PUBLIC FORUM

Robert J. Chiarido, 86B Quannacut Road, Westerly Rhode Island addressed the School Committee reading the following remarks into the record:

I am here this evening, as part of my statewide mission to speak at school committee meetings in all 36 RI districts, to inform you, everyone here and everyone watching at home, that no district is obligated to comply with RIDE’s misleading and untruthful Transgender guidance policy or the illegal hijacking of Title IX.

Let me ask you, and I know you won’t answer: How would you feel if your daughter or granddaughter were in a girl’s bathroom or locker room, thinking she was in a girl only space, when all of a sudden, a boy pretending to be a girl enters?  Are you good with her feeling uncomfortable or unsafe, her privacy violated? How about if your daughter were an accomplished athlete in say track or swimming or field hockey, and a boy who identifies as a girl suddenly takes her spot, or defeats her, or injures her? How would you feel about her being paired up with a biological boy in a hotel room on a school-sponsored field trip? Or teachers having to go against everything they believe in being made to call a girl a boy and a boy a girl? Lastly, how would you feel if your kid’s school kept life-altering secrets from you about your own child? Every single one of these instances is allowed under2 your current policy, which RIDE is calling law. Angelica Infante-Green is lying to you. It isn’t law, and you have no obligation whatsoever to comply. Tell RIDE that parents and families, through this committee, know what’s best for Middletown’s kids. Not RIDE.

A Cumberland school committee member noted the lack of incidents in bathrooms as a reason to keep its current policy. He is obviously willing to take the chance that a young lady won’t have her safe space violated or be sexually assaulted in the girl’s room by a boy pretending to be a girl, as happened in Loudoun County, VA. I am not willing to take that chance. You cannot either.

This district’s Title IX policy reflects that of the Biden administration’s hijacked rewrite, scheduled to begin on August 1^st. Title IX was written to protect women from discrimination based on sex; NOT men who identify as women. Nowhere within Title IX is gender identity ever mentioned, but that is the sole focus of this unlawful and unfair rewrite. The Biden administration’s illegal rewrite and hijacking of Title IX not only doesn’t prevent discrimination on the basis of sex, it MANDATES it. Boys do not belong competing with girls athletically. It is both unfair and unsafe for our girls. This illegal policy puts our young people, especially our girls, in uncomfortable and unsafe situations. I hope Middletown’s parents will not accept this. I certainly do not and will fight this with everything I have for as long as it takes. This committee simply cannot adopt this unlawful and unsafe rewrite of this law.

Twenty states are currently suing the Biden administration over Title IX, and they are winning. Those that don’t, as well as districts that don’t, will doubtless be sued by their own residents and families. Your choice. And every single one of those families with kids affected by your Trans and Title IX policies will have standing in court. One cannot legally seek to protect a segment of the population while simultaneously discriminating against another…in this case the remaining 99% of Middletown’s students.

The Westerly School Committee’s new policy, when completed, will right the wrongs I mentioned earlier. Your new policy must do the same. To be clear, no matter how much a boy wants to be a girl, dress like a girl, think he’s a girl, or act like a girl…He will never BE a girl. NEVER. The same with girls who see themselves as boys. This is not an indictment of these kids. It is fact.

Following Westerly’s lead and writing your own policy would make certain that Middletown’s kids get the safety and privacy they ALL need and deserve. We will get Westerly’s policy to you when it is completed. Get this on your agenda to discuss within 30 days and get started drafting a new policy. I promise you; we will hold this committee and district leadership accountable.

Thank you. God bless the families and children of Middletown, and God bless The United States of America.

Mr. Huet stated he had heard about an organization Moms for Liberty and an injunction. He asked how the School Committee would know if there were any  transgender students in the district and what risk the School Committee would be at if they placed an injunction.

Mr. Chiarido  said he would provide the contact information for the Chapter Chairs of Moms for Liberty in Rhode Island who would be able to assist in answering Mr. Huet’s questions.

Chair Spengler said someone had stated he was an attorney, to which Mr. Chiarido responded ,”No, I am not an attorney.”

SPOTLIGHT ON TEACHING AND LEARNING

CONSENT AGENDA

MOTION:  1) Tami Holden, 2) Greg Huet. That the School Committee approve the Consent Agenda. Unanimous vote.

NEW BUSINESS

·            Policy Review

Mr. Niemeyer stated that the Policy Subcommittee would begin reviewing policies in need of updating and revision.

ACTION ITEMS

HOMESCHOOLING REQUEST
1)Tami Holden. 2) Greg Huet. That the School Committee approve Homeschooling Requests 24-25-1, 24-25-2, 24-25-3, 24-25-4, 24-25-5, 24-25-6, 24-25-7, 24-25-8, 24-25-9, 24-25-20, and 24-25-11. Unanimous vote.

