Transcript

0:20:15I'd like to call to order this regular meeting of the Boulder Valley School District for Tuesday, August 11th, 2026. Board members may attend and participate in board meetings remotely in accordance with BBSD policy BMEA and state law. Laura, can you please call the role? Booker >> here. >> Chavez >> here. >> Medler >> here. >> Quinnland Aa >> here. >> Rajpaul >> here. Tamuading >> here. Anger >> here. >> Thank you. >> Like to encourage everyone to turn their attention to the screen for the reading, not really reading for our land acknowledgement this evening. The Boulder Valley School District resides and operates on land that is the ancestral homeland and unjustly and illegally taken territory of the Ute, Pueblin, Arapjo, Cheyenne, Apache, Navajo, and 48 other tribal nations historically tied to this land who have called this land home since time and memorial.

0:21:36>> We acknowledge the atrocities committed here, including the painful history of genocide, forced assimilation, and efforts to alienate the indigenous inhabitants from their homeland. Supported by the policies of the United States government, BBSD is aware of the many indigenous peoples, past and present, and their dignified nations and cultures, who care for this land with strength and resilience. BBSD recognizes the histories of the land in Colorado and the survival of many nations that carried their oral traditions into the present. It is BBSD's responsibility to educate ourselves, our community, and our students so that we can embrace the wisdom and knowledge of indigenous peoples and actively stand together to address injustices. In offering this land acknowledgement, we affirm and honor the history, wisdom, oral traditions, and resilience of indigenous people, and recognize the responsibility to care for and appreciate this land together.

0:22:52I'd like to remind everybody that the mission of the Boulder Valley School District is to create challenging, meaningful, and engaging learning opportunities so that all children thrive and are prepared for successful, civically engaged lives. Good evening everyone. Thank you for taking the time to join us here on the night before the first day of school. We're glad to have you observe and participate in our meetings both in person and remotely. At this time, is there a motion to approve tonight's agenda? Moved by Lenia, seconded by Jason. Laura, can you please call the role? >> Booker, >> yes. >> Chavez, >> yes. >> Medler, >> yes. Quinn Linua, >> yes. >> Raj Paul, >> yes. >> Teamuading, >> yes. >> Hunger, >> yes. >> Motion passes. >> First item on our agenda this evening is a superintendent report. Dr. Anderson, good evening.

0:23:50>> Good evening. Thank you, Board President Raj Paul. Board members, good evening, everyone. Have a few updates uh for the board and community this evening. Uh first and foremost uh as uh as we know tomorrow is the first day of school. Excited to welcome students back to school tomorrow. The energy here at the ed center and our schools is any indication the 2627 school year is going to be amazing. It's been wonderful over the past week welcoming back our school leaders, teachers, bus drivers, office professionals, you name it. They've kicked off the year with professional development to prepare for the year ahead. team's looking forward to providing you an update on their efforts in a few moments with our back to school update. Last Thursday, we celebrated an incredible group of students as they completed the grad plus summer leadership academy. This program engages exclusively rising 11th and 12th graders in leadership and work-based learning activities through mentorship and partnership with industry professionals. There's been tremendous growth in this program which started in 2024 with 12 student interns. Fast forward to 2026, 112 students applied, resulting in 36 students being accepted into the academy. The momentum and enthusiasm we're seeing from our students is truly inspiring. We're so proud of this year's cohort and cannot wait to see how they will lead and

0:25:09innovate in the future. And then finally, board members. I want to address the reason that many of our our community members have joined us today uh in our boardroom, which is anti-semitism. As many now know, the Boulder Valley School District was the subject of a title six complaint filed by the Anti-Defamation League in June. I'd like to start with a public apology to the student and family who were named in that complaint. Valued and included is one of our four strategic objectives of our all together for all student strategic plan and we strive every day to ensure that all students feel a sense of welcome and belonging and that did not happen for this student or their family. While our schools had taken response to the incidents when they occurred, it's clear that those actions individually and collectively were not enough. Clearly, there was a lack of district level systems and structures needed to better respond and support all students.

0:26:09As superintendent, I'm ultimately responsible of ensuring that our district responds in the right ways when acts of hate occur in our school district and accountable to prevent future incidents from like this happening. Further, when BVSSD fails to respond effectively to issues of hate appropriately and consistently, it creates fear within our community that all students are not safe. I apologize to our community for failing to ensure the appropriate systems and procedures were in place to better protect students. Given the size and nature of this situation, over the summer, we immediately entered into mediation with the Anti-Defamation League and the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, as well as convened with Boulder Jewish community leaders to hear their concerns and learn from their experiences. I want to thank everyone involved tonight. I'm here to share a number of systemwide changes to create a better response to acts of anti-semitism and hate. A summary of the changes being proposed will be housed on our website under a newly developed web page dedicated to addressing anti-semitism, a one-stop shop, so to speak. We'll be following up with all families in our community tonight with a letter outlining what I'm sharing with you this evening. First, we'll be working to strengthen our policies and procedures.

0:27:36This evening, board members, on the agenda, I've submitted for study recommended changes to board policy AC and JDHB to include anti-semitism in both our non-discrimination and bullying policies. These recommendations may clear our expectations of all staff regarding our response to acts of anti-semitism. We anticipate further recommendations to adjust district policy as we work through our mediation process with OCR and ADL. We are creating a coordinated district response to anti-semitism. Our district is committed to improved district coordinated processes and operating procedures in response to reports of anti-semitism. Once a report is made and and this part is important regardless of where it's made to a teacher to a principal to our district make a report form. will activate our newly formed Title 6 district response team which will immediately review the incident, draft support plans for the investigative process and communications, engage and support the impacted family and deploy any additional supports including training uh resources for student well-being etc.

0:28:57We will improve communication and access to resources. We commit to better communication when incidents do occur and improved access to supports and resources through our newly formed web page. We will increase training for administrators and educators. We will implement a multi-part professional learning series for studentf facing adults to deepen historical background knowledge. How to respond in the moment when acts of anti-semitism occur and actions for everyone to take in alignment with our new standard operating procedures. All of this work moving forward will be informed by a new superintendent title six advisory council. This council will provide ongoing guidance and direction on district strategy, the review of incidents and responses within our district with full transparency, and the opportunity to co-create solutions with our community. Finally, board members, I'll be proposing changes to the BBSD discipline matrix to include behavior 22C, repeated harassment/bullying.

0:30:12This behavior would include the removal of repeat serious offenders from their schools, not the victims. In order to ensure appropriate accountability board members, I recommend I will recommend that successful implementation of the action plan that I've just highlighted tonight will be included in my goals for the 2627 school year with a public report out in the spring. Board members, I know that we're having that conversation next week and and I look forward to being able to discuss that with you all. I I want to close by thanking our community members who are here this evening. Um appreciate your your presence, appreciate your advocacy. I look forward to hearing your comments. Uh board members, this concludes my remarks for this evening. I'm happy to answer any questions. >> Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Anderson. >> Board members, are there any questions for Dr. Anderson regarding his superintendent's remarks this evening.

0:31:19You want to give us a at your leisure a copy of the updated discipline matrix so we can I know you referenced the code but eager to see all that together. >> I I will. I think board members it's important that we act tonight today that I act today. the day before school starts. Another school year shouldn't go past without us making these improvements. Um and so, um in terms of the recommendations to the discipline matrix, that's not on your agenda this evening. That's forthcoming. Uh the initial policy recommendations are. Um and we've already been meeting all summer with our team to make sure that we're ready to go day one uh with many of these supports and responses. >> Alex. >> Yeah. And I thank you very much. I really appreciate uh what you're doing and what what you're talking about. Um and this tonight might tonight may not be the best time. We probably need some more information, but I look forward to also hearing about sort of adjustments to our standard operating procedures. So, I know there's the district level policy change and there's procedural things that we do, but I'm curious if you could say a little bit about it tonight and also just what what does it mean like once let's say six months from now and we're

0:32:27doing this, what's the kind of thing we'd expect to be different than last year? >> Thank you, board member Medler. I I will say that um in the letter that we send out to all families this evening, we'll have a link to the web page that will have more details on these things. Also, um we've created business cards with a QR code uh that we'll be distributing to our community faith leaders uh so they can distribute to to um our community um where you would be able to click on the QR code and it would take you to one page where it has all the resources. I think that as we talk about dis our district response and what's going to be different, you know, we've we've had in this situation and other situations, um, we haven't had continued response because folks are reporting these incidents differently, right? We worked uh board members, you'll know this and Alex, you advocated for this that that on the top of every page on our website is a make a report link and that works for some people but not for all people. And people's ability to find a link shouldn't define whether they get our help and support. Um and so whether it's reported to a teacher, whether it's reported to a principal,

0:33:41whether it's reported to a bus driver, whether it's reported on the form, we need to coordinate those spots to the Title Six district response team. and then that response team will immediately evaluate what needs to happen and begin to deploy resources. I think that we'll have more details uh on on the website so everybody can see and understand what we're speaking to. And we have been not responding to incidents of hate, incidents of anti-semitism in this type of a cohesive comprehensive fashion. We've been responding as they've been coming our way and we've also not been taking in isolated incidents and looking at them as a whole systemic issue and problem which is what we need to do. >> I really appreciate the continued refinement in our strategic response um in this situation and in all situations over the past couple years. We really have made a concerted effort and I um am happy that we're addressing this one as well.

0:34:38Seeing as there are no additional board member questions, we we will move on to our next item on tonight's agenda, which is public participation. The board respects the rights of the public to speak on matters concerning the operation of our schools. The board does not endorse the comments of individual participants and remind all those who speak that you are responsible for ensuring your remarks are suitable for an audience of K12 students. Furthermore, this is an opportunity of the board for to hear from our constituents. not an opportunity or a time for the board to engage with or react to speaker remarks. We have several speakers this evening. In fact, so many that it is extends beyond our traditional amount of time allowed for public comment. We will allow all speakers who have signed up in advance to speak. That being said, we have a very strict twominut time limit.

0:35:28And so in um to help each other get through this evening for those folks that are participating online, those that are here, please help me help each other uh um manage our time. If you get to So you have two minutes to speak, you'll see a yellow card when you have 30 seconds remaining and an orange card when you have 10 seconds remaining. If you run out of time, the time clock will beep. There will be a beep. I will let you finish your sentence. I'll gently gavvel and then we'll move on to the next one. If you run out of time, please email your remarks to to the schoolboard members. We do read all of our emails. So, that is the best way um to ensure we stay on track and you guys can um exit in a timely manner and we can hear from everybody that signs up. So, with that, we will start with folks that are present with us this evening in person.

0:36:23Then we will transition to um participants who have signed up to speak online. As always, we start with our students and our first student speaker this evening is Ivette Shell. Um good evening. My name is Ivet Shell and I'm a incoming seventh grader at Southern Hills. Before this summer, I thought that Southern Hills was just a totally normal school. I had no idea that all this awful horridness was brewing behind my back. None of it had ever happened to me. I mean, I thought that like anti-semitism wasn't really a thing that in present day life. But I'm standing here tonight cuz I'm angry and I'm hurt and I'm I'm even a little scared about what happened. I shouldn't have to be ashamed to wear a Star of David to school. And I shouldn't have to be afraid that I didn't go to school because of Yom Kipur or Roshashana or Hanukkah. I shouldn't even have to be here today talking to you. It's it's not okay. And all of you're talking about just how to fix this now and like what the solution is. But what about just preventing it altogether? I mean, I don't really know what the exact right thing to do is, but you do have to do something. You have to change something besides this. Otherwise, you're telling

0:37:47everybody here today, every kid in school, every parent out there that you don't really care, that you can't communicate with people, that you're a hypocrite telling kids not to bully, not to be racist, but then you're doing the same thing yourselves. Please, please do your jobs and fix this. Thank you. Our next speaker is Claire Seagal. Hi, my name is Claire Seagull and I'm an incoming seventh grader at Southern Hills Middle School. Today I would like to talk to you about what it means to take action when something is wrong. In fifth grade, I had a school assignment to write something called a changemaker letter about something we wanted to change in our community. I chose to write a letter to Superintendent Anderson and the school board about bringing the No Place for Hate program from the ADL to schools all throughout BBSD. I knew that instances of anti-semitism was on a rapid increase in the last couple of years and I knew that BBSD was no exception. Superintendent Anderson never responded to my letter and only one board member did at the time. In other words, no one really thought it was a problem and responded with inaction. I started my sixth grade year by meeting with my principal, Melinda Murphy, to talk about my desire to bring the No Place for Hate program

0:39:13to Southern Hills. My school was supportive of this. I partnered with the school and brought on in a Holocaust survivor to speak to every sixth and seventh grader at the school. As a Jewish student, when I heard about the horrible anti-semitic incident that had happened at my school, I was in shock. I honestly couldn't understand why kids would be so evil and violent towards a kid for believing differently. I'm entering seventh grade with a pledge to continue taking action. I have one final question for you. Will you be my partner in taking action to ensure that every student in BDSD feels safe and welcomed? Now is time for you to take action like me. I'm redistributing my letter now to all of you. I hope you read it. Thank you. Please provide any documentation to the board secretary. Thank you.

0:40:07Our next speaker this evening is Nome Blau. Hi, my name is Nam Blau and I am incoming seventh grader at Manhattan Middle School. I was part of the No Place for Hate group last year and I hope this program continues every year. We as students would come up with the ideas and then do the work. Last year, we learned then talked about microaggressions and wrote the Manhattan Resolution of Respect together. The purpose of this was that students would sign the resolution agreeing to the statements. The resolution included, "We are aware of judgments we make of ourselves and others. When we advocate for ourselves and others, we do it in appropriate ways without escalating the situation. We are aware of and respect our peers and their boundaries. We use kind language and action toward towards everyone. We are mindful of the Phoenix 5/W respect everyone's race, religion, gender, size, and ability. We had almost the entire school sign the resolution.

0:41:04We feel it made a difference and we hope that the no place for hate program continues so that we can do more projects like this to help make our school and world a better place. I feel that no one should have to not want to do anything because of the fear of anti-semitism, which is why we need these programs in our schools to recognize the harms of anti-semitism. but not just that, racism and other targeted hate. That way we can take action to prevent it. Thank you. >> Thank you. My name is Ena Plum. My three-year-old son enters this district next week. A year ago, my community was set on fire on Pearl Street for being visibly Jewish. A woman died. Now I learned that this district let a Jewish child be mocked with Holocaust jokes and physically assaulted with the news. You had written notice. You had a year to act. You didn't. I'm not asking you to treat Jewish children as victims. We are not victims. We know what happens when adults see hatred and hesitate to act. I am asking why this board could not summon the moral clarity available to any adult and any parent. A child does not get strangled at school. Jews are 2% of this country's population, but represent 70% of religion-based hate

0:42:31crimes. Somewhere in this district, the line between criticizing a foreign government and tormenting a Jewish child got blurry enough that adults hesitated. That hesitation is the failure. And look where you placed the burden. You moved the victim. You asked him to avoid the children who tormented him. That's not protection. It tells every student watching that the perpetrator stay while the victim disappears. You knew it the moment the first complaint came in. What you lacked was the will to act when it was politically inconvenient. When the language of the moment gave you cover to look away. This district has taken the step to condemn anti-semitism in words. Now it's time for action. I ask the board to adopt an enforcable framework with mandatory intervention, meaningful consequences, and accountability when administrators fail to act. My excitement about my son's first day of school has turned to dread. I ask you to earn back my faith in this district and the faith of all its Jewish families.

0:43:37Thank you. My name is Marcia Seagull. I have two children in BBSD. I serve on the board of impact on education and I am the immediate past board chair of the Boulder JCC. My volunteer and community engagement indicates that I am a proud Jew and I care deeply about the education of all of our BBSD students. For years, I have watched Jewish families experience anti-semitism in BVSD schools with little to no support from the district. Many of those families are here today. Some are speaking, some are scared to speak, and some are just here to support. I am proudly Jewish as are my children. And my family's experience in BBSD has been a very, very positive one. But I cannot help but wonder when will the reality that so many BBSD families who are Jewish face in this district soon become my reality. I am standing before you today to ask for two simple items so BBSD can be a safe school for all of our students. First, continue to rely on the ADL's expertise, partnership, and proven no place for hate programming, combating anti-semitism, and any form of hate. The ADL should be your number one partner to get this right. Second, comprehensively examine and revise BBSD's reporting and responding guidelines when it comes to anti-semitism.

0:45:36Policies with no built-in accountability are simply words on paper. As part of your plan, you must include an independent third party who can monitor, audit, and then publicly disclose how you are doing when it comes to policy implementation and enforcement. I know the district can do better. I love this district and I stand here as a community member who wants to partner with you to make it the best district we can be. >> Thank you. Hello, my name is Tina Edwards and my daughter is a fifth grader at Horizon's K8. We are a Jewish family and members of Harasham synagogue down the street from the school. Thankfully, my daughter has never reported any anti anti-semitism happening to her at school. We love BBSD and we've been very happy in this district. But I know that we are lucky ones. We are the exception, not the rule. Given how frequently I've heard from students and parents directly about the anti-semitism they've experienced at their BBSD school, I know it's a question of when, not if, my family's luck will run out. Will it be when my daughter wears a Jewish star to school?

0:47:05When she's walking to synagogue for Hebrew lessons after school after missing class to celebrate Rashashana? I'm constantly fearful for the day when my 10-year-old comes home to tell me she's been harassed for being Jewish. The fact that these incidents continue to happen and the commentary surrounding them diminishes and redirects the real impact on our kids and families confirms my fear that it's just a matter of time. Unless serious and impactful changes are made to fill the gaps that have allowed this behavior to continue and escalate. I ask you, the board, please put a plan in place that protects my daughter and all the Jewish students in our community. They deserve to feel safe being Jewish in school, just as every student deserves to feel safe being at school and not hiding who they are. Thank you for meeting with the ADL and hearing their recommendations and putting great plans in place and recommendations together so far. I really hope that the conversation around this plan continues in earnest and results in a plan that includes accountability, education, training, transparency, and policies that file reports of anti-semitism as Title Six violations where they belong. Thank you.

