Annette Martinson and Tom Wittmer, Esquire, Neola, reviewed proposed draft policies:

• 6110 Grant Funds - discussion re stricken language that would have restricted the use of federal funds from being used to develop, distribute, or promote materials that promote sexual activity; Kelly Watt, Chief of Staff, advised that the stricken language pertains to items not provided by CCDS based on statute; consensus to reinstate original language;
• 6144 Investments - discussion included the rationale of placing a percentage under "portfolio composition"'; Mr. Wittmer advised there are different percentages based on different types of investment; Dr. Legutko, Assistant Superintendent of Business Affairs, advised that some funds are in an investment portfolio while other funds remain accessible to maintain operational initiatives and she believes these percentages are safe, also noting that the policies in this chapter are statutorily driven and other districts follow similar percentages and caps on these activities;
• 6140 Public Depository - discussion re whether the funds referenced in this policy include internal accounts and fundraising and what constitutes a public depository; Dr. Legutko advised the federally insured bank accounts follow the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and are insured up to a certain amount; certain bank accounts are designated in procedures that the superintendent and board chair sign off on and schools can deposit into those sites designated by the district; principals of schools are aware of appropriate depositories and a procedural manner for Internal Accounts defines what must happen when a deposit is received;
• 6220 Budget Preparation - discussion included the current fund balance which ranges from 3% - 5% with a goal of 5%; there is a separate fund balance for Self-Insurance, which is a subsidiary of the general fund; Self-Insurance requires an actuarial analysis annually to ensure the fund balance maintained supports the activities that go through the Self-Insurance fund, constituting 60 days of claims reserves from prior year; if fund balance is not maintained, it will be reported and filed with the state and must be brought up to where it should be with funds that may only be transferred from the operating fund.
• 6320 Purchasing and Contracting for Commodities and Contractual Services - discussion re the "Tie Low Bids" and whether language could be added to include experience as a consideration; Ms. Staefe, Supervisor of Purchasing, advised that a bid, per statute, is based on an amount (not experience) and award criteria relates to RFPs, not BID awards; policy will remain as is to allow the board to render a decision at the time of contract;
• 6345 Change Orders - question re language allowing the superintendent to authorize and approve Change Orders up to $100,000; this would just be utilized in an emergency and would still be brought to the board on existing contracts;
• 6550 Travel and Expenses - discussion on whether to include GPS miles vs odometer readings and when funds would be advanced for out of county travel; Dr. Legutko advised that, in the case of student trips, funds are sometimes advanced to pay for lunches with receipts following; policy will be revised to include GPS reimbursement;
• 6610 School Internal Funds - discussion of whether language requiring deposit of monies within five (5) working days is adequate; Dawn Posey, Interim Assistant Superintendent of Business Affairs, advised that requirement comes out of the Redbook issued from the Florida Department of Education; Mrs. Hanson would like to receive a copy of the Internal Accounts manual as the board is responsible for the administration of internal funds and it is important for the board to be kept apprised of the people's cash; Ms. Posey advised that, as new procedures for Internal Funds are implemented through Business Plus software, she will create a document to provide the cash balances of IA to the board on a monthly basis; Mr. Alvero would like the language on "overspending limitations" to require approval from both the superintendent and the board; Dr. Legutko advised that scenario is a rare occurrence that can be brought to the board as an informational item and Ms. Posey advised that she can add overspending to the report; no change to proposed policy, but overspending will be added to the financial reports;
• 6625 Petty Cash Accounts - question re whether petty cash is still needed as the transition to cashless continues; Ms. Posey advised there are still instances where cash is used such as dances and school activities and Ms. Ellis confirmed cash is still used to purchase lunches; Ms. Hanson would like a future discussion on cashless operations parameters;
• 6685 Funding for Promotion, Public Relations, and Hospitality - question re why language including examples was stricken and decision made to add that language back in for clarity; question re why language prohibiting expenditures of K-12 funds not directly related to students was stricken; Mr. Broskie advised his concern pertains to the words "not directly"; verbiage will be reinstated but the word "directly" will be left out; Dr. Legutko advised the direct purpose of this language is to ensure K-12 FEFP dollars are not spent on food purchases, per Redbook, and language is statutory; 
• 7510 Use of District Facilities, Grounds and Equipment - this policy will be pulled and considered on the June agenda
• 7250 Commemoration of School Facilities - discussion included whether to continue to allow naming of schools to be about individuals and the times that option may be significantly appropriate; verbiage exempting a contracted employee will be stricken;
• 7434 Smoking and Tobacco Free Environment - discussion re stricken langauge that includes dissemination on policy, signage, notice to parents and guardians in handbook, reminder announcements at school events and the need to be proactive in making sure people are aware of the tobacco-free environment; signage has been appreciated by parents but vaping signage would be more on point; Mr. Broskie advised language was removed as it is procedural in nature; tobacco free policies should be added to all pertinent online manuals; stricken language will be reinstated
• 7440 Plant Security - discussion why some items were stricken and others left; Mr. Broskie noted the importance of not publicly sharing some information related to this policy and that the items identified in policy are items included in the program; 
• 7540.02 Web Content, Apps and Services - discussion of having policy language match the software application; language for Apptegy was not specifically stated to allow for any platform changes but "board-specified website or service" will effectively define approved communication platform;
