spend time learning about their craft and learning skills that will make them more effective - no matter how long they have been doing the job. Board members recognize that teaching and learning are enhanced when your professional staff receive quality professional development.

The same is true for school boards.

Professional development is critical to making boards more effective which results in better student outcomes.

CABE provides numerous opportunities for effective board professional development, starting with an annual series of workshops on many topics including Collective Bargaining, Legal Issues, and Leadership. CABE also provides individualized board workshops where CABE trainers come to you and work with your board on your specific needs.

CABE also offers a Summer Leadership Conference and the Leadership Institute. Both are incredible opportunities to dig deeper into issues facing educational leadership. CABE also offers the Lighthouse Project, where a board works as a leadership team to learn how to better foster student success.

Of all the opportunities provided by your Association, none has more impact than the annual CABE/CAPSS Convention. It is the premier educational leadership conference in the state.

The 2018 annual CABE/CAPSS Convention was just such a learning opportunity. It was a chance to hear from quality speakers from around the country, as well as a chance to learn from each other.

From Marc Brackett talking about social-emotional learning to Freeman Hrabowski discussing leadership and how to encourage diversity, we heard from nationally recognized experts discussing timely matters.

The closing luncheon featured a panel of students sharing their thoughts on a variety of issues including encouraging students to be interested in teaching careers, increasing educator diversity and filling vacancies in teacher shortage areas. As usual, the students gave us great insight and perspective. We really need to spend more time listening to our students – they are wise beyond their years.

There were also dozens of workshops provided by content experts, which included CABE staff, board members and superintendents from across the state. We had opportunities to learn how to better govern our districts, to better understand the work we oversee and how to help students learn better. Board members got to hear about topics such as: • Policy • Goal setting • Emotional intelligence • Collective bargaining • Crisis communications • Legal issues • Diversity, and • Everybody’s favorite, the Annual Meeting of the Nutmeg Board.

We got to visit various vendors in the Exhibit Hall and see many of the products our districts are purchasing.

There were also displays from various student groups going on throughout the day on Friday– a great opportunity to see great students doing great things.

Speaking of students, more than a few districts have been bringing students to the Convention, enough that we actually create special programming for them on Saturday. This was a great opportunity to help young people better understand how schools are governed, and, I hope, will lead to interest by these young people to run

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 for their own local boards of education in the future.

Finally, the Convention offered the opportunity for board members (and superintendents) to meet and interact with their colleagues from across the state. One of the benefits I’ve received from attending the Convention all these years is the friendships and connections I’ve made. The planning committee specifically builds networking time into the program and, as usual, you could see board members and superintendents from all over – big districts and small districts from every corner of the state – interacting and sharing experiences with each other.

I hope you enjoyed the Convention as much as I did.

I encourage you to report back to your board what you’ve learned while attending the Convention. Share some of the insights you gained and information that you will use to better govern your district. Perhaps this will encourage other members of your board to attend in years to come.

Finally, I want to thank all of the people who made the Convention such a big success. The volunteer members of the Convention Committee and the CABE staff work yearround to make this event a success.

This success is due to their dedication and hard work. If you’d like to join the Convention Committee to be a part of planning the 2019 CABE/CAPSS Convention, let the CABE staff know.

Did You Know?

For the price of CABE dues, your board and superintendent are eligible for:

• Unlimited telephone consultation on policy issues • Sample school board policies and regulations whenever you need them • Policy Highlights

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 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 Lon Seidman | Area 8 Director, Essex 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 | December 2018

CABE Affiliate Members BUSINESS AFFILIATES DIAMOND MEMBER Finalsite PLATINUM MEMBER

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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 ESS Milliman 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

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMENTARY

A Safe Place for Board Chairs and Superintendents Robert Rader

Executive Director, CABE

A friend recently told me a story about a church and a synagogue in Connecticut. They are across the street from each other.

After bombings or threatened bombings of synagogues, the Catholic pastor came to the rabbi of the synagogue and gave the rabbi a key to the church. The pastor said that everyone deserves a “safe place” in times of anxiety, frustration and despair. The rabbi was very much moved, as was his congregation and he gave the pastor a key to the temple, also to be used as needed.

Isn’t that what we all need? A safe place, where there is no intrusion from the newest awful news, a place of kindness and civility? A place where we can state our case without hostile judgement and the often anonymous social media knives just waiting to cut someone down?

Luckily, the 2018 election cycle is over. There will be fewer (one hopes none) of the political ads that are written to smear the other candidate(s), often without even stating anything positive about the second candidate.

The nastiness, the “take no prisoners” tenor and the division into us versus them lowers our standards.

I sure hope we are better than this.

Develop a Culture

I relate the story and my spin on the negativity of the campaign season not because I live in some safe space without the intrusion of these forces.

I do it because the story so embodies the giving of peace to the other leader in a real way. Sure, the keys are symbolic and we hope that they never need to be used, but they proclaim to the recipients that the givers see them in all their humanity and vulnerability.

It is a way of saying, as some cultures do, “I see you” as their greeting.

It is an affirmation of the humanity of the other.

In much the same way, leaders need to see, hear and validate those they are leading.

I understand that school boards are not always safe places. The importance of the issues before boards and our governance structure, often leads to decisions after contentious airing of the issues. In the marketplace of ideas, contention is not always bad. However, if that contention crosses the line into angry, negative discussion, not all will feel safe to make suggestions—such as compromises which will work to everyone’s advantage.

I believe that the leaders of public education have a responsibility of developing a culture where boards and board meetings are a safe place in terms of civility, allowing every board member to have his or her say and for the other board members to actively listen and weigh appropriate information before voting.

The key to ensuring that this can occur is the job of all board members.

Each should remember that it might be the very next vote in which they are the outlier. They should appreciate how the culture demands that everyone is treated with civility, respect and dignity.

CABE, CAPSS Partnership

CABE and CAPSS have done much over the years together. Besides the joint convention, we partner on legislative issues and the development of deep ties based on our joint goals.

We have recognized the importance, both symbolically and in practice, of working closely together, strengthening each other and our members.

Board Chair/Superintendent Relationship

The relationship between Board Chairs and Superintendents is probably the most critical of any in a school district. Their ability to work together, as do CABE and CAPSS, bounce ideas off each other and to work as a team will help determine the effectiveness of the Board as it focuses on the issues before it.

CABE has spent much effort on helping Board Chairs over the last few years. We hold periodic Chair roundtables, published “Who’s in Charge”, which included advice from experienced Board Chairs (order one at www. cabe.org/page.cfm?p=1255&pback=1240 if you’re just taking over as Chair of your Board) and are always available to address issues facing Chairs.

The Boards of Directors of both organizations believe in the importance of helping districts build their Board Chair/Superintendent relationships. Therefore, CABE and CAPSS have embarked on a series of workshops specifically dedicated to helping Board Chairs and Superintendents.

These workshops are designed to strengthen their knowledge, abilities and skills in ensuring that this relationship is as effective as possible.

The two organizations decided not to charge for these workshops because of their importance. We hope many Superintendents and Board Chairs will take advantage of this opportunity.

An expert facilitator, Peg Portscheller, will lead discussions, in a “safe place”, on issues such as assessing the current reality; establishing the Board Chair/ Superintendent partnership; reviewing roles and responsibilities; and advocating for students and public education.

(See page 23).

We hope that this series will become a national model similar to our joint Governance Position Statement and CABE/CAPSS Success Strategies for Leadership Team Evaluation have. We believe that we can lead the nation with how we prepare Board Chair and Superintendents to work together.

We are in the midst of the holiday season. My hope is that our work with CAPSS in this area will provide Boards and Superintendents with benefits, both real and symbolic.

Have a Happy Holiday Season!

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

CABE Participates in Connecticut School Discipline Collaborative Patrice McCarthy

Deputy Director and General Counsel, CABE

The State Department of Education (SDE) recently convened the first meeting of the Connecticut School Discipline Collaborative, which includes representatives from superintendents, principals, educators, attorneys representing parents and school boards, and community members. The purpose of the Collaborative is to: Ø Advise the State Department of Education on issues, policies and practices relating to school

discipline; ØE valuate and recommend plans for statewide school discipline reform initiatives to the State Board of Education; ØR eview effective practices carried out in Connecticut and other states to increase alternatives to exclusionary discipline and determine the feasibility of carrying out those practices in this state; and ØD evelop or identify tools for district and school personnel to implement alternatives to exclusionary discipline.

In convening the meeting,

Commissioner Dianna Wentzell and Charlene Russell-Tucker, Chief Operating Officer at SDE, emphasized the importance of multiple constituencies coming together to develop a network to reduce disproportionate practices in school discipline.

Ajit Gopalakrishnan, Chief Performance Officer at SDE, reviewed the data on exclusionary discipline. The data show a significant reduction in the use of exclusionary discipline, but it continues to show a disproportionate percentage of students of color, particularly, African American males, removed from their

learning environment. The group discussed the importance of student voice, and the need to provide not just discipline, but support for students.

Interest groups were established to examine: Ø Discipline and Systems of Support; Ø Discipline and Racial Disproportionality; and Ø Discipline Policy Development/ Implementation.

The Collaborative is scheduled to meet in February and May of 2019.

Survey on LGBTQ Students’ Experiences

Robert Rader

Executive Director, CABE

Since 1999, GLSEN, which is the “leading education organization working to create safe and inclusive schools for LGBTQ students” has provided a biennial survey on the victimization of LGBTQ youth.

This year (2017), the survey showed “for the first time in a decade victimization of LGBTQ youth is not decreasing at rates previously seen— and in fact, gotten worse for transgender and gender nonconforming youth.”

GLSEN’s National School Climate Survey “examines indicators of negative school climate on student outcomes, and the availability and benefits of key school-based supports shown to improve the lives of LGBTQ youth.” While the survey is not broken down into individual state results until January, it shows what is happening across the country: • Use of homophobic remarks and

DIVERSITY COMMITTEE

(continued from page 1)

the issues. That is always difficult for people to understand.