0:48:21>> Thank you. Our next speaker this evening is Ashley Bersick. Hello. Thank you for your service to the board. Um, I have three children in this district, a fifth grader, a third grader, and a kindergartener. My oldest will start at Southern Hills next year. I am not Jewish, but I've watched the rise of anti-semitism in Boulder with real alarm. The ADL complaint against this district describes a child targeted again and again, parents sounding the alarm again and again in a system that did not stop it. My heart breaks for that child and their family. And I stand with them and every Jewish family in this district who has had to go through this. I'm not here tonight as a Jewish parent asking you to protect Jewish kids. I'm here as a Boulder Valley parent telling you that when anti-semitism and hate is allowed to take root against any child in this community, it doesn't stay contained. It spreads and it teaches every kid watching and their parents what this district will and will not tolerate. I'm asking you tonight to consider three things. First, independent third-party investigation into how this was reported and handled. not an internal review, but outside experts with real expertise into anti-semitism and school safety. Second, clear public reporting protocol so every family knows how a hate incident is

0:49:51documented, escalated, and resolved and who is accountable at every step. Along with this should be regular reporting on how many incidents are occurring and how they were addressed. And third, ongoing training for staff developed with outside organizations like the ADL so adults in the building can recognize anti-semitism and hate before it escalates, not after. This isn't about defending the district. It's about building a system with real accountability that families can actually see and trust. I want to send my kids to school with confidence, not doubt. That is what I'm asking this board to give every family here tonight. Thank you. >> Good evening. My name is Aaron Brooks and I am the president and founder of the Jewish Alliance of Colorado, the Colorado chapter of the American Jewish Alliance, an established national grassroots organization with more than two years of advocacy, experienced, leadership, and a significant national board. My son also graduated from Boulder Prep last year. We are deeply concerned by allegations that a Jewish student at Southern Hills was targeted for more than two years because he is Jewish. After reviewing the material circulated by some ahead of tonight's meeting, I want to be very clear. This is not about Israel. This is not about Zionism, the ADL, IH, or any political debate. A Jewish child was allegedly

0:51:24targeted because he is Jewish. Let me say that again. A Jewish child was harassed for two years for being Jewish. Think about that for a minute. That must be addressed on its own terms. It's troubling to see this this student's experience pulled into broader unrelated political arguments. A child exp a child's experience of harassment should not be repurposed for political messaging. Education matters but it is not enough on its own. If anti-semitism or any form of hatred hatred is normalized at home, it can and will enter the classroom. BVSD cannot control what happens at home, but it can control and must control what happens in its schools. So our question is simple. What happens next time? How is anti-semitism reported? Who investigates? How quickly, how is the student protected? And what are the consequences when allegations are substantiated? These are the questions we are seeking from BBSD.

0:52:19Jewish Alliance of Colorado and American Jewish Alliance will remain engaged and watch closely for meaningful change, and we will hold the district accountable. Jewish students deserve more than discussions. They deserve action, transparency, accountability, and above all, safety. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next speaker this evening is Allison Schwarz. >> Good evening. Uh my name is Allison Schwarz. I'm a BBSD parent of four kids, one in elementary school, two in middle school, and one in high school. I'm also the president of the board at Congregation Bonet Shalom and a graduate of the Boulder Valley School District Community Leadership Academy. Um, in my family's experience, um, my kids have really learned in school that it is absolutely not okay to make fun of someone for immutable characteristics like race or sexual orientation. They have come home from school and taught me lessons they've learned in school. It has not been our experience that they have learned those same lessons about religious and cultural differences. I told my high school student this afternoon where I was coming right now and asked him if he would feel comfortable going to school tomorrow visibly Jewish and he said absolutely not. He said only some something like only if I was looking to have the worst day ever.

0:53:49So it is not the case that my kids have or or other kids in school have learned that it's okay to not attack someone because of their religious differences. Um, similarly, the ADL's No Place for Hate program was brought to our elementary school specifically after a student was harassed by older students because she didn't celebrate Christmas. So, our school's response was to bring in the ADL. And it's been very helpful at our elementary school so far. But because hate directed towards Jewish children is harder to see and understand, schools have to be much more vigilant and vocal about having the same zero tolerance policies they have towards other kinds of discrimination, but in any way that makes a child feel unsafe. Would we as a community tolerate schools where children felt like they had to hide their sexual orientation or their ethnic background? I don't think so. We we as a community I don't think would want that. But it is absolutely the case that my Jewish student does not feel safe being openly Jewish at his BVSD high school.

0:54:52Uh please think about incorporating teaching religious and cultural differences in your social emotional learning curriculum because our kids are listening. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next speaker this evening is Lisa Conungle. Thank you. Um, yeah, my name is Lisa Conungle. I'm the parent of two children at Flat Irons Elementary and started a petition that now has uh 525 signatures urging BBSD to yes fight anti-semitism but to do so without partnering with the Anti-Defamation League and without the use of the controversial IRA definition of anti-semitism. The anti-semitic incidents described in the ADL's Title Six complaint are of deep concern and they warrant a district response. At first glance, partnering with the ADL might seem like an appropriate step. Until you know more about its history and its current leadership, the ADL is not a neutral civil rights organization.

0:56:19Even when its curricula seem uncontroversial with compelling names like No Place for Hate, the ADL uses these programs to bolster its public image and provide cover for a more troubling record of supporting political repression, including the ICE abduction of Mahmud Khalil and the blanket characterization of pro Palestinian encampments as anti-semitic. The IRA working definition, which the ADL proposes in its remedies for BBSD, has been widely repudiated, including by one of its original authors, Kenneth Stern, who spoke out against its application because of repression of academic inquiry and free speech. Renowned Palestinian historian Rasheed Khaledi resigned from teaching at Colombia when the university was forced to adopt the IRA definition. I wouldn't pursue this fight if I didn't believe that the ADL and the IRA definition have a chilling effect on our ability to speak out against US sponsored genocide, including Israel's discriminant killing of tens of thousands of children. This should never be placed in opposition to efforts to prevent anti-semitism and of students.

0:57:40>> Yeah, your time is up. you would like to if you could please just email the rest of your thoughts to the school board, we would appreciate reading that. >> Sure. I just would say that we can fight ami anti-semitism without the ADL and without the IRA. >> Our next Thank you. Our next speaker this evening is Paul Given. All right. Thank you board for hearing us today. Um my name is Paul. Um I have a student at High Peaks. I'm very proud of the Boulder Valley School District. Um and I want to say what happened. You know, I read it all and it sounded absolutely disgusting. Um, I want anti-racism to be a core platform that my kid learns about as he goes through the grade grades in Boulder Valley School District. Um, I think anti-semitism needs to be actively resisted. You know, it's not something that we should do passively. It's something that we need to actively invest time into fighting.

0:58:54Unfortunately, the ADL is a compromised organization. They conflate anti-semitism with anti-ionism. They deny the genocide of the Palestinians and the International Court of Justice agrees with me. Um, we should not work with organizations that deny an act of genocide and silencing folks who fight it. This is a chilling effect for people who speak out against genocide. There are plenty of Jewish organizations out there that have anti uh that have education to stop anti-semitism. We don't need to use the ADL. This education is absolutely necessary. We need to fight anti-semitism in our school, but we need to make sure we partner with the correct organization when we do that. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Our next speaker this evening is Tracy Burgerer. Sorry. Um, hi and thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Tracy Burgerer. I'm a Lewisville, Colorado resident and a parent of two Cole Creek Elementary students. Tracy, can you speak into the mic? Sorry. Is that better? Okay. Should I start over or Okay. Um, I'm here tonight to demand that the Anti-Defamation League ADL not have anything at all to do with my children's education and their understanding of anti-semitism. Growing up as a Jewish kid, I experienced anti-semitism regularly. Two examples out of many. In middle school, a classmate told me he was surprised I

1:00:37didn't have horns. In high school, I came out of my home one morning to find a classmate had drawn swastikas and genitalia all over my car. Those experiences and knowing deeply the story of my grandparents flight from Nazi Germany made me pursue a bachelor's degree in Holocaust and genocide education and a master's in education. I worked in the Museum of Jewish Heritage, a living memorial to the Holocaust in New York City. I gave tours with survivors who became my friends despite wide age differences. I've published peer-reviewed articles about Holocaust and genocide memorialization. I've worked on curricula about the Holocaust that have been used nationally. Please believe me when I say I know what I'm talking about. The ADL is not interested in protecting Jewish students. They are interested in shutting down free speech and rational criticism of the state of Israel. The ADL wants BBSD to define anti-semitis anti-semitism by the IH or International Holocaust Remem Remembrance Alliance's definition of the term. I also worked at the IH years ago as a project manager for their multi-year work plan on archival access and I can tell you that the IH definition of anti-semitism is inaccurate and harmful. Anti-semitism is discrimination and it should not be tolerated under any non-discrimin non-discrimination or anti-bullying policy. But my Jewish children are not

1:01:50anti-semitic if they tell you that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza in the West Bank. A policy that defines anti-ion anti-ionism as anti-semitism does nothing to make anyone safer and in fact dangerously conflates all Jews with the state of Israel. We can do better by our children. >> Thank you. >> >> Our next speaker this evening is Richard Forer. It's important to teach children that everyone deserves respect, that no people are inferior, and that bigotry towards Jews, Palestinians, or anyone is unacceptable. However, that's not the position of the Anti-Defamation League. ADL head Jonathan Greenblad has repeatedly said, quote, "Anti-Zionism is anti-semitism. I will repeat, anti-ionism is anti-semitism. End quote. Taken to its logical conclusion, the equation of anti-ionism with anti-semitism is itself bigotry because it slanders Palestinians as anti-semites? What Palestinian would not criticize the ethnic cleansing of their people? If criticism of Israel's violations of international law is equated with anti-semitism, then millions of Jews living outside Israel who criticize its behavior would themselves be cast as bigots. The ADL's position thus has a disturbing implication that Jews as a people are called upon to defend or condone the killing and starvation of Palestinian civilians, the destruction of their homes, and the denial of their basic rights. Yet such a characterization would itself be condemned as anti-semitic. In other

1:03:47words, the proof that one is not an anti-semite is turned into proof that one is. Anti-semitism training must be taught with real sensitivity and care. If the ADL is allowed to instill its pro-Zionist, anti-Palestinian rights worldview in our children, it will create a generation out of touch with their humanity, taught to label support for the Palestinian people and criticism of Israel as bigotry. By this logic, intellectual honesty, respect for international law, and compassion are portrayed as signs of prejudice to silence those who speak truths others don't want to hear. But where is the bigotry? It lies in deni It lies in denying Palestinians the same humanity we insist must be extended to Israel. >> Thank you. >> Our next our next speaker this evening is Martha McFersonson. Yes, my name is Martha McFersonen and um I live here in the district.

1:05:08Basically, my feeling is the ADL is denying the Constitution as a fact of they're not really acknowledging that a genocide is going on. They're trying to whitewash all the horrific things that have been happening in the name of anti-semitism. And it is a conflation. Anti-semitism is not anti-Zionism. and to have the ADL come in and try to promote their very prejudiced view of what they are teaching to our children's minds that are so malleable. It just doesn't make sense that we don't try to recognize that minorities of every color are being discriminated. And where are the efforts to bring in the reality of protecting the Hispanic children, protecting the Muslim children? Islamophobia is much more of a problem in my experience than anti-semitism. So are we going to start protecting the Muslim children as well? Are we going to have some sort of organization come in to promote education so that they are not harassed as being different? It just creates a whole system that is so prioritizing of the Jewish minority that is rather well received in our day here.

1:06:48And it's beyond belief that this is where we're going down. Thank you. Our next speaker this evening is Sergio Atala. >> Quiet in the audience so folks can hear if their name is called. Sergio Atala, are you here? >> Our next speaker this evening then is Hillary Callisman. >> Sergio on Zoom. All of our Zoom participants will be going last. >> Okay. Um, my name is Hillilary Callisman. I have three children. My two older children, a sixth grader and a fourth grader in the BBSD system. Up until this year, when my son starts Summit Middle School, they've attended University Hill Elementary School. My daughter has often been the only Jewish kid in her class. We are often one of only of two practicing Jewish families in our grade. My children's experiences have been overwhelmingly positive. People have been respectful. They have been curious and I don't take that for granted. My concern is that this will not continue.

1:08:07By bringing in the ADL and again the ship has sailed as you've seen. It's an extremely controversial organization, right? This is now becoming a site of political debates which are not focused on the actual experiences of children in BBSD. And so I ask you to please keep the families, the parents, the teachers and the children as your main focus rather than pleasing outside organizations or dealing with the controversy around them. That is your main responsibility. Thank you. Our next speaker this evening is Chara Rosen Holtz. Hello. And uh thank you very much. My name is Rabbi Charer Rosen Holtz. I'm president of the uh Boulder Council of Rabbis and Caners. And um I I appreciate the accountability you're willing to take. My prepared statements kind of want to fly out the window because I got very surprised to see ADL on trial here.

1:09:19For me, this is about our children and what is happening. And you can now see And you can now see how quickly this politically conflates into an issue that is not taking place in our county. This is what our children are experiencing this conflation of a geopolitical situation of a geopolitical situation and this is the problem. You have just seen it for yourself and I hope you're moved by it like I'm moved by it. What I really wanted to come here and talk about was the bigger picture. Do not be fooled. Anti-semitism when it gets rolling, look at history, is a ball that rolls so quickly and it gathers no moss. It just gathers a lot of hurt children. These children that spoke today, I love them. They came up here so bravely and shared from their hearts. And that's who we want to serve. Who we decide to work with this, let's put that to aside.

1:10:26Really use your critical thinking to see the conflation of this issue. I I guess I want to say that um anti-semitism grows in the same soil which all bullying grows and that prevention of helping children have the dignity to each other is essential. I guess what I would ask you to do in my few seconds left is to develop a deep and tender curiosity about this issue. Don't think you understand it. want to know more and explore your own biases because that will help us free up this issue. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> I would kindly request that folks in the audience remain quiet while we have speakers at the podium so we can truly pay attention to what they're saying and so you're not eating into their time for them having to pause. So please um if you could keep quiet in the audience that would be wonderful. Our next speaker this evening is Micah Schwab.

1:11:43Good evening. Uh I have three boys in BVSD. Three years ago, when my son beat out a classmate for quarterback in a flag football competition, his classmate responded by saying, "Well, at least I'm not a Jew and I didn't die in a gas chamber." We reported the incident. We watched the district and school leadership grind through our complaint. And then we watched school read school leadership uh constrained because they could not share any details about the resolution or remediation because privacy is both a short a a sword and a shield. Meanwhile, the same kid that uh came after my son then tried to get her friends to keep coming after my son. I wish I could say this was an isolated incident, but it's not. This is a pattern. Uh my kids have been involved in other incidents. Other people in our community have been involved in these incidents. We've watched other Jewish families go through it here. Cherry Creek Kyne School District in Arizona. Uh in fact, if you look at the suggested resolution from the ADL in the OCR complaint, it is basically a copy and paste of the Kyne School District resolution in Arizona.

1:12:49Um and it's it's just a a pattern that continues. Um, with all due respect to Superintendent Anderson, however, I do not think that a council, um, a web page or QR codes is going to do the trick. Any time that, uh, there is a settlement involving behavior as egregious as this, there are basically five ingredients. Training has to happen. You need to have structural change in terms of how the district is approaching these issues. You cannot have a compliance officer reporting to a general counsel. that compliance officer has to report to the to the superintendent with a dotted line to the school board. You need an independent monitor like other folks have suggested. You need transparent reporting. And last but not least, every year you should be responding and looking at your policies and rewarding them to make sure that you are actually capturing what needs to change. Thank you.

1:13:44>> Thank you. Our next speaker this evening is Carrie Simon. My name is Carrie Simon. I'm a Jewish mom here in Boulder. I have two children in BBSD elementary schools. My oldest starts fifth grade tomorrow, which means a year from now he will be a student at Southern Hills. At least that's what I had long planned. And for years, I've gone into my children's classrooms to share Jewish holidays, traditions, um, and just to show everyone who we are, who our family is. And I've always believed that helping children know each other is a way to build community where everyone belongs. But after reading the painful ADL complaint, I found myself asking a question I hadn't thought I would. Am I putting a target on my children's back by making sure their classmates know they're Jewish?

1:14:45>> >> I do not want my children to learn that staying safe means being quiet about who they are. I want our school district to respond and be accountable. What happened to the student in our community is utterly heartbreaking. Even more frightening is that family for years asked again and again for help and didn't get it. But I just want to thank that family if they are here or if they are listening because what you did is clearly making sure something's going to change and and that took a lot of bravery to come forward with the ADL and do that. So I'm thankful to you. Um, I have three basic things to ask of the board and the superintendent while you're here listening. First, I want an independent in investigation into exactly what happened, how the district responded, why the system failed, and then I wanted to second use that to make the changes ahead of us. Um, and based on what's found, and this is the the policies and procedures piece, um, but we don't want this to just be paper. We want to make sure it doesn't happen again. And so we're looking for a third um party independent oversight to monitor the implementation of this new response um and just the general response to anti-semitism and all forms

1:15:48of hate um and public reporting of that behavior to make sure we know it's working. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker this evening is Stephen Schuman. Good evening. Uh, thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Stephen and my uh, son is going to be an eighth grader, rising eighth grader at Southern Hills. Before the complaint, uh, was made public, I spoke to a family that was enrolled that had just enrolled their kid in Southern Hills to start in the fall, and they seemed nervous for whatever the reason, and I was happy to take that opportunity to leave their concerns. Um, I believe that every student deserves to be safe and I thought student Southern Hills did a good job with this. They weren't perfect, but it was good, very good. Uh, the complaint though details such egregious failures that my trust in the school and district is shaken.