• 7540.03 Student Internet Safety and Acceptable Use - discussion re stricken language that prohibits students from accessing social media platforms from unauthorized district platforms unless directed by a teacher; language restricting social media platforms on a district device from district platforms will be restored but will not include verbiage relating to the teacher;
• 7540.06 District Issued Student E-Mail Account - clarification that a student sending an email with a student number does not constitute a breach of security as the student number is part of directory information;
• 7540.08 Artificial Intelligence (AI) - Mrs. Hanson voiced concerns over a large amount of language that was stricken and favors utilizing the language Neola has crafted until personnel have received training and are better suited to make these decisions; Mr. Broskie advised there is a task force that has met several times and Ethan Caren, Director of Information Technology Services, advised ITS has been meeting with school leaders and educators to discuss how to manage AI and what tools exist for use in a safe and educational environment that does not include AI learning off of the input provided; discussion of AI use has included a slow rollout with teachers first receiving training; policy will be revised to its original format provided by Neola;
• 8300 Safety and Security Preparedness Manual - discussion included the board being included in the review of the Safety and Security Manual; Matt Boyack, Director of Safety and Security, advised the policy needs to provide the ability to adapt it and change throughout the year but he can incorporate the discussion of these manuals and procedures into shade meetings to allow the board to have conversation while still allowing the ability to make last-minute changes if needed; language will be added to include the provision for the school board to review this manual;
• 8141 Mandatory Reporting of Misconduct - question re stricken language; Brenda Troutman, Assistant Superintendent Human Resources, advised that employee discipline is held in confidence but materials may be requested through a public records request after 10 days, limiting the shrouded nature of the discipline to only 10 days; board members expressed concern about parents wanting to know about misconduct and the need to provide that information to parents so they know what is being done to protect their children; stricken language will be restored because parents have the right to know information on matters of sexual misconduct; 
• 8407 Safe-School Officers - stricken language erroneously remains in proposed policy and will be removed;
• 8410 Crisis Event Intervention and Response - language will be revised to say that the superintendent shall (not may) promulgate administrative procedures for respondong to a critical incident event.
• 8462 Student Abuse, Abandonment, and Neglect - question re whether "mandatory reporters" should be better explained so all individuals in the educational community are aware this is not an option; the hotline number and website link will be added to the policy;
• 8470 Community Notification of Registered Sexual Predators/Sex Offenders - discussion included providing information to parents and whether a sexual predator with a student at school is permitted on campus; Matt Boyack, Director of Safety and Security, advised the website is the best source of information and the district does make available any information from Clay County Sheriff's Office as well as having strong procedures in place through Raptor; sexual predators with a student in school are permitted on campus to pick up, drop off, and attend events while being under careful supervision;
• 8600 Transportation - question re why language was removed concerning the use of a detection event system on buses; CCDS does not currently have a system and language can be reinstated if the situation changes; no changes to proposed policy;
• 8800 Religions and Other Ceremonies and Observances - stricken language seems to be examples of what is and is not allowed; differing viewpoints exist on what should and should not happen at schools; school and staff members may not use religious acts to construe approval of the message; concern that instruction of religious holidays and customs in a matter related to curriculum was stricken; Mrs. Gilhousen advised she believes the proposed language protects rather than limits the religious freedoms of staff and students; no changes to proposed language; verbal message that various celebrations and parties, when made educational, may be held can be communicated;
• 9211 Booster Clubs and Other Outside Support Organizations - Mrs. Skipper requested two separate policies - one for boosters and one for PTAs, recommending that this policy be brought forward with policy 9210 and revisited in June; Mrs. Hanson supports there being two different policies because boosters and associated legalities are very different from a PTA and policy language can be used to ensure PTAs at each school resemble each other in structure and rules
• 0100 Definitions - minor modifications made;
• 0131 Legislative/Policymaking - policy revised to reflect a change of rules providing website advertisement as sufficient; will add in "newspaper or website" to allow for more flexibility; additional deleted language was not necessary for Neola to include in policy;
• 0131.1 Technical Corrections - Neola has clarified an option to update the names of individuals who serve as district compliance offiers, choosing both options;
• 0143 Election - technical correction only; Mrs. Clark would like verbiage to better clarify each board member serves at large; requested revision will be made to clarify each board member represents the entire district;
• 0164 Notice of Meetings - one statute calls for 2 days notice before a meeting; Neola recommends retaining the current 7 day notice for regular meetings; there is a choice for continuous publication on a publicly accessible website with an option for publication in a newspaper; both will be utilized so choice is retained;
• 0165 Meetings - Neola combined 4 bylaws into 1 and covers all meetings in this policy; special meeting notice will be revised from 2 to 7 days and notification to board will also be changed to at least 7 days; notification selections were chosen for emergency meeting notifications; virtual participation will be permitted but a quorum must be present;
• 0165.1 Technical Correction on Agendas - minor change to revise "chairman" to "chair".