Despite these obstacles, CABE’s Diversity Committee has been busy this season engaging boards and communities. This summer, participants in the Summer Leadership Institute assessed their equity focuses and considered the impact of race on their personal experiences. We have also been working with districts to pilot a draft “equity toolkit” that is focused on helping boards engage their own communities in conversations on equity. By the time this Journal arrives in

victimization of LGBTQ students has leveled off, “after years of measured improvements.” There has also been a “recent upward trend in the frequency of staff making negative remarks about gender expression.”

• Eighty-seven percent of LGBTQ students “have experienced harassment or assault based on personal characteristics, including sexual orientation, gender expression, race, ethnicity, and disability.” About 79 percent of LGBTQ students experienced “verbal harassment at school based on sexual orientation,” more than 50 percent based on gender expression or gender.

• More than a third of these students missed “at least one day of school in the last month because of feeling unsafe at school” and at least 42 percent avoided bathrooms and locker rooms.

your inbox, we will have supported a Waterbury community conversation entitled, “Portrait of a Graduate: A Courageous Conversation on Race and Education.” We have worked with other pilot districts and anticipate supporting similar conversations early in 2019.

Our learning through these pilots will allow us to thoughtfully revise the Equity Toolkit before rolling it out to all CABE members. We look forward to the opportunity to work with many of you on this important effort to ensure we are positioning our schools to support the growth of every one of our children, no matter their background.

• While verbal harassment based on sexual orientation did not change from 2015-17, “physical harassment and assault based on sexual orientation continued to decline in 2017.”

• LGBTQ students who were subject to high levels of antiLGBTQ victimization and discrimination “had lower GPAs, lower self-esteem, and higher levels of depression.”

• Support in the schools continues “to have a positive effect on school climate. School staff supportive of LGBTQ students, Gay Straight Alliances, LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum, and compre-

hensive and supportive policies are all related to safer schools and better educational outcomes.” Unfortunately, however, across the country, many LGBTQ students report that most of these supports are not available to them.

The Survey and further information can be found at https://www.glsen. org/article/2017-national-school-climate-survey-1. Individual state results will not be available until January, but the 2015 Connecticut snapshot is available at https://www.glsen.org/sites/ default/files/Connecticut%20State%20 Snapshot%20-%20NSCS.pdf.

Waterbury’s Portrait of a Graduate: A Courageous Conversation on Race and Education.

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

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See You in Court – The Nutmeg Board of Education

Public Records and Text Messages Thomas B. Mooney, Esq. 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 holiday break grows near, the members of the Nutmeg Board of Education have been on their best behavior, almost mellow in tone, dutifully moving through the agenda for each meeting. Things changed at the meeting last week, however, when veteran Board member Bob Bombast moved to add an item to the agenda: Investigation into Unauthorized Trip.

Fellow Board member Mal Content was intrigued, and he seconded the motion without knowing what Bob was planning. Now everyone was curious, and the Board voted unanimously to add the item to the agenda.

“What on earth are you talking about, Bob?” asked Mr. Chairperson.

“I heard from reliable sources,” responded Bob, “that the Nutmeg Concert Band is going to Europe over the holiday break. I want to know who authorized this trip, because I know that the Board certainly did not.”

Mr. Superintendent was only too happy to respond. “I did. As you recall, the Board authorized a similar trip last year. And the year before that.

And the year before that. Given that past practice, I figured that I would just save you all the trouble, and I approved the trip. The Band Director got a great deal on the tickets, and the venues are all set. Do you have any other questions?”

“I certainly do,” Bob responded with a steely tone. “How dare you approve this trip on your own? This is Board business!”

Fearing an argument, Mr. Chairperson suggested that Bob and Mr. Superintendent continue their discussion in executive session. However, Bob carried on. “What about liability?” Bob asked. “How can you let our students go on an unapproved trip? I can’t imagine that our insurance would cover that!”

At this point, the other Board members grew concerned about Bob’s diatribe, and Penny Pincher texted Mal Content, asking him to do something. However, Mal texted back that he shared Bob’s concern about the field trip, and he went on to express his own concerns about Mr. Superintendent’s “lack of respect” for the Board. Before

Penny could text back, however, local reporter Nancy Newshound from the Nutmeg Bugle interrupted the meeting.

“Point of order,” she shouted out. “I see Board members texting each other.

This is an outrageous violation of the Freedom of Information Act, and I will be filing a complaint with the FOIC.” Mal quickly put away his cellphone, but Penny responded angrily to Nancy.

“My texts on my personal cell phone are no business of yours!”

Mr. Chairperson ruled both Penny and Nancy out of order, stating that the question of texts was not in the agenda and should not be the subject of discussion. But Nancy got in one more shot: “You are on notice that I will be making an FOIA request for those texts tomorrow morning, and you had better not delete them. Understood?” Mal understood all too well, and as soon as he got home, he deleted the text messages, figuring that they were just texts that he did not have to keep.

The next morning Nancy made good on her threat, submitting a written request for all Board member text messages sent by and between the Board members, both during the meeting and afterwards.

Was it OK for Mal to delete his texts about Mr. Superintendent?

• • • • • • • • • • • • In a word – no. Under the Freedom of Information Act, “public records” include all recorded information relating to the public’s business.

The texts that Mal sent, of course, related to Board business, i.e., Mal’s view of Mr. Superintendent’s actions in approving the field trip, and as such were public records. To be sure, there is no general record retention schedule for text messages, and the nature of the message will determine whether and for how long it should be retained (e.g., was the text an official communication akin to correspondence, or a transitory communication similar to a telephone conversation?). Here, Mal could have deleted these text messages in the normal course, because they were transitory communications. However, once Nancy told Mal that she was seeking copies of the text messages, Mal was on notice of her request and should not have deleted the text messages.

The question of texting at Board meetings raises another issue under the FOIA. Meetings of public agencies are required to be held in public to give interested people access to the deliberations of public officials. We know intuitively that members of a public agency cannot whisper during their public discussion to prevent observers from hearing their comments. Com-

munications by text by members of a public agency during a public meeting similarly denies the public access to the communications between and among the Board members. Instead of texting Penny to express concerns about Mr. Superintendent, Mal should have expressed himself verbally so that all Board members and persons attending the meeting could hear what he had to say. By communicating privately with Penny by text, Mal arguably violated the FOIA. This whole situation started with Bob’s upset that Mr. Superintendent had approved an international band trip on his own. In such matters, we must separate legal considerations from the practical considerations that should guide the Board/Superintendent relationship. As a legal matter, Mr. Superintendent had every right to approve the trip. Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-157, Mr. Superintendent is the “chief executive officer” of the Board of Education. As CEO, superintendents have expansive authority to make decisions, and that would certainly include approving a band trip. However, board of education members have important oversight responsibilities, and through conversation and setting policy, boards

of education and superintendents should develop a clear understanding of their respective responsibilities.

Here, Mr. Superintendent should have discussed this matter with the Board members before he changed the practice and approved the trip without Board approval.

Finally, we note that Mr. Chairperson suggested that Bob continue his conversation (or, better said, argument) with Mr. Superintendent in executive session. Executive session is permitted for the discussion of the “appointment, employment, performance, evaluation, health or dismissal of a public officer or employee.” A general discussion of the respective roles and responsibilities of the Board and Superintendent is more appropriate to open session, but the specific concerns here -- whether Mr. Superintendent overstepped in approving the trip -- could appropriately have been discussed in executive session as a matter relating to the Superintendent’s “performance” and “evaluation.”

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 | December 2018

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

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CSDE: Ending Homelessness Among Connecticut Youth Carl Asikainen

Youth System Coordinator, Connecticut Coalition to End Homelssness

Louis B. Tallarita

Education Consultant, Connecticut State Department of Education

As Connecticut continues down an ambitious path to end homelessness among families and youth by the end of 2020, school-community partnerships provide a critical strategy to improving the state’s homelessness response system. Diverse coalitions working across sectors, including education, housing, job training, health and food security, must galvanize to prevent and end all forms of homelessness. Through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, schools serve an important role by coordinating supports and navigating diverse service delivery systems throughout the state for students experiencing homelessness and housing instability.

As part of the Reaching Home campaign to end youth homelessness, the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH), the State Department of Education and the National Center for Homeless Education recently updated a toolkit designed for schools to help raise awareness and engage this often invisible population. Ending Youth Homelessness: A Toolkit for

Connecticut Schools provides a simple guide to help school staff, including McKinney-Vento liaisons, counselors, administrators, as well as students and families, identify the resources available to support youth experiencing homelessness and housing instability.

The Toolkit includes: • Links to student-led videos that highlight the challenges for students who are homeless striving to stay in school and seeking help; • Templates for flyers to post in school buildings, especially counseling and social work offices; and • Lists of activities in which schools can participate to raise awareness communitywide.

Visit www.youth-help.org to access the Ending Youth Homelessness: A Toolkit for Connecticut Schools, as well as other information and resources for youth in Connecticut.

Homelessness is not just an urban issue but one that potentially impacts all districts. Schools, therefore, are vital allies in the statewide goal of ending youth homelessness. Joining local efforts is an important step toward ensuring that limited resources are appropriately aligned toward this goal.

In Connecticut, regional groups called Youth Engagement Team Initiatives (YETIs) are organized to specifically address youth homelessness. It is important for a variety of stakeholders, including representatives from schools in support of youth and housing services, to be involved with YETIs. For more information or to join a regional YETI, contact Mimi Haley at CCEH at mhaley@cceh.org.

Family conflict is often a contributing factor to youth homelessness.

Family reunification programs can be a powerful tool to address housing instability and homelessness among youth experiencing conflict.

One family reunification resource being introduced by CCEH in Connecticut is called STRIVE (Support to Reunite, Involve and Value Each Other). STRIVE is a family-centered, evidence-based mediation model designed to reduce youth homelessness and increase family stability. Initially developed at UCLA in 2004, the STRIVE model targets newly homeless youth and their families with tools to address conflict more effectively.