1:16:47Uh, if given the same opportunity, I would not have been able to alleviate that family's concerns. And um, I think that's important. I think the trust of the community is definitely shaken. And we clearly need better from Southern Hills and PBSD. So, uh, Dr. Dr. Anderson, I appreciate your apology. I think that's a good place to start. Um, but I do have questions that I hope you will consider. Um, sorry, some of these things have already been addressed. Um, like when the policy revisions will be official, what is the timeline? I think that's not quite clear yet. Um, what about the comments, public comments and feedback? Um, who's responsible for measuring progress? How will this be communicated to the district? Um, and this council, is that going to be a parents working group? What will make up the council? Um, I liked what I heard from other commenters that there should be an independent monitor. Um, but there's two things other things I want to ask that are more personal and less processes because processes fail. Um, really, whoever was involved in this process, this two-year saga that this family went through, someone should have stopped and said, "Okay, this is we're failing. We need to do something." And hopefully somebody did that, but and if they did, it seems like someone told

1:18:02them to stop. I I don't understand that. I hope that you all realize we're all humans. We need to stand up and say this is wrong. The other thing was that I hope you all have set a good example and spend more time coming up with solutions instead of tearing things down. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good evening. I learned about this from Amy Bound's article to the Polar Daily Camera and was astounded when I heard what had happened at Southern Hills uh middle school. I got the ADL report and read it. I'm not an attorney, but I think the attorneys did a wonderful job of putting it in context and putting it in plain English. Despite the references to policies and the websites of the Boulder Valley School District and how you care for equality and all children, I don't see it happening in this instance. It went on 18 months if not longer.

1:19:27And the ADL in part of their document talks about the systemic failure and the pattern uh of the district. I can't ignore that. Why did it go on for two years? Then we have the we have in the report the exhibits and one is the report by Katie Romero who takes complaints. Why do you need a person who's paid to take complaints and who writes a report like that when she twists some of the words saying that there was pure conflict. It was. Yeah, there was some pure conflict, but it definitely had to do with religious and race. There's more to it than that. Don't just sugarcoat it and do those words. Get rid of the investigator for complaints. We have investigators. We have teachers. We have principles. And we have administrators. And we have the school board. My time's short, so I'll end. In the end, I think the school board stands responsible. You got a great school district. My kid went through it. This is my first time here.

1:20:41You didn't need me much, but you needed me tonight. Do something about this. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Our next speaker this evening is Rafe First, November 2024. A father first reports his Jewish son is being targeted. April 2025, the school's own investigation confirms anti-Semitic bullying, Nazi salutes, a game called Jew touch tag, and Holocaust jokes. December 2025, a classmate straps a Chromebook cord around that boy's neck, drags him from his chair, and calls him a stupid Thirdderee assault. January 2026, the family request hallway supervision. The school district denies it. The no contact order you do grant is violated the next day. In March, a second assault occurs. Soon after, his family pulls him out of BVSD. That child no longer wears his Star of David. He's on medication because of what happened here. He quit basketball, a sport he loved, because his harassers are still in the league.

1:22:01Rob, on June 23rd, you wrote, "We are committed to assuring acts of anti-semitism are identified, investigated, and addressed. As a father of two BVSD middle schoolers, I did not receive any notice of these events or your June 23rd comments until I had read about them in a foreign newspaper on July 3rd. as a uh a question to the board. At what point in the timeline should the entire BBSD parent body been alerted so that we could determine whether it was safe for our children to continue in BBSD and a question for every teacher and administrator who knew and did nothing or remain silent. What if this child had been targeted not for being Jewish, but for being black or Muslim? >> Our next speaker this evening is Aaron Stone. Sorry, I wasn't informed I was speaking tonight, so I didn't have a speech prepared. But I wanted to bring up that about a week ago, um well, we we attend a group that rallies on the corner of Canyon and Broadway to uh bring an end to genocide everywhere, including Palestine. And one of our supporters was attacked by five people. They broke her signs. They pulled her from from behind and um one of those people identified as Israeli and it really bothers me that even though there was a police report,

1:24:01nothing was done about it. Um we still haven't heard anything from businesses or cameras and even the daily camera has been silent on this. So I mean it was completely awful what happened to this this um this child. He was in seventh grade. My my son was in eighth grade, too. But at the same time, when you bring entities like the ADL in that are calling us anti-semitic because we're speaking out against a genocide, I find that really infuriating. And I wrote Rob Anderson about this when the back to school letter went out last year that I didn't appreciate partnering with the ADL. I heard nothing back on this. They've consistently conflated talking any saying anything bad about Israel with being anti-semitic. And I'm absolutely sick of it. And let's stop calling it anti-semitism because not all Jews are semites. Okay? But Palestinians are also semmites. It does doesn't apply to everybody. It it applies to a large group of people. Let's call it what it is. It's called racism. So, thank you for your time.

1:25:09>> Thank you. Our next speaker this evening is Susanna Lopez. >> Hello and thank you for uh allowing me to speak. Uh I am a VBSD parent. I have two children in VVSD. H I am feel very sorry for what happened to this child and what their family went through. It's great to see that Boulder Valley is coming up with an action plan to prevent this from happening in the future. But I hope that this includes everybody. So anti-semitism is very serious. We should all fight it. But um since my kids have been in the district for years, they have told me about so many incidents of anti-Asian-American hate, anti-Latino hate. A a close friend of my son was physically attacked by another student, beat up for a year, his dad going to Monarch, BBSD didn't do anything. So I think BBSD does have a problem with harassment and bullying. So hopefully you take this opportunity to do something not of course to fight anti-semitism but to protect every child and I want to echo with that the what other speakers have said that I also don't think the ADL is the right partner because although they pretend to be anti-hate they when you look into the current leadership They are actually anti-free speech. This being a school district, we want our

1:26:59kids to have critical thinking and anti-free speech organization doesn't seem right. And and there's a lot of baggage in in in what they're doing. Lobbying for Israel, which has its own implications. Since this is a public school district, we should hire a neutral organization. So yes, I think fighting anti-semitism is very important but we have to protect all children and please consider other organizations apart from and not the ADL. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker this evening is Bonnie Robin Raven. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak. Um I'm a retired professor and educator and the mom of two grown students. Um here today because I also didn't learn about this issue until I read it in a foreign newspaper 20 years ago. My son was in a hockey locker room in high school and was told people were sorry that the Holocaust wasn't successful because they would have had his spot.

1:28:14Those kinds of things are happening today and we're all here. I'm particularly annoyed that people came in here trying to as someone else had put the ADA on ADL on trial. The issues of politics in Israel have no place in this discussion. The ADL has had a very successful program against hate. I'm sorry that we are dealing with a political situation at occurring at the same time, but it is troubling to me that people walked in here bringing the issue of Gaza to the forefront and wearing katifas, which is an insult to every Jewish person in this room who is dealing with anti-semitism. So, what I would like to support is the program that the Adale offers. Regardless of what you think of their policies on Israel, they do have a program that will protect and deal with bullying and anti-hate. And I hope that one day when I have grandchildren 20 years from now, that child is not in a locker room dealing with the same problem. Thank you. Thank you.

1:29:30Our next speaker this evening is Aaron Brooks. >> Oh, he's on there twice. Okay, >> Aaron Pinsker then is next. >> Hi, thank you for letting me speak. Um, my name is Aaron Pinsker. I grew up in Boulder, attended many BBSD schools. Um, honestly, as I've been listening to everything tonight, my thoughts on exactly what I want to say have changed. Um, I do want to specifically point out, however, I I haven't been in BBSD schools for 20ome years now. That's a really long time. Um, I experienced some anti-semitism all the way back then. This isn't a new thing. I had teachers specifically not understanding why I need to take off for Russia Shana or for Yung Kapor or kind of trying to argue with me like those aren't that big of a deal. It's like missing a day of church.

1:30:32I'm like, no, it's not. And having a partner like ADL, talking to students, talking to teachers, helping them understand Judaism, our our beliefs, our traditions is huge because as Jews, we are a minority amongst minorities. We are 2% of the Colorado population. We are 2% of the US population. We are 2% of the world population. There's not a lot of us. And that's why whenever there's an anti-semitic incident, it is so painful because it affects every single one of us. And we have a really scary history of when anti-semitism starts to spread. I am heavily in favor of ADL. I do not always agree with Jonathan Greenblat, but I agree with the organization. The organization's mission is to fight isms, not anti-semitism, not racism, not not Islamophobia, all of them. That is what they do. And that is what this school district needs. That is what every school district needs. And quite honestly, that is what our country needs right now is somebody, some organization to fight against hate.

1:31:51Thank you. >> Thank you. Our >> Thank you. Thank you for having me. Um, I am a retired teacher in the district. I had three I have three adult children. I now have a grandson in Boulder Valley schools. Um, I spent 25 of my 35 year teaching career in Boulder Valley schools. I am also Palestinian American. I sat through 13 years of ADL training to staff the the mandatory equity training, some part of our PD every year. And if I ever every time I ever mentioned anything about Arab, Muslim or Palestinians experience, it was dismissed and silenced because it's too combustible. It's too controversial. I uh had the greatest gift of my professional and personal life was to do go through the equity cohort in 2001 and two provided by this district and I upheld an equity framework for all of my students and it was not honored for my identity. My identity was always too controversial, too complicated. It couldn't be touched.

1:33:28It couldn't be discussed. It couldn't be addressed. And so I am here in support of dropping the ADL. I I I know there are many alternatives and we are a datadriven district. the data is overwhelming that it is not a universally antibbias equity uh framework because it is um supportive of only a certain type and anti-semitism includes me too as a child of a Christian Palestinian Aramaic speakers were the first Semites and I just need to implore you to think critically and not partner with that. There are many alternatives. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh, good evening. I want to first thank you for addressing anti-semitism or racism or whatever you want to call it, anti-Jew hate in BVSD, and also share my experience as a parent in the district. Um, at a BBSD middle school, one of my children was the target of anti-semitic harassment for much of an entire school year. Another student repeatedly approached her saying, "Free Palestine or accusing her of being a baby killer."

1:35:15My daughter reported this to the administration multiple times. Multiple times she was told they would speak to the student and keep the two kids apart. At least once, my daughter was offered mediation and was encouraged to work toward a solution with her harasser. This was not a scuffle on the playground. This was not a misunderstanding. This was identity- based harassment. The child on the receiving end of it, whatever race or religion they are, should never have to be the one to explain themselves or suggest a solution. I think the adults in the room need to be willing and able to say, "This is wrong. we do not tolerate it and here are the consequences. And I realize some may hear free Palestine as a political form of discourse. But when those words are repeatedly directed at a Jewish child along alongside accusations that she's a baby killer, they are not discourse.

1:36:07They are hate speech. Um since October 7th, 2023, these words have been a rallying cry for violence against Jews globally, including here in Boulder. Um, I'll remind you that those are the words that a terrorist screamed during his attack, murdering one person, one Jew, on the Pearl Street Mall just last June. Um, my daughter was harassed for months. Um, eventually I was told the school issued a no contact order due to the other students irritating behavior. Um, I was never told whether this was actually treated as a hate crime or I'm sorry, hate speech. But, um, I'm leaving out names because this isn't about one kid or one school. This is about the entire district and every student feeling safe at school. Thank you. Thank you. Hello. I would like to caution the BBSD school board against partnering with the ADL.

1:37:16BBSD should fight anti-semitism with the same commitment that it fights every other form of racism and discrimination. Jewish students deserve to feel safe as do students who are Muslim, Arab, black, Asian, Latino, LGBTQ, and all others. My concern is certainly not with that goal. it is whether the ADL is an appropriate partner to achieve it. And I'll add that there are many alternatives to achieve that goal, including the Zen Educ Zen Education Project who does incredible work. Last year, I noticed an ADL training promoted in communication from Whittier, where my children attend school. I was surprised that an advocacy organization was being promoted through school communication. So, I began looking more closely at the ADL. What I learned concerned me. The ADL is not neutral or an appropriate educational partner. It takes a broad view of when anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel cross into anti-semitism, one that conflates legitimate political speech with anti-semitism.

1:38:22Its evolution to the political right and neoconservatism is documented in this book published in June by the University of California Press. I encourage board members to read it. The complaint from the ADL includes extremely disturbing behavior, including a Nazi salute. Yet, when Elon Musk made this gesture, the ADL described it as awkward and said to give him grace, and another ADL tweet called him a leader in fighting hate. I find that inconsistent and disturbing. I am also concerned that this is an organization that pursues complaints against school districts and publicly scrutinizes professors and educators and demands their own compromised trainings to settle those complaints. That can have a chilling effect on teachers who need to know they can facilitate difficult conversations without being monitored. This type of surveillance by an outside group discourages the critical inquiry public.

1:39:21>> Thank you. Thank you. I'm a novelist, a Boulder resident, and a proud aunt to girls who attend a BBSD school. And while I don't think anyone with a functioning heart or mind should need any reason other than that to be appalled by the actions of the Israeli and US governments against Palestinians. I'm also the daughter of a South African man who fought aparate. I grew up learning about the oppression that black South Africans suffered under the racist white government. Everything I've read indicates the apartate Israel inflicts on Palestinians is more violent and deplorable than even that inflicted on black South Africans. As we continue to live through a genocide, as confirmed by numerous human rights organizations, it's dismaying to think that voices speaking out against what Israel is doing might be branded as anti-semitic and hence silenced. This is what the ADL does. As an organization, it has promoted the surveillance of Muslim communities, condoned the arrest of pro Palestinian protesters in violation of their First Amendment rights, and most pertinently for our purposes has falsely defined anti-semitism as criticism of Israel. To conflate Zionism with Judaism is to align an ideology, one held by many who are not Jewish and rejected by many who are, with an entire beautiful faith.

1:41:13This is in itself an act of anti-semitism. An ideology that holds Jewish lives or any kind of lives as being more precious than Palestinian lives or any other kind of lives is a grotesque evil we are all obliged to reject. The ADL subscribes to such ideology. To invite an organization as hateful as this into BBSD is a crime against our children. The ADL deserves no place in our schools, particularly when it comes to a problem as serious as anti-semitism. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next speaker this evening is Tom Mayor. My name is Tom Mayer. I am a retired professor of sociology from the UCU Boulder where I taught for 40 years many courses on race and ethnic relations. I'm also a Jew born in Germany. My suffer my family suffered greatly from the Holocaust.

1:42:23Uh my children my children and my grandchildren went through a Boulder school system from K through 12. I am here to encourage a honest and rational approach to anti-semitism. To begin with, uh support of Palestinian rights and nationality is not anti-semitic. Criticism of Israel is not anti-semitic. Opposition to Zionism is not anti-semitic. Discrediting of the ADL is not anti-semitic. And let me also say that the effort to claim that these uh actions are anti-semitic has exactly the reverse effect. It increases anti-semitism. It increases the sense that the Jews have way too much influence on foreign policy and are now trying to uh restrict free preach as well. Um it's impossible not to to to talk about the ADL because the ADL is a phony anti-defamation organization. It's truly a lobbying group for the state of Israel. And that is what it has uh become. If you want to do something about anti-semitism, you need to do something about all racism in general. I would strongly support >> all racism.

1:44:12>> Thank you. >> Remember, if you had additional thoughts, you can always email the school board. Our next speaker this evening is Foster Goodwill. Is that a tongue-in-cheek name or we all want to foster goodwill? Not here. Moving on to Fred Green. >> I can't even tell you how sad I am. Um, I appreciate your service, Board of Education. And I appreciate the words that we heard, the apology and plans to move forward. I feel like I want to stick to what I was originally thinking of, which is students dealing with hatred and being targeted. I wanted to let you know that in my small congregation we did a informal poll and learned only those that shared information with me was only 25. 25 students out of our 200 or so experienced anti-semitism in the last few years. Only seven of them reported anything to the schools and only one of them felt like they had a positive outcome. I am sharing this because it is clear that there has to be more. Our students aren't feeling safe coming forward. They don't believe their concerns will be understood or taken seriously. And even in this conversation, we can see that having meaningful conversations about anti-semitism involves nuance, thoughtful understanding, and the ability for people who are involved in Jewish life

1:46:22to actually articulate who we are and what we need. We need a culture where reporting doesn't feel punitive, but rather is the first step toward building the community that we all aspire to have. I urge this board to commit to comprehensive anti-semitism awareness next to its other issue uh commitments and training for staff so students can be heard and seen. >> Thank you. Our next speaker this evening is Samir Chopra. Thank you. Uh I'm the parent of a 13-year-old daughter uh girl who attends BBSD schools and I am uh like other parents concerned about racism and hate speech. My daughter was called a bug tooth Indian and she spent a considerable time being upset and appalled by this. But I would urge the school district to not do the right thing in the wrong way. And one of the worst things that the school district could do is partner with an organization whose track record in the area of combating hate speech is frankly appalling.

1:47:39The interests of the American Jewish community of the Jewish community at large are not synonymous with the interests of the state of Israel. Zanism is not the same as Judaism. Israel is a state. It has policies. Those policies are actively criticized by Israelis themselves. You might consider reading the pages of Harets to see what criticisms are directed at the state of Israel by those who are very much concerned about welfare of the state of Israel. So I would urge the district to be careful to not try to combat a real genuine problem which is anti-semitism by involving a partner which is likely to come into our district and make this problem much worse by sewing divisions where they might not exist. By cracking down on free speech by changing curriculum by making it the case that the history of the Middle East cannot be studied accurately. that students cannot talk to each other about problems in the Middle East, that they cannot talk about the news. Whatever the district does, please, please do not crack down on free speech in the district. I taught at Brooklyn College for 20 years in New York City. And we constantly had the ADL trying to interfere in our curricula, cracking down on professors. The Canary Miss has blacklisted professors for daring to speak up for students who seek

1:49:01justice in Palestine. Please feel free to Google my name. You'll find me blacklisted on the Canary mission because all I did was speak up for students of justice in Palestine who wanted free speech rights like other students. Please do not partner with the ADL. Whatever you want to fight, fight it. >> Thank you. >> Our next speaker this evening is Tanya Samaru. Sorry if I mispronounced that one, Tanya. No, Tanya. We'll move on to Dina Rosenberg. Hi, my name is Dina Rosenberg and I am the parent of a BBSD kindergartener. and a rising fourth grader. While I appreciate the reactive changes announced by the board earlier this evening, I ask you to also be proactive. How can BBSD be the place to be when Jewish students do not feel safe in their own schools? Jewish students and their families in BBSD have continued to experience harassment based on their religion and/or their country of origin.

