Regina Capowski

The meeting commenced with the Pledge to the Flag, Roll Call (with one member excused and one arriving late), and reports from the West Elementary School Spotlight, and the Student Ex-Officio Board Members. The Superintendent provided her report. Following public comments, the Board addressed a significant Consent Agenda, which included various personnel actions for both certificated and classified staff, such as acceptances of retirements/resignations, unpaid leaves of absence, tenure appointments, and new probationary/substitute appointments. The Consent Agenda also covered miscellaneous personnel items like Community Education Staff Appointments, Preferred Building Substitute Appointments, Substitute Appointments, Additional Services Appointments (for a theatrical production at West Senior), Activity Advisor Appointments, and Mentor Appointments. The Board reviewed and accepted the recommendations from the Committee on Special Education (CSE), Sub-Committee (Sub-CSE), and the Committee on Preschool Education (CPSE). Under New Business, the Board approved an agreement with First Student and accepted several donations, including funds for the East Senior Girls Volleyball team. The meeting concluded with informational documents on financial reports, a planned Executive Session to discuss a personnel matter, and adjournment.

The committee meeting focused on reviewing the Workplace Violence (WPV) Policy, definitions, and processes. Key discussion points included updating the committee on any WPV reports or incidents for the 2024-2025 period and reviewing identified risks, which involved representatives and the School Resource Officer evaluating physical sites and discussing controls. Next steps outlined that the Coordinator will update the WPV Program, post it on the website and SchoolFront system, and email it to staff. Annual training is scheduled to be conducted via the Global Compliance Network. The committee also confirmed that members can request a meeting at any time and that the committee will meet at least annually for review and adjustment of the program. Additionally, required New York State (NYS) action steps for the WPV program, such as designating a coordinator, preparing policy statements for the Board of Education (BOE) agenda, conducting risk analysis, developing forms, and establishing staff notification and training protocols, were reviewed.

This document is an Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP) template designed for home-schooled students in grades 9-12. It provides a structured framework for detailing instructional content across subjects such as English, Social Studies, Math, Science, Art/Music, Physical Education, Health, and Electives. The plan outlines cumulative unit and hour requirements for each subject, offers guidance on curriculum and resources, and includes notes on compliance for mandated educational topics and reporting periods.

The board meeting included the pledge of allegiance led by students from East Senior High School, followed by a roll call. The school spotlight featured East Senior High, with a presentation on the Trojans Take Action day of service. The student board members reported on holiday activities, including a food drive, hallway decorating competition, and themed days. The superintendent highlighted Zack Armstrong's recognition as Erie County's citizen of the month and discussed upcoming meetings to review strategic planning goals.

The Board of Education discussed the redistricting and reconfiguration plan, which aims to address building capacity issues and optimize facility usage. The plan involves reconfiguring elementary schools into prekindergarten through 2nd grade and 3rd through 5th grade designations. The plan includes re-purposing the Winchester Academy as a community hub with family support services and centralizing district offices at East Elementary. The plan also involves filling in pools at West and East Middle Schools to create innovative STEM classrooms. The community support for this plan will be determined in the spring through a capital improvement project vote in May.