There are currently 56 trained providers throughout Connecticut able to facilitate STRIVE mediation.

Seven additional trainers are available to conduct two-day workshops with

individuals that work with youth in Connecticut. School personnel are encouraged to be a part of this emerging STRIVE network. For more information on STRIVE, or to be a part of future training events, visit the CCEH website at www.cceh.org.

Finally, the 4th Annual Connecticut Youth Count, a statewide effort to understand the size and scope of youth homelessness and housing instability in Connecticut, will take place from January 23-29, 2019. During the Youth Count, volunteers administer and collect surveys from youth between the ages of 14-24 years old in community settings, including high schools. Any high school in your district interested in taking part of the 2019 Youth Count should visit the CCEH Youth Count webpage at www.cceh.org, or contact Carl Asikainen at casikainen@cceh. org.

There are no shortage of ways that schools and communities can come together to create and strengthen partnerships toward ending homelessness. Please consider exploring some of these innovative collaborations and help Connecticut move to end youth and family homelessness and housing instability so that students can concentrate on just being kids… and successful students.

State Board of Education Reviews ASTEC Sheila McKay

Sr. Staff Associate for Government Relations, CABE

The Thomaston Board of Education petitioned the State Board of Education in a matter regarding students enrolled in the Region 6 agricultural science and technology education center (ASTEC). C.G.S. 1065(b) establishes a three-year average number of students enrolled criteria as well as separate criteria for 9th graders.

However, C.G.S. 10-64(d) has this language: “any person may attend.”

The State Board of Education (SBOE) voted to “suggest that the Legislature may find it appropriate to re-examine these issues and provide clarification.”

The State Board voted on five other issues within the ruling. https:// portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Board/ BoardMaterials110718/Thomaston_ Board_of_Education_Petition_for_

Declaratory_Ruling_Consideration_ of_Proposed_Ruling.pdf?la=en In a related matter, the State Board voted to approve a report on Agricultural Science and Technology Education Graduates Five Years after Graduation. The report assists in reviewing current curriculum to ascertain if it is still meeting the needs of students and the business community.

Highlights of the report include: seventy-five percent have postsecondary degrees and/or certificates and nine percent own business. https://portal. ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Board/BoardMaterials110718/Report_on_Agricultural_Science_and_Technology_Education_Graduates_Five_Years_After_Graduation.pdf?la=en In another data rich presentation before the SBOE, the Departments of Education, Labor and the Board of Regents for Higher Education established the Preschool through 20 and Workforce Information Net-

work (P20WIN) in 2014 and in 2015 UCONN joined the effort. This report examines enrollment, credit attainment and remediation. One data point reveals, “Of the approximately 13,000 students per graduating class who enrolled in a CT State Universities or CT Community College within 16 months of graduation, nearly half took a remedial course within the first two years of enrollment, with declines in every demographic subgroup across the three graduating classes. https:// portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Board/ BoardMaterials110718/College_Enrollment_Credit_Attainment_and_ Remediation_HSGrads_CT_Public_Univ_and_Community_Colleges. pdf?la=en The Board reviewed Goal 1 of its Comprehensive Plan: ensuring that students’ non-academic needs are met so that they are healthy, happy and ready to learn. The SDE lays out three strategies:

• Improve educational outcomes for students in alternative settings by implementing the Guidelines for Alternative Education Settings; • Implement tiered systems of support, guidance, and professional learning in areas of attendance, school discipline, restorative and trauma-informed practices that remove barriers to success and maximize student potential; and • Support student academic achievement and school improvement through effective school, family and community partnerships.

Listed with each strategy are definition of success and the activities associated with each. https://portal. ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Board/BoardMaterials110718/State_Board_of_Education_Comprehensive_Plan_Goal_1_ Update.pdf?la=en

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

Congratulations to the CABE Board of Distinction Award Winners - Level II!

Photos courtesy of Lifetouch National School Studios

Editor’s note: Summaries have been edited for space.

Bethel – The Board has demonstrated significant growth over the last eight years. They have publicly committed to being “apolitical” in their collective work and have pledges their commitment to the families of Bethel by signing and posting a Code of Ethics. The Board leadership consistently stands on principle, unites for the good of children, speaks forthrightly, and leads the community.

Bloomfield – The Board developed and adopted a Theory of Action further aligning the management work of the district and the purpose of the Board.

As a result, targeted educational outcomes for all students will substantially improve and be sustained over time.

This level of alignment is critical to fulfilling the goals, objectives and action steps necessary to create a high achieving district that prepares all students for successful careers or completion of a post-secondary degree.

Coventry – The Board has never wavered in their commitment to doing what is best for students. This commitment, and their strong leadership, have resulted in the acquisition of resources which allowed the district to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century. Their bipartisanship should serve as a model to other Boards of Education. Even through difficult budgetary discussions, they continue to work together as one team with student achievement at the very forefront. Their combined efforts and growth as a team on behalf of the students of Coventry, validates the confidence the community had

in electing these individuals to office.

Derby - This past year has really been an exciting year working with the Board. In December, five new subcommittees were established to help lead our work. These subcommittees, each lead by a different Board of Education member, have resulted in a much more focused and inclusive approach in the areas of Negotiations and Personnel, School/Community Relations & Policy, Student Health & Safety, Plant and faculty planning and Bylaws. Several significant changes have been pursued and implemented as the result of leadership and communication from the committees.

East Lyme – Our Board’s leadership is especially effective in improving student achievement by empowering our Superintendent, the Administrative Team and teaching staff to build a 5-year Long Range Plan for the District. The plan is focused on student achievement and the Board identifies key, high level areas for their support and engagement with the plan. The Board understands that improving student achievement for all students is complex work and requires time and resources to make significant, measurable progress. The Board is very excited and pleased with the progress made to date and communicates this with the entire district.

Glastonbury – Our Board appreciates all of the elements that must be in place to support outstanding student achievement.

We recruit and retain the best educators.

We support professional development and curriculum review that leads to the most productive learning environment.

We carefully prioritize our spending and resources to most positively impact the classroom. We continue to integrate technology throughout our school system so that our students are best prepared for their future. We advocate for our students and effectively communicate with our residents. We celebrate our success but always look to improve.

Granby – The Board has been extremely supportive of public education both within the state and local community.

Granby’s school system and the community have benefited from strong and consistent Board leadership and decision-making over a period of many years.

The Board has exhibited a unique ability to work collaboratively and supportively with the community and town officials in a non-partisan fashion as strong advocates for students’ education.

The Board’s ability to function at an extremely high level in the support of ALL students, its successful completion of district building projects, high return on educational investment, annually adopted budgets, policy advocacy, active participation in CABE, and collaboration with the community are only some of the attributes that make the Board worthy of such recognition.

Old Saybrook – The Board is especially effective in improving student achievement due to our strong trust and partnership with our educators, administrators, and community at large. Setting up a student for success and achievement involves more than just creating an academic framework, it involves nurturing the whole student and understanding their needs as individuals and how that fits into our changing world Recognizing the importance of all the pieces of a student’s life: academics, home life, and community, allows the Board to welcome in continuous feedback and participation that enables students to grow and achieve on many different levels.

Plainville – The Board maintains a resolute commitment to maximizing achievement district-wide. Our Board continually seeks, advocates for and secures the necessary resources, support and direction necessary to build on our student achievement successes. Our board is explicitly focused on the continuous improvement of student achievement at all levels, and works together with administration to support this focus. One consistent measure of the Board’s leadership impact on student achievement is evidenced in a review of the Plainville High School Class of 2018 graduate statistics.

Putnam – The Board membership has been extremely stable. Five of nine members have served for over 10 years and one member has served for over six years. At no time do Board members act as partisans. No vote in the last eight years has been along party lines. This includes the election of Board officers. Board members are only committed to doing what is in the best interest of children.

Thomaston – The Board’s leadership is especially effective in improving student achievement through the efforts made to support instructional programs and curriculum writing through budget funds. The Board’s leadership allows for the education and instructional experts to take action to improve student achievement in a way that demonstrates an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a Board; this is atypical and quite telling of the leadership focus of the Thompson Board of Education. Thomaston students continue to improve and achieve with the support of its staff who are supported by the Thomaston Board of Education’s leadership.

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

Trumbull – The Leadership of the Board has proven to be effective because collectively the members continuously learn from each other’s areas of expertise.

The result is an integrated leadership reflecting backgrounds that include finance; elementary and secondary education; commercial construction and municipal law; and veterinary science/medicine.

These specific areas enable the Board to capitalize on the knowledge and skills that are aligned to leadership that drives the extraordinary achievements of each subcommittee. Board Members are selected on the basis of their expertise to chair subcommittees that include Finance, Curriculum, Policy and Facilities.

Vernon – The Board utilizes a system of committees to forward the work to the Board. Committee meetings are held on nights separate from the regular Board meetings. Minutes of all the Committee meetings are disseminated to the rest of the Board and all committees make recommendations to the full Board for decisions on policy, personnel, budget, technology, curriculum and facilities.

The Board, along with the superintendent, have created a District Leadership Theory of Action that drives strategies toward improved student learning. In addition, every Board meeting has a “teaching and learning” Presentation to highlight the growth of student achievement in this district.

Waterbury – The Board engaged in a new superintendent search that provided an opportunity to evaluate current policies and practices to formulate a vison for what qualitied we thought were important in a superintendent. The process included surveys to the community, teachers and parents and also two city-wide community meetings. The input and feedback from these meetings formed the foundation for the superintendent’s job description. Unlike former searches, the involvement in community stakeholders proved to benefit and shape the hiring of the new superintendent.

Because of this inclusive and transparent process, the new superintendent is being well received and stakeholders feel listened to and respected. The process deepened our understanding of our role as Board members and fostered a sense of common vision and purpose.

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Wilton – Beginning with a clear and compelling vision, the Board has drafted theories of action and set a high leverage strategic objectives that emphasize improved achievement for all students.