1:50:22And I am worried for my children as they go through BBSD schools. Harassing someone who is Jewish just because a bully disagrees with another country's action is also a form of anti-semitism. A verbal or physical action against a Jewish person based on actual or perceived or shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics needs to be prevented for all students in all schools. Title six of the Federal Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin for schools that receive federal funding. I assume you all receive federal funding. The board should require every school to implement some form of antibbias programming. As a parent, I personally approve of ADL's no place for hate program, but any antibbias program will do, and it should in all schools be implemented. I know many schools lost their anti-hate antibbias programming after 2020.

1:51:20That's a shame. We now have a generation of students with no antibbias training. BBSD should address all bullying, including anti-semitic bullying, with the seriousness necessary to protect all students equally. BBSD should truly be the place to be for every student, including your Jewish students. We must all feel safe, respected, and protected in our public schools. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Our next speaker this evening is Reena Tilser. Um, hello board. Thank you for your service. My name is Reena Tillzer. I'm a Jewish mother. I have a junior at Monarch High School and um a child who just graduated last year from Monarch. Um I'm here today because I'm concerned that BBSD does not have effective policies and procedures in place to respond to the rise of anti-semitism in this district. Last April, my daughter found a swastika carved on the desk that she sat at for math class. The first day she covered it with a notebook, hoping that when she came the following day, that desk would be gone. She sat there for two more days, hoping someone else would speak up. When she realized no one else was going to, she got the courage to alert her teacher. There were multiple other students, six different periods that came into that classroom. The teacher walked around that classroom every day.

1:53:07The custodial staff was in and out of that classroom and no one else did anything. The Jewish student was left to speak up. That's a lack of education and a lack of awareness. Anyone seeing a swastika in a school building should be alerting a staff member immediately. A swastika is a symbol that represents the murder of six million Jews. It feels like a direct physical and psychological threat and it takes away a student's feeling of safety and belonging in the school building. I urge you to commit to working with the ADL and implementing their recommendations. All students in BBSD should feel safe and have a sense of belonging in their school. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> That concludes Inerson public comment with the exception of Lynn Seagull is signed up to participate remotely. But Lynn, >> I'm live.

1:54:24>> Yeah, I saw that. Um, what >> ask you before you start, are you gonna mute me or are you gonna have a ping and then you wait till I finish my sentence? >> There'll be a ping and you can finish your sentence >> because I notic people muted. I couldn't hear what Tom said. >> Yeah. >> So, Lynn, you're up. >> Great. Thank you. >> I've got my notes here. It's like two minutes. Hi. I recognize you from somewhere. Anyway, so Lynn Seagull, 73 years old. I'm Jewish. Um, actually I'm from the Levite tribe. We um we maintained the synagogues. I found this out from some professor at CU. Um I'm I'm in fear of my life from I have reverse anti-semitism. I'm trespassed from the JCC by Jonathan Leb on the same day that the police were administering me two mi three misdemeanor charges. One from Rachel Friend, another from Rachel Friend for one for following and for shoving Rachel Friend and one from Jessica Benjamin, a city council person's um wife for following at at a candidates's forum, which are completely fabricated and not true. So I'm literally in fear in fear of my life, you know, and I marched with behind run for their lives for a year and a half.

1:56:07Um, and some of the people were really mean to me. You're Hamas, you know, and like in my face and I had all my gear on and I was there when the attack happened. and my friend Lou Diamond uh you know my acquaintance for of 30 years of Lou Diamond and Karen was killed from that and there are people in this community well if I'm not around anymore I'll be in a better place anyway really I will because this is just like heartbreaking um I took an anti-semite t-shirt. That was very kind of you to offer me that. Um, and I I don't support the ADL. Um, their reputation precedes them. There needs to be some authentic group that we start out to oversee this. Um, and where's the timer? >> Oh, the timer just >> I'm sorry. It's right in front of me and I wasn't looking. But um anyway, I I really um you know, I was a kid here. I in 1959, Mrs. P was my teacher.

1:57:23>> Lynn, thank you. If you want to send more comments, you can always email the board. >> Pardon? Pardon? >> You can always email the board of education if you the rest of your comments. >> I want everyone. >> Okay. >> Thank you. Um our next speaker is Coleman Sweet Sweet Wine, who is virtual this evening. >> Uh, can you hear me now? >> Yes. >> Okay. Wonderful. Okay. I have two children in BBSD, one at Fairview and, uh, one at Southern Hills. My kids have experienced many things over the years from students and teachers alike that have made them feel unsafe for being Jewish and they're not here tonight because they don't feel safe. The comments people brought up about the ADL, Israel, and the Palestinians this evening is actually exactly what our kids hear in school and what leads to Jew hatred. We're not here to talk about the ADL or Israel or Palestinians. This is about Jew hatred in our schools in BBSD. The ADL is the one who filed the Title 9 complaint. It's pretty simple and straightforward. I'm here about Principal Murphy and about the board's failure to protect the students in your care. The firebombing terrorist attack on June 1st, 2025 injured 13 and killed an 82-year-old Jewish woman, Karen Diamond, a blessed memory. 6 months

1:58:56later at Southern Hills, a student looped the charging court around a Jewish child's neck and dragged him to the floor, calling him a stupid kite. This was not the only incident, of course, and that's all explained in the two-year harassment um in the ADL complaint about Nazi rhetoric, salutes, etc. Where was students uh where was Southern Hills' response to Pearl Street? It was barely talked about. Meanwhile, Principal Murphy denied a written request for hallway supervision, and the no contact order meant to protect this Jewish child was violated the very next day it was enacted. And then once the ADL's Title 9 complaint went public, Principal Murphy emailed parents about diversity trainings and a Holocaust project. Not one word about accountability. Also, the Holocaust does not define Jewish identity. BBSD and the board speak a lot about diversity and inclusion where it's the same. We're the same sensitivity and inclusion when it comes to our Jewish children's identity.

1:59:48And while we watch Jewish hatred spike in BVSD schools, I'm saying this pretty directly and firmly that Melinda Murphy needs to be removed from her position and it's appalling that she's actually still employed at Southern Hills and even everybody on the board needs to ask whether they're able to fit and if they're fit to continue serving because as you've known and you've let Jewish hatred grow in BBS schools. My son in Southern Hills is scared to go back to school tomorrow and every child in this district deserves better. And yes, we need you to take steps to protect Jewish and other minority children. >> Your time is up. Thank you. >> Our next speaker this evening is William Mcgru. >> Hello and thank you for allowing me to speak here. My name is Will and I live in Boulder with my wife and two children. Um, and I'm very excited for my children to go to BBSD uh soon when they're old enough to. Um, tonight I'm speaking uh out specifically against the policies the board is considering adopting. I would like to clearly state my opposition to the adoption of the IH definition of anti-semitism for BBSD.

2:01:00And I would also like to state my opposition to partnering with the ADL in the anti-semitism policy being considered. Um, and you know, I'd also like to clarify that the H definition is the one that links um uh anti-semitism to criticism of the state of Israel. Uh so as as it's being discussed uh that that is what's being debated here. Um, so the the people who say, you know, that that that's not uh that isn't what we should be talking out about are are kind of um not not being quite fully correct in the sense that that is what the policy that's being uh debated about. But anyways, uh to continue, uh like many of us, I was shocked and horrified by the accounts of anti-semitic bullying that have recently been publicized. And I agree with the importance of establishing policies that make all of our children feel safe at BBSD. and I'm very glad to see that the board is looking into all of this and revising non-discrimination policies to ensure that the goal is honored. Um, however, ADL is not an acceptable partner in that pursuit. As an organization, the ADL has the mission to protect the state of Israel and regularly confront conflates criticism of Israel with discrimination against Jews as Jews. In late 2024, ADL

2:02:15President Jonathan Greenblat compared wearing a Palestinian garment, the kafia, to the swastika. And uh believe it or not, I wrote this before a similar Islamophobic Islamophobic statement was made during this very same meeting. Um of course, wearing a traditional Palestinian head covering is not anti-Semitic any more than wearing a Yamoka is Islamophobic. Uh these are just um you know time-t tested uh traditions in in the cultures that are relevant. Um but but to get back to the point um when an important right-wing political figure Elon Musk made a Nazi salute in front of thousands of people this was dismissed as awkward. >> Yeah, >> your time is up. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Our next speaker this evening is Evan Rabbitz. Good afternoon. Can you hear me? Okay, >> we can. >> Okay. Um, I've lived in for 48 years and it was sad to hear of these incidents.

2:03:25My Jewish mom fled Nazi Germany with her family at age seven. But because they were conflated with being quote enemy aliens, she and her and the family were denied entry into the US for eight more years. The iron definition of anti-semitism intentionally and dangerously conflates anti-zionism with anti-semitism. Here's the best way I can untangle this. Almost nobody hated the Nazis because they were Christian. And almost nobody hates Israel because it is Jewish. People have come to hate Israel because it has come to emulate the Nazis. Listen to Einstein who is thoroughly against Zionism. quote, "As far as my experience goes, they, the Jews, are in fact no better than other human beings, even if they are protected from the worst excesses by a lack of power. Otherwise, I can't perceive anything chosen about them." This so-called God letter of Einstein's was printed yet again in 2018 by the New York Times. Then it sold at auction for almost three million.

2:04:54But it is now evident that power has corrupted the rulers of Israel at least. Please do not give them power at BDS. The UN concluded that Israel targets children and systematically tortures them. Please do not subject our students to this influence. Thank you. Thank you. >> Quiet in the gallery. Our next speaker this evening is Jedzia Dax Vonbaris. And I'm really sorry if I mispronounced that. >> Oh, there you go. We'll move on to Jared Ker. >> Hello. Can you hear me? >> Yes. >> And good evening. My name is Jared Kersner. While my family is not Jewish, I'm speaking tonight because safety failures in this district are systemic. Superintendent Anderson has stated that student safety is our top priority. That commitment cannot just be words. It must be active. It must actively protect all children inside our classrooms. I stood before this board in January after administrative failures directly impacted my family at Aspen Creek.

2:06:25Tonight, I am joining because those failures are part of a continuous pattern. On September 9th, 2025, I sent a safety report to Aspen Creek leadership regarding my daughter. In that email, I alerted leadership that my daughter was texting texting from school in physical distress, suffering from severe stomach pain caused by fear. I documented an incident I learned about directly from her where a classmate grabbed a pair of scissors and used them in a threatening way towards another child while students screamed for them to stop. I also reported that just the week prior, my daughter reported to me that that same student screamed, "I'm going to kill you all." before being escorted out. My report continued with how this built on prior severe bullying my daughter had experienced throughout the school where she was targeted with statements like worthless trash and I hope you die. I sent that email explicitly asking for immediate steps where uh what immediate steps were being taken to ensure classroom safety. That email serves as undeniable paper trail. Leadership was warned in writing about a weapon threat, death threats, and a child suffering from physical anxiety from fear. Yet, that systemic failure to act on these documented safety threats ultimately forced us to make the painful decision to pull our daughter from that neighborhood school. No family should

2:07:47ever have to leave their school because administration fails to keep children safe. I have forwarded this email chain to you all for review and I'm asking the board for transparent investigation into how Aspen Creek leadership responded to my September 9th safety report. If a student safety is truly a priority, words must be matched with accountability. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Our next speaker this evening is Ruie Arango. We are >> Hi, I'm sorry I couldn't hear you. >> Um, I can't hear you, but I'm just going to go ahead and hope that you can hear me. Um, my name is Ray Reno. I'm an educator here in BVSD. And I'm coming to public public comment tonight because um I believe that BBSD has a responsibility to address anti-semitism uh but not utilizing uh the ADL or the IRA definition. Um I would reiterate the concern that I've heard from other folks tonight. The IRA definition can or could be used to conflate anti-ionism and critique of Israel with anti-semitism.

2:09:34Um and that's why organizations like the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the Israeli Civil Rights Organization Betsm um oppose the utilization of this definition. I'm concerned that if the board does adopt the IRA definition um as it has in uh um in the document under item 11 that there will be a limiting and restriction of student speech. In particular, I know a number of students that I have taught that I would be concerned could be accused of anti-semitism falsely and face discipline for voicing political speech that's critical of the ideology of Zionism, the state of Israel, or that is supportive of the Palestinian people. As an alternative definition, I would like to suggest something called the Jerusalem definition of anti-semitism that was developed in response to the IRA definition. I think it's less problematic and can address the deficiencies of the IRA definition. In case the board is interested in anti-semitism training, I would recommend the curriculum on anti-semitism from a framework of liberation, rethinking schools, and teaching for change. Thank you.

2:10:46>> Thank you. We're gonna try this again. Jen Began, are you online? Jennifer Began. >> Yes. Yes. Can you hear me? >> We can. Thanks. >> Okay. Thanks. So, I'm just going to start with are we really here again? Seriously. The last time I spoke before you all was in May of 2024 when fifth graders had drawn swastikas on the playground at Lafayette Elementary and it had been six weeks without any schoolwide action by Principal Weir or even Dr. Gyos to address and prevent the hate. Immediately following that meeting, my son's fourth grade teacher announced that any noticing of swastikas should be reported. And he recalled that at least one classmate didn't even know what it was, so she had to Google it. If you recall, what I asked for was a simple two and a half minute lesson to show a kids an actual swastika, explain its use to terrorize, and instruct them to tell a trusted adult if they should see it. So still, instead of actually addressing and preventing hate, the district failed to address it. And now it continues to fail miserably. Hate is dirty. It's filthy. It's ugly. And the only way to fight it is to get in the dirt and clean it. Avoiding it only leads to more hate. And I'm here again

2:12:09to demand that this district get in the dirt. That means holding students accountable with clear and strict consequences for anti-semitism. They're not learning the hate at school. They're coming in with it and they're learning it on their own. So there's only so much schools can do other than holding them accountable for their actions, which means not just disciplinary, but teaching them the consequences of hate crimes like what happened at Southern Hills. Teaching students about the Holocaust is only the first step. It's like teaching slavery to fight racism. If you're going to get in the dirt, then when the anti-semitism occurs, because it will, because too many people like BBSD have normalized it, students have to learn about hate crimes so they know the legal consequences of their actions. I'm here today to remind you that you failed in May of 2024 to create a safe environment and to demand that you get in the dirt and call out the hate as a hate crime. I still am hopeful. It's in our Jewish culture. But please don't ever mistake hope with acceptance. We're exhausted from all the dirt being dumped on us because no one else wants to deal with it. Do your jobs and make schools safe for all.

2:13:14>> Thank you. >> Yep. Thank you. >> Hi, I'm Jed Brown, a parent of two elementary students at BBSD. ProPublica reports that since Trump took office, the Department of Education has not resolved a single racial harassment investigation. This includes an incident in Colorado in which, quote, "Students taunted their black classmates by playing whipping sounds on their cell phones and saying they should be shot, quote, to make us a better race." end quote. The Department of Education has been appropriating Title Six for politicized extortion of K12 schools and universities alike. seeking ideological compliance, including banning DEI programs, a directive since ruled illegal and reattempted by executive order, demanding segregation on the basis of purported binary sexes assigned at birth, and other violations of constitutional and state laws. Make no mistake, these are dominance tests and obedience will ensure further escalating demands. BBSD must implement a robust curriculum addressing systems of oppression, including white supremacy, patriarchy, castism, anti-semitism, and islamophobia. The ADL has actively fought against intersectional justice, including smearing Black Lives Matter while holding court with Republican attorneys general and engaging in targeted harassment of teachers and students. The ADL's curriculum has increasingly removed content about racism in order to center the IH definition of anti-semitism, a definition so politically twisted as it been disavowed by the lead author. The

2:14:47ADL's curriculum focuses on individual prejudice divorced from systems of power, thereby denying students access to the ideas necessary for a future of colliberation. BBSD should resist the extortionate demands to partner with the ADL. Instead, embrace nuance, restorative justice, and empowerment of teachers. Thank you. >> Justice. >> Thank you. >> Hello, my name is Nathan Schneider and I'm a parent of two children at Wyear Elementary. As a person of Jewish descent, I'm troubled by the proposal to call out anti-semitism singularly in our district's policy. This implies that discrimination against one group is more important than that of others. The truth is that true justice for Jewish people is inseparable from solidarity with struggles for justice for all. I am proud of the intentional, uniquely internationalist perspective of our children's school, and I hope that the protection of one group does not take precedence over justice for others.

2:16:00The district's response to this crisis must involve interventions in that spirit. I stand with those who have spoken against any relationship between the district and the ADL. I believe my my children's safety depends not on special treatment but on safety for everyone. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Ariel Kalishman Walsh. Hi, good evening. Thank you. My name is Ariel Kaishman Walsh. I'm a BBSD parent of two and I am Jewish. My family and I have experienced anti-semitism throughout our lives, including at BBSD. BBSD has a responsibility to keep all children safe, to ensure learning is enabled, and to teach critical thinking. What has happened in the schools and to that child in the lawsuit is horrific and should not happen to anyone. It's clear that hate and discrimination are issues that must be addressed by BBSD much more thoroughly and effectively than it has done to date. However, the ADL is the wrong partner to work with on this issue. The ADL is out of step on issues of Israel's actions in Palestine with the majority of US Jews and should not be looked to as the voice of our very diverse community. The ADL has no remaining claim to being a civil rights organization and has become nakedly partisan, a nakedly partisan, influential group leading the cause that

2:17:17conflates anti-Zionism or simple critique of Israel with anti-semitism. This causes harms to everyone, including Jewish people. It effectively makes Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and their advocates unable to call for peace without being accused of anti-semitism. It also puts Jewish people like myself and others who fight for Palestinian liberation outside the protected category. Also importantly for BBSD, it creates a culture that cannot discuss in good faith very real issues related to the government of Israel's actions. This fundamentally damages the credibility of anti-semitism advocacy just as the issue is increasingly emerging in our communities as seen in the lawsuit that precipitated this meeting. Fundamentally, BBSD has an obligation to students of all faiths and nationalities to create a safe space for learning and to encourage critical thinking. Working with the ADL and adopting their divisive and blatantly partisan curriculum rather than working with a nonpartisan group with an intersectional lens on the issues of discrimination and hate would mean that BBSD has failed on both counts. Thank you.

