CITY OF NORWALK BOARD OF EDUCATION WORKSHOP MEETING APRIL 4, 2017

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1 CITY OF NORWALK BOARD OF EDUCATION WORKSHOP MEETING APRIL 4, 2017 ATTENDANCE: STAFF: Michael Lyons, Chairman; Erik Anderson, Michael Barbis, Dr. Yvel Crevecoeur, Sherelle Harris, Artie Kassimis, Heidi Keyes, Shirley Mosby Dr. Steven Adamowski, Superintendent. Staff presenters as noted. Call to Order Mr. Lyons called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Business Designation of the month of April as Autism Awareness Month Mr. Lyons read the following resolution: To bring awareness to the issues surrounding Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder, the Norwalk is proud to recognize April as National Autism Awareness Month. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. A developmental disorder, autism impacts the social, communication and behavioral skills of those affected by it. Autism affects all races, ethnicities and social groups. As more health professionals become proficient in diagnosing autism, more children are being diagnosed on the autism spectrum, resulting in rates as high as 1 in 68 children nationally. Autism appears to have its roots in very early brain development. The most obvious signs of autism tend to emerge between 2 and 3 years of age. While there is no cure for autism, individuals with autism lead significantly improved lives with early treatment. As a result, increasing autism awareness is extremely important. Norwalk families, in partnership with schools, local organizations, and government institutions, play an invaluable role in sharing information and support. Links to local resources for Norwalk parents, including information for Norwalk SPED Partners and the Association of Parents of Exceptional Children and Siblings (APECSCT), can be found on the Norwalk Public Schools website. By declaring April as Autism Awareness Month, the encourages the community to learn more about recognizing and responding to the signs autism. ** MR. KASSIMIS MOVED TO APPROVE THE DESIGNATION OF THE MONTH OF APRIL AS AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH ** MR. ANDERSON SECONDED THE MOTION. ** MOTION WAS APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY. Page 1 of 10

2 Confirmation of End of Year/Graduation Schedule Dr. Frank Costanzo presented the 2017 end of year schedule as follows: ** MR. KASSIMIS MOVED TO APPROVE THE END OF YEAR/GRADUATION SCHEDULE ** MR. ANDERSON SECONDED THE MOTION. ** MOTION WAS APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY. IV. Work Session Summer Learning 2017 The following team presented highlights of the Norwalk Summer Academy for 2017: Dr. Conner provided an overview of the presentation and acknowledged the hard work done by the team. 1. Expansion of Norwalk Summer Academy to Grade 4 Ms. Janine then delivered the Summer Academy expansion portion of the presentation as follows: Page 2 of 10

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4 2. Alignment and Integration of ESY Program for Special Needs Students School # Students Eligible for ESY Page 4 of 10

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7 3. Just in Time Summer Graduation Opportunity at Norwalk Pathways Academy (Briggs) Dr. Adamowski noted that Dan Sullivan will have more information on this credit recovery program that will be offered free to students to make up missing 1-2 high school credits in order to graduate. Page 7 of 10

8 Food Service Report and Recommendations Mr. Hamilton provided an overview of the services from the consultant hired to analyze the district food services, and introduced John Turenne of Sustainable Food Systems, LLC. Mr. Turenne presented a comprehensive review of the assessment and recommendation of the district school food program, summarized as follows: Recommendations in the NPS Action Plan: Food, Facilities, Community, Foodservice, Communications and Fiscal Parameters. Establish a NPS Food Lead Team. Such a team is recommended to convene and manage the processes for change. It does not need to be large (in fact, smaller is more easily managed), but all stakeholder groups need to be involved and have equal say in the process. Foodservice opinion and expertise is essential. The foodservice is the voice of the technician who has the experience and will be the hands doing most of the work. The administration is responsible for policies and costs, the faculty, staff, parents and local stakeholders (Norwalk Grows, Food Corps Service Member, Wellness Committee) are the advocates, or the idea people. This group needs to push the envelope. And last but not the least, the students are the ultimate consumers who must speak for and influence their peers. Convene Lead Team to craft a strategic plan to address agreed upon actions from plan o Convene a subcommittee of the Lead Team to create a plan to educate and sell the whole community about the positive steps and results taking place going forward in NPS foodservice. Incorporate the Menu Planning Committee Incorporate cultural menu choices (see Food section above). Incorporate the Breakfast initiative (see Fiscal/Administrative section) FSD and at least 1other delegate should be present at all Wellness Committee meetings. Include local media to provide good stories Phase 1 Spring Recommendations can be addressed at once. No need to wait. Phase 2 Summer Include action items require time/downtime to create, test, rollout Phase 3 Fall Action items can be completed over the spring and summer and implemented with the start of a new school year. Phase /2018 school year - These items may take time to create and will require significant study and/or funding. This is where NPS s vision begins to become the new reality for foodservice and the students in NPS. Questions and comments from the Board members were fielded following the presentation. Page 8 of 10

9 Public Comments Mr. Barbis asked those who signed up to speak to come forward when their name was called and noted the rules for remarks and time limits. 1. Joseph Giandurco, 9 Mott Avenue spoke on the Hour article on middle school redesign and reiterated the NFT position that the professional development should not be in the summer as it conflicts with personal responsibilities. He noted that there is increased student load with teachers having over 130 students and concerns with support, providing materials, content; and the chaos of schedule conflicts, suggested a pilot of vertical teams for theoretical models. 2. Mary Yordon, NFT, Weatherbell Drive, spoke on the NFT s support of Autism Awareness Month designation, the efforts on Food Service programs, fund for teachers for fellowships and other initiatives for district improvement. She expressed concerns with the lack of sufficient information and facts with implementation of the middle school design, potential grievances, services from the Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Behavior Specialists, the need for a collective voice for complete and shared information at all levels. 3. Missy Conrad, 37 Stone Crock Road spoke on behalf of the Quaker group and announced that today is the 50 th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King s speech Beyond Viet Nam. She encouraged support of the Mayors Conference for Peace programs and distributed literature on Time to Break the Silence. Mr. Barbis closed the public comments portion of the workshop session at 9:19 p.m. ADJOURNMENT ** MS. MOSBY MOVED TO ADJOURN. ** MS. HARRIS SECONDED THE MOTION. ** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, M. Knox, Telesco Secretarial Services Page 9 of 10

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