Additionally, the Board has created and approved a set of metrics that it captures in a “balanced Scorecard” to track the district’s progress in achieving its goals.

As a governance ream improving its own practice, the Board has also established meeting norms that reinforce its commitment to collaborative problem solving in service to improving student achievement. There is little tolerance for distractions at the board table and the Board rarely entertains proposed meeting agenda items that don’t relate to their goals.

Congratulations to the CABE Board of Distinction Award Winners - LEVEL I! Photos courtesy of Lifetouch National School Studios Editor’s note: Summaries have been edited for space.

Bethany – The Board commits to high expectations for student achievement outcomes (academic, social, and emotional) and quality instruction as evidenced by their Strategic Plan, Mission, Values and Beliefs, and Goals. Our Board effectively uses multiple sources of data throughout the year, to make informed decisions. They focus their attention on developing policy and allocating resources to support high levels of achievement for ALL students in Bethany.

The Board shares a collaborative relationship with staff and the community and establishes strong communication to inform and involve all stakeholders in achieving their goals.

The Board is a united team that works alongside its Superintendent in strong collaboration and trust. Together they share a common vision and work harmoniously to achieve the District’s goals.

Branford – The Board is very adroitly shepherding an 88.2 million-dollar intermediate school major construction project with minimal disruption. It successfully held numerous community outreach sessions informing the school community of the planned construction activities. In addition, the Board made it a priority to have their meetings live-streamed in order to provide greater outreach to the community. Because of the Board’s leadership, communication with the public has been enhanced, and the project well supported by the Branford Community.

The Board is committed to continuous improvement and to growth in all aspects within the organization. To that end, the Board’s strategic budget development has directly created a lasting and long relationship with Town officials.

Bristol –The Board’s core values bind together our philosophy of education.

With an underpinning of accountability, the Board oversees the monitoring of student achievement, operations, finance, policy, personnel and communications and community relations at their monthly meetings. This level of leadership by our Board helps all of our employees understanding how vital it is to provide all students with the learning they need to become active members or our community when they graduate.

East Hartford – The Board has developed a model for cooperative and effective governance that stands as a model for Connecticut School Boards and has begun to show significant results in student achievement. When asked to identify the components that contributed to this success, the following three areas stand as major points of focus: • Strong, accountable and mutually supportive relationships centered on “what’s best for kids”.

• Commitment to developing and following through on a comprehensive strategic plan.

• Relentless Focus on Student Achievement Data.

Preston – The Board has nurtured an innovative mindset that is focused on students, family engagement, transparency and quality of life for all Preston citizens.

During the FY18 school year, the Board established (for the first time) a Strategic Plan that is looked to for planning and decision making purposes.

Windsor – Immediately after swearing in, the entire Board entered into Board member training that evening. The Board attended the CABE Convention in November with eight members, one of the largest contingencies at the Convention. The extensive training is illustrative of the Board’s commitment to continuous growth.

This training has assisted in the Board working extremely well together. After extensive work on the budget, the Board voted 9-0 to approve its budget. This work ultimately led to overwhelming approval by the citizens of Windsor.

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

CABE/CAPSS Convention Workshops Chris Seymour Reporter, CABE

One workshop at the 2018 CABE/ CAPSS Convention focused on “Designing Our Districts with the End in Mind: Leveraging a Portrait of the Graduate.”

Led by Richard Lemons and Isobel Stevenson of the Connecticut Center for School Change, as well as Fran Rabinowitz of CAPSS, the workshop delved into developing a Portrait of the Graduate (POG).

The POG process “assists schools and districts to envision their mission in terms of student outcomes” and “provides strategic direction and collective vision for the knowledge, skills and dispositions we want our students to possess by the time they graduate,” according to a workshop PowerPoint presentation.

“The big message is that getting to your portrait of a graduate is only your first step and it's probably the easiest part of this,” said Stevenson.

“Designing the strategy that is actually going to make it happen is far more challenging and far more difficult to pull off.”

The POG process, according to the presenters, should include vision and mission, stakeholder involvement, communication, strategy, data, high quality instruction, professional learning and enabling conditions.

Enabling conditions means “budget, programs, scheduling, etc., all support strategies to successfully develop learning experiences to align with the POG,” according to the PowerPoint.

The presenters also emphasized a number of “big ideas,” including the fact the POG is is only useful to the extent that it includes all students; leads to creation of a strategy for fulfilling the vision; that high quality teaching and learning is the key variable; and that there is no such thing as an equity-neutral strategy.

Lemons noted board of education members should play a key role in communicating about the POG. “The role of the board in this is so critical,” he said, adding that role involves “being ready to engage the broader community.”

Another workshop, titled “Unlearning: Bias and Building Community,” was presented by Michael Vidal and Cynthia Martin from the National Conference for Community and Justice.

The presenters did a deep dive into the way implicit bias seeps into our lives and ways it can be counteracted.

Implicit bias was defined as “the attitude or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions and decisions in an unconscious manner.” It is activated involuntarily without awareness or intentional control, can be either

Convention Workshops

positive or negative and everyone is susceptible.

Implicit biases are based on stereotypes and attitudes we hold, tend to develop early in life and tend to strengthen over time—but they are “malleable,” according to Vidal.

“The good news is that motivation matters,” stressed Vidal. “If you want to deal with it and you have the will you can do it ...there are ways we can start dismantling this. Intervention works—catching yourself, catching other people” when they display an implicit bias.

“And bias is malleable; it's not fixed. Just because we grew up learning something doesn't mean we have to believe it,” Vidal continued.

“Cynthia [Martin] likes to say, 'You don't have to believe everything you think,” added Vidal.

“Just because you feel something doesn't mean it is necessarily true; it came from somewhere so if you have a particular feeling about another group of people it's worth unpacking, figuring out: are those my feelings, my thoughts or did that come from somewhere else and I have just adopted it into my life?”

On Saturday morning a workshop explored “Unsocial Media: Cyberbullying, Sexting and How to Regulate Communications in the Digital Age.” Led by attorney Michael McKeon

of Pullman & Comley, the workshop focused on the issue of sexting, which was defined as “use of electronic devices to transmit sexually suggestive pictures [and/or] video.”

It's a common occurrence among students, as 39 percent of teens have sexted and 48 percent of teens have received a sext message, according to McKeon.

“Students [need to] be made aware of the fact that not only is it debasing of themselves but it is also something that can result in criminal prosecution and a DCF investigation,” explained McKeon. “This is stuff that can really go beyond what they anticipated.”

He advised that school districts “make sure their disciplinary policies are up to date and prohibit this kind of conduct.”

McKeon also encouraged school boards and school administrators to take a hard line on the issue.

He also advised that school system administrators investigating instances of sexting “be extraordinarily careful because mishandle it and you risk criminal prosecution.”

In particular, McKeon stressed that administrators do not make any attempts to copy, transfer or record such images.

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

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Congratulations to the CABE 2018 Bonnie B. Carney Award of Excellence for Educational Communications Award Winners

Social Media Derby Public Schools Social Media Windsor Public Schools Twitter Waterbury Public Schools Facebook

District Budget Special Project Salem Public Schools EdAdvance Salem Board of Education Approved Professional Learning Opportunities Budget SY 2018-2019 Catalog 2018-2019 Wilton Public Schools EdAdvance Proposed Budget EdAdvance Program Folder Glastonbury Public Schools Vernon Public Schools Board of Education Approved Budget Communications Plan – Billboards Going Green 2018-2019 LEARN Award Winner The LEARN Leader Special Education Service Parent/Student Handbook Stamford Public Schools Plainville Public Schools Woodbridge Public Schools Strategic Plan Overview Going Green Parent/Student Handbook LEARN Special Project (AV) Newsletter Student Support Services and Derby Public Schools Award Winners Programs W-IRV News The Harvester Plainville Public Schools Region 12 Public Schools Course Selection Guide Plainville High School Intro Video for Newsletter Spring 2018 EASTCONN Incoming Freshmen Region 12 Public Schools Summer of Community Education ACES Class of 2017 Report Catalog Transforming Lives Bloomfield Public Schools Newington Public Schools Glastonbury Public Schools Leadership for Learning Digital Newington High School Veterans’ Day 2017 Norwalk Public Schools Program of Studies Districtwide Newsletter Computer Generated Projects Calendar EASTCONN Annual Report Woodbridge Public Schools Welcome Back PowerPoint EASTCONN Beecher Road School Calendar EdAdvance EASTCONN Annual Board Update New Fairfield Public Schools EdAdvance Agency PowerPoint 2017-2018 New Fairfield Public Schools 2018-19 LEARN Plainville Public Schools Calendar Convocation Slideshow Plainville Community Schools Glastonbury Public Schools Fairfield Public Schools Business Brief Glastonbury High School 2018-2019 Fairfield Public Schools 2016-2017 East Hartford Public Schools Calendar Data Analysis State of the Schools Annual Report

Web Sites Lyme-Old Lyme Region 18 Public Schools District Website Newington Public Schools District Website Fairfield Public Schools Fairfield Public Schools Website Honorable Mentions Bethany Public Schools Bloomfield Public Schools Brookfield Public Schools Cheshire Public Schools Derby Public Schools EASTCONN Fairfield Public Schools Glastonbury Public Schools Greenwich Public Schools LEARN Lyme-Old Lyme Region 18 Public Schools Madison Public Schools Naugatuck Public Schools Newington Public Schools Norwalk Public Schools Plainville Public Schools Region 1 Public Schools Region 8 Public Schools Simsbury Public Schools Vernon Public Schools Wilton Public Schools

Saturday Morning General Session Speaker Freeman Hrabowski Chris Seymour Reporter, CABE

University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III was the Saturday morning general session speaker at the 2018 CABE/CAPSS Convention.

In an engaging, entertaining and thought-provoking speech, Hrabowski stressed that “every school board member, every superintendent should see him or herself as an academic leader, interested in the questions about performance and math and reading and about the whole child.”