2:18:17>> Thank you. Our next speaker this evening is Colette Per Perold Perold. Sorry, Colette. Is this better? >> Yes, that's great. We can hear you. So, sorry. I hope I can have my two minutes. Okay. My name is Colette. I live and work in Boulder. Uh, and I have a toddler. I'll be attending BBSD in a few years. I've been an educator my entire adult life and a proud Jew whose mom led Jewish holidays at my very non-Jewish elementary school. something I hope to do with my own child one day. Um, and I'm also the product of a South African Jewish family, many members of whom fought South African apartheid. My stomach turned in nuts when I read about the anti-semitism within the district. And I'm grateful that now something is trying to be done about this. Um, I am also horrified to learn about the move to partner with the ADL in this instance. As you tackle this issue, please work with any of the other organizations mentioned tonight and I will send an email with those after this comment. To me, partnering with the ADL is precisely the way to avoid the actual work of tackling anti-semitism. The ADL has discredited itself over and over as a right-wing organization that targets progressive activism in a way that is

2:19:41completely inconsistent holders values. The ADL's definition of anti-semitism, which pervades its trainings, flies in the face of free speech, is certain to censure our district's teachers who aim to teach about the genocide in Gaza or Israel, Israel's apartheid system with honesty and takes attention away from actual ongoing uh anti-semitism in the district. Please note also ADL's definition of anti-semitism would actively exclude me and hundreds of thousands of Jews in this country who oppose Israel's actions from protection. The ADL has a track record of taking advantage of these devastating, devastating instances like what we saw at Southern Hills to introduce its own right-wing political agenda. To those tonight who have said that many of us have brought politics into this discussion by questioning the BBSD's choice of partner and this very important, I remind that our district's choice of ADL as partner was the first political choice. Please do not pursue the super superficial route of partnering with the ADL as a way to wash your hands clean and please consult the other organizations mentioned for real change. Thank you so much.

2:20:49>> Thank you. Our final speaker this evening is Peggy Dera. Good evening. I first wanted to say that I just learned about the focus of tonight's meeting for public participation about an hour before arriving. I talked to my good friend who's actually here today who has kids at Southern Hills. Um, and I'm glad I was here to hear everybody. It really means a lot to me to learn and um, see what's going on. So obviously BBSD could have done a little better. You know, I'm here talking about my focus, which um I've asked a couple, you know, over the years for you to got us to focus on um educating the public on secure storage of weapons in the homes. So, I'm here tonight to highlight um the Gun Violence Prevention and Parents of Students Act that was signed into law in June 2025. This was a youthdriven initiative to protect students. Um the Colorado Youth Advisory Council brought forward a critical concern that many students have easy unsupervised access to firearms in the home. This law states that local educating education providers at the beginning of each school year shall distribute material in a written or electronic format to each parent, guardian, and legal custodian of a student enrolled in a school of the local education provider. As you can

2:22:31tell, this is part of the actual act um how it's read. And each um education provider shall post a link to the material on their website. Uh the good news is that BBSD has been doing this. Um we have been sharing or you Randy Barber has been sharing the BS smart message to the community on a regular basis that started in 2021 after uh the secure storage law was passed. Um, so again, I'm here to focus to bring you guys back into this focus to educate our community and I'll send you an email with all the information on how to do so. Thank you. Thanks for everything, guys. Thanks, Peggy. >> Yep. This concludes today's public participation. on behalf of the board, those attending our meeting, watching online, thank you for everybody who spoke and tried really hard to adhere to that two-minute timeline. Um, that's a significant sign of respect and I really appreciate that. Um, I want to thank everyone who took their time to share their thoughts and experiences with us this evening, both in person and remotely. We'll take those thoughts into consideration. Special shout out to our young people. It is really hard for our students to come and speak on any topic um particularly one is this. So, thank you for our students for that bravery

2:23:54and leadership. You are uh a mentor to your peers. With that, board members, um I would like to call a brief comfort break before we return to the rest of our agenda. item on tonight's agenda which is board communication board members who would like to begin I really am um feeling very very grateful that we had a conversation that was difficult and subtle and had all kinds of layers of meaning and we all stayed in one room and engaged with each other and it makes me feel lucky to live in this community. So that's that's what I wanted to say is that um this was a gift. Um, I was extraordinarily upset when I read the descriptions of what happened in the paper also because it wasn't something that had been communicated to us um, as the board either and I had spent my life as a teacher working to fight oppression in all its forms. So, it was very disheartening and I don't want to give any excuses, but I think we live in a time where we have a lot of role models that are giving our students permission to not be the people that we want them to be. And that makes me very sad, but also thankful that here in Boulder, we can talk about these things and try to

2:44:24figure out a plan together. So, thank you for everybody who came and who's already left the meeting and getting their children ready for the first day of school tomorrow. That's exciting and that's why we're here. >> Jason, >> uh Deian, thanks for getting us started. That was a a great comment. Really want to um just appreciate what you said. Um yeah, you know, I'm sorry so many folks left because uh you know, I really also wanted to appreciate the many people who came um especially the students, the families, parents to talk about their concerns. Um I uh you know, it's appalling and heartbreaking to me as well when I read this complaint, but also to hear about so many stories that continue to happen. Um and I I kind of think, you know, obviously we have work to do and we'll start that tonight. Um, but I think about this as I was listening to some of these horrific stories of hatred and hate speech and it's like how how you know how is this happening in this community uh and then I look around this district. We have great leaders. We have great I think strong policies. uh we have I think pretty solid systems and what is the like what what is happening that that is not working and clearly we all have work

2:45:42to do to make sure that these strong leaders we have in our schools uh these pretty good policies that obviously need to be better um and our um that that we make sure that that doesn't break break down like it has clearly for so many people not just this incident that brought us here but um the many incidents that people talked about throughout the night and So, that is one of my takeaways. Uh, I'm on the board. I have another year in my term and who knows what's next, but I I'm very committed um to making sure that we fix this uh that we have the systems and not just for this incident, but for like so many that talked about, but across so many different issues where there is breakdown, where the it falls on the victim, where they end up leaving the district, and that is uh that is that is not right. Um, and I I'm committed to making sure that uh these policies are put in place, that where there's oversight, that there's follow-th through uh that we will do the right thing to make this district better. So, thank you, >> Uh, I want to start by thanking everybody who came to speak tonight. Um, we we all want our children to feel safe. Um, and it's scary for them when

2:47:01they're targeted, when they're um, separated from their peers, when they don't know who to turn to. Um, and it's scary for parents as well. So, I thank you for voicing your concerns and taking active steps to to address this. Um, this is a serious issue. I think we all want our kids to be safe. Um, and that requires us to improve our systems, our structures, and make sure that no kids are falling through the cracks. um we can do better and I appreciate the work that's been begun by the district to move that direction. Um this is just the start, right? This is takes work and collaboration and conversations that we need to have moving forward. Um and I want folks to know that this is something that the work that we are here to do and need to do to make sure our children are protected.

2:47:47Thank you. >> Thank you. Um, and I first just want to begin um by uh saying Solos. Um, first I do want to welcome everyone to the new school year. I am excited to see everything that our students will grow and accomplish this year. Um, and I do want to also acknowledge the hurt that has happened in this district. And I want to tell you that my heart is with you and any amount of hurt or bullying um does not belong in our schools or our community. And for me, this ultimately becomes comes down to belonging. And belonging cannot simply be something that we say we value. Um students have to experience it. They have to feel it when they walk in their classrooms, when they sit in the cafeteria, when they participate in an activity, and especially when they have the courage to tell an adult that something is wrong. Uh, I come to this conversation personally as a woman of color who knows even to this day what it feels like to walk into spaces and part of your identity is made to feel different, otherred or unwelcomed. I know the hurt that that can that can come from those experiences. And it is through that lived experience um that I live my life through the teachings of in

2:49:20Alakin that translates to I am another you and you are another me. Uh and that's going to guide my actions and my planning and my advocacy with this board and the district. So I want to say to our Jewish students and families to know that I hear you. I want every student who has experienced hate, harassment, racism, or discrimination to know that I hear you. You deserve more than our sympathy. You deserve partners. And I look forward to the changes and actions that Dr. Anderson and team have for us to take and to partner on. And one thing that I know about this district um that I've come to know about this district is just how committed each and every person on this team is to make the changes that need to happen. and I look forward to supporting the district in the solutions and actions that uh are not just going to meet this moment but ensure that we have a systemwide change um that ensures that we keep the safety and belonging of our students first. Uh and every child that walks through our doors should be able to bring their whole identity with them without the fear of becoming a reason that they are targeted. Um that is the standard that I want us to hold

2:50:31ourselves to. And being one of the new newer members of the bunch, I come in I came in with the commitment of listening, learning, and asking hard questions and being a strong partner and advocate as we do the work necessary to make belonging for everybody uh in BBSD. And so as we begin this new school year, we have a lot of hard work ahead of us. Um, but I am 10 toes down to continuing the work and I'm grateful for this board, for Dr. Anderson and your team because I know that we have a lot of hard work ahead. Um, but I am encouraged by the motivation and determination of this team um, to get it done. So, welcome back everybody. I'm going to start not speaking after Anna. Uh, that was very well said. Um kudos to you for articulating so much of what I feel but I really don't feel able to express. Um I just want to say uh how also a feeling of great gratitude. I really appreciate that insight into so many people sharing their perspectives on something that's so weighty and important and so real for so many families and kids. And I think uh for me um the I uh have always felt that like our first job is making kids feel safe, included, valued, happy. Um

2:51:58and when that's going south and that's going sideways for one kid, like it can seem like not a big deal and the busyiness of everything, but it's just everything for that kid and that family. And then you look at it at a systemic level and you see the the patterns that happen and the the way the systems don't respond right and the frustration that's there and um it just makes you want to change it. So uh I really value um in my experience the people at the district who are working on hard change and this is one of the things that needs hard change. Um I also think it's something where I'm I'm sort of daunted sometimes by the layers of it. So, like what is it that a board member knows and sees? Like if something were right or wrong, how would we know? If we decided we wanted to make a big change, how do we know if it happened after we changed a policy?

2:52:49Once we change a policy and someone measures something, how would we know if the thing we're measuring really reflects the the activity that's happening? How does a professional development work that affects people in schools and teachers? And how do teachers fit in changing their practice into everything else we're asking them to do? So, it's like it's really easy at each level to say, "Yeah, yeah, I did that." Check it off the list and then not know if change really happened or have a good sense that it didn't. So, um that's why I like to push on the things that lead to me being able to see as a board member what our changes and why I like to ask like, okay, how do I know that happened? How do I We ma passed a policy on cell phones. How many kids are still using cell phones in the class?

2:53:30like as from our seat from governance I want to know what we would what we would see and touch if we knew if we were making more progress but I want that then to be useful to a superintendent who works with his team and their team who work with the people in the schools all the way down through the system so I don't want to ask for information that makes me feel like I know that's not contributing to the change so as governing officials I think our role one of our important task is to hear this stuff and then understand like well how would we know how would we have a sense of insight into what's going on so that when we do vote and change policy like I talked to plenty of people about an issue that there is a policy for and I'm pretty sure that policy doesn't mean jack um to most people on the ground because they don't even know it's there so it's what we do in our practice and then when you're at one level it's what you do to influence other people above and below you in a hierarchy in a system and I know that's all very sort of nerdy about it but I feel a certain frustration as a board member when we

2:54:30deal with something so important like okay I want to have a discussion about this I want to get the right um definition I want to get the inclusive thing that makes all our students feel valued and loved and safe and good and then how will I know if that worked and how will the person who takes my seat after me know that we are in a better place two or six years from now than we are today so that's that's my plea and that's why I will continue to be kind of nerdy about this stuff as we pursue nuanced pragmatic effective observable changes that really make a difference that are pushing for safety and inclusion and stuff and I'll recognize that a lot of that is soft like there's not a test to take there's not a single survey like we have to figure out how we know so anyway I'm I don't I will stop there I also just want to say as a great uh before I came here tonight I stopped at community monastery for their ice cream tie-dye festival and talked to a couple parents and teachers I didn't have time to tie dye my shirt so it's still white Um but it is just so great whenever uh I am feeling like there's a lot of work to do.

2:55:38It really helps to to check in with our educators and our parents and our kids. So thank you. cry a lot more. >> Um, I'll go next. I I want to thank the folks, as I already did, that came and showed up tonight to speak and share their experiences and their thoughts. And I want to say like since I've been on the board, how elevate how grateful I am that people in this district keep our students at the center of everything in our decisions and a continued effort to ensure our students feel safe and welcomed and belong like they belong in all of our schools uh in their time that they're with us. And so I am going to be continuing to hold that in my in my heart and in my thoughts and in the work that we have to do, not only on the topic that we heard public comment on tonight, but all the work that we're doing this year. Really, we are here for our students. And every student, every single one deserves to feel equally safe and welcome and like they belong for every minute of every day that they're with us. And that's where I'm going to keep my thoughts in these discussions. Um, particularly on this topic, any topic that can get polarized and politicized

2:57:08in our community, we're above that here in BBSD. We are about what's doing right for kids. Um, and making our best efforts to do so. I want to acknowledge that a lot of our kiddos, speaking of them, were back in schools today for photos and finding lockers and meeting their teachers. And this is a really exciting time of year. So, thank you to all the staff who have gotten their classrooms ready, some of them nearly ready because bond projects are just coming on the heels of opening. So, thank you to all of our staff members who have worked hard over the summer and in the last couple weeks to get ready to create those welcoming spaces for our students. Um, I know they are really excited to start their first day. Um, also board members, as you know, we have I have the pleasure of attending quarterly meetings with folks from the city and the county of Boulder and from CU. We had our first quarterly meeting Monday. That was yesterday, I guess, only yesterday. Um, so it was good to connect with some of those folks on issues uh that are coming up. I was really excited to hear about new residence hall opening up in at CU.

2:58:15every time they build student housing, it frees up a couple houses for families to potentially move into on the hill and in Martin Acres. And so that's my personal celebration. Every time they share uh development projects for CU students to live in, I have a little bit more hope that maybe we can turn those houses with a little bit of rehab, I presume, um into a single family unit. So thanks to CU for doing that, all of that work there. Um, and then it didn't weirdly get a lot of attention this week, maybe not so weirdly, but we did send an announcement uh out that we have disabled access to social media on district devices and on district accounts in high schools to align with our PK8. And so I just wanted to elevate that exciting effort. I know I brought that up during a non-p prioritization prioritization topic and so I'm grateful to the staff to be able to figure out how to do that, work with schools or high schools to turn off that access during the school day so students can start prepared for that. So I just wanted to raise that. It's kind of gotten lost a little bit in the shuffle of the first week activities, but um that will be an exciting change for our

2:59:29high schoolers this year as well. Laneia Nicole, you'll be happy to know that my son did notice that he's in high school and he was like, "Mom, I need a different Chromebook." And I said, "Absolutely not. You'll have this schoolisssued Chromebook." So, some one person noticed, John Aa, he'll be glad that I gave him a shout out tonight. Um, I am with the rest of my board members here in saying that no discrimination is acceptable for any student in our school district. It sounds as though reporting has been problematic. Our processes need improvement. Um, I am quite certain in having worked with Rob Anderson for the last three years on some of these very difficult issues um that people who experience sex assault also have challenges with that we can make good headway and do the right things here.

3:00:36And so I feel great confidence um in that when something comes to the forefront that uh we can see that as a blessing not for any family to have endured what this family has had to endure but for raising the flag and saying we've got to do better. So, um, and I'm also with Alex in that we need to figure out how we know we're doing better. That makes sense to me and those are hard things to come up with. Um, that's more of a challenge. And then I also want to reflect back to what Nicole said and that is that students are at the center of what we do. Um, and while geopolitics, we all have different feelings about different geopolitical issues, those are not the board's purview. Children and making sure our kids are safe and teaching them well is our purview and one group's safety is inextricably linked to every group's safety. So, we need to make sure that all of our kids are safe. Um, and I have great great confidence in you, Dr.

3:01:55Anderson. I know we will hit the hit the ground running. Thank you. Okay, we will now move on to our information item for this evening. We have two information items actually. The first of which is our annual back to school update. Dr. Dr. Anderson, would you like to do the introductions as cabinet members make their way up? >> Thank you, board president Raj Paul. Um, we are excited uh for the first day of school tomorrow as be as has become an annual tradition at the first board meeting back uh from summer. Uh we will provide you uh and our community a back to school uh update. And to kick us off is our new deputy superintendent of AC academics, Dr. Dr. Nativity Miller. Nativity, take it away. >> All right. Good evening. Um, good evening, Board President Rajpaw, Dr.

3:02:53Anderson, members of the board. Um, tonight we are excited to provide our annual back to school update and welcome back our students. Our educators have been back for a week engaged in many, many um, professional learning opportunities and our team has been working hard to ensure everything is ready for learning. So, tonight we will share a few updates. Before I do that, just wanted to give a quick BBSD by the numbers. Um, for this year, uh, we have 27,128 students and then, as you know, we have 56 schools with 4,300 employees. We are going to be serving over 3 million meals. And then our amazing transportation team is going to be traveling 1.7 million miles over 500 square miles. So pretty amazing. Um and then for our 2627 budgeted expenditures, we are at $796 million to do all the amazing things that we do in the district.

