At the November 28 LCPS School Board meeting, board and community members discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict, policy revisions, and Collective Bargaining. Superintendent Aaron Spence opened up the meeting with the “Superintendent Reports,” which highlighted various county initiatives for students to partake in. On the non-student side, Spence highlighted LCPS’s recent recognition for excellence in their budget preparation for the 13th straight year and the Rookie of the Year award earned by the Ed-Fi team.
Spence’s Superintendent Reports included the Workforce Development Expo at Dulles Airport which over 150 LCPS students attended, as well as BLOOM in which middle school students were able to explore health and medical pathways. Spence also reported student participation in Job For a Day which saw a 32% uptick in attendance from last year, along with the local middle school’s participation in the inaugural Middle school Intramural Sports Program flag football championship.
Public comment lasted for over an hour with topics including Collective Bargaining, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and the option of online elementary school. Thirty-two community members signed up for public comment before the meeting, two of whom commented virtually. Spence also detailed his three-phase plan for county-wide improvement in communication.
Next on the agenda were the revisions to Policy 7030 concerning Staff Time schedules, where the motion was passed in an 8-1-0-0 vote, opposed by Atoosa Reaser, where Principals may have teachers/school-based staff occasionally come to school early or stay past dismissal for activities, such as, but not limited to, parent-meetings, professional development, and whole school staff meetings.
Revisions of Policy 7714 about “Personal Leave” were passed with a 9-0-0-0 vote, which explained that LCPS employees who have left and overused their earned personal leave will be charged through their final paycheck for any amounts not paid to the county.
Last on the action items was the Specialized Programs and Charters, where motions were approved to remove Middleburg Community Charter School from probation with an 8-1-0-0, with Reaser opposed. Middleburg Community Charter School will be removed from probation as long as there is continued attendance to the LCPS Principal meetings and attendance for the LCPS FAST Forums.
The meeting lasted over four hours and ended with Ms. Tiffany Polifko’s recommendation that LCPS assess how students who chanted antisemitic phrases are being disciplined and review how the administration handles walkouts. For more information, watch the video recording of the meeting.