He added that “helping that child develop a sense of self and getting the discipline and the attributes to make sure he or she can succeed in life [is] just as important as anything else.”

Hrabowski has been president of UMBC since 1992 and for the last three years (2015-17), U.S. News ranked UMBC in the top ten on a

list of the nation’s “most innovative” national universities, according to his online university profile.

“One of the approaches we use on my campus, which is heavily, probably 65 percent STEM, is we get away from simply lecturing and to make everything more interactive … everybody has a role so no kid can sit back and just be cool,” he explained. “What we are learning more and more in neuroscience is that if we want people to hear, to understand and to participate, we must engage them in different ways.”

Hrabowski—who said more than once he “gets goosebumps doing math”—also said that his 14,000 student university is “very proud to be a nerdy campus,” though he did touch on a recent athletic achievement by his school's men's basketball team in the NCAA Tournament.

“The reason you know my campus is that we were the first 16th seed to

beat a No. 1 seed UVA [University of Virginia] and we made NCAA history,” he said, before encouraging the audience to “give us a big round of applause” for that achievement.

“My normal line is my basketball team reads really well and they get good jobs; and we are often the national chess champions,” he added. “And last year we were the national cybersecurity champions, so we are very proud to be a nerdy campus.”

In 2012, Hrabowski was named to chair the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans, according to his university profile, and his 2013 TED talk highlights the “Four Pillars of College Success in Science.”

Hrabowski is also a leader who has made a big impact, as TIME magazine named him one of America’s 10 Best College Presidents in 2009, and one of the “100 Most Influential People in the

World” in 2012, adds his profile.

He also talked about the importance of adopting a positive mindset.

“Nobody is the smartest person in the world [but] we can all be better, and it's about mindset,” he explained. “We tend to think that math and science are for a few people. Whenever a mother tells her daughter she wasn't good in math, as soon as the girl has a problem, she says, 'I am like my mom,' but you can learn the math and science.”

Hrabowski emphasized the unique position school system officials occupy in society.

“You are the most trusted Americans we have in our society; if you are a school board member, a superintendent, an administrator, families trust their children to you—their most valuable, valuable part of their lives,” he said.

Hrabowski then made several See FREEMAN HRABOWSKI page 12

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

CABE Delegate Assembly

Participants from across the State attended the CABE Delegate Assembly and took part in discussion and voting on the proposed resolutions which the State Relations Committee will use to identify the 2019 CABE Legislative Priorities.

Delegates voting on the resolutions before the Delegate Assembly.

Bryan Hall, CABE Resolutions Chair and Area 2 CoDirector (East Hartford) chaired the CABE Delegate Assembly.

L. to R. – Bryan Hall, CABE Resolutions Chair and Area 2 Co-Director (East Hartford); Patrice McCarthy, CABE Deputy Director and General Counsel; Liz Brown, CABE Vice President for Government Relations (Waterbury); Chris Wilson, Delegate Assembly Parliamentarian, CABE Vice President for Professional Development (Bristol); and Donald Harris, CABE First Vice President (Bloomfield).

Shelia McKay, CABE Sr. Staff Associate for Government Relations, clarified a resolution for CABE Delegate Assembly participants.

Friday Morning General Session Speaker Marc Brackett Nicholas Caruso

Sr. Staff Associate for Field Services, CABE

The 2018 CABE/CAPSS Convention started out with a fascinating keynote speech on Social-Emotional Development and its impact on student learning by Dr. Marc Brackett, the founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and a Professor in the Child Study Center at Yale University. The Center studies the role of emotions and emotional intelligence in learning, decision making, relationship quality, and mental health, and how to influence these emotions

FREEMAN HRABOWSKI

(continued from page 11)

points about the impact school board members and superintendents have in their communities. “No. 1 is that you represent the catalyst for dialogue,” he said. “You are the ones to help elected groups and citizens in the larger community understand the challenges in education; you're the ones who can guide the process for shaping the vision for your school systems, for

to improve student learning.

Dr. Brackett shared some of the Center’s research. Over 22,000 middle and high school students nationally were asked “How do you feel each day in school?” The top three responses were: tired, bored, and stressed.

Likewise, educators responded with: frustrated, overwhelmed, and stressed.

He shared a significant amount of data, all supported by research, that showed a direct correlation between emotional intelligence and learning.

It should be no surprise that students who are in a good place emotional-

example.”

He continued, “You're the ones who decide how much time and energy should be focused on what issues; you're the ones who work to promote understanding and commitment and accountability and, most important, you know how to ask the right questions.”

Hrabowski also challenged school officials to “create an environment in every one of your school systems where you ask the good questions; no question is stupid.”

ly will learn at higher levels, but the significance of just how influential emotional intelligence is on teaching and learning was quite an eye-opener.

The reality is that too many students dealing with trauma, anxiety or despair are failing in our schools and not enough is being done to help them. Teachers, likewise cannot be as effective as they might otherwise be if they have feelings of frustration or anxiety. Dr. Brackett’s premise is that there is a student health crisis, as well as a teacher stress crisis, caused by a lack of emotional intelligence training.

Dr. Brackett, discussed the Cen-

ter’s approach to improving the emotional intelligence amongst teacher and students; a program called RULER, and acronym for the five skills of emotional intelligence: recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing and regulating emotions.

The program works to develop stronger emotional intelligence skills in both students and teachers and is systemic in its approach. Several school districts in Connecticut are engaging this program including Hamden (the first) and Bridgeport. There is an ongoing effort to build capacity to implement this program statewide.

Saturday morning keynote speaker, Dr. Freeman Hrabowski.

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

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2018 CABE/CAPSS Convention | General Session Speakers | Honorees General Session Speakers

Friday General Session photos courtesy of Lifetouch National School Studios.

The hustle and bustle of the Convention Registration Area!

Colleen Palmer (Westport) President, CAPSS.

Convention participants did not let the snow get in the way of participating in the 2018 CABE/CAPSS Convention!

Alan Addley, Superintendent, Granby, was named the 2019 CAPSS Superintendent of the Year.

Dianna Wentzell – Commissioner Dianna Wentzell is the recipient of the 2018 CABE Friend of Public Educaiton Award.

Saturday Keynote Speaker Dr. Freeman Hrabowski signs a book for CAPSS Executive Director Fran Rabinowitz.

Chris Wilson (Bristol) Vice President for Professional Development, CABE, announced the Leadership Award recipients.

Robert Mitchell (Montville) President, CABE.

Honorees

Friday Keynote Speaker, Dr. Marc Brackett.

Ann Gruenberg, Immediate Past President, CABE, receives the 2018 CABE Philip S. Fenster Distinguished Service Award from Donald Harris, CABE First Vice President and Chair of the Distinguished Service Award Committee (Bloomfield).

Robert Rader, Executive Director, CABE.

Friday evening speaker, Jimmy Tingle.

Joseph Cirasuolo, Past Executive Director of CAPSS and 2016 CABE Friend of Public Education recipient announces the 2018 Friend of Public Education Award recipient.

Fran Rabinowitz, Executive Director, CAPSS presenting during the Roles and Responsibilities of 2019 Connecticut Teacher of the Year Sheena Graham Board of Education Members and with CABE President Robert Mitchell (Montville).

Superintendents workshop.

Friday morning Student Performers Ledyard High School Chamber Choir, directed by Melanie Cometa. Student performers: Erin Healy, Katie Espinosa, Lizzie Jantzi, Evelyn Morrison, Gabi Schaufler, Maddie Johanson, Savona Clark, Miranda Pearce, Morgan Sanborn, Adrienne Saums, Anthony Zinno, Simon Diette, Leo Kowalski, Michael Perkins, Harold Phillips, Patrick Bora, Trevor Burns, Ethan Dieckman, Forrest Paradise, Matthew Teune, and Gabe Watrous.

Saturday morning Student Performers Windsor High School Honors Chorale, directed by Tracee White. Student performers: Adah Abraham, Rachel Acevedo Gabin, Sanaa Barnes, Ebony Byrd-Ellis, Doniellia Campbell, Nolan Cartwright, Ashley Chambers, Jewliana Colon, Rachel Currier, David Davila, Sage DeAngelis, Rachel Dube, Trinity Duran, Gabrielle Feurtado, Shelby Finlay, Luis Joseph Gilbuena, Isaiah Harvey, Demetrius Holliday, Kiara Hubbard, Cassondra Jones, Dacian Levy, Abbie Lewis, Ryan Lombardo, Randin Lopez, Brianna McCarthy, Kylar McCrorey, Aaron Peterson, Emily Poglitsch, Jerel Pollard, Kiara A special thank you to EASTCONN and LEARN for their technology Prather, Lauren Seals, Molly Shannon, Aniya Thompson, Kayleigh Thompson, and Shaina support!

Thompson.

State Student Advisory Council on Education (SSACE) members Derby Egyin, a senior from Windsor Locks High School and Ray Lucarelli, a senior from Naugatuck High School presented at lunch on Saturday.

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

Free Speech Rights of Board of Education Employees

Christine Chinni, Esq. Craig Meuser, Esq. Chinni and Meuser

A teacher complains to a parent during a parent/teacher conference about the lack of electronic enrichment resources for her students. Can the teacher be subjected to discipline for that speech, or is it protected under the U.S. and/or Connecticut Constitutions?

Sorting through the free speech rights of school district employees in Connecticut requires the examination of two separate sources of law: the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and sections 3, 4 and 14 of the First Amendment to the Connecticut Constitution. The determination as to when a Board employee may speak freely on a subject or face discipline by the Superintendent of Schools for that speech is a complicated one. Below, we discuss the standards that apply to this question nationwide, and specifically in Connecticut, and the differences between the two.