3:03:58This next just captures some of our back- toschool events that we've been having over the last week and over the last couple days as students have come in and started to meet teachers um and our educators have started preparing for learning. So with that, I am going to pass it over to our new assistant superintendent of schools, Dr. Neil Anderson. Thank you, Dr. Miller, board president Raj Paul, Dr. Anderson, and members of the board. As Nativity Miller said, I am the new assistant superintendent of schools, and it's a pleasure to meet you all this evening in this new role. I'd like to start, I think, if I push the right button. There we go. Nope. There we go. Um, this past two weeks has been truly an exciting time in BVSD, welcoming our teachers back and our school leaders leading professional learning and engaging in the good work that's going to get us ready to launch tomorrow.

3:04:54We are broken into three networks in BVSD. We have the Southwest Network, the East Network, and the Northwest Northwest Network. And I'm joined this evening by the executive directors that support each one of the schools in those networks. I'd like to introduce them to you now. First in the East Network, Mr. Dan Ryan. Go. Second, Miss Brooke Dear, our newest member of the executive director team. And she's the lead executive director of the Southwest Network of Schools. And then finally, but certainly not least, the executive director of Northwest Northwest Network of Schools, Tamara Oavdo. So the three of them uh main role is to support our principles and our educators in leading towards strategic plan and meeting the metrics that we have set forth in our schools and within our school district. Um their role is to support our great leaders and principles and of that you've met I hope some of them tonight at dinner. Uh we have a host of new principles within BBSD. Some from current um previous principal ships in BBSD, some new to BBSD. And I'd like to kind of go through these with you this evening. First and foremost, at the high school level, we have Dr. Kristen Lewis, who's the new principal at Boulder High School, coming back to Boulder High School where she was a

3:06:11teacher and an assistant principal. And Brent Caldwell is the new principal at Fairview High School. Both of them are super excited to join the high school ranks and lead um those two wonderful schools. Next, at the middle school level, we have Dr. Cara Marinick, who is the new principal of Manhattan Middle School, and she is returning to Manhattan Middle School where she was also a special education teacher for a period of time. Miss Ay Ruger is the new principal at Casey Middle School, uh rejoining the Northwest Network where she was previously um at Boulder High School and a student of the Northwest Network. Liz Barek is returning to the middle school level as a principal at Centennial Middle School. And then Megan Weir is returning to the middle school level as well as the principal LMS.

3:06:59And then finally, Miss Tanya Santi is the interim principal at Platt Middle School Choice. She's actually returning to Platt because she was assistant principal at Platt 2008 to 2014. And so she's excited to come back to the middle school level. At the elementary school level, we have Senna Nauer. She is the new principal at Monet Metallark PreK8. She's actually also returning to Metallark because she was part of the team that opened Metallark um when it was newly built and opened. Dr. Natalie Celeste uh is the new principal at Community Monaster. And Alex, I hope you met her tonight at the shirt. Thank you for supporting Community Monastery. Katie Gamdella is returning to the elementary school level as an interim principal at Burch Elementary School. And then Weston Steinberg is the new principal at Eisenhower Elementary School. And finally, and again certainly not least, least Alicia Champlain is the new principal um or interim principal at Lafayette Elementary School as well. So wonderful energy, some great new leaders both internally and outside of our system and those some of them returning to the schools of which they were at for a long period of time which is truly exciting.

3:08:11Next, pushing the down arrow. There we go. Um, this past week or so, we opened up with a great enrollment department an enrollment help desk where our enrollment department and others support our families to come in, make sure they've followed all the procedures, processes, and forms to get fully registered and engaged so they can be successful, not only as students, but also families in BVSD. And over this past week, um, we supported close to 300 families to get enrolled in BVSD, which is truly awesome. and I want to shout out that great team to make sure that our students on day one can start successfully and our parents can engage in our school. It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for letting me kind of frame up how we're organized in BBSD. And at this time, I'd like to pass it over to Dr. Emma Herszog who's going to be talking about the academics.

3:09:09>> Good evening, Emma Herszog, chief academic officer. Great to see you all. Um, our academics team has made some small changes. Um, but overall academics includes the following departments. Academic services, cultural and linguistically diverse education, data-driven instruction, equity and inclusive teaching and learning, early childhood education, gifted education, literacy, multi-tered systems of support, professional learning, and steam, which in BBSD means science, math, social studies, PE, fine and performing arts, PK-12. I think I said science. Um, academic services and professional learning are new additions to the academics team and we're hoping that it will help continue to increase our alignment and consistency across teams in delivering and aligning with the strategic plan. Just a couple highlights. I could highlight every team on the academics team, but overall with early childhood as of July 23rd, we had 766 preschool students enrolled. That's up from 722 last July thanks to the work of our summer preschool community leaison working hard to get families enrolled on time. In gifted education, we were able to reallocate some existing funds to create two new positions to better meet some of the needs in gifted education that we've been talking about.

3:10:26First, we have a new director of gifted education who has a strong background in curriculum instruction extension and MTSS Sunshine Vincent. We're really excited she's here. And at high school, we have a new high school itinerant gifted adviser who will serve the majority of our larger high schools. Teresa Gerorado. In literacy, we leveraged and reallocated existing funds to ensure that all K3 classrooms have decodables aligned with existing curricular resources and educators are receiving connected professional learning and how to use them. In math, we've begun phase two of illustrative math implementation. And so now all of our elementary schools are in either year one or year two of implementation. Our incredible professional learning team organized all districtwide PK-12 educator PD on August 5th and 6 last week across 10 different campuses and all went really smoothly thanks to their hard work and dedication to every logistical detail in collaboration with some of the other teams behind me. And then last but not least in middle school social studies, we've started the year strong with implementation of our new middle school curricular resource, Imagine Learning Traverse. And I think with that, I'm passing it to Ron Price.

3:11:36>> Thank you very much. Summer is one of the busiest times for operations and probably our most dedicated work time. Uh and that is definitely the case for our building for student success team. So, thank you. Thank you for the shout out, uh, President Raj Paul. Uh, this summer, we successfully completed 12 projects totaling over $60 million, and the work included modernizing learning environments and CTE spaces, replacing some of our aging building systems, improving safety and accessibility, renewing roofs, parking lots, restrooms, and interior finishes. And I am pleased to report that all 12 projects uh were substantially completed on time. Although some of them uh were tight to the end, but we got them done. I do want to say thanks to our principles, thanks for our staff uh for working some late hours and weekends and getting moved into the building ready for the start of school for tomorrow. Uh this slide just shows a few examples of the work that we completed this summer. So, the photos include new finishes at Fairview High School, the completed solar array at New Vista High School, the new turf field at uh Fairview High School, a new music studio at Manhattan Middle School, and the new learnings common at Apex. Uh just these together these projects demonstrate the range of our bond

3:13:03investments uh from really basic infrastructure to sustainability to modern learning environments and expanded student opportunities in operations. Many of while many of our staff are away uh our teams really take advantage of the limited window to do a lot of the important work that has to be done before students return. So this slide just highlights a few examples of the work that takes place uh which includes restocking our kitchens, uh performing preventative maintenance on our equipment, annual inspections on our buses, uh and maintaining our grounds. And what isn't shown here is a lot of the work that our security teams do behind the scenes and that of our custodians who work all summer long uh getting our buildings ready so that staffs and st students can return to a safe, clean, welcoming learning environment. Uh it has been a hot summer and a lot of this these staff members work in the heat every single day. I just want to take the time to recognize them, thank them. Uh there's a significant amount of pride and hard work that goes into this team to get our buildings ready and just want to say thanks to all of them. With that, I will turn it over to Dr. Hill.

3:14:24All right. Good evening. So, on the eve of the first day of school, um I wanted to give you an update from human resources on some of the behind thescenes things that's been going on to make sure that our schools are fully staffed so when our kiddos arrive. So, some of the areas that uh I'll be talking about tonight is just the hiring volume and uh going with our recruiting. Then our student teaching recruitment and hiring process. As you know, we started an early career teachers initiative this year. So, I want to give you an update on that. And then um just like I do annually, give you uh just some data around our four-year trends of our hiring around our administrators and our certified uh educators. So, um we'll just start off with um having over 10,000 um applications that we actually screened over the summer. Um some of the positions that uh were processed you can see was 685 uh that we had and um the 585 is a number of um actually are still going through our process and we're still u making sure that we get through and that's all of our jobs. That's not just our um teaching positions but that's paras that's coaches that's uh our uh classified staff. So looking at 10,000 uh application screen, you can

3:15:53see the amount of volume that's been going through our uh office this summer with recruitment and hiring. Um we had our early career teaching teaching initiative and a part of that is really uh focusing on um some of our talent that's coming through our system and really embracing them early on. um getting them uh acclimated to our district, getting them in touch with some of our schools and our leaders and tying them up before they can just hit the hiring circuits. We want to keep that talent within the district. Part of that is really focusing on our student teachers. Um and this year we had our first annual uh student teacher information informational night. It was like our mixer that we had. So, we brought in um 61 of our student teachers within our district and just gave them information about the district, talked about the interview process, talked about some of the uh benefits uh that we had by staying here. And then a few uh weeks later, we actually had our first student teacher hiring event where we had 58 candidates that we actually interviewed. And out of that event, 17 of those candidates were offered uh contracts within our our schools. As a total, we have 20 student teachers that taught in our district uh or student

3:17:22taught in our district last year that are actually uh opening uh their first year of teaching in our district, which is a huge uh celebration. And the most student teachers that uh we hired in a single year in at least the last uh five years So, uh, some of the trends that we, excuse me, that we, uh, go over each year. Last year, uh, I gave you a three-year trend. This year, um, there's a four-year trend, uh, of our hiring. And as you can see um that uh our number of uh leaders of color that we have it's remaining steady but uh we did have a slight uh dip this year. Now, um I remember a question that was asked last year is what is our target percentage? And um we necessarily don't have a target percentage, but what we always say is we want uh our leaders and our teachers of color to represent uh uh our community and our uh and our students that we have. And we also want to continue to show uh uh progression.

3:18:33So, I didn't we didn't want to name a a percentage, then hit the percentage, and then where where do you go from there with our certified uh educators? Um, again, um pretty uh uh steady. Um we did uh dip a bit, but I wanted to uh preface this by saying these numbers only reflect uh from uh August 3rd. you know, our hiring process, uh, you know, is, uh, running heavy at least through, um, uh, the end of August and and sometimes midepptember. So, for the sake of this presentation, um, we pull the data all the way up to August 3rd. But again, always uh, looking at our trends, always using data um, of ways to continue to uh, diversify uh, our uh, employee groups. All right. Next, I'll bring up Frankie Elmore. >> Good evening, board members.

3:19:42As you can imagine, much like the operations team, the summer is always busy for the for it. We're pleased, I'm pleased to report that our schools are technology ready for the start of school. Over the summer, our teams completed technology sweeps at every school, deployed more than 4,600 devices, refreshed and refurbished thousands others. We prepared our data systems to support schools from day one. We also launched a new classroom technology purchasing program. Completed a major firewall upgrade that significantly increases both capacity and security of our district of the district network. There's a tremendous amount of work on this slide. Much of it happens behind the scenes. The goal is pretty straightforward. When our teachers and students return, technology should be ready, reliable. It should simply work. And while we've been preparing for the new school year, we've begun the infrastructure modernization project in which we will replace our district-wide network.

3:21:01This project involves replacing our aging infrastructure with the latest in enterprise class networking technology. Installation begins this summer and will continue systematically across the district through June of next year. One of the things I'm particularly proud of this summer was hosting five students through our grad plus summer leadership academy. Rather than simply observing, these students became contributing members of our team, they gained hand on hands-on experience across multiple IT disciplines, worked alongside our staff, explored emerging AI technologies, evaluated new devices, culminating in presentations of their work and their ideas. It's a great example of it not only supporting the educational mission of the district, but directly participating in it, giving students authentic, realworld experiences and exposure to potential technology careers. As we begin the new school year, we're ready for opening day. We're investing in this district's technology infrastructure for the future and we're creating opportunities for our students along the way.

3:22:25And with that, I'll turn it over to the communications team. >> Good evening everyone. I'm Aaron Rain, our communications deputy, and I'm going to give you a quick update on what the communications team has been working on over the summer. back. Along with supporting our schools getting ready for a new school year, we've launched a new messaging system. BBSD is now using API, which is an app based messaging tool that all families can download to communicate with their schools, their teachers, and the district. The app features a live feed of news and updates from each school, the ability to receive push notifications, and two-way communication between teachers, coaches, and parents. Did that change? This tool replaces school messenger, talking points, and other communication tools in the district. And surveying our families ahead of choosing a new tool this year, we heard from a lot of parents that they wanted fewer places to go go, fewer places updates, fewer apps to get. So that was part of why we chose API. Um like we talked about all school updates in one place. It offers SMS, email, and phone for schools. It allows for inapp notifications that we haven't been able to do before. Multiple staff can post to the app and it meets our state accessibility requirements and Spanish translation and other language

3:23:44translation is embedded for our schools. And this graphic just shows the breadth of the staff roles, how they can all use one tool to communicate with families. Um, and we thank our schools and teachers for their work getting it set up to learn a new tool and the parents for quickly embracing it ahead of a new school year. And I think that concludes our presentation there. That is all of our updates. So if you have any questions for anyone from our team, we'd be happy to answer them. Thank you so much for that back to school update. Board members, any questions or comments for the staff? Very excited about it. Oh, Alex. Yeah, I had a couple questions for James if if you can come up. Uh, some of them I think are probably related to like the timing, but I was just looking at that slide 22 on the total teachers where it's at like 1,600 and the previous years are at 1,800. Is that a function of where we are in the timeline and comparing points in time? I think it's slide 22.

3:25:01>> So, Yes. >> So in in a few months those will be more normal numbers. >> So like in last year's the 1838 is from a later time in the year than this time in the year or is we is that is our 1641 >> at the same time as that 1848. No, it's not at the same time. we we pulled the data later. Yes. >> Okay. And then on um on the one on the student teachers, I was really gratified and great to see the coverage too of the program. How many student teachers have we gotten in the past in an average year if we're getting 20 this year or 21? So last last year we had three >> three. >> Yeah. Now we again there there was always um some uh uh the perception out there that uh BVSD didn't hire student teachers or you would have to be an experienced teacher in order to get you know even at the at the the table for an interview. So, we were pretty purposeful, you know, teaming with BVEA this year. Um, really pushing that early teacher initiative and because we had great talent, you know, so bringing them in, getting them at the table, allowing them to interview and we were really purposeful. So, now there were some

3:26:44kinks along the way. So, we'll clean that up uh this year, you know, even with our messaging because one of the things, you know, we didn't want to send a message that we didn't value our veteran teachers. And sometimes that's what it feels like when you hold these events just for, you know, student teachers or you're having a early career teacher initiative and it's you're inviting only student teachers. So, we'll clean that up this year. I mean it it has to be a balance and as you know just with our new salary schedule for our um our teachers it we we really needed to make sure that salary schedule was balanced and part of balancing it is you know bringing some of those early career uh new to the profession employees in um coupled with you know some of our veteran teachers.

3:27:31And and one last uh and this is probably for a later update at a different time would be good, but I would be curious to know what the student teacher hiring percentages are in our surrounding districts. And it's great that we're making our progress, but I'm curious what like our competing districts do in terms of their ratios. And um I'm also curious uh when I look I know we're making progress in accelerating, you know, closing the deal on our teachers earlier. Um, and I'm curious to know how we're doing in terms of the proportion of our teachers and when we're doing our hiring compared to the other districts nearby because I know each of those were other issues that we've been working on. Do you have any update on that now or is that something to hear back from you later?

3:28:13>> Yeah, to be continued. >> Great. Thank you. >> Thanks for that energy. It's going to take a while to really turn that narrative on who BVSD is willing to hire and interview. So, thank you for the efforts and I hope those continues because um you know getting young people into the profession and being able to work in a pretty awesome school district will pro hopefully help keep them in the profession. Um I happen to volunteer at Fairview High School uh for junior registration day and I just want to say the new kitchen there, man, that teacher is so stoked. Um so thanks to for getting that done. and they were getting supplies delivered that day on registration day. Um, but very excited about the changes that are happening there. So, thanks for the staff and all the hard work. Um, BBSD app, I've heard a lot of positive feedback and a lot of questions. I'm wondering if on back to school nights, schools will help parents find out how to add their school to the app and their classrooms because I've had some of those questions like it's really clear how to have access to the BVSD channel, but not some um folks not really realizing that there's a drop down and you can pick your school and if

3:29:25your kids are in a high school sports, there's a special click for that. So, that a little confusion on the sitebased stuff. So hopefully back to school nights will help parents through their school specific utilization of that tool. But I think it is really exciting and it will help families find information and be able to go back and look at information that's been posted. So thanks to the comm's team for setting that up. And then just a question, what is not in steam anymore? Because I feel like that was a longer list than I was used to hearing for steam. And so what topics do not fall under our new definition of steam? It's the same definition. I think we've started spelling it out more because we've learned in other districts there's there can sometimes be a director of math, a director of science, and a director of steam. And we have we are working on some steam practices, but really we use it as an acronym to pull those different content areas together and think about how we're moving change across those content areas. So that's why I specifies you said was part of Okay. Yeah, I'm learning something new. Thank you for that.

3:30:36>> Yeah, that was a lot. I I It was new. Thank you, Dr. Anderson. >> I I just want to recognize our incredible cabinet team, board members. Uh we have such talent, such dedication. Uh I um am just so grateful to work with such amazing people each and every day. Very excited about the new members of our team. uh and excited to be starting year nine as your superintendent. Uh it feels like the time has just flown by. Uh very very grateful for all of the work that's happened over the school year, over the summer to get ready for the school year. I'm excited and thankful for our teachers who are back and ready to go, our bus drivers who are ready to start those engines, um electric and propane. uh and uh and just just incredibly grateful to work in such an amazing school district. You know, we we talk about people are our strength.

