ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE SUPERINTENDENT

Transcript (~9 min @ 26:32)

▶ 26:50 the information that we have provided in the past. We did have some unexpected costs due to some tariffs. The playground equipment is actually coming from Canada, and therefore, with some additional tariffs to the total of $40,000. We have been able to collaborate with the company. And the company basically helped mitigate the full cost, and they split it with us. So, this was an unknown cost to us, unpredicted cost, to begin with, on the city side. And certainly, we always thank the partnership of the city side in moving so quickly to get a new playground in place, but then having this additional $20,000 as well. But we are on track. We are expecting delivery on Monday, so that's really exciting.

▶ 27:40 And then installation will follow shortly thereafter. Playground installation will happen while students are in session. We need to get this done as quickly as possible to have a playground for students. But also, we need to beat any type of early frost or anything else that we could get in our New England winter. So, that will be happening. Certainly, the children will be playing in another place. It will ensure safety, all of those kind of pieces. We'll work with Dr. Tracy on that. A new fence will also be installed on the backside, so that is good news as well. And that entire fence will be upgraded, not just the panels that were damaged. And just final inspection of the new structure and the

▶ 28:24 surrounding areas will certainly occur before we officially open it to our students. So, we're looking forward to that. Okay. Any questions about the Winthrop playground? Okay. And then the last issue that you'd like to raise. Sure. Just wanted to address something that has been on a few people's minds over the last couple of days. So, I want to provide a Minga update. So, just take a few minutes to address, recently rolled out Minga, which is our new digital pass system at the secondary level. And it's designed for students to use whenever they leave the classroom. So, I just want to provide a little bit of context on this. It's a digital system that was introduced to replace any previous methods that we

▶ 29:09 use. So, traditionally, we used to use a three-ring binder, and if you were going to the bathroom, or the nurse, or the main office, or wherever, you would sign out. So Carey Berman would sign out at 9:23, and I would come say, "I'm going to wherever." And then I'd come back and check the box and say, "I'm back" at 10 o'clock, whatever it was. We also moved to a QR code or a Google Form, so students may go in and fill out a quick thing. So, I type my name in and say I'm going, and then when I come back and check the box. So, we have used a system like that to account for students who are moving in and out of our classroom. So, I want to emphasize that the primary goal of this system is student safety.

▶ 29:57 So, in the event of an emergency, having a real time digital pass system helps us quickly and accurately determine any student that's out of a classroom at any given time. So, that would ensure that we can locate and account for everyone very swiftly. So now it's like a one-stop shop. So if, God forbid, there was an emergency, we could pull up and say, "Three students are out of this classroom, six students are out of this classroom, three," whatever it may be. However, I just want to acknowledge that the roll-out of this system did not go as expected. I'll take ownership for that. I'm definitely disappointed how the information was initially shared. My team and I have spent a lot of time over the last couple of days reflecting on

▶ 30:42 how we could have handled this differently. I certainly apologize for any miscommunication or ambiguous language that was used, via email too, whether it was staff, students, or families. The language that was used in the emails, I don't believe it fully or accurately represented the true intent or function of the digital pass system that we have purchased and are utilizing. So, to address these concerns directly, Mr. Merrill did send an updated communication to all families this afternoon. It outlines the purpose of the system and hopefully clarifies what it is, and just importantly, what it is not. My hope is that the additional communication provides clarity and highlights our bottom line, which is the safety and wellbeing of our

▶ 31:32 students. So, I just want to thank everyone because I do appreciate the feedback we have. Certainly, we need to use that. Feedback's really critical, so that we can move forward and potentially do things differently if there's a next time, but also reflect on how we need to fix things. So, I do appreciate anyone who shared their thoughts and their feedback and any concerns with us. So, moving forward, we're on a forward path at this point. Hopefully, with clearer information in the hands of our community, I'm hopeful we can successfully implement this system together to keep our schools safe. So, I'm happy to answer any direct questions. Any questions about Minga? Ms. Rosie Thomas. Thank you for clarifying all that, Superintendent Berman. I really appreciate it.

▶ 32:21 And I did find Mr. Merrill's email today quite helpful. I've also looked on social media, and I think people who work in high schools understand that there needs to be a pass system of some sort. I just want to ask you, are we trying to restrict student bathroom use? Never. Are we trying to track the number of minutes that people are in the bathroom? No. Okay. Nope. Can students or parents opt out of the system? No. For safety issues, right? Yep. All students have to sign in and out of the classroom when they're leaving, because it just becomes a safety issue. Right now, we have it so that there's a weekly email- Mm-hmm ... going to families, letting them know the amount of time. I haven't seen it because I'm not on the user side-

▶ 33:13 Mm-hmm ... but the amount of time that their student may be out of the classroom- Yeah ... for whatever reason. They can opt out of receiving those updates, certainly. But the students, when they leave the classroom, are still going to have to use the system to account for not being in the classroom. And you do it through your Chromebook? Yes. Yep. Not through your phone? Correct. Not through your phone. No one's downloading any apps. There's no tracking piece. So Carey Berman can leave and say she's going to the third floor bathroom and actually go to the first floor bathroom. Yeah. And it's never going to know. It's just going to know that Carey Berman's out of the classroom. Yep. And it's the responsibility, just like if you were writing it on a piece of paper-

▶ 33:53 Yep ... to say where you're going and not lie. So if an emergency happens, you still don't know where the kid is in the building. At the end of the day, we don't know, but we do know who is out of the classroom, and we do know their intended end game. Yeah. And you know how many minutes they've been gone. Correct. Okay. Correct. And so the only other question that I have that you and I have already spoken about is whether this is a useful system for all kids versus kids who really need more supervision and more close intervention, tier two, tier three type of interventions. Mm-hmm. And you've kind of already answered that you have to know where everyone is in the building to the best of your ability.

▶ 34:35 So even though you won't know where they are, you'll know that they're out- Correct ... of the classroom. Okay. Thank you. You're welcome. Any other questions about Minga? Ms. Leo. Thank you very much for the clarifications. And Mr. Merrill's communication helped a lot as well to clarify, as we've just discussed. Have you gotten any feedback from teachers on their experience? Are you adjusting anything? And is it possible in a bunch of months we can get an update on how it's going so we have a sense once implementation's complete? Yep. Update, definitely. I, being in my role, have not at this moment in time, on day eight, gotten feedback from teachers. But I am sure that the high school and middle school administration