Since 2006, the legal standard announced in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Garcetti v. Ceballos1, has governed the free speech rights of public employees in much of the country. Under Garcetti, if a board employee’s speech ordinarily occurs within the scope of his or her official duties, the speech is per se not protected by the First Amendment, and there

is no need for further analysis. Thus, the teacher’s statement to a parent in the above example, which occurred in the ordinary course of his/her duties, would not be protected at all under the First Amendment after Garcetti and the teacher could be subject to discipline for it. The Court’s decision in Garcetti added an initial “gateway” inquiry to the prior judicial test from Pickering v. Board of Education2, and Connick v. Myers3, which focused on: 1) was the speech in question on a matter of public concern; and 2) if so, does the employee’s interest in the speech in question outweigh the employer’s interest in promoting the efficient operation of the agency. Before Garcetti, whether or not the employee engaged in the speech in question as a part of his or her official duties was not a part of the analysis.

Typically, a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court is the law of the land in constitutional matters. However, the Connecticut Supreme Court has, on a number of occasions, issued rulings indicating that the Connecticut Constitution provides greater rights than the U.S. Constitution in certain areas – including Sheff v. O’Neill4, where it held the Connecticut Constitution provided a fundamental right to an equal education, although the U.S. Constitution does not. Would the Connecticut Supreme Court adopt Garcetti?

In 2015, the Connecticut Supreme

Court answered this question: the Court declined to follow Garcetti for free speech claims raised under the state Constitution, because it provides greater protection than the U.S. Constitution. As a result, the Court ruled that it would continue to follow the approach established by Pickering and Connick for all free speech claims raised under the state Constitution.5 How significant is the distinction between the Garcetti standard and the standard set forth in Pickering and Connick? The judicial test from the Pickering and Connick decisions clearly provides greater protection for school employees. For example, suppose a board of education requires that each building principal present an annual school budget at a public meeting every year. One of the principals expresses his displeasure during the public presentation about the Board’s decision in the prior year to prioritize funding of high school sports over that of remedial reading instruction at his elementary school. In the aftermath of the presentation, the Board directs the Superintendent to discipline the principal for his public criticism. Under Garcetti, the principal’s speech at the public meeting would be completely unprotected because he raised his concerns in the performance of his duties as a principal.

Under Pickering and Connick, however, the analysis would be much more extensive. First, was the speech

about a matter of public concern?

Almost certainly, any court would find that funding of remedial reading instruction is a matter of public concern. Second, we turn to the balancing test: does the employee’s interest in focusing attention on the allocation of limited budgetary resources for sports over remedial reading programming outweigh the Board’s interest in promoting the efficient operation of the district administration? Again, almost certainly, yes, it does. The Board required the principal to make the presentation in the first place, and it is doubtful that the principal’s remarks about the importance of remedial reading will impair the district’s mission of teaching and learning.

Thus, in Connecticut, it is much less likely that a board employee could be disciplined for speaking his or her mind on an important issue, even if the speech occurs during the employee’s performance of his or her official duties.

The bottom line is that disciplining an employee for speech (or written expression) is a complicated matter under Connecticut law. We recommend that school districts consult with counsel prior to doing so.

1 547 U.S. 410 (2006) 2 391 U.S. 563 (1968) 3 461 U.S. 138 (1983) 4 238 Conn. 1 (1996) 5 See Trusz v. UBS, 319 Conn. 175 (2015)

Mutual Challenges and Learning Opportunities Patrice McCarthy

Deputy Director and General Counsel, CABE

Attending the recent Massachusetts Association of Schools Committees and Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents Annual Conference just one week prior to the CABE/CAPSS Convention, I was struck by the similarities in the learning opportunities available in the two states.

Dr. Marc Brackett discussed the importance of emotional intelligence as the general session speaker for both organizations, highlighting the growing importance of addressing the social and emotional well-being of students, in addition to their academic needs.

I was invited to participate in a panel discussion at the MASC conference on school finance litigation during the Leadership luncheon.

Like Connecticut, Massachusetts has

had multiple lawsuits, dating to the 1990s. The history of Connecticut’s litigation, beginning with the Horton v. Meskill case in 1973 and culminating with CCJEF v. Rell in 2018, illustrates the cost - in time and resources – of pursuing a judicial remedy. “Red Sox v. School Funding Litigation” was the title of my remarks, emphasizing that in 2018, the outcome was far more successful for the Red Sox than for Connecticut school funding litigation.

The CCJEF v. Rell case would never have been able to go forward without the millions of dollars in pro bono support provided by Debevoise & Plimpton and the Yale Legal Clinic. It was a year and a half of preparation for the Superior Court trial, with the trial itself spanning 6 months, involving 61 days in court and the testimony of 50 witnesses. The fact that Connecticut school funding litigation has included lawsuits alleging failure to implement court decisions illustrates the

challenges faced even when there is a “win” in court.

Other topics presented at both conferences included personalized learning, regional shared services, culturally responsive practices, school culture, and school safety – all education issues that bridge state and local lines.

Patrice McCarthy presented on school funding at the Joint MASC/MASS Conference.

Patrice McCarthy and Fran Rabinowitz, Executive Director, CAPSS, presented on Promoting Communication and Cooperation Between Boards of Education and Local Government at CCM’s annual Convention on October 30.

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

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | December 2018 Understanding Connecticut’s FOIA

Electronic Participation by Board Members at Meetings: When and How It Can Be “Legal”?

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

A common problem for boards of education is getting enough members in attendance at a board meeting in order to have a quorum (usually, a majority of the board). There may be times when a board member wishes to participate in the board’s business (and vote) at a particular meeting, but the member may be out of town or otherwise unable to attend. Allowing a board member to participate by electronic means may be essential for having a quorum and being able to carry out “board business”. Generally, such electronic participation would be by way of the old fashioned telephone, but could also be via “Skype” and other similar modern implements.

Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) was enacted in 1975, when technology was less advanced. Nevertheless, the FOIA’s definition of “meetings” expressly includes proceedings “whether in person or by means of electronic equipment”.

As such, the FOIA on its face permits board members to participate in board meetings electronically. Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Commission (“FOIC”) has provided some general principles that must be followed if and when a board permits a member to participate in a meeting electronically. In addition to the FOIA, a board cannot lose sight of the commands of Robert’s Rule of Order (and the board’s bylaws) that might impact electronic participation by board members.

Specifically, in a prior advisory opinion from 1980, the FOIC stated: Compliance with [the FOIA], therefore, requires that a meeting of a public agency be conducted in such a manner that every person in atten-

dance has the opportunity to observe all of the discussions and actions transpiring at the meeting. In the context of a meeting held by means of telephonic or electronic equipment, the following minimum conditions must be met: … All those in attendance at the meeting, at whatever location, must be able to hear and identify adequately all participants in the proceedings, including their individual remarks and votes. While the Commission does not have the technical expertise to advise which telephonic or electronic devices would meet this condition now or in the future, existing conference call equipment in conjunction with loud speakers may be adequate for this purpose.

As such, electronic participation by board members that allows the public to monitor the conduct of the meeting and the individual participation in the meeting by such members does not violate the FOIA. Obviously, it is essential to have an adequately functioning speakerphone (or videoboard, as the case may be) so that the members of the public attending the meeting and sitting in the audience can hear what the absent board member is stating when he or she speaks (and votes).

There are further practical issues with permitting a board member to participate electronically in a meeting.

For example, must the board have in place policies or bylaws expressly permitting a board member to participate electronically? Nothing in the FOIA requires that a board have such bylaws in place before permitting such electronic participation. However, it is much preferred that a board err on the side of caution and have in place bylaws to address the circumstances and procedures for electronic participation

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in meetings by members.

Having such bylaws will address possible issues with respect to violations of any parliamentary procedures previously adopted by the board.

There is at least some ambiguity in Robert’s Rules of Order and whether it could be interpreted as requiring bylaws expressly permitting electronic participation by members to be in place before allowing such participation. In addition, a board may already have in place other bylaw provisions that could be interpreted as prohibiting such electronic participation (for example, provisions referring to “attendance” and “presence” of board members, and quorum requirements).

As such, regardless of whether a board could “suspend the rules” in order to allow electronic participation by a board member, it is better to be safe than sorry and have explicit bylaws in place on this issue.

In addition, it is best to have protocols in place that address how and when such telephonic/electronic participation occurs in order to avoid confusion. For example, common

issues that may need to be addressed are: 1) under what circumstances will a board member be permitted to participate by telephone/electronically (e.g., being “out of town”, illness, weather), 2) whether the member must provide advance notice in order to participate by telephone, 3) whether the member will count towards satisfying any quorum requirements, 4) when the member can enter or exit a meeting, and 5) what will occur if there are any interruptions via technological issues.

Please note: It is plausible to have a quorum be inclusive of a member participating electronically, knowing that if the board has a bare quorum inclusive of the electronic participant and if you lose contact with that member, then the meeting must adjourn for lack of quorum.

Attorney Sommaruga is the author of “Understanding Connecticut’s Freedom of Information Act” (5th Edition 2018).

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

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

The Policy Corner Vincent A. Mustaro

Senior Staff Associate for Policy Service, CABE

Implementing Restorative Justice in Student Discipline Part II Editor’s Note: Part I of this article ran in the November 2018 issue of the CABE Journal.

What Restorative Justice in Public Schools Does Not Mean

Restorative justice does not mean that students who commit serious, criminal acts will receive a “pass” or some lesser punishment for their actions. Restorative practices are not an option in situations involving drug possession, gun or weapons possession, or violent sexual behavior. These offenses are controlled by federal and/ or state statute that specify disciplinary actions. The impetus for the restorative justice movement has been for nonviolent, noncriminal offenses, including willful defiance and insubordination.

Users indicate that effective implementation of restorative justice practices in schools does not mean less control over classrooms for teachers.

Some teachers report having significantly better relationships with their students, as the students aren’t afraid to come forward when they make a mistake because they know a mutual respect exists between the teacher and class.

Implementation Challenges

Schools may involve a wide range of people in the restorative justice process, including the victims, who are often teachers, school staff, bystanders, other students, and the school community. Schools can apply restorative justice principles to move beyond responding to violations of school rules or merely reacting to conflict.

Inclusion in the disciplinary process is a basic tenet of restorative justice. Restorative disciplinary practices within schools have the potential to be more supportive, inclusive, and educational than other approaches.