3:31:28That continues to be the case and uh just very very grateful to be here, to serve here, to serve with you all. Um entering year nine, uh just lots to be proud of and lots of work to do as every year brings on its new challenges. We'll have some big ones this year, but I promise you the team that you just heard from is up for the task and so am I. So, thank you all. >> Board members, any final questions or comments before we move along on the agenda? Seeing as there are none, our next information item is legislative update. We are not in a legislative session right now, but this is a good time board members to remind you that if you have, as ballot resolutions are kind of taking shape, if you have things that you want to bring forth to our September meeting, please communicate with Rob, Dr.

3:32:16Anderson and I about what items you would might like to discuss as a potential resolution. And then another just a heads up, we were contacted, Peggy Der spoke tonight about the gunsafe storage. There is a a BS smart resolution that people are circulating and asking school districts to sign on to. We as a school board prior to our time in 2021 signed a resolution on gunsafe storage. So it was resolution 21-12. We have one of those resolutions in place already. Um the timeline of their event is the week of August 24th. So it's a little bit ahead of our normal resolution timeline. So we won't be adopting a new resolution this year, but just wanting to point to the resolution that we do have in existence. And that um as Peggy said tonight, we do regularly send out communication on guns safe on safe gun storage, particularly ahead of big um holiday breaks or summer breaks and things of that nature. So, it's something that we are aware of um is happening in our community, but not adopting a new resolution this year because of the timeline in our process and um and we have we're going to have some big things to discuss that week on our agenda as it is. Dr. Harrison, do you have anything else with the

3:33:30legislative update? No, just um yeah, just as a reminder that you know for our community that we created this process several years ago um for the board to be board individual board members to bring forward um any um any ballot initiatives uh or um local measures that that may be have interest to the board to take a position on. Uh there are a lot of those that we don't take positions on, but there are some that especially when they directly impact us that we have over the over the course of my tenure here as superintendent. Uh Prop N, which is uh um is a referred measure to increase funding uh by increasing taper cap for education. Uh that would be something I think of interest for us to consider. Initiative 195, which is a graduated uh income tax. And I'm not sure that they're still counting the signatures on that uh to see if that will make the ballot. Um I know those signatures were turned in and um our partnership with Graded Colorado was one of the contributors to that. So thanks to them.

3:34:35Um and anything else? So uh just for the public and for the board, the 8th of September is what we would be discussing those. >> Anna and then Alex. >> I'm just wondering, can I add one now for us to discuss? No, we're going to hold hold just email Rob and I so we can get some information together. Okay. Um >> it's kind of like a wonky agenda that's not really this part of this agenda item. Got >> so just make sure we know so we can be >> plan have stuff prepared for our discussion on the ETH. >> Alex. >> Yeah. I uh this may not be the time for it too, but I was looking through the delegate assembly from CASBY's list of resolutions and there's one I'm interested in uh potentially discussing and giving Lennenia some feedback on um related to uh charter school authorizing which is a point of interest for me and I think it's an opportunity to get CASBY to endorse best practices with a simple addition to their resolution. Um that would be hopefully a friendly amendment.

3:35:38So, I'd love to have a discussion about that and I'll forward material on it. >> And thanks for bringing up the CASBY resolutions. We will also go through those. Um, if there are ones the the list of CASBY resolutions has gotten long longer year-over-year typically, but if there are specific ones, the request is sort of the same as our other resolutions. If there are things you want us to talk about and formally weigh in on as a board to equip our delegate to make uh either amendments or votes in a direction that we feel is in the best interest of our students in our district uh elevate those as well so we can have a discussion during um that time. Anything else board members? Seeing as there is no additional discussion on our legislative update, we will move on to action items. Consent grouping 7.1 personnel item 7.2 approval of minutes June 16th, 2026. 7.3 change of date for regular business board meeting from August 25th, 2026 to August 18th, 2026. 7.4 4 resolution 26-26 26 27 cash management 7.5 grant food services fresh fruit and vegetables program CDE 7.6 6 grant health services continuing of care Boulder County 7.7 grant strategic partnerships at Alante City of Boulder. Are there any items board members would like to pull from

3:37:00consent grouping? Seeing as there are none, we need a motion. Is there a motion to move by Alex, seconded by Anna? Board members, any discussion on the items within consent grouping this evening? Seeing as there are none, Laura, can you please call a vote on consent grouping? >> Booker, >> yes. >> Chavez, >> yes. >> Medler, >> yes. >> Quinnlanda, >> yes. >> Raj Paul, >> yes. >> Teamuading, >> yes. >> Anger, >> yes. >> Motion passes. >> Moving on to action items this evening. Board members, we have one action item. It is a request for re board review under policy KE-R. Do we have a motion >> Alex? >> Uh, for the purposes of furthering the discussion, I move to reject the complaint brought pursuant to board policy K and KR for review. >> Is there a second? Seconded by Jason.

3:38:09Board members, is there any discussion on this item? Seeing as there are none, can you please call the vote? >> Booker, >> yes. >> Chavez, >> yes. >> Medler, >> yes. >> Quinn Linua, >> yes. >> Rajpaul, >> yes. >> Teamuading, >> yes. >> Anger, >> yes. >> Motion passes. Next item on tonight's agenda is policy action items. Consent grouping. Board members. As you will recall, at the end of last year, we reviewed board policy KER with some made some minor updates. That is on our agenda item for tonight for action consent. Item 9.1, board policy KER is, are there, it's kind of weird to say because there's only one item. Any item board members would like to pull from consent grouping. Would board members like to pull this item? Seeing as there are none, we need a motion to approve.

3:39:09Moved by Jason, seconded by Jorge. Board members, any discussion on this policy? >> Seeing as there are none, Laura, can you please call the vote on the policy consent grouping? >> Booker, >> yes. >> Chavez, >> yes. >> Medler, >> yes. >> Quinn Lenoa, >> yes. >> Rajpaul, >> yes. >> Teamuading, >> yes. >> Anger, >> yes. >> Motion passes. We'll now move on to policy study items. Board members, we have two policies to study this evening. There was a question earlier that I just wanted to address on the process. Our policies, we study and then we study and study or we move to action. We kind of look at these policies until we're ready to move to action. But study action is our normal process. Um we will we follow that with all of our policies. Um and just so the public is aware, we also on our website on bbsd.org org back something about schoolboard and something about policies. If you get to that um board of board of education backpolicies, there is a tab where on any policy that we study at any time, the public can provide feedback. So there's a feedback form if you want to provide feedback on these policies or any policy that we ever touch. Uh that is how the public can do so. So, I just

3:40:29wanted to elevate that before we um move into our discussion of board policy or policy study item 11.1 board policy AC non-discrimination equal opportunity. >> Dr. Anderson, would you like to kick us off or should we have Kristen Edgar kick us off this evening? Uh thank you board president Raj Paul. I will I will be happy to kick us off and Kristen can certainly assist. And um for those in the public watching, we have uh you will notice that um our legal counsel has changed. And uh wish our former legal counsel Kathleen Sullivan well. She's still working with us on some things including some of these policies, working with us as we mediate with the ADL and wrapping up some work for us. um but appreciate her service and Kristen is doing a great job of serving uh here um for us uh in the interimm until we get that position posted and uh and so that we'll be working on that within the next uh week or so. So board members, as as you saw, um you know, in response to the uh the complaint filed, the title six complaint, you know, I would tell I will say that as superintendent and I felt a great deal of urgency to start making taking action. Um one of those being

3:41:55beginning to at a at a minimum include anti-semitism in these two policies. I will say that you'll see in the red line uh there are um in in the non-discrimination equal opportunity policy AC there are um a few additions um and uh and this in no way reflects um a mediated agreement uh with uh with the ADL and the office of civil rights that is still ongoing. uh but I felt felt like waiting was probably the wrong thing to do. Um and so we've taken uh some language that that they have recommended and used that as a starting point but not all of the language uh trying to really thread a needle between schoolboard policy and consistently consistency with previous policy. um and some of the definitions uh that I I believe that that the ADL has um has embraced. Uh so this is not the full IH definition as you would see that was referenced by some of our public comments this evening. Um but there are some elements that would reflect similar language in that policy but not um all of that language. Uh so this would be for your consideration. Of course, policy language belongs to you all. Um, but I do think the inclusion of of anti-semitism and the definition is an important addition to policy AC. And I

3:43:27would let Kristen add anything that she might want to add. >> I think that was um a really good explanation, Dr. Anderson. The only thing I would add from a legal perspective is that there is not a federally or state recognized legal definition of anti-semitism. So this is what um administration is proposing as a starting point. Thank you for that and I appreciate the efforts to uh consider how BVSD typically writes policies and um to use your words threading the needle between where we where we have been and where we are headed and including anti-semitism as a definition like we do other protected classes within this policy. board members. Any discussion on the red line for policy AC? Alex. >> Um, yeah, I guess I would given the two hours of testimony we just got from 50 members of the community, uh, and so much of it was on the definition of anti-semitism.

3:44:30I would sure like us to to thread this needle effectively in a way that is um appropriate in our community and helps us advance our goals and um diminishes the opportunity that we'd either have losses of free speech or people feeling exposed. Um so I'd like to figure out how to get that right. Um and I'm I don't feel uh comfortable with knowing if what we've got on in the current red line does that or not. So, um, we could discuss that now or I would love to get sort of maybe council's advice, uh, in in a memo or something later that would sort of flesh out how this does nuance that um, effectively so that we don't end up having this readjudicated for a long time by others. Was your question specific to the free speech that you recognize or is there something else that we want to be aware of in any definition?

3:45:41>> Uh I think there are multiple elements to uh the community's concerns recognizing that there's no single opinion in the community as well and that it's a fraught topic. Um, I think there's issues where we would continue to get feedback if we were indelicate in how we handle subsequent freedom of speech, uh, criticism of Israel or other issues like that. that um uh that and uh I also want to make a plea for embracing a developmentally appropriate ability to deal with this at the right level with kids at where they are and what we how we're handling our larger anti-bullying strategies. So, I don't know what the I don't know how to make sure sensitivities are addressed and I don't know how to thread that needle. Um, but I do want to make sure that we are uh not inviting um a whole bunch of future fighting over how we've done it and that we are empowered to handle it the way we want when we implement the policy.

3:46:55>> Let's see. in the in the proposed language that's there. Um I'm having the teacher problem that the structure is not parallel to the other to the other items. And um that it makes me uncomfortable to put um the definition of anti-semitism as a perception of Jews that may be expressed as hatred. I think that that sentence um doesn't really doesn't really define what we would see if we were educators in a classroom. What would you see as anti-semitism? it and it may go back to what Alec referred to is that people were trying to juggle the all of these different definitions of anti-semitism, but at least if it could be parallel structure to the other ones like gender identity means anti-semitism means that I like that kind of structure. Um, and then I had one more comment way way way down. That's not even in the red line. Is that totally inappropriate?

3:48:07Um, I saw the annual notice um, and training. So, I'm way down all that's in the last section there. And I was very, very curious about the word periodic there. That means something but means nothing. Students and school district employees shall receive periodic training. What is that period? Every 10 years, every 30 years, every two years. It seems like we should be able to state how often we think people need to be thinking about these issues. Elenia, I'm missing Kitty right now. Um, in the first paragraph, I know what we're trying to get to, but I don't understand why we say shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics. And then in parenthesis we say including anti-semitism we're trying to prohibit discrimination and harassment on the basis should we just be saying it more plainly there? I mean I think that reads really bad. I think I could read this and not know what I'm trying to get at here.

3:49:42I'm not even sure it's actually correct grammar, but I'm somebody else might weigh in on that. >> I think as we consider the language for this policy, there's a couple of options. Board members, we have posted these red lines. We can wait to get some feedback from community. I assure you, you'll get it. I assure you, you will get it. And then the board needs to think about and understand um based on that feedback how these words matter and how they resonate. Uh and um I don't know that you're going to be able to fully thread the needle board members. I mean I think at some point this governance team will have to say this is what we believe is right and this is the board's policy and regardless of a mediation of um with ADL or with office of civil rights and and we've been clear in our conversations that um that policy is is within the discretion of the board of education which um board of educations also change and policy language changes. how many policies have you all changed? So, um I do think words are going to matter here and I think as opposed to going back and say this makes sense, this doesn't make sense, you know, potentially we could get some feedback through the the

3:51:10website that we have and then contemplate that. I would say that while a finalized policy would be better than a non-finalized policy, talking about this is better than not bringing it forward at all. Right? So, I think that this is would potentially be an iterative process, but if you're interested in feedback from others, we can uh we can we can just let the process play out and get feedback or if you know for your direction, we could begin to engage some other individuals on the feedback to this policy knowing and understanding that that could be mixed. So, um I understand uh that today was really heavy. We heard from a lot of people, right? a lot of folks uh with very strong opinions and a lot of very hurt people in our community because of what happened. Trust me, I've lost a lot of sleep over the past over the past month thinking about thinking about this. So, um I want to get this right as well. Uh I but I would say that those are the boards those those are some options for you to consider.

3:52:20>> Thank you for saying that. And I think as always the public feedback is important and as we heard tonight there is not going to be a consensus and so we still have to find our way forward in a way that is meaningful for us and for our students and our staff creating that understanding and knowing that a policy on non-discrimination equal opportunity is not a curriculum and it's not all all the other things. Um and so being clear on on what the what this does and does not cover I think is also important. Jason, you had a hand up. >> Um, yeah, I I um, you know, I want to I want to balance this kind of urgency of this and the promises that we made to doing something quickly and also revisiting a very substantive important policy. I think the discussion tonight was about so much more than the definition that came up a lot, but there's a lot about our response and our systems and our processes that I think are embedded in here um, that I really would like to raise too. So I thank you Deian for kind of breaking the seal on going for non- redline language but um I have a number of thoughts on this and I don't know how best to do that or

3:53:28capture that. But I do think like you know I I agree with kind of the general comments on the definition. Let's you know test this get some feedback and then make a decision on this. But I do think this policy overall given this context is is probably insufficient and maybe we need to cover a few things. one and I don't know like the legal thing is we don't um include hate speech in here and I don't know if that should be something along with discrimination that we should cover as well whether that's this one or the next one that was a big topic of conversation here um as well I think I have some questions about the the role of the compliance officer to be honest I've been on the board three years I have no idea who our compliance officer is and what that is and what the roles and responsibilities are and who they report to and there's some a lot of language here on that but I think we need to tighten that as far as making it very clear who is the ultimate kind of overseer of this and where this goes. And there was a lot of feedback tonight on how we improve that and where it should be. Obviously some things maybe I don't agree with

3:54:28about outside um kind of the district, but I do think we can tighten that up a little bit. Um and then I think I had a similar question to Deian about periodic updates and written updates and what does that mean and you know how serious is it? if people just kind of get an email about this and then they just add that to their list of emails. I do I think we need some really clear language on what what we're giving to staff and and teachers and school leaders how often how often it's maybe coming back. I know with you know just as an attendance zones which is much less weighty than this we included periodic updates in uh in how we revisit that and I think we should include where practical some level of periodic updates here where we get reports to Alex's points earlier about how how do we measure whether these have been effective in lot it's just I look at this and it's a lot of words that say that say not a whole lot to me which is like we need to tighten this up and address a whole lot of things beyond just the definitions I That's throwing a lot out there and I don't want to again to my earlier point of not wanting to

3:55:32slow the urgency down, but I think here's a real chance to get something right that is much more than just the definition which is how we respond the combined two policies tonight. How we respond overall to this to this particular incident and you know the many other things that came up tonight. So again, I don't know that I have um I don't have specific language or how we do this, but I'm throwing these ideas into the mix because I think they're important. Dr. Anderson and then Alex. >> Yeah, I I think board members, we could schedule this um for a future work session. We can get some feedback. Uh send me your questions around the policy and what happens and h and what how does this policy kind of equate to practice. Let's get those answered. Um and we can have a work session at a future time to be able to do that. uh that will delay the adoption of this policy. Right? I will tell you what I said tonight. I meant we are moving forward with some of the practices that I shared um and the polic knowing that the policy will follow.

3:56:39Uh but we do have a busy fall. I want to be really clear on uh you know we will have to look at where this f where we would find the time to do this. Uh but if there is a a desire of the board or the will of the board to to dig into these and get a little bit of feedback, do some more digging and and start to really think about what that is, we could certainly um accommodate that. >> Alex, >> uh I appreciate the need to act uh on a timely basis and the urgency of that and also that we have pressure from the community. So, I might suggest maybe a two-part thing where we enact a board resolution relatively quickly that embraces uh directionally where we're going as a public statement that we can all vote for of our commitment to support the ongoing progress that we're making and then give the study session the time that it might take to get it right so that you both are empowered uh Dr. Anderson and team to like do other stuff now and at the same time we can make sure to manage the input that we'll inevitably get and make it a little more systematic. I'd also suggest if we have um an upcoming

3:57:49executive session for anything else like charter contracts or anything else, we might add this to the items for an executive session so we can discuss the legal implications since we have a title six complaint uh related to this. And then uh in terms of um next revision, I think some of the grammatical issues come from the fact that everything else explains the thing about which you're being discriminated from. And then we switch to anti-semitism rather than discussing being Jewish. And so we don't talk about misogyny or racism. We talk about race and gender identity. And then we have anti-semitism. So the parallel structure is that we're talking about the the protected class that's being discriminated against, not the what the words are we term we use for the discrimination except for anti-semitism where we switch the language. And then uh also in terms of systematic stuff, I'd finally say that I'd be really excited to see some same way we talk about annual notice and training, I'd love to see annual data collection and reporting to the board and so that we can uh um formalize the interest in how we track this.