Mrs. Skipper advised she has discussed with Mr. Blocker, School Board Attorney, and would like to further discuss creating a policy to further recruit and retain needed bus drivers by providing pay for their Commercial Driver License (CDL) with provisions that would require the employee to provide a set number of years of service to CCDS or provide pro-rated reimbursement back to CCDS if they should choose to terminate employment early. Bryce Ellis, Assistant Superintnedent of Operations will need to engage in discussion with Human Resources and Legal to assess feasibility.  The board supports consideration for this proposal, and Mrs. Skipper requested that the Superintendent, Human Resources, and Legal work on obtaining the details so this may be considered for implementation..

Mrs. Skipper is meeting with Terri Dennis, Coordinator of Communications and Media, to further develop the board's newsletter and requested input from board members re what they would like communicated via the newsletter, noting the recent overhaul of policies and FSBA Master Board Certification.  The targeted timeline for the first newsletter is prior to the end of this school year and the second newsletter will be issued prior to the start of the next school year.  Ms. Dennis proposed questions the board might considering answering for inclusion in the newsletter.  Mrs. Gilhousen would like something added in support of our troops in view of the upcoming Memorial Day holiday and she would also like a heavy focus on the accomplishments of students to possibly include graduation rates and scholarships.  Mrs. Hanson suggested having a forum where teachers are invited to talk.  Mrs. Skipper noted the importance of introducing the board to the community and letting them know what they are working on as elected officials, highlighting the positive changes and the direction in which the board is moving.

Mrs. Hanson would like to set aside time at the June workshop to review and revise protocols.

Recognitions:

• Recognize Winners of the 2025 Math Field Day - no discussion;
• Recognition of 2024-2025 Superintendent's Student Advisory Council Members - no discussion;
• Recognize President's Volunteer Service Award Recipients - no discussion;
• Recognize Student Composition Contest Winners - no discussion;
• Recognition of State & International Science Fair Winners - no discussion;
• Recognize Recipients of Superintendent's Pre-Paid Scholarships - no discussion;

Discussion Agenda:

• D1 Human Resources Special Action A - no discussion;
• D2 Human Resources Special Action B - no discussion;
• D3 Human Resources Special Action C - no discussion;

Consent Agenda:

• C1 Minutes of School Board Special Meeting and School Board Workshop on March 25, 2025; Student Hearings and Regular Meeting on April 3, 2025 - no discussion;
• C2 School Board Member Out-of-County Travel Expenses Estimated to Attend FSBA/FADSS Annual Summer Conference - no discussion;
• C3 Payment of Annual Membership Dues for 2025-2026 to Florida School Boards Association - no discussion;
• C4 Approval to Advertise and Notice of Public Hearing to Adopt a Comprehensive Document entitled "Bylaws and Policies of the School Board of Clay County" and Rescind all Bylaws and Policies Heretofore Adopted by the School Board of Clay County - no discussion;
• C5 Proclamation #25-17 Condemning Antisemitism, Hatred and Discrimination - Mr. Broskie noted that Mr. Blocker, School Board Attorney, is currently working on langauge for this proclamation; Mrs. Skipper indicated she would like to review the language on this sensitive issue and ensure it is left non-political in nature;
• C6 Personnel Consent Agenda - no discussion
• C7 Renewal of List of Physicians and Medical Facilities authorized to conduct physical examinations required for certain groups of employees - no discussion;
• C8 Elementary Student Out of State Travel - no discussion;
• C9 Proclamation #25-19 to Recognize May as National Speech-Language-Hearing Month in Clay County - no discussion;
• C10 K-12 Academic Services Out of State and Overnight Student Travel - no discussion;
• C11 Proposed Florida Youth Challenge Academy Student/Employee Calendar for 2024-2025 School Year - no discussion;
• C12 Modification #1 Amendment Two to Dual Enrollment Agreement between Gaetz Aerospace Inst. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ. (ERAU) and School Board of Clay County (SBCC) 2022-2025 - no discussion;
• C13 2025-26 CCDS Professional Learning Catalog - no discussion;
• C14 #25-18 Proclamation of Mental Health Month May 2025 - no discussion;
• C15 Approval to Advertise/Notice of Public Hearing to Approve Revisions to Student and Family Handbook with Code of Student Conduct - Mr. Broskie noted the summary of changes included with this item and noted that many of the revisions were statutorily driven; Legislature is still reviewing two (2) bills on cell phone use that may require further revisions for statutory compliance;
• C16 Proposed Allocation Changes for 2024-2025 - no discussion;
• C17 Proposed Allocation Changes for 2025-2026 - no discussion;
• C18 Monthly Financial Reports March 2025 - no discussion;
• C19 Budget Amendment Report for March 31, 2025 - no discussion;
• C20 Deletion of Certain Items Report April, 2025 - no discussion;
• C21 BID Renewals - no discussion;
• C22 Resolution to Dispose of Relocatable Buildings at RideOut Elementary School - no discussion;
• C23 Change Order #1 (Direct Purchasing) for Clay High School Roof Repair/Replacement - no discussion;
• C24 Schematic/Preliminary/Final (Phase I, II, & III) Plans and Specifications for Lakeside Junior High School HVAC and Roof Repair/Replacement - no discussion;
• C25 Substantial and Final Completion of Charles E. Bennett Elementary School Security Lighting Repair/Replacement - no discussion;
• C26 Prequalification of Contractors - no discussion;
• C27 Change Order #2 for Clay High School Roof Repair/Replacement - no discussion;
• C28 Change Order #4 (Direct Purchasing) for Lakeside Elementary School Kitchen Renovation - no discussion;
• C29 Safety & Security; Emergency Communications - Contract Award for Discovery Oaks Elementary School, Oakleaf Village Elementary School; Plantation Oaks Elementary School, and Keystone Heights Elementary School - no discussion.

Superintendent Broskie shared the attached visual presentation to share the potential impacts of currently proposed legislation to the following areas:

• Funding College and Career Programs
• 2023-2024 Clay County Add-On FTE and impacted areas benefiting from that funding
• FEFP Funding for 2025-2026, including anticipated increased costs and cuts
• Vouchers (Family Empowerment Scholarship)
• Educational Funding - the Base Student Allocation increase would be insufficient to support cost increases and reduced funding to existing programs
• Potential statutory changes to cell phone policies

The board will need to discuss any statutorily required changes to school start times at a workshop in the future.

Mrs. Hanson noted that the board agreed on a survey and would like items added to the consent agenda in order to keep track of the progress of those items. 

Mrs. Skipper is heading to Tallahassee on April 23rd to participate in Clay Day, noting the good opportunity to view and participate with other community members and discuss all of the educational legislation.