June 21, 2022 at 7:00 PM - Bethel Board of Education Special Meeting

Rationale: 

Congratulations!  Let's Give a Round of Applause to our Johnson School Invention Convention U.S. Nationals Winner! 

Congratulations to Nikhil Kosanam who took home an award at the 2022 Raytheon Technologies Invention Convention U.S. Nationals on June 3!

Nikhil's "Handsfree Dice Roller" won the WilmerHale Patent Application Award

"A Handsfree Dice Roller helps to roll the dice without actually touching them and keeps germs away that can spread when exchanging dice while playing board games. It prevents any cheating and helps keep dice in one place!"

Rationale:  The administration will be providing the Board of Education and a spring update on progress towards the action steps within the Strategic Plan.   In addition, the Strategic Planning Committee met twice this Spring and after conducting a data analysis and discussion regarding the focus of our work, they have made suggested revisions to the plan.  Those revisions included:

• A slight change to the mission statement.

The Empowered Learner   

• A glossary to describe terms more commonly used in education.  
• We intentionally included acceleration of learning.
• Intentionally called out the "why" of the work.  

Social Emotional Learning 

• Made small modifications to mechanisms to revise curriculum and resources to identify when and if a resource was being used to share on a public website.   

Rationale: 

• Governor Lamont Signs Legislation Recognizing Juneteenth as a Legal State Holiday
• Bethel CT Public Schools Mail - Town of Bethel_ 2022 Legislative Session Recap
• Town of Bethel - 2022 Legislative Session Recap
• CABE Letter to BOE Chair

Rationale:  (Please note:  The Board welcomes Public Participation and asks that speakers please limit their comments to 2 minutes.  Speakers may offer objective comments of school operations and programs that concern them.  The Board will not permit any expression of personal complaints or defamatory comments about Board of Education personnel and students, nor against any person connected with the Bethel Public School System.)

Rationale:  Attached is the CSDE 2022 analysis of the new legislation affecting education.   As feared given the number of proposed bills, there are a lot of new expectations, many of which result in unfunded mandates.  I will be meeting with our team over the summer to discuss the implications for our work moving forward.   

Rationale:  Monthly Data  -  We include in the BOE agenda the monthly data as requested by the BOE.  

Rationale: 

Key Points of the Briefing: 

• We are bringing forward the following History curricula for approval:

  • World History I (Grade 9)

  • World History II (Grade 10)

• Using Understanding by Design (UbD), our History curricula is built around the state frameworks, position statement, and our Vision of a Graduate. 

• Students are called to develop questions and plan for inquiry, apply disciplinary concepts, evaluate sources using evidence, communicate conclusions, and take informed action

• World History I units include:

  • Unit 1: Absolutism, Enlightenment, Revolutions

  • Unit 2: Industrial Revolution

  • Unit 3: Imperialism, World War I

  • Unit 4: Interwar Years, origins of World War II, Holocaust

• World History II units include:

  • Unit 1: Legacy of World War II, forming of United Nations

  • Unit 2: Start of the Cold War

  • Unit 3: Proxy Wars & China

  • Unit 4: Emerging National Identities in Asia

  • Unit 5: Emerging National Identities in Africa & Latin America

  • Unit 6: End of the Cold War

  • Unit 7: Interdependence & Globalization

  • Unit 8: Modern Global Issues & United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

• Provides an opportunity for more students to see themselves in the curriculum and for a more complete understanding of the history of all people

Rationale: 

Key Points of the Briefing: 

• We are bringing forward the following course and curriculum for African American/Black and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies

• Per CT Public Act 19-12, all districts must offer this year long course as part of its Program of Studies 

• This course is a one credit, year-long elective in which students will consider the scope of African American/Black and Puerto Rican/Latino contributions to U.S. history, society, economy, and culture

• Students will examine how historical movements, legislation, and wars affected the citizenship rights of these groups and how they, both separately and together, worked to build U.S. cultural and economic wealth and create more just societies in local, national, and international contexts.

• The curriculum is built around the state frameworks and uses an inquiry based approach

• Semester One- African American/Black studies focus on:

  • Unit 1: Where We Come From: Introduction to African Origins and Contributions of Ancient African Empires to World Civilizations and the African Diaspora (500 B.C.E. to 1600)

  • Unit 2: How African Americans Persisted: Slavery and Freedom Stories of Resistance and Agency (1619 to 1819)

  • Unit 3: Black Literacy, Organizations, and Liberation  (1820-1865)

  • Unit 4: Long, Long History for Equality (1865-1915)

  • Unit 5: Black Movement for Equity  (1915-1965)

  • Unit 6: Protest, Politics, and Power (1965-Present)

Semester Two- Puerto Rican/Latino studies focus on:

• Semester 2 - Puerto Rican/Latino 

• Unit 1: Early Beginnings: Who are we? 

• Unit 2: Blood and Beauty 

• Unit 3: Sweat 

• Unit 4: Resistance and Defiance

• Unit 5: Where are we now? 

• This course provides an opportunity for more students to see themselves in the curriculum and for a more complete understanding of the history of people

Rationale:  As we have recently engaged in discussions with our attorney regarding student surveys, she provided me with a model policy which more broadly covers student privacy.   We feel that this policy is much more comprehensive and more explicit.  If the Board of Education decides to adopt this policy, we would need to eliminate Policy 6121.52  - Student Surveys.  

Policy 6162.52 - Student Privacy (PPRA)

Rationale:  Policy 6162.51 - Student Surveys - For deletion.

Rationale:  Public Act 21-199 requires that the Board of Education adopt a policy on student enrollment in advanced courses or programs.  The Public Act was developed to open enrollment to all students.   The Act specifically requires multiple methods by which a student can satisfy the criteria for enrollment in courses.  

Policy 6141.51 - Enrollment in an Advanced Course or Program and Challenging Curriculum

Rationale:  Opportunity to review CABE membership value, answer questions re. relationship to national organization NSBA. 

Rationale:  Annually, the Bethel Board of Education sets the increase for all non-union employees.  A motion will need to be made after coming out of executive session regarding increases based on Board of Education consensus.  

There are two documents for your consideration:  

Accounting Manager Salary Memo
NonUnion Saries 2022