3:58:56>> Anna, >> thank you. I do um really want to say that the I think that this list of protected classes can always grow and it should as long as we're paying attention to what is happening on the ground with our students, this should stay reflective of what is being lived um within our schools. Um I do want to make sure that um this community is heard and listened to as we are creating these definitions. Um being uh involved in several different movements, I know that um the the saying nothing about us without us is very huge when it plays into how we define things, the things that we move uh forward with. Um, and as a quick example, I think that what comes to mind to me is in the early 2010s when I was uh doing a lot of immigration advocacy and we saw that the DREAM Act uh and comprehensive immigration reform completely was going to fail. Um there were a lot of uh undocumented youth that came together in a room and seeing the writing on the wall. We re really came together to make a plan of what we were going to do um while we still had um some some good favor in that administration.

4:00:25And what was come up with was the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. And that would have not come up had it not been for the impacted people that were there saying what they needed to see within policy. And so I think that this very much so we need to take the time to get the um correct and and really have that thoughtful intentional um uh conversation with our community to make sure that we get this right. And I do want to echo some of the concerns that are being raised by my other board members um particularly in that first sentence of the definition um and making sure that we are including very um uh real definitions so that it's not just a broad policy that only academics or um leadership can understand but that we really get into um what it means like saying that it's a discrimination, it's a prejudice, it's hostility, and it's violence against Jews as Jews, and that that is what we're fighting or that what we're defining as anti-semitism. I don't think that we should make it as broad as it is right now. We really do need to list um what it is, if it's that, if it's hate speech, um what what that manifestation is coming out to be. Um, so I do want to take the time to have

4:01:57those conversations to not just put a broad policy out there, but to really describe um, as we do with the other protected classes and make sure that we have the community input to make sure that we are listing it correctly and not just as a broad policy. I have a wondering board members. Uh you'll recall last year there were a couple policies where we made some cleanups and then brought back policies for revision. And because I think some of the changes that are proposed in the next policy that we are going to study are really important for all of our students um around bullying, I have a wondering or a proposal. I wonder if um it is possible to in this policy AC that first red line where it says religion, shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics if we can include that remove the parenthesy with including anti-semitism which feels grammatically unclear and uncertain and hold off on the definition down below of anti-semitism. So do a little bit of cleanup. So we're signaling to the community that we are I mean the shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics. So we're moving that forward. So then on the next policy we can talk about actions that we can take to address bullying and then come back to how that that parenthesis with

4:03:32including anti-semitism can be worded more cleanly. And then after com after after community feedback and thinking about how we typically define protected classes in our policy, coming up maybe with a a a different version of um different definition of anti-semitism. So we can still move forward to some degree and take the time that um it's probably going to take to to do this exactly right. So, a two-phaseed for some of these policies to help us move, particularly as I think of the next policy and some of the the practical changes that the new policy language will address as we start this school year. Lenia, um, I think that sounds right, though. I would like in protected classes to not be defining anti-semitism. I think we need to define the protected class. Am I correct? That's that's what we give is what what is a protected class there.

4:04:37And if we need to define anti-semitism elsewhere, I just think we have to put it in the right place. Is that because that's what I was trying to get at with Alex is that that that's our definition of the protected classes and now we're sticking in this other thing there which we may very well need to define. I I don't know where to put that along with hate speech. I agree we have to you know maybe those are things we need to call out. I'm just not sure that's right where it's supposed to go for for sake of reading good policy. Right, >> Alex? >> Um, I like the idea of the two-stage approach and having the urgent timely signal and the uh empowering superintendent and the team to act. Um, and so I could see simplifying what we do either with a basic statement of support or with a version of this. Um, I do think probably uh rather than like have the parenthetical including anti-semitism where it doesn't fit grammatically, I was put in a new sentence and say and this includes our commitment to fighting anti-semitism just have a declarative sentence on its own about that uh rather than like lose it. So I certainly if if anti-semitism wasn't in the thing we passed now, we would have failed the

4:06:02community badly. So I want to at least make sure that we have really clear definitive sentence and that's the thing that we're going to be defining later along with some other helpful things. Deian, >> I think that what needs to be in there, which uh opens a whole different can of worms, is if we're going to follow the structure, it should be race, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, and religious oppression. >> Say it again. I just change it to religious oppression >> in No, I'm looking at the just the red line part. >> So instead of calling it anti-semitism if we made it religious oppression, it would also protect people who are Muslim, people who are Mormon, people who are it would include a whole lot of more people who might be oppressed for their religious beliefs. Kristen.

4:07:07>> Um, yes. Thank you, Director Rajfell. I think it might be helpful, I want to follow back up with what Director Medler said to perhaps in an executive session, um, spend some time rel receiving legal guidance for the background for the policy. One thing I think that's really hard about policies is that they evolve over time to reflect changes in legislation. Um much of the policy that's in here is um has been adopted over time and probably added peace meal to add to the grammatical concerns to reflect very specific terms in federal civil rights laws, much more recent state civil rights laws that have expanded to ensure that schools are looking at this actually in a much more aggressive way than the federal standard contemplates. So, there's some real intentionality behind this language to align with the legislation. Um, probably primarily to make sure that we're following the law, but obviously the more important objective for the board is to ensure that we're keeping students safe. So, I just caution against making too many changes this evening without having that background. And then I think it can help inform your conversation about what perhaps gets revised.

4:08:31Well, well, given that then maybe I'm more in favor of Alex's path forward where we would like to show our support for the work that Rob and his team are doing and we need to come back because we certainly don't want to screw it up. Uh would it be appropriate to try to draft something for a resolution? Uh or we probably wait and pass it at the next time to study it today or could I propose a would I be out of order uh to propose a memorial or something that does that that sends that signal that we could actually vote on terms of rules of order or anything? >> Yeah, right now we are in policy item discussion. So that would have to be deferred. So, Jace, um, what I am hearing is that board members would like some more time on this red line, some legal advice related to how some of these other definitions came about.

4:09:42So, we Any other questions on on this one? just AC >> on just AC we haven't talked about the JDHB Alex >> and then just clarifying uh at our next meeting or something we can notice something as a potential resolution that we could pass on our next meeting uh if we want to draft something to send a um our support and a statement to the community in this hard time >> potentially Rob >> I'll be sending a notice to the community tomorrow a letter from me talking about this evening talking about the commitments that we've made. Right? I don't have to get specific on how the policies will change. I can say that we are talking about how do we strengthen the policies to ensure that we have the consistent practice that we need. Um so I do appreciate um the idea of a resolution. And I don't know that I'm acting tomorrow um because we have to because tomorrow's the first day of school. If that's not even it may be going out tonight, I have to check with um our chief communications officer who's at home recovering from knee surgery. So uh so I I do appreciate that. I do think that we've gotten um a lot of good thoughts and ideas around this. I do agree with Kristen that we

4:11:05should probably do an exec session and then follow up with potentially a work session to kind of wrestle around with the language a little bit once we've gotten that direction and we can look to future board meetings to do that. I think that your comments here this evening which are public and this meeting is public serve as notice to our community the seriousness in which we've taken these allegations and and how serious you all are as a board um and we are as a governance team and taking action and so I do think that that would serve where we are uh happy to to inter if you if you feel inclined to write a resolution we can certainly draft something if that would be um what you would direct us to do as staff. Um but the direction's clear right where you all are well where where you all stand collectively is clear and um and trying to be thoughtful in getting this right I think is is is good governance. So but we can create the space for you all to do that so you don't feel rushed to do something here this evening.

4:12:06Anna, >> uh, I am grateful that we're going to take some more time to be able to really, um, dig deep on this, um, policy. And I do just want to say, um, a huge thank you to Dr. Anderson for, uh, taking action, um, putting out a statement, uh, and really making sure that there is action happening towards this at the district. Um, and I've um really just want to put it on the record um that I've seen this time and time again with Dr. Anderson that he goes in and really wants to make sure that he does right by all of our students. And I think this is just another example of him digging in to making sure that he is doing right by our students, by our district. Um, and I just want to say a huge thank you for for taking action, for really showing up, for listening, um, and really just being there during very tough times.

4:13:19Okay, we will move on to 11.2 board policy JDHB which is bullying. who would like to give an overview of the changes to the red line. Um, >> thank you board president Raj Paul. Again, I think that we we tried to in interject some language here um that that would strengthen our response to bullying uh specifically bullying related to anti-semitism. Um strengthening some of the languages on page three from shall to must. uh talking to uh the failure to take action, what accountability um for um folks who see these things and don't report them. Um again, obviously board members with this policy will have to come training uh to to so folks know and understand what to do. Some of the training that I outlined in my comments um in my in my superintendent's remarks.

4:14:17Um, and so that that that was the idea and premise behind adding this language. Again, some of the definition stuff which you may or may not um be be like how that's worded or how that how that's phrased uh um again those that that the same thinking from from policy AC is what went into JDHB. So I don't think we need to discuss sort of that first red line that shared an ent shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics. I appreciate a lot of the changes in this policy. Um, on page two, that brand new paragraph that says all reports of bullying and harassment, the second sentence, um, I I would argue that it should read, "This expectation applies equally regardless of protected class." Period. And strike everything after that. The two paragraphs above, we define all of the different protected classes. we will work on the language um that we discussed in the last one, but I feel like car going beyond that protected class period uh overemphasizes one group over another. And that's something that we've talked about trying to be very mindful of not doing. And so um that additional language I feel like does that.

4:15:49Anna, >> I second that and that is exactly what I was going to say. Um, so thank you for for saying that and I hard second uh what Nicole just said. >> Can you say it again? It's just so in the second sentence it reads it starts this expectation applies and this the this expectation says all reports of bullying and harassment, discrimination, hazing, intimidation and threat or threatening behavior based upon a a protected class will be promptly and thoroughly investigated in accordance with applicable law. Period. This expectation applies equally regardless of protected class. Period is my proposal and striking the language that follows. Other comments, questions on that or the rest of the red lines that kind of follow outlining additional uh actions about reporting incidences of bullying. That's on page three. And then the red line on supports and interventions, the new paragraph that was inserted on page four, >> Jason.

4:17:09>> Um, yeah, thanks. I I also agree with the edits we you just made and suggested. Um, I I really appreciate the stronger shall language. I think that's important. Um I have similar comments to kind of the the previous policy of the AC about um I know this is not a regulation but I do feel like there's some vague language um around you know promptly and thoroughly investigated and um you know shall communicate regularly with parents. I feel like we need to strengthen that and I don't have a particular suggestion but I think the the vagueness is part of the problem um that we've exposed through all this. Um I also just on the new paragraph >> >> um on page four about removing the targeted student. I really I understand where this is coming from obviously given the situation. I do feel like this language is actually more unhelpful because it um it still puts the onus on the targeted student and not on the the bully the buller. Um, and so I don't know if that is actually helpful because it still is making um, it's talking about, you know, the impact of removing the student that should like we should just never that should just not be our um, we should avoid that in almost all situations. And

4:18:25so I understand where it's going here, but I feel like this almost makes it worse. Um, so I don't know. Again, I don't have a suggestion there, but I think that that um I think we want to that's come up again is just the kind of where the the student who's the the victim here is the one that bears the consequences and I think this language, you know, doesn't help that. >> Dr. Anderson, I I appreciate those comments, Jason. I just, you know, board members, what makes this hard is often times these investigations don't result in things that are clear-cut. Right? You're right, you're wrong. There's lots of things that happen when you're investigating and relying on student statements to collect evidence to substantiate that something happened or didn't happen. Uh and so um I I do understand that we have to strengthen our responses. I do. And um I I do want to just um just lift up the reality of of investigations in elementary schools, in middle schools, right? And and what can happen oftent times kid says to their parents, "This happened." the school investigates can't substantiate what happened, right? And and then I think that where we've been failing as a system is what do you do after that? The kid says somebody said something to them that's

4:20:00anti-Semitic. We dig around, we ask people, nobody heard it, nobody saw it, no evidence of that. Doesn't mean it didn't happen, right? But you can't go saying, "Well, we think you might have done it, even though we can't prove it. So then we're going to discipline students and we're going to remove them from classes and we're going to do like I just think that it gets really really tricky there. So, um I think that some of the vagueness you may be feeling in some of this is is is because of that um that often times in investigations, you know, if you that just things aren't as um as clear as we might hope. So, um I will say that if you and and board members, I will have this to you all. Um our protocols, you know, with between our title six response team, right, and and the and the protocols for there, those are going to be super clear-cut on how we respond, dig in, investigate, uh and make sure things just don't go away, right? Somebody says something, we look at it a little bit. You know, the stories of we'll just stay away from them. That is not an okay response.

4:21:16Uh the stories of well you know um I mean you heard them. You heard the stories I heard. So uh again you know if if if we are taking a my maybe my recommendation is this. If we're taking a minute with AC, we take a minute with JDHB as well. Using some of the same um rationale, we've signal to the community that we're moving forward. We're signaling to the community that immediately we're step standing up a response team to begin to dig in to create quality control around how these incidences are are investigated. regardless of where your kid goes to school. Right now, you can have a policy board members and you all know this and this can be very frustrating. You can have a policy. Just because you pass a policy doesn't mean that everybody follows the policy with the same level of fidelity, right? you can that that in big organizations with lots of people like so to get the quality control you have to have a centralized response and and and that's what we're standing up so um to the extent we want to take a look at some of the language you know what's included what we don't include I mean do you lose the spirit of some of the language we start taking some of these

4:22:41things I think that we should be thoughtful about that um and I do think since we already have um we're going to be setting up a mechanism for AC that we can do that for J DHB as well if um or if the board wants to just act you know you certainly could implement some things but if you're going to go changing it again like I'll I'll wait till you change it to be a begin to start to I think it's just tricky right because if the policy is going to continue to change and your expectation of me is to implement policy at the district right that's my job right but I know it's going to change how much how of how much time do we spend pulling people in, right? Again, the signaling will be very clear by this time tomorrow because the communication will have gone out. Um, and and then maybe we take just a little bit more time with these policies to really think through what it is that that we actually want to do.

4:23:32>> Yeah. And I just the counter to something you said, Dr. Anderson, about how, you know, policies aren't always followed with 100% fidelity. There are a lot of things that we do in practice that are never even codified in policy. And so I think just because it's not in policy doesn't mean we don't do the right thing and don't do what's best by students or we don't do different things because it's not in policy. There is a lot that we do that is really important work that's not codified in this policy. And I I just say that to emphasize just because the board might need to wrestle with some words and some language a little bit longer doesn't mean practice won't evolve while we're taking that space. I think there are some the actions that you line out outlined at the very beginning of the meeting address some immediate turnarounds that don't necessarily need to be part of policy it because practice isn't always codified specifically in our policy and so I think the the both of them can be very true and so thank you for um highlighting that and just I just want to share the flip side I did see Anna's and then Alex's hands I believe go up.

4:24:38>> Yep. Uh, I know that this was inferred, but I do just want to say that I want to make sure that this also gets into our executive session so that we know the guardrails that we have around law and policy um on what we put in here for reporting and everything. >> I think uh love what you said, Nicole. I I think that's great that and I have confidence in Dr. Anderson to be making progress on and his team. I don't expect things to wait for us and that I hope things are changing immediately particularly at Southern Hills but but everywhere. Um I do think as we move forward to a a more systematic review um this is another one where I would love to add a subsection on data and reporting so that we do have it as a policy that we want as a board to know about how this is going and future boards should figure out how they track this. Um, I also think to the point of the sort of the operating procedure when you don't have the kind of evidence that's sufficient to discipline each individual child who might have done something heinous that we can't substantiate. I would love to see a section that says, you know, if the pattern of allegations itself is

4:25:50problematic, you know, our staff are empowered to make systemic school level changes as needed to address the climate and culture to get to our value and inclusion goals. So like I I don't want any principal to feel constrained in responding to a pattern of allegations uh that they haven't been able to prove amongst the 8-year-olds to go oh well I wasn't able you know we may not be able to um administratively transfer a child from one school to another but a principal should certainly feel empowered to say hey we need to we need to do something and I think our policy should be directing uh should should show that that's something the district is valuing as a proactive response. >> Other questions or comments on this policy board members. >> Seeing as there are none, we will move on to our next agenda item this evening, which is future agenda requests. board members, new semester, new list of priorities. I know the bulk of our work this year is pretty targeted and we are not taking a lot on a lot of extra work this semester, but if there are items that you would like to have uh on our running list of board items for prioritization for the spring semester, now is the time to bring those up.

4:27:24Alex, >> recognizing how much work we do, and I assume a bunch of this work will continue and bleed into the spring. I I say this with some trepidation. Um, so I put these out there so that we can have a discussion about them later and figure out when when we do act on them. But it remains a priority for me to figure out how we measure and observe uh the sense of um inclusion and kids sense of safety in our schools and school climate in a way that is that can be reflected eventually in our superintendent evaluation, strategic plan, district and school UIPs and 90-day improvement plans. So I would and I I don't think there's a single measure like our current ones of disproportionate uh exclusionary discipline doesn't capture it. So I'm trying to figure out systematically how we understand the students sense of um inclusion and sense of being safe in there and I'd love to have a thorough exploration of that at some point. I also um uh moving on to a a second thing, I really do want to advance our discussion about uh PK through 12, our approach to bilingualism and language learners and how systematic our approach is because I feel like it's kind of scattershot depending on the grade you're in. And the stuff I feel

4:28:42from the field makes me feel like we're not as systematic as we should be was such an important thing and that some of it's a what you get as a function of where you live and you know how old you are when you get here and that that's just all not sufficient. So I I would like to understand more and then be discussing what we're doing for kids as they're learning English throughout their whole experience here. Elena, I was going to bring up um wanting to look at Healthy Kids Colorado results, but I think that can just be tacked on with Alex is that that could be one piece of what we look at when we look at um kind of a a health of a mental health climate uh look at what what our kids are experiencing along with other measures.

4:29:29So, I'm interested in that as well. I'd like to um add or roll over uh we had talked last spring about um implementation of neurodeiversity policy and I'd like to bring that up again and see how that is going. Okay. Thank you board members for adding those to our list for our next prioritization meeting. With that, uh that concludes our business for tonight. Thank you everybody for attending. I hope everybody has a wonderful first week of school. With that, our meeting is adjourned.