Restorative justice promotes a new three R’s: respect, responsibility, and relationships.

This approach can be implemented in varying degrees, from a single program to permeating school philosophy. Restorative justice programs in schools typically operate under formal guidelines and incorporate trained individuals to deal with conflict and violations of school rules. Such programs allow for the reparation of harm and have the potential to influence school climate and strengthen positive social connections between students

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and staff.

Traditional disciplinary approaches work well for traditional students from traditional families with traditional values. However, we have a declining percentage of students who fit that profile. A restorative model seeks to develop a respectful community in each school and classroom. Students in this approach learn to be accountable to each other, to the teacher, and to the agreed-upon standards.

While restorative justice offers a promising alternative to traditional school disciplinary systems, considerable implementation challenges exist.

Such challenges include finding the time and financial resources needed to train teachers, and, over time, securing the support of a large number of school staff in order to sustain implementation. This shift in attitude about punishment can take from one to three years. Further, the shift to a restorative-oriented school climate may take from three to five years to accomplish.

Policy Implications

changes in how we think and how we interact. Therefore, the move towards a restorative approach is a slow one, requiring significant training and commitment. The process is always voluntary for students.

Implementing this practice represents a change in culture. Board policy remains an important element in a district’s culture and practices. A new policy, #5144.12, “Student Discipline: Restorative Justice Approach,” and an administrative regulation have been developed and are available. Another approach is to include language pertaining to this approach in the district’s existing student discipline policy. CABE has such language for consideration.

A major source of information for this article is “In the Alternative: Restorative Justice in Student Discipline,”

by Jordan Green, NSBA Legal Intern, Council of School Attorneys, National School Boards Association, appearing in the July 2016 issue of Inquiry and Analysis.

Moving toward a restorative approach requires fundamental change;

Patrice McCarthy was a panelist at the December Dilemma and Beyond: Best Practices for Holidays at Schools program co-sponsored by ADL, CAS, CABE and CAPSS. Pictured: (standing) Andy Friedland, CT-ADL; Everett Lyons, CAS. Seated: (l-r) Rabbi Brian Immerman, Shari Chaudhry, Swaranjit Singh Khalsa and Patrice McCarthy.

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

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The Media Message

by Ann Baldwin, President, Baldwin Media Marketing, LLC

Top Tips for Staying Cool in the Hot Seat If you haven’t experienced it yet, you will! A reporter asks you the kind of question that makes you squirm. Many of you know the feeling of what it is like to be in the “hot seat.” How you handle and respond to a reporter’s questions, can and will have a significant impact on the outcome of the story. Here are some points that I have passed along over the years that are worth repeating to help with your comfort level.

Keep in mind that your board should designate one person, typically the Board Chair and/or Superintendent, to be the official spokesperson of the district.

#1 Don’t be shocked

If something bad has happened in your district, chances are that you are going to have a good idea about what the reporter wants to discuss.

However, regardless of what their question is, you need to be prepared with YOUR key messages. Ask yourself, what is it that the readers

of this publication or the viewers of this program need to know about the situation? Stick to three or four messages that you want to get across in the interview. These are the key takeaways that you want the audience to remember.

#2 Don’t take the bait

Often times the reporter will present you with confidential information that they have gotten from a different source and that you cannot and should not verify. Remember to stay in your lane. Police speak to criminal investigations, hospitals comment on patient conditions etc.

It is also acceptable to remind the reporter of your role in the interview, that you are the one speaking for the district and nothing else. Get your facts straight before you comment and remember, “no comment” is still a comment and it is not what you want to have coming out of any interview.

#3 Do not repeat negative language

It’s a natural reaction to repeat part of a question when you answer it. But, if you do that with a question that includes negative language during a media interview, it could come back to bite you. Negative or inflammatory words should never come out of your mouth. Instead of repeating loaded or slanted questions, remember to always try to redirect the interview back to your key messages. Often, the best way to do that is with the use of a verbal bridge (“The important thing to remember is…”) that will usually allow you to get the interview back in the comfort zone.

#4 Never speculate: Coulda…

Woulda… Shoulda…

As if the situation that you are dealing with isn’t bad enough, many reporters like to take it beyond that.

I can’t tell you how many times I have

heard reporters ask questions like: What if this happens again? Will you cancel this program because of this? Speculation only creates more problems and can also lead to a social media frenzy. Don’t get provoked into saying something that you might regret later.

#5 Try not to be defensive

At the end of the day, a reporter wants to write a story that is newsworthy and interesting. There are always ups and downs and pivots in the process. Remember, they are speaking with you because you have information that they need for their story. You need to maintain control of the interview process. With that said, don’t be defensive as that will probably come across to the readers, or the viewers of the story. Stay on message and once you have said what you need to say nicely thank the reporter for their time and you’re done.

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

Opportunity For Districts To Join Innovative Teacher Recruitment Initiative

TEACH Connecticut partners with local schools and districts to promote the teaching profession and recruit the next generation of teachers Claudine Primack

TEACH Connecticut Director, Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) talent Office

Teresa Alexandru

TEACH Connecticut Senior Program Manager

In September, the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) launched TEACH Connecticut, the first statewide initiative of its kind in the nation designed to elevate the image of the teaching profession and help fill vacancies in certification shortage areas such as math, science, bilingual and special education.

As the 2018-19 academic year opened, some school districts still struggled to fill vacancies in these certification shortage areas. Success in the classroom hinges on our ability to ensure that all students are taught by the most effective educators in every school and classroom so that students graduate prepared for college, career and life.

For this reason, the CSDE Talent Office is partnering with TEACH, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization launched by Microsoft and the U.S. Department of Education, to build a new teacher recruitment initiative in Connecticut, TEACH Connecticut.

TEACH Connecticut is a multiyear, comprehensive recruiting initiative involving advertising, digital marketing, an online platform with tools and resources, and in-person events and activities to attract and identify the next generation of Connecticut teachers. Multiple stakeholders are involved in creating and sharing resources on the online platform, TEACHConnecticut.org, including Connecticut’s educator preparation programs and school districts.

The CSDE invited all of Connecticut’s schools and school districts to join the TEACH Connecticut initia-

tive. Each partner school district has its own in-depth profile page on the TEACH Connecticut online platform which is designed specifically to attract candidates. Each district is invited to select a teacher ambassador to present a positive image of their school community, introduce the district and highlight what makes it a great place to teach.

Partner school districts can also publicize events, information sessions or other opportunities they host for potential future teachers on TEACHConnecticut.org. School districts have the opportunity to work with TEACH Connecticut in various ways to identify and cultivate their current and students’ interest in teaching.

There is no cost for districts to join TEACH Connecticut. Financial support is provided by the Peter & Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation (PCLB) and Microsoft. Currently, more than 60 schools and districts are members, and TEACH Connecticut continues to accept new partners.

The initiative will also feature an advertising campaign with public service announcements (PSAs) airing on television and radio to promote the initiative and elevate the image of the teaching profession. Titled “Teachers Have Better Work Stories,” the advertising campaign highlights the creativity, leadership, and excitement that teachers encounter daily in classrooms across Connecticut. Each PSA ends with an invitation for interested individuals to learn more at Teach. org, which takes visitors to TEACH Connecticut’s one-stop-shop online recruitment platform.

TEACH Connecticut provides a platform for aspiring teachers to get the resources and support they need to explore teaching, decide whether

“ We need to think of the future and the planet we are going to leave to our children and their children.”

– Kofi Annan

it is for them, and take steps towards becoming a teacher. Visitors can discover what a career in teaching offers and how leading a classroom is an opportunity to make a real impact; read about what they need to do to become a teacher; research school districts profiles and salary information; find an educator preparation program; and review content about certification, financial aid, application checklists and more.

The tools, services and resources included in the system will be expanded and updated regularly based on evolving best practices, ongoing user research, and feedback from partners and other education stakeholders.

TEACH Connecticut will help the next generation of teachers start their careers with confidence.

To learn more about in this exciting and innovative new initiative, how to become a TEACH Connecticut partner school district, please contact Claudine Primack, TEACH Connecticut Director, in the Talent Office at the Connecticut State Department of Education at claudine.primack@ct.gov.

Your involvement doesn’t have to stop there: • Follow TEACH Connecticut on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

• Share TEACHConnecticut.org with friends and family who could make incredible educators.

Joining TEACH Connecticut can help your district to achieve their talent goals and the collective goals of the state. The initiative will be stronger and more successful with all of us working together.

CABE staff helping local boards raise money for scholarships! Pictured: Union School Principal Steven Jackopsic and children, Union Board Chair Audra Estell, and CABE Deputy Director and General Counsel Patrice McCarthy who ran the Union School Strides for Scholars 5K.

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

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CABE Fall Program for Superintendents’ Administrative Professionals October 25

Robert Rader welcomed 50 administrative professionals to the fall meeting.

Lisa Steimer emceed the program.

Maggie Downey, Owner, Personal Euphoria, shared strategies and movement to combat stress.

Salvatore Menzo, Superintendent, Wallingford, engaged participants in a conversation about their role in crisis communications.

Rebecca Adams provided an update on various legal topics.

Sheila McKay provided an update on legislative issues.

Participants from across the state engaged in the October 25 meeting.

Letter to the Editor To the Editor: First, many thanks for a job well done to Nick Caruso and Rebecca Adams! Having your wisdom and guidance at our meeting October 16th was invaluable, and I frankly don’t know how Boards of Education can function without your tutelage. CABE offers so

much continuity and institutional knowledge to School Boards which are always in transition, and that is worth its weight in gold.

School Boards that are not members of CABE or don’t utilize the great services available are doing a disservice to the students in their district. Good, effective School Boards need to focus on

student achievement as their primary responsibility. It’s very easy to get away from that focus, but Nick Caruso had been with our Board through the Lighthouse training, and has willingly provided ‘refresher’ sessions, particularly when new Board members have been elected.