Mrs. Heaney asked for a report on the number of homeschooling requests that were new versus continuing.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

·               Personnel

         Report on recent personnel actions by the Superintendent

APPOINTMENTS EFFECTIVE JULY 8, 2024

Rebecca Machado, ESY Spec. Ed. 1:1Teacher Assistant
Jennifer Lynch, ESY Middle/High School Life Skills Teacher
Nina Phillips, BTB PreK – 12 School Nurse Teacher
Crista Sanos, PreK-12 School Nurse Teacher
Lauren Sullivan, BTB Structured Literacy Intervention Teacher

APPOINTMENTS EFFECTIVE JULY 9, 2024

Mikayla Circosta, BTB Grade 9-12 Teacher Assistant

Gerald Haas, BTB Grades 9 - 12 Teacher
Kevin Lundrum, BTB Grades 9 - 12 Teacher
Andrew Leys, BTB Grades 9 - 12 Teacher
Christopher Richards,  BTB Grades 9 - 12 Teacher
Jamie Toner, BTB Social Worker Grades 9 - 12
Rachelle Wagner, BTB On-Call Substitute Grades 9 - 12 Teacher

Eric Wright, BTB On-Call Substitute Grades 9 - 12 Teacher

APPOINTMENTS EFFECTIVE AUGUST 29, 2024

Scott Rollins, .6 Career Coordinator, MHS

APPOINTMENTS EFFECTIVE AUGUST 15, 2024

Matt Kestler, Varsity Football Coach, MHS
Maxwell Yates, Assistant Varsity Football Coach, MHS
Robert Byron, JV Football Coach, MHS
Conner Champlin, Assistant JV Football Coach, MHS

APPOINTMENTS EFFECTIVE AUGUST 19, 2024

Rex Bridges, Varsity Girls Soccer Coach, MHS
Kathryn Homer, Assistant Varsity Girls Soccer Coach, MHS
Gus Steppen, Varsity Girls Volleyball Coach, MHS
John Paul Massaro, Varsity Boys Soccer Coach, MHS
Jake Cathers, Varsity Girls Tennis Coach, MHS
Melissa Kleinknecht, Cheerleading Coach, MHS

APPOINTMENTS EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 3, 2024
Brant Thomas Wagner, 6^th/7^th/8^th Girls Soccer Coach, JHG
James Teeters, 6^th/7^th/8^th Boys Soccer Coach, JHG
Nicole Parente, 6^th/7^th/8^th Cross Country Coach

·               Financial

Interim Business Manager Lori Miller provided a financial synopsis to date.

·         Teaching & Learning

o  47 teachers will earn their MLL endorsement this summer

o  Professional Development Survey Results

-       Teachers were surveyed about preference for spending their time Opening Day:

Ø 34% hour to prepare rooms

Ø 24% participating in professional development

Ø 85% spending time in my room

Ø 39% meeting in our professional learning groups

Ø 55% meeting with our entire building

Ø 14% participating in morale building

Ø 2.2% meeting with Special Education Department

-          Fall PD Survey Results:

Ø  26% ELA related

Ø  23% Math related

Ø  22% MTSS

Ø  18% MLL Strategies

Ø  10.5% Schoolwide grading

Ø  15.8% De-escalation

Ø  18% Mindfulness in the Classroom

-    Teachers were surveyed about PD participation outside the school day:

Ø  56% AIM Pathways related areas

Ø  39% MLL Endorsement

Ø  21% First Aid

Ø  11% Virtual Block Scheduling

·               Student Services

o     Extended School Year has had a successful start.

o     Early Childhood Outreach Coordinator is working with Early Intervention to transition children to Middletown Public School Services.

o     Safety Care trainings for all staff are taking place.

o     Planning is underway with the Bradley partnership classroom at GLA/GMS. Students are enrolling.

o     Early childhood screenings continuing throughout the summer.

o     Preparing for 2024 – 2025 school year.

·               Technology Department

o   Kim Colicci, Coordinator of Student Information Systems, attended PowerSchool University in Boston, MA to gain knowledge and insight about streamlining our operations and enhancing efficiency of student and data information systems.

o   Registration team is busy processing new registrations.

·               Facilities

o   Custodial staff is cleaning classrooms and preparing buildings for the new school year.

1)Tami Holden. 2) Greg Huet. That the School Committee receive the Superintendent’s Personnel Report. Unanimous vote.

REPORTS OF OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES

·               Building Committee Update

Nothing new to report at this time.

·               Middletown Prevention Coalition

o  The members of Islanders Committed are attending a summer retreat.

o  MPC is looking at how they can make changes in what they do and how they fund their organization.

ADJOURN FROM MEETING

MOTION:  1) Tami Holden, 2) Wendy Heaney. To adjourn from School Committee Meeting at 5:36 p.m. Unanimous vote.

Respectfully Submitted,

                                                Theresa Spangler, Chair