Student Achievement remains

our guiding principal and reason for existence, and having CABE as a resource legitimizes the fundamental mission and makes it clear that all School Boards face the same issues and desire the same outcomes.

Lyman R. (Bob) Whelan, Chairman Region One School District

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The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education | December 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: • Provided 73 requests for policy information were provided to 37 districts on 63 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 exclusionary time outs, restraint and seclusion, student representatives on the board of education, and student data privacy.

• Provided Roles and Responsibilities workshop for the North Canaan Board of Education.

• Facilitated workshop on goals for the Danbury Board of Education.

• Met with SDE representatives on EdSite and how new data will be rolled out.

• Met with Steven Hernandez, Executive Director for the Commission on Woman, Children and Seniors and for the Commission on Equity and Opportunity, on diversity issues.

B y helping school boards to increase student achievement: • Sent two issues of “Policy Highlights” via e-mail listserve covering topics that affect student achievement.

This included child nutrition programs, use of exclusionary time outs, needed policy direction, safety issues related to asbestos, immunizations and teacher use of a crowd-funding approach.

• Facilitated Board Self-Evaluation for the Region #1 Board of Education.

• Held meeting of the CABE Board of Directors’ Diversity Committee (see page 1.)

• Participated in phone conference with the Campaign for Working Connecticut on college and career readiness.

B y promoting public education: • Met with representatives of Shipman & Goodwin to discuss policy issues.

• Met with a representative of the RUDD Center to discuss issues related to wellness and student health.

B y attending Professional Development to strengthen staff knowledge and skills: • A ttended workshop on helping mobilize nonprofit Board Members to engage in fundraising.

B y ensuring members receive the most up-to-date communications: • Materials were prepared for Cromwell, Enfield, Griswold, New Canaan, New Haven, Newtown, and Ridgefield as part of the Custom Policy Service.

• Mailed issue no. 1 of this year’s Policy Update Service publication to subscribing districts. Major topics included the use of exclusionary time-out, private providers of special education, administration of medications, food allergy management, independent educational evaluations in special education, classroom observations and bus-driver training in the use of Epipens.

• Updated sample policies pertaining to nondiscrimination.

• Hosted workshop for Superintendents’ Administrative Professionals.

B y providing services to meet member needs: • Prepared materials for East Hampton, Ellington, New Fairfield, Windham, and Union as part of the Custom Update Service.

• Completed the audit of the policy

manual of the Woodbridge Public Schools.

• Currently in the process of auditing the manual of the North Canaan Public Schools.

• Entered into an agreement to do an audit of the policy manual of the Danbury Public Schools.

• Facilitated Goal Setting session for the Canaan Board of Education.

• Provided Board Leadership Training for the Plainville Board of Education.

• Facilitated a Board Retreat for the EASTCONN Board of Directors.

• Facilitated Long-Term Goal Setting session for the North Stonington Board of Education.

• Met with Public Agenda and the Connecticut Youth Forum to discuss strengthening student voice.

• Met with Dr. Marc Brackett and his team prior to his Convention keynote (we have a discussion with all Convention General Session speakers to ensure they understand who the attendees are to make the sessions as beneficial to board members and superintendents as possible).

• Had conversations with Dr. Cristal Glangchai and Dr. Freeman Hrabowski about their Convention presentations.

B y representing Connecticut school boards on the state or national level:

on mutual concerns.

• Attended “kickoff ” meeting of SEL4CT and follow-up teleconference, a group encouraging the teaching of social-emotional learning to students.

• Met with representatives of the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund about work on diversity they have funded.

• Spoke with representative of the Hechinger Institute on teacher pension issues in Connecticut.

• Attended CALAS (Connecticut Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents) Conference on Latino Voices in Education: Fostering Quality and Equitable Public Education for CT Latino Students.

• Participated in the Northeast Regional Educational LAB Governing Board Meeting.

• Spoke at UConn Graduate Student Class, on Board/Superintendent relations.

• Met with Executive Director Ingrid Canady of the State Education Research Center (SERC) on issues of mutual concern.

• Met with Dr. Miguel Cardona, Meriden Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, and Hartford Chief Academic Officer Dr. Madeline Negron on issues of mutual concern.

• Spoke at Quinnipiac School of Law on the Opioid Epidemic.

• CABE and Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM) met to discuss how boards and municipalities can work better together.

• Attended CCM Annual Convention and the gubernatorial debate at the close of the day.

• Met with Dr. Isobel Stevenson, Connecticut Center for School Change,

MEETINGS OF INTEREST Lobbying 101 December 4 • 1:00 p.m.

Rovins Conference Room, CABE Office

Government State Board of Relations Education Meeting Committee Meeting December 5 • 9:30 a.m, December 4 • 2:30 p.m, Rovins Conference Room, CABE Office

State Department of Education 450 Columbus Boulevard, Hartford

Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations December 7 • 10:30 a.m.

Legislative Office Buildng, Room 1C, Hartford

Patrice McCarthy and Paul Gorden, former MASC Executive Director, catch up at the Joint MASC/MASS Conference on November.

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

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Sandy Hook Promise Offers Programs to Help Students; Ethan’s Story Gretchen Toussaint CABE Contributor

On January 31, 2018, our little town of Guilford and my dearest friends, the Songs, suffered the unimaginable. Ethan Song, a beautiful, smart, funny, loving, witty, happy young man was shot and killed at his friend’s house. The father left his guns unsecured and Ethan paid the ultimate price and now the Songs will carry that heartache forever.

Ethan had just turned 15 and his friend was 14. Ethan came from a no-gun home and had little experience with guns. His friend’s father and friend introduced Ethan to guns without the consent of Ethan’s parents.

Ethan did not understand that guns were risky and dangerous. His only experience with guns were video games where the character pops up after being shot or watching movies where the good guy never dies even after having many people shooting at him/her.

Ethan’s mother, Kristin Song, is my very best friend and has been since we were classmates at Guilford High School. We met at 15, the same age Ethan was when he died. In the days that followed Ethan’s passing, I sat with Kristin in the depths of her grief while she continually asked me “What are we going to do? We must do something. Ethan cannot die in vain.” As the details started to unfold surrounding Ethan’s death, one thing Kristin discovered was that Ethan and his friend had not only been playing with the guns, but they had also been posting pictures of themselves with these guns on private social media accounts months before the tragedy

occurred, including on the day of his death. Many of Ethan’s close friends knew what they were doing through these posts, but not one of them went to an adult for help.

Kristin believes wholeheartedly that if any of the kids had reached out, Ethan would still be alive today.

Intervention could have been provided to help these boys make a better and safer choice. An opportunity was truly missed to stop this tragedy. As evidence continued to unfold following Ethan’s passing, I started researching gun safety programs all around the country. As I searched, one program stood out to me as a perfect fit to address the nature of the situation we found ourselves in, and it happened to be developed right here in my own backyard.

The Say Something Program and the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System was developed by Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit/ non-partisan national organization developed with the sole mission of providing prevention programs that protect all children from gun violence. They have four amazing FREE programs that they offer to schools to achieve their mission.

One of their programs, The Say Something Program, fit our situation exactly. The Say Something Program teaches students to identify dangerous behaviors, especially on social media, why it should be taken seriously, and how to report that information to an adult.

One of the ways the students can report this information is through the Say Something Anonymous Reporting

Upcoming Professional Development Opportunity December 4, 2018 Lobbying 101 1-3 p.m.

Rovins Conference Room, CABE, Wethersfield

December 6, 2018 Developing Partnerships to Transform School Districts 4-7 p.m.

CREC Central Office, Hartford

December 7, 2018 2018 CABE Legal Issues Workshop

8:30 a.m. Registration • 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Program Sheraton Hartford South Hotel, Rocky Hill

System which includes an app, online, or hotline. This gives students an app on their phone where they can report dangerous behavior anonymously without feeling like a “snitch” or without worrying about repercussions from their peers.

One of the main reasons Ethan’s friends were afraid to speak up was because they feared they were going to be in trouble or they were afraid the boys would be mad at them for “telling.” As many high schoolers can relate, these boys were simply afraid of not fitting in, so instead they stayed silent. Through our many conversations with the teens in our town over the last several months, we have learned that students do want to help, they do want adults to step in when behavior gets risky, but they just don’t know how to ask and are afraid of the fallout. This app provides the kids with a means to get help for themselves or their friends anonymously.

This is the way it works: The school system and the police department of a town work with Sandy Hook Promise to set up their unique system for their specific town.

The program is then presented to the community and the students are trained in the program, and the app is launched and available to anyone.

When a report comes in, depending on the nature of the report, it either goes directly to school or the police station, and intervention is provided to the student at risk. This program creates an amazing collaboration between the school, the police, and the community to look out for the local teens. Anything

dangerous can be reported – assault, abuse, bullying, planned attacks, fighting, gun violence, physical violence, harassment, hopelessness, reckless behavior, social isolation, substance abuse, suicide threats, cutting, self-harm, theft, threats, use of and/or discussion of weapons… all are valid and possible reasons for the students to make reports anonymously. Imagine how many kids could be helped if the adults that are here to protect them could step in to prevent any of the above-mentioned dangers.

Kristin and I know that a program and reporting system like the Say Something Program will help many children who unfortunately are curious and explore dangerous things throughout their teenage years. Fortunately, so does Dr. Freeman, our amazing Superintendent of Schools in Guilford, and Jeff Hutchinson, the Guilford Chief of Police, who had to sit with the Songs and explain to them how the unimaginable happened. Guilford is a leader in launching this program in November 2018.

It’s too late for our precious Ethan, but let’s learn from this tragedy and give our teens a means to communicate where they feel comfortable. I encourage each of you to look more closely into this program and all other programs offered through Sandy Hook Promise. These programs are free and could save your child’s life. Will you join us in keeping our children safe?

For more information, please contact sandyhookpromise.org.

C.O.P.S

What will provide YOUR district?

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

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

• Timesaving links to legal and cross references.

• A search engine specifically designed for board policy manuals.

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